South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday that 26Â 000 of its members at Lonmin Platinum mines were on strike over a pay dispute. Union spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said the strike began on Sunday night over a new pay system that he said cheated workers.
South Africa will become the first World Cup hosts in more than 70 years to participate in their own qualifying competition, although they will play in the finals regardless of their performance, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup are to be combined with the preliminaries for the African Nations Cup finals earlier the same year.
Zimbabwe’s government has reopened dozens of private slaughter houses to try to end severe meat shortages after it slashed consumer prices and assumed temporary responsibility for meat sales. Zimbabwe state media said on Tuesday that the government had re-registered 42 private abattoirs to try to ease beef shortages in the country.
Sudanese forces surrounded and attacked Darfur’s most volatile camp on Tuesday to flush out rebels they say are behind recent attacks on police, an army source and camp residents said. The move on Kalma camp, home to 90 000 people, follows two attacks in the past week on police posts in South Darfur.
Claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that President Thabo Mbeki intervened in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s liver-transplant process are intended to injure Mbeki’s reputation, the Presidency said on Tuesday. ”The Presidency would like to inform the nation that the allegations made by the DA are without foundation,” a statement read.
The number of foreign tourists visiting South Africa has grown by 10% ahead of Tourism Month in September, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Tuesday. ”South Africa is following the global trend with a rise in travel and tourism to our country. Overall foreign arrivals grew by 10% from January to May 2007,” he said.
Nine years after millions took to the streets of the capital to celebrate victory amid the euphoria of one of the most successful Soccer World Cup tournaments ever, the rugby equivalent is failing to ignite similar enthusiasm among the French. While the multi-ethnic population living in the shadow of Stade de France could identify with the 1998 soccer team, rugby is seen as an elitist sport.
Sheila Drummond didn’t need to see her hole-in-one. She heard it. Drummond, blinded by diabetes 26 years ago, experienced the highlight of her golfing career on Sunday, recording an ace on the 144-yard, par-three fourth hole at Mahoning Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania, United States.
In a little more than two weeks’ time, the Springboks will set out to win back the World Cup they won in 1995. It was a wonderful day for the new South African rainbow nation, just a year after the country’s first democratic elections and just three years after the mighty Springbok rugby team was allowed back into international sport.
The JSE was mixed at midday on Tuesday as world markets started to pull back off their highs after United States futures indicated a weaker opening on Wall Street. At midday on the JSE, the all-share index was 0,52% lower. Resources shed 0,69%, and the gold- and platinum-mining indices retreated 2,22% and 0,38% respectively.