President Thabo Mbeki is to deliver the opening address at the African National Congress’s policy conference in a bitterly cold Midrand, Gauteng, where delegates started arriving on Wednesday morning. The conference takes place against intense behind-the-scenes jockeying over the leadership of the party, and coincides with a bitter public-service strike.
Many residents of Gauteng woke up on Wednesday morning to a layer of snow turning lawns, rooftops and cars white, while the South African Weather Service predicted a freezing day with temperatures staying below eight degrees Celsius in Johannesburg. A number of roads in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal were closed to motorists due to snow on Wednesday morning.
<i>The Media</i> magazine has announced the two finalists for the overall 2007 Vodacom Women in The Media Award. They are: GenderLinks executive director Colleen Lowe Morna and CEO of Media24 Magazines Patricia Scholtemeyer
As the miracle-healer descended from the sky in an immaculate white helicopter, his disciples cheered with joy: ”Hallelujah! Praise Jesus.” Gospel songs thundered through the speakers as televangelist Benny Hinn landed outside Uganda’s national stadium last month, before addressing 40Â 000 enraptured faithful.
Is mandatory HIV testing for all what South Africa needs to fight the epidemic? Statistics show that there are about 1 500 new HIV infections a day. The call for mandatory testing, which is now finding greater space in the public discourse, took me back a few years, when a close friend died of Aids. He died despite having the best information on treatment and support., writes Pholokgolo Ramothwala.
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A searing heatwave has killed at least 44 people across southern Europe, while in Britain torrential rain claimed three lives and forced hundreds to flee a creaking dam. Twenty-nine deaths have been blamed on the heat in Romania, where temperatures on Tuesday hit 45 degrees Celsius.
The Palestinian extremists claiming to hold BBC journalist Alan Johnston on Tuesday issued a chilling threat to slaughter him ”like a lamb” unless Britain and Jordan release Muslim prisoners. The grotesque threat came just two days after the British journalist appeared in a grim new video.
The United States Justice Department has launched a corruption probe into Britain’s BAE Systems, a potential headache for Gordon Brown just hours before he succeeds Tony Blair as British prime minister. BAE, Europe’s biggest military contractor, said on Tuesday the probe will include its dealings with Saudi Arabia.
Zimbabweans who have fled to South Africa marked the International Day against Torture on Tuesday by recounting their experiences at the hands of President Robert Mugabe’s security services. Few were convinced that South African President Thabo Mbeki’s efforts to mediate in their homeland would bear fruit.