ALL school computers in South Africa could get free software if the government accepts a formal offer from Corel Corporation to provide the material. Company CEO Michael Cowpland has offered to provide Corel WordPerfect, for the Linux operating system, for each school computer, free of charge. He said that although the offer is free, it […]
CONSTRUCTION of a $1,3-billion aluminium smelting plant in southern Mozambique should be completed by July next year, six months ahead of schedule. Mozal smelter company GM Peter Cowie said on Friday that Mozambique’s biggest single investment project should produce its first aluminium ingot by July 2000 instead of the initially forecast January 2001. Britain’s Billiton […]
FUEL prices are likely to rise by as much as 20c a litre early next month following recent rises in world oil prices. Figures from the Central Energy Fund show a price underrecovery of some 17c per litre. If oil prices remain at their current levels, the petrol price will have to be raised by […]
THE head of the crime prevention unit at Gilead in Northern Province, Inspector MA Maifo, has been arrested for possessing R30000 in counterfeit notes. Maifo was arrested in a sting operation at Nedbank’s Potgietersrus branch on Friday, police spokeswoman Ronel Otto said on Monday. He appeared in the Potgietersrus Magistrate’s Court the same day and […]
REBEL leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday stressed that President Laurent Kabila must meet certain conditions if they are to attend a “national debate” set for April 3 in Rome. Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo said he wants the prior release of all political prisoners. Ernest […]
STRIKING transport workers are planning to march to the Johannesburg offices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration on Monday afternoon, half an hour before a scheduled meeting between four major transport unions and the South African Bus Employers Association. “We want to put pressure on the employers to settle the strike today,” Transport […]
FORMER Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda is expected in the country early this week for seminar on democracy in South African organised by the Independent Electoral Commission. Kaunda will present a paper at the seminar to be held at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria on April 21 to 23, said IEC spokesperson […]
A FOUR-hour hostage drama ended on Sunday with police snipers shooting dead a 42-year-old Vereeniging man. The saga began when Koos Ackerman shot his wife, identified only as Mrs Van Aswegen, in the left shoulder. When police and paramedics arrived, Ackerman disarmed a police officer amid a hail of fire before hijacking a passing motorist […]
NEGOTIATIONS aimed at reuniting the Comoro islands got off to a chilly start on Monday as leaders of secessionist Anjouan boycotted an opening address by Interim President Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde. The conference is being held near Madagascan capital Antananarivo. There, several Anjouanians are stressing that their island’s “sovereignty” is not negotiable. Tadjidine took over […]
DE BEERS Marine is negotiating for the renewal of its licence for a longer period than five years. Debmarine, whose contract with Namdeb for the recovery of sea diamonds expires at the end of the year, is a subsidiary of De Beers and accounts for close to 40% of Namdeb’s total annual diamond output — […]