South Africa cricket coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday his team hope to topple Australia from the top of the one-day charts by winning all their one-day internationals against Bangladesh. Australia are currently the best one-day side with 127 points, ahead of South Africa on decimal points.
The South African Football Players’ Union (Safpu) is devastated at the death of two former AmaZulu FC players, it said on Wednesday. Safpu spokesperson Elvis Sekgobela said the union was shocked at the death of Joe Mlaba and Japie Arries. ”Arries, who was a midfielder, died at the weekend … while Mlaba, who had a short illness, died this week,” said Sekgobela.
The prized wicket of New Zealand’s big-hitting Brendon McCullum just before stumps gave England a slight edge on the opening day of the first cricket Test on Wednesday. New Zealand ended the day at 282-6 after an 86-run partnership between McCullum and Ross Taylor had lifted them out of a middle-order hole.
Santos continued their fine form of late when they secured a 2-1 win over Wits at the Athlone Stadium on Tuesday night. Wits started the game brightly and had early chances through Noah Chivuta, but his long-range shots did not have the beating of Wayne Roberts.
Students, security personnel and police engaged in running battles at Durban’s Mangosuthu University of Technology on Wednesday. Rubber bullets were used by university security personnel and the public-order policing unit to disperse about 500 protesting students at the Umlazi campus, south of Durban.
This is the week when Grahamstown’s Grocott’s Mail newspaper finalises legal papers to protest against an advertising boycott by the local city council. The case concerns the actions of four officials, who will now be diverting scarce municipal resources to defend the impending action.
From ”uninspired and boring” to ”down to earth” and ”confident” were some of the varying opinions about African National Congress president Jacob Zuma expressed by members of the Jewish community on Tuesday night. Zuma was invited to speak at a forum on South Africa’s future, hosted by Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein.
South Africa’s Standard Bank Group said on Wednesday full-year headline earnings per share rose 23,4% to R1 033,4 cents, but it warned it would take a short-term hit from its deal to sell a 20% stake to China’s biggest lender ICBC. Africa’s biggest bank by assets said normalised headline earnings per share rose 20,6%, and normalised return on equity was 24,8%.
Actor and popular Soweto pub owner Shimmy Mofokeng was shot dead by hijackers while approaching his driveway in Leonard Lane in Mulbarton, Johannesburg police said on Wednesday. Spokesperson Captain Julia Claassen said Mofokeng (53) was shot in his upper body as he was about to drive into his yard in his white Kia kombi on Monday.
Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds will face no action after he knocked over a streaker in his side’s nine-run one-day international loss to India in Brisbane on Tuesday. Robert Murray David Ogilvie stormed the field and ran towards Symonds, who shoulder-charged him to the ground.