THE Water Affairs and Forestry Department has warned people kliving near the Boschpoort Dam in North-West Province not to drink the dam water as it has been invaded by a toxic algae. Department spokesperson Zeth Setenane said the algae causes skin rashes, eye irritation, fever and vomiting. He said on Thursday that test samples from […]

THE Cabinet decided at its fortnightly meeting on Wednesday not to change an earlier decision that prisoners should not be allowed to vote in this year’s election. Meanwhile, South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights president Golden-Miles Bhudu said Sapohr’s case to compel the Independent Electoral Commission to allow prisoners to vote will be heard […]

WORLD champion Carl Fogarty finally lost a race in Wednesday’s test session at the Vodacom Winter Superbike Tests at Kyalami. The Ducati rider had to give way to American Colin Edwards on the factory Castrol Honda, who posted a fastest time of 1 minute 44,27 seconds. The primary battle is still between the Ducati and […]

GAUTENG Premier Mathole Motshekga on Thursday accepted certain findings and recommendations of the Mokgoatleng commission of inquiry into irregularities at the Kempton Park/Tembisa Council on the East Rand. In a statement, Motshekga’s office said he referred the report to the council for consideration, comment and implementation of certain of the findings on Thursday. The commission […]

ENGLAND A’s Darren Thomas put Zimbabwe’s on the rack in Harare on Tuesday as the home side ended a rain-affected day on 63/5. Thomas of Glamorgan county took three wickets and Melvyn Betts of Durham took two during a day blighted by overnight rain and bad light.Only one hour and 45 minutes play was possible. […]

THE surface of the Inyaka Bridge showed cracks more than a month before it collapsed, according to testimony at the inquiry into the disaster in Pretoria on Wednesday. Fourteen people died when the bridge, near Bushbuckridge, collapsed last July 6. Contract manager for construction company Concor Les Wardaugh testified that work on the bridge continued […]

Visiting Austrian Chancellor Viktor Klima held talks on Thursday with President Nelson Mandela.

THE humanitarian situation in Congo (Brazzaville) is a “forgotten emergency”, according to United Nations assistant co-ordinator for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffith, who visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Congo in January. Battles rage in Congo (Brazzaville) between the army, supported by Angolan troops and President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s Cobra militias on the one […]

THE Sudanese government has released all political prisoners in line with a recommendation by the Sudanese Human Rights Council, the Sudanese embassy in London announced on Thursday. In a statement, the embassy said the releases were announced on Wednesday in Khartoum. Council chairman Ahmed al-Mufti said the recommendation was made on December 5, when it […]

LIBERIA’S ambassador to South Africa has accused white police or traffic officers of assaulting him, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Llwellyn Witherspoon sent a written complaint to the ministry saying he was assaulted last month after he lost his way in Centurion, near Pretoria, a spokesperson said. Witherspoon claimed the officials told him to […]