MORTAR fire was heard Tuesday morning in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, as intervention troops continued an offensive against rebels who stormed the city two weeks ago. The offensive by the Nigerian-led Ecomog force began Monday, southeast of Freetown, along the main road linking the peninsula to the interior. Ecomog intends to prevent the rebels escaping […]

SOUTH African, world ninth-seed squash player Natalie Grainger made it through to the final on Tuesday of the Arader and O’Rourke Greenwich Open in the United States, beating seventh-seeded Australian Kim Keevil 9-4, 9-7, 9-2 in the semifinal. In the quarterfinals Grainger defeated sixth-seeded American Latasha Khan 9-4, 9-2, 9-0. Grainger will face second-seed Rebecca […]

AIR Lesotho will fold its wings on February 6. “Heavy losses from August 1997 to December 1998” were blamed by the privatisation unit of the Lesotho ministry of finance for closing the national air carrier. The firm was established in 1997 after privatising Lesotho Airways. Since then is has lost approximately R200000 per month, according […]

TRACTOR sales fell 47% in in December compared to the same month in l997, with only 165 units sold, the South African Agricultural Machinery Association announced on Monday. Tractor sales for the year were down 30% on the previous year, at 4015 units. Combine harvester and baler sales for 1998 were also 30% down on […]

BOXING trainer Elias Tshabalala believes that the spirit of his late brother Ginger will bolster the performance of his charge Mweli Msomi who meets Soon Botes for the vacant national light heavyweight crown on Sunday. The title was last held by Ginger Tshabalala who was killed in Johannesburg in 1995. “It’s my brother’s title,” said […]

THE Insider Trading Act, which provides for both civil and criminal prosecutions for insider trading offences on the financial markets, kicked in at the weekend. The Act assigns control over insider trading to the Financial Services Board which will be required to publish rules governing disclosure to the authorities as well as how to deal […]

Nigeria has named a provisional 29-man squad dominated by its foreign-based professional players for Saturday’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi. Naming the team on Monday in the southwestern city of Abeokuta, venue of the match, Dutch coach Thijs Libregts expressed the hope that with dedication and commitment, the players would overrun Burundi and […]

IN its first foray into the Chinese market, the world’s largest gold firm, Anglogold, on Monday announced a series of initiatives to boost China’s gold market. The drive is co-sanctioned by the World Gold Council. Announcing the plan in Beijing, China, Anglogold CEO Bobby Godsell said he sees China developing as a major growth market […]

KENYAN authorities have appointed an anti-corruption advisory board, meeting a key condition for the resumption of talks on an aid package halted by the International Monetary Fund in July 1997. Attorney General Amos Wako named the new advisory board to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA)late on Monday. Its first task will be to nominate a […]

BLACK empowerment firm African Harvest, in conjunction with United States-based Risa Investment Advisers, announced on Monday a scheme to offer US investors opportunities to invest in selected businesses in South Africa. The scheme will offer investors securities or open-ended equity mutual funds as a vehicle to invest in South African firms. African Harvest CEO Leon […]