United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed as nonsense on Thursday concerns in Moscow that a planned US missile shield in Eastern Europe could pose a strategic threat to Russia. In a further sign of growing tensions between Russia and the West, President Vladimir Putin in Moscow declared a moratorium on a key 1990 European arms treaty.
A senior African National Congress MP, Ben Turok, says the existing trade agreement between South Africa and the European Union has not benefited his country. The agreement "is not a good agreement. It has not brought benefit to South Africa. Europe has been the beneficiary," Turok said in an interview.
China said on Thursday it remained fully committed to investing in Africa, despite a recent spate of violence against Chinese interests there, including the deaths of nine Chinese among the slaughter of 77 people in Ethiopia. ”China supports trans-national trade and investment between China and other countries, including those in Africa,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
South African platinum miner Wesizwe Platinum has agreed to buy a 26% stake in the Western Bushveld joint venture for R650-million, it said on Wednesday. Wesizwe, the investment vehicle for South Africa’s Bakubung Ba-Ratheo Tribe, said it would buy African Wide Mineral Prospecting and Exploration by issuing new shares.
Politicians running local governments across the country have been read the riot act by Finance Minster Trevor Manuel, who says that the argument about capacity constraints 13 years into democracy in South Africa is wearing thin. South Africa’s councillors have been urged to spend the available resources of local government wisely.
South Africa’s factory-gate inflation jumped to 10,3% year-on-year in March, official data showed on Thursday, above forecasts and raising the risk that interest rates may have to rise again. Producer inflation climbed from 9,5% in February to its highest level in almost four years, largely due to higher fuel costs, Statistics South Africa said.
Henri Bianchéri, the man who helped Arsène Wenger sign Thierry Henry for Monaco, on Wednesday declared his candidacy to fill the vacant director of football position at Arsenal. The Frenchman spent 19 years as Monaco’s general manager, where he was a key ally of Wenger during the latter’s seven-year spell in the principality, and he is keen to renew their association.
What would happen if Portsmouth’s Benjani Mwaruwaru was to score a goal and dedicate it to the hundreds of opposition activists who are in detention now, to the thousands of people who are dying of Aids because they have no access to ARVs and the millions who have been forced to flee from their homes because of the crisis in Zimbabwe?
National coach Jake White was presented with the names of three candidates for team manager ahead of the Springbok’s 100th Anniversary tour of England in November last year. White indicated to SA Rugby that he was willing to work with Songezo Nayo, whom he knew from his term as deputy to former SA Rugby managing director Riaan Oberholzer.
An aggressive bull buffalo killed a man and hampered the retrieval of his body on a farm near Bethlehem on Wednesday, Free State police said. Sergeant Mmako Mophiring said that Sam Shongwe (26) was returning from a pit latrine to a fenced area with two homes when the buffalo attacked at about 10am.