OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lagos | Saturday 6.30pm. THE opening game in the African Nations Cup ‘Group of Death’ on Sunday pits Nigeria against Tunisia — teams considered strong enough to go all the way and win the biennial tournament. It will be a Group D match of contrasts with poorly-prepared, Europe-based Nigerians opposing perfectly-conditioned, home-based Tunisians […]

THE Financial Services Board has taken the unusual step of inviting investors who may have been prejudiced by insider trading to claim compensation from its arsenal of funds from fines imposed. The Insider Trading Directorate of the FSB, which was set up a year ago to stamp out the crime of profiting from privileged information, […]

THE average room and bed occupancy rates of South African hotels for November 1999 decreased by 12% and 6,7% respectively, compared with November 1998, according to figures released Thursday by Statistics South Africa. Stats SA said decreases in room and bed occupancy rates were reported in 4 of the 9 provinces. North West province recorded […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Accra | Friday 6.30pm. FIFA president Sepp Blatter backed African claims in Accra on Friday that it was their turn to host the World Cup. “It is logical that the 2006 World Cup should be in Africa,” said Blatter, here for the African Nations Cup which kicks-off on Saturday. He added that Fifa […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Kano, Nigeria | Saturday 6.30pm. ELDER African football statesmen Hossam Hassan of Egypt and Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia will loom large over a Group C showdown between the countries on Sunday. Hassan enters the match at the 25000-capacity Sani Abacha Stadium in the northern city with 136 official international appearances – a record […]

TUNISIA are a good team but Nigeria should still win, Nigeria’s Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere said on Saturday, the day ahead of the two teams’ first match in the African Nations Cup in Lagos. “The Tunisians have a good team but neither are we pushovers. We have a good defence, a good midfield and a […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 11.00pm. HANSIE Cronje wrote himself into one-day cricket history as he led South Africa to a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the triangular series-opener on Friday. Cronje’s unbeaten 83 off 112 balls made him only the fourth player after West Indies’ Viv Richards, Australia’s Steve Waugh and Sri Lanka’s Sanath […]

Jubie Matlou The Johannesburg City Council was on a collision course with the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) this week over its “Igoli 2002” masterplan, creating a dispute that could chart the way the African National Congress settles its differences with its alliance partners. The transformation scheme – which will entail a privatisation drive […]