Criminals have become so determined that they have resorted to blowing up ATMs with explosives believed to have been stolen from mines. In the last two months, seven ATMS have been blown up, and the police believe that the explosives were stolen from mines. Three of the affected ATMs belong to Standard Bank while four belong to Absa Bank.
Luxury, a homeless man, sits on the corner of a street in Rosettenville with only a torn blanket for shelter. He came from the Transkei in search of a better life in Johannesburg, but is now unemployed and is one of many battling the extreme winter conditions, relying only on donations given to him by the public.
More than 100Â 000 copies of a CD containing a song about Jacob Zuma have been sold legally, and more have been pirated, music-industry insiders said on Thursday. Eric Majola, promoter of the band Izingane Zoma, said the pirating of the popular album, with the catchy Msholozi title track, is ”really bad”.
Six-time Grammy Award-winner Billy Joel will be bringing his world tour to South Africa in October, Big Concerts said on Thursday. The tour by Joel and his eight-piece band — including a four-piece horn section — will start on October 26 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. It then moves on to Cape Town’s Bellville Velodrome.
The elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were conducted in a peaceful, democratic and credible manner, the South African observer mission said on Thursday. All but a few voting stations opened on time on election day. Problems included lack of electricity and late delivery of election material.
Following a process of consultation in all of the branches, members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday that they had arrived at a decision to reject the offer Kumba Resources made on Wednesday. "Members also feel that their contribution needs to be recognised and, as such, affirmed," said Eddie Majadibodu, NUM’s chief negotiator.
Landslides and flash floods caused by torrential rains have killed at least 14 people, including four children, living in tents in earthquake devastated areas of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, police said on Thursday. Ten people were killed during early morning prayers when a mudslide hit their tents at the foot of a mountain in Dadar Kadim.
![]()
The South African Presidency said on Thursday that it would not discuss the details of the deliberations about funding the legal costs of former deputy president Jacob Zuma — until an agreement is reached. In a statement the Presidency said it had ”noted media reports to the effect that it is considering funding [the] legal costs of … Jacob Zuma in his forthcoming corruption trial”.
The South African Reserve Bank raised its key repo rate, at which it lends money to commercial banks, by half a percentage point to 8% on Thursday and warned that the inflation outlook has deteriorated in the past few weeks. This means the prime interest rate is to rise to 11,5%. Mike Schussler, economist at T-Sec, commented: ”It was as the markets expected.”
A suicide car-bomb attack aimed at a convoy of Nato troops in southern Afghanistan killed at least 20 civilians on Thursday, a provincial police chief said. The attack in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar province occurred south-west of its provincial capital near where two separate roadside bombs killed a Canadian soldier and injured four others earlier in the day.