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South African skipper Graeme Smith and his ”merry men” were toasted by his country’s media on Wednesday after a blitz on the England team saw them burst into the cricket World Cup semifinals. A day after being lambasted for partying into the wee hours of the morning following a woeful loss to New Zealand on Saturday, South Africa’s press said the Proteas deserved a few drinks.
South African retail sales growth slowed to 8% year-on-year in February at constant prices, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday. In the three months to the end of February, sales also rose by 8% compared to the same period the previous year. The annual increase for January was revised to 9,9% from 9,4%.
Nigeria’s government on Wednesday rejected an opposition call to postpone next Saturday’s presidential election following widespread abuses in state polls last weekend. Information Minister Frank Nweke told Reuters. Election observers said the results announced in 10 of 36 states did not reflect the will of the people.
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Michael Vaughan took the acclaim when he led England to their 2005 Ashes triumph. Now the same fans greet his name with boos. England’s World Cup elimination on Tuesday brought into focus the woeful batting form of skipper Vaughan, who struggled through the premier limited-overs event and compiled just 130 runs in nine innings.
Ernie Els and Retief Goosen will be aiming to ease very different forms of Masters heartache when they tee off at the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai on Thursday as a high-class field aims to impose more misery. The smooth-swinging South African duo walked off the famed fairways at Augusta National this month with their hopes of securing another Major title blown away.
New Zealand will face South Africa on Saturday the IRB under-19 rugby World Championship final. New Zealand scored three tries in a powerful first-half performance against Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast, to go into the break 23-9 ahead. Despite a much-improved performance in the second half, Wales were unable to breach the New Zealand try line.
Diego Maradona has recovered enough from a relapse of hepatitis to possibly allow him to continue his treatment for alcohol abuse at home, doctors for the football great said on Tuesday. ”Mr Diego Maradona continues to improve after his stay in the clinic, with laboratory work showing clear improvement,” said a statement released by the private Los Arcos clinic.
South African Breweries (SAB) said on Wednesday that the company was experiencing "unusually high" demand for this time of the year, across its range of brands. "The increased volumes are obviously good news for us, but currently it’s proving quite difficult to keep up with demand in certain areas," said SAB spokesperson Shirley Scriven.
The JSE remained lower at midday on Wednesday, tracing the weaker tone in overseas markets while groceries retailer Shoprite soared on speculation that its investors might demand a higher price from its buyers. Also, talk in the market that the MTN Group was a prime target for a private equity takeover sent the mobile telecommunications giant to a fresh trading high.
All vehicle testing stations in Johannesburg and Pretoria were open on Wednesday, but glitches with the new traffic information system continued. The new service is electronic which means traffic-related transactions may be completed using automated teller machines and the internet.