CABINET decided on Wednesday that the government should appeal against a Cape High Court judgment that a non-South African citizen who is the partner of a South African citizen of the same sex should be entitled to permanent residence. Government communications and information service head Joel Netshitenzhe said the government believes this amounts to discrimination […]
THE African Development Bank has approved a loan and grant package for Lesotho worth $6,6-million aimed at rejuvenating the country’s agricultural sector. The financial assistance comes from ADB’s special African Development Fund, set up to provide funding to poorer countries. The agricultural programme is expected to diversify crop production, increase productivity, boost farming revenues and […]
RETAIL trade sales figures for December and for the fourth quarter of 1998 show that real retail trade sales have kept up the declining trend that set in at the beginning of 1998. According to figures released on Wednesday by Statistics South Africa, real retail trade sales (at constant 1995 prices) for 1998 decreased by […]
WALLABY fullback Matthew Burke ruled himself out of rugby on Wednesday for another six weeks. This leaves New South Wales without two senior Test backs for possibly the rest of the Super 12 tournament. Burke had shoulder reconstruction surgery after he was injured while scoring a try in Australia’s Bledisloe Cup Test win over New […]
GERMANY has approved the sale of three submarines to South Africa, the daily Frankfurter Rundschau reported on Wednesday. The paper said the government’s security council, chaired by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, has given the green light for the contract, which has been approved by the foreign and defence ministries. Because the contract is for the sale […]
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has banned top referee Petrus Mathabela from officiating any matches it runs. PSL boss Joe Ndhlela said the Board of Governors agreed to implement the recommendations of the Motimele Commission, which investigated bribery and match-fixing in the last PSL season. Mathabela fell afoul of the decision at the PSl which […]
SOUTH African Under-19 rugby coach, Pieter de Villiers, is looking for an improved performance from his young charges when they face a Boland Under-20 combination in Wellington on Thursday as part of their preparations for the 1999 Fira Junior World Championship between 26 March and 4 April. The Under-19’s convincingly beat a South Western Districts […]
RONNIE ELLIOTT and AFP, Cape Town | Wednesday 2.50pm. PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela announced on Wednesday that the second democratic elections will be held on June 2. Announcing the long-awaited date in Parliament, Mandela said that while he would have preferred a date in the second half of May, “consideration of the Independent Electoral Commission’s arguments, […]
THE number of Namibian refugees from the Caprivi region who have poured into Botswana seeking asylum now stands at 2501. Principal officer in the Office of the President in Botswana, Ross Sanoto, said that although the Refugee Advisory Council has determined the refugee status of more than 2000 Namibians, it has not yet forwarded its […]
SOUTH Africa will give disaster aid to Mozambique, where torrential rains have caused flooding and severe damage near the coastal town of Vilankulo, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. A task team from the South African National Defence Force left for Mozambique on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the rains, foreign ministry spokesman […]