South Africa fears tourists could fall prey to armed robbers, many from neighbouring states, at the 2010 Soccer World Cup, a government minister said on Thursday. Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula told reporters the region’s police chiefs are trying to tackle cross-border crime.
The African National Congress (ANC) declined to comment on Thursday’s media reports that national membership officer Alex Sithole had been suspended for inflating membership figures. Business Day reported on Thursday that Sithole had issued ANC membership cards to branches from head office, despite instructions that these be issued locally only.
The Taliban have handed four South Korean hostages to Afghan tribal elders and was to hand over the remaining three later on Thursday, a rebel negotiator said. Twelve other hostages were released in three separate groups on Wednesday after negotiations between the insurgents and South Korean negotiators.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe survived years in colonial prisons and still more years of international isolation. He has weathered the challenge of a now weak and divided opposition, seen pressure from Western powers fade, and maintained support from neighbouring countries that still regard him as an African liberation hero.
Forest fires fed by winds off the Sahara and still burning out of control in northern Algeria have claimed eight lives in the past 48 hours, the country’s civil protection services said on Thursday. A lack of specialised water-bombing planes has added to the challenges faced by firefighters and soldiers sent in as reinforcements.
Tyson Gay romped to the 200m world title on Thursday, giving him a rare sprint double at the World Athletics Championships. He joined an exclusive club that includes fellow Americans Maurice Greene and the disgraced Justin Gatlin as the only men to win both the 100m and 200m crowns.
Mustapha Sesay and Femi Rashid, former foes in Sierra Leone’s civil war, spar with good humoured jibes as they work together in a motorcycle taxi association that brings together ex-combatants. ”I shoot you like a chicken,” laughs ex-rebel child soldier Sesay. ”You don’t know how to fight,” retorts Rashid, once a traditional Kamajor hunter who battled the rebels.
Many high-net-worth individuals will be using current market weakness as a value opportunity and chance to grow their long-term wealth even more, judging by the advice of Barnard Jacobs Mellet Private Client Services. There is a high probability that current equity-market jitters will lead to an over-reaction by many retail investors.
An alleged hit man in the murder of Govan Mbeki municipality deputy mayor Thandi Mtsweni confessed to the killing in the Evander Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Thursday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported. The alleged assassin is Sikhosiphe Gwala (42).
Two senior University of Fort Hare academics have been suspended after an apparent examination bungle, Dispatch Online reported on Thursday. They are Professor John Hendricks, dean of social sciences and humanities, and school of social sciences director Fhulu Nekhwevha.