Fifty-one bus drivers were arrested for overcharging this weekend in Harare as riot police were brought in to control crowds of desperate travellers, official media reported on Sunday. Thousands of would-be travellers were stranded at Harare’s main railway station, unable to catch trains for the holiday weekend, according to the Sunday Mail.
More than 70 000 members of a hard-line Muslim group held a rally in Indonesia that heard calls for a caliphate — or Islamic rule — to govern the world. The supporters of the Hizbut Tahrir group filled up most of an 80 000-seat sports stadium in the capital, Jakarta, waving flags as they heard fiery speeches saying it was ”time for the caliphate to reign”.
A wave of Taliban attacks across Afghanistan killed 29 people, including four international soldiers and nearly two dozen militants, military officials said on Sunday. The violence came after a week of intense fighting as the Taliban’s al-Qaeda-backed insurgency, launched nearly six years ago, intensified into the summer.
The debate on a United States of Africa is set to continue at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting scheduled to begin in Lusaka, Zambia, on Tuesday. In a statement released on Sunday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the SADC Council of Ministers would discuss a report on regional economic integration.
The unveiling by the Department of Home Affairs of a resurrected plan for refugees has come too late for thousands of Zimbabweans, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Sunday. DA spokesperson for home affairs Mark Lowe said the failure of the department to admit to a refugee crisis was a reflection of ”incompetence and ignorance”.
The deputy manager at the East London Hospital Complex, known for its high infant mortality rates, is a fraud convict who has served time in a United States prison, the Independent Online reported on Sunday. Dr Nokuzola Ntshona was convicted in 1996 by a New York court for fraudulent healthcare claims in the early 1990s.
About 3 500 Solidarity mine workers will down tools on Sunday over low salaries, the trade union said. Plans for the strike ”are on track”, said spokesperson Reint Dykema. The union is to go on strike at coal mines around the country over an inadequate pay offer, particularly for artisans.
Cubans expect a low-key 81st birthday bash on Monday for President Fidel Castro as he continues recovering from an operation a year ago, but a visit by friend Hugo Chávez could be on the cards. The Venezuelan president hinted as much a week ago when he said he would ”soon” visit his friend.
The Blue Bulls played better than the scoreline of 44-18 in favour of the Free State Cheetahs indicated in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Free State led 10-6 at half-time. The difference between the two sides was the impact the replacements made for the home team.
South Africa striker Benni McCarthy appears to be on the mend after being rushed to hospital following a blow to the head during Blackburn Rovers’ 2-1 win at Middlesbrough in the Premier League on Saturday. McCarthy received the blow in the second half and needed five minutes of treatment before being carried off on a stretcher with his neck in a brace.