The trial of 70 suspected mercenaries arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea will begin on July 19, a magistrate said on Wednesday. The 70 men were arrested on March 7 when their plane was making a stopover in Harare to pick up weapons, allegedly en route to Equatorial Guinea to topple long-time President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka was misinformed if she believed nuclear power had a future as an energy source, Earthlife Africa said on Wednesday. ”Nuclear energy is not an option for South Africa,” said Sibusiso Mimi, a campaigner for the organisation in Cape Town.
SA ‘cannot avoid nuclear energy’
Expected interest rate hikes by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) could be delayed until next year after May consumer inflation data came out lower than expectations, according to Investec. Investec Asset Management portfolio manager John Stopford said: "Yet again, most of the surprise was in food prices, which remain very well behaved."
South Africa’s CPIX inflation (headline inflation excluding mortgage costs) was up 4,4% year-on-year (y/y) for metro and other areas in May compared with 4,4% y/y in both April and March, 4,8% y/y in February, 4,2% y/y in January and 4% y/y in December, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe’s first HIV/Aids conference ended last Friday with delegates recommending more coordination among groups fighting the disease.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa on Wednesday alleged that 18 workers at TCE Engineering based in Benoni faced disciplinary hearings and possible dismissal after they complained about dogs being set on fellow workers. The trade union claimed that workers are constantly intimidated by ten dogs in the vicinity of the working stations, canteens and office of the director.
”That readers of Sowetan saw their paper as an advice office was a consequence of the aura projected by Klaaste. Upon his death this weekend, it is time to appreciate and celebrate his life.” Guy Berger pays his respects to Aggrey Klaaste — an editor for whom making money was not the main purpose, nor the main utility, of a South African newspaper.
A Swiss appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the United States computer giant IBM may have helped Adolf Hitler pursue mass murder more quickly and more efficiently than would otherwise have been possible, opening up the prospect of a -billion lawsuit against the company by Gypsy organisations.
HIV/Aids is devastating Africa’s armed forces in a wave of HIV infections driven largely by foreign peacekeeping missions, according to new research. The disease has overtaken combat and malaria as the leading cause of death among soldiers and sailors. Western diplomats and military officials have expressed alarm that sub-Saharan countries will be left without the means to tackle insurgencies, disorder and terrorism.
The largest epidemic of polio in recent years has broken out in Nigeria and is spreading across central and western Africa, threatening 74-million children with the paralysing disease and jeopardising hopes of eradicating it from the world by the end of the year.