South Africa will field two changes to their team to face the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations rugby Test at Jade Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday. A broken nose suffered against the Pacific Islanders in the 38-24 win at Gosford in New South Wales last Saturday has ruled lock Gerrie Britz out of contention and his place goes to Albert van den Berg.
Hundreds of thousands of Eritrean children are living in extreme poverty due to prolonged drought, the aftermath of border conflict with neighbouring Ethiopia and its impact on the country’s economy, according the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). An estimated 425 000 children under 14 years of age are affected.
The government should be bolder in its approach to making South Africa’s flagship industrial initiative at Coega in the Eastern Cape a ”sure thing”, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday. The area is currently defined as an industrial development zone, but the DA said it should be defined as an export processing zone.
The last surviving member of the infamous 1980s Stander gang will appear before a parole board shortly for consideration of his possible release from jail. Allan Heyl (52) was a member of the Stander gang, led by former police captain Andre Stander, that committed a string of robberies in and around Johannesburg in 1983 and 1984.
A radical Muslim group that triggered panic over polio immunisation in northern Nigeria said on Tuesday it remains opposed to the vaccine, despite it being passed as safe by a hardline state government. Polio vaccination was suspended in Kano state last year after claims that the drugs had been laced with chemicals to make African girls infertile.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s transitional government, consisting of former wartime rivals for power, has agreed on draft legislation regarding nationality and citizenship, officials said on Tuesday. Nationality issues were among the causes of wars that raged across the vast Central African country from 1996.
The Food and Allied Workers Union has voiced fears of ”Zimbabwe-style land invasions” should an attempt by a black economic empowerment consortium to buy stakes in the wine industry succeed. The union opposes plans of the group to acquire a multimillion-rand majority stake up for grabs in the KWV restructuring deal.
President Robert Mugabe castigated private charities, religious groups and other aid organisations on Tuesday for interfering in politics and said legislators will be asked to pass a law allowing authorities to close some groups and arrest officials. He said a new Bill to tighten controls on such organisations will be introduced soon.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=119007">Heard about Zimbabwe’s ‘revival’?</a>
Protesting workers from petrol stations, car dealers and panel beaters warned their employers on Tuesday to prepare for a long battle in their campaign for better wages and allowances. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa marched to the offices of the Fuel Retailers Association and the Retail Motor Industry.
The Constitutional Court was concerned on Tuesday about the few facts in the case of 69 alleged mercenaries held in Zimbabwe and facing possible extradition to Equatorial Guinea where they might be executed. Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson told counsel for the state Ismael Semenya that ”lots had happened” but few material facts had been placed before the court.
State has ‘no duty’ to help ‘mercenaries’