”Corruption is everywhere — in the villages, wherever”, Zambia’s Lands Minister Gladys Nyirango acknowledged at a major conference on graft in Africa last week. Hours later she was sacked. Africa has long had a reputation as the most corrupt continent, with only two countries, Botswana and Mauritius, making it into the top 50 of the latest annual Transparency International index on clean governance.
South Africa’s Lions overturned an 11-point deficit to beat Australia’s Queensland Reds 26-20 in their Super 14 clash in Brisbane on Saturday. The Lions trailed 17-6 late in the first half but scored two unanswered tries in the second to chalk up their fourth straight win of the season and move to second place in the standings.
African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma visited the relatives of a florist murdered on a farm in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, on Saturday, after reading about the family’s tragedy. The South African Broadcasting Corporation quoted Zuma as saying the issue of crime in the country was serious.
Nelson Mandela’s former lawyer Ismail Ayob said that he agreed to repay money to the Nelson Mandela Trust because he does not have the money for a court battle, weekend newspapers reported. The Saturday Star quoted him as saying: ”I don’t have a war chest of R20-million of other people’s money to fight an action forever.”
South Africa’s Bulls broke a 12-season hoodoo by beating the ACT Brumbies 19-7 in their Super 14 match at Canberra Stadium on Saturday. The Bulls registered their first win in the Australian capital since the old Super 12 began in 1996 to cement their place in the top four after five rounds.
Two major supermarkets have withdrawn six products contaminated with the cancer-causing Sudan chemical dyes, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday. The newspaper had laboratory tests carried out on spices bought randomly from supermarkets countrywide.
Algeria said on Saturday its cooperation with Washington’s war on terrorism was ”profitable” but it would never agree to host a United States military base on its territory. The US has conducted joint training exercises in countries around the Sahel as part of the ”Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative”.
Ahmad Hamad al-Tammimi used to live in the village of Quba. Before Iraq descended into sectarian war it was home to around 700 families. The vast majority were Sunnis. Tammimi, spiritual head of Diyala province’s Shias and a follower of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most important religious leader, was the imam at the local mosque.
The Sharks left four probable tries on the park at the Absa Stadium on Saturday and as a consequence nearly paid the penalty by becoming the only South African side to lose their Super 14 rugby match this weekend.
Affirmative-action policies will never be ruled out in South Africa, the Labour Minister said on Saturday. ”Contrary to Parliamentary calls by opposition Democratic Alliance, affirmative action and current employment equity legislation would never be repealed but would be intensified instead,” said Membathisi Mdladlana.