GABON’S Finance Minister, Emile Doumba, has moved to calm disgruntled civil servants in an open letter defending his cash-strapped government’s plan to slash salaries by up to 25%. In his letter, published by national media, Doumba said the cuts were essential to reduce government spending in the face of sliding revenues and falling oil production.

AFRICAN leaders and senior international bankers will meet in Libreville in January to discuss anti-poverty strategies and economic growth in the region. The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Michel Camdessus, the president of the African Development Bank (ADB), Omar Kabbaj, and governors of a number of African central banks will attend the January […]

FOREIGN Minister Nkosazana Zuma arrived in Rwanda on Thursday to sign a co-operation agreement intended to pave the way for closer ties in trade and culture. She is also expected to discuss the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwandan troops have been fighting in support of the Congolese rebels before signing a peace […]

ZIMBABWE beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the fifth and final one-day cricket international in Harare on Sunday. Sri Lanka were 202 all out in 48.2 overs, while Zimbabwe scored 206-4 in 46.2 overs. Tillerkratne Dilshan’s maiden half-century brightened an otherwise dowdy Sri Lankan batting display. Dilshan scored 51 off 73 balls including two […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 11.00am. LONG-TIME pacesetters Sundowns lost and regained the Castle Premiership lead within 150 minutes on Sunday after defeating Ajax Cape Town 2-0 at Bellville Stadium in Cape Town. Alex Bapela scored midway through the first half for the ‘Brazilians’ and Joel Masilela made sure the defending champions returned to Gauteng […]

AT least 432 people have been killed in 286 crashes on South African roads since the start of the festive season on December 1, Arrive Alive reported on Monday night. Of those killed 116 were drivers, 197 were passengers and 119 pedestrians. Eastern Cape usurped KwaZulu-Natal’s dubious distinction of having the highest number of deaths […]

SOUTH African companies will from next week shut down their Internet and e-mail connections to avoid a rash of computer viruses expected to strike on January 1. The Sunday Times listed more than 10 prominent companies, including the top commercial banks, as among those who will cut their electronic links until a few days after […]

STEVEN MANN, Johannesburg | Saturday 5.30pm. The annual holiday season carnage on South African roads continued apace on Saturday, as the death toll since the beginning of December climbed to 354. In the worst accident recorded this month thus far eight people were killed and six injured when a minibus taxi collided with a car […]

A MAN was beaten to death for urinating against a car in Cape Town’s Sea Point tourist area on Thursday, police said. Police spokeswoman Superintendent Nina Kirsten said the 26-year-old Johannesburg man was on holiday in Cape Town when the incident occurred early in the morning. The man, who was with friends, got out of […]

THE country’s longest awaiting-trial prisoner is going to spend Christmas at home. The SA Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) is going to pay Julia Mashele’s R50000 bail. Sapohr president Derrick Mduli says the money was provided by the organisation’s German donors. Mashele has spent more than six years behind bars after she was arrested […]