SARAH BULLEN and Reuters, Cape Town | Thursday 10.45am COMBINED gold and foreign exchange reserves beat economists’ forecast continuing their upwards rise in November to $7,4-billion — a $500-million rise from October’s reserves, Reserve Bank figures released on Thursday show. In rand terms this translates into a rise of R2,6-billion to R45,2-billion from October’s R42,6-billion. […]

THE son of a senior ANC leader in KwaZulu-Natal has been murdered. Vuyani Nkosi, 33, son of the provincial legislature deputy speaker, Willies Mchunu, was shot dead on Tuesday night at his home in Durban’s Chesterville Township. Nkosi, who was the ANC branch chairman Chesterville, was shot at four times and revolver cartridges were found […]

WESTERN Cape police commissioner Lennit Max says transforming the police service to make it representative of the communities it serves and a crackdown on corruption are among his priorities, reports Marianne Merten. The former Eastern Cape deputy commissioner on Wednesday morning officially assumed office in the province which this week was rocked by another bomb […]

WEDNESDAY marks the 161st anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in South Africa. The first slave ship arrived in the Cape in 1657. Among the initial unwilling immigrants was a group from Dahomey in West Africa. Later the majority came from countries around the Indian Ocean — sometimes as political prisoners, sometimes as criminals. Although […]

PLATINUM dealers and analysts greeted warily Wednesday’s news that Russia has moved closer to unblocking platinum exports, but said the price will tumble in the medium term as metal comes onto the market. Spot platinum dipped $3 from its New York close to $437/$442 on the release of the news, but quickly recovered to $441.50/$446.50. […]

VODACOM announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Wendy Luhabe non-Executive chairperson of the Vodacom Group with effect from 1 January 2000. Luhabe is the founding of human rescources group Bridging the Gap. In 1997, the World Economic Forum named her one of the “Global Leaders for Tomorrow”. She was one of the founders of […]

ELS, PRICE FAVOURITES FOR MILLION DOLLAR HOMEBOY Ernie Els and defending champion Nick Price are the hot favourites to win this year’s Million Dollar Challenge. Price is going for an unprecedented Million Dollar hat-trick in a field that includes 19-year-old Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia.The field includes 19-year-old Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia. Els tipped Price, who […]

A SENIOR Northern Province detective appeared briefly in court on Wednesday for allegedly raping three young girls and indecently assaulting four others. Senior Superintendent Shimanyana Frans Lebese, 49, of Lebowakgomo near Pietersburg, was not asked to plead in the Zebediela Periodical Court and will remain in custody until December 15 for further psychiatric observation. On […]

THE Freedom of Expression Institute warned on Wednesday, World Aids Day, that patients exposed to the virus had the right to be told about medicines even if they could not afford them. “Prevention is not limited to informing South Africans about the ways they can get the disease,” the FXI said in a statement. “In […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 4.15pm. PROFESSIONAL Soccer League chief executive officer Joe Ndhlela has been suspended on full pay by the PSL following his arrest on Tuesday on charges of corruption and fraud. The charges relate to when Ndhlela was a senior official at Transnet. He has been suspended from the PSL with immediate […]