International community representatives on the board of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria have voiced concerns over grants.
Hollywood glamour pair Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tried to slip into a vacation resort last week in a sleepy part of Namibia using the names of the characters they played in a film of Mr and Mrs Smith. The couple has declined to confirm reports of their stay at game lodges between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in the south-western African state, or the purpose of their visit that follows on a trip to Paris.
Three of South Africa’s five border posts with Swaziland were completely blocked to traffic in organised protests against the kingdom’s leadership, the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said on Wednesday. Members of the SSN, the Congress of SA Trade Unions the South African Communist Party and the Young Communist League were gathering at South Africa’s border posts with the kingdom to protest the curtailing of political freedoms.
![]()
Yet another theologian testified at Jacob Zuma’s rape trial on Wednesday, but unlike others who told the court of false rape accusations by Zuma’s accuser, pastor Modianyeo Modise’s testimony took a different turn. He testified it ”was love at first sight” when the two met at the Wilberforce Theological College in Vereeniging.
Gunmen temporarily captured a town in central Chad in an attempt to destabilise the country before next month’s presidential election, a government spokesperson said. There were no casualties in Tuesday’s raid in Mongo, 400km east of the capital, N’djamena, said Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor, the communications minister and government spokesperson.
North Korea unveiled a new economic blueprint this week that sets the impoverished Stalinist state the target of becoming a high-technology powerhouse within two decades. Military spending remains the biggest budget item and a top priority for North Korea, one of the world’s poorest countries that fields the fifth biggest army.
Standard Bank on Thursday opened its first new, full service branch in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg. Residents of the 93-year-old township, which covers an area of over 800ha with an estimated population of 350 000 inhabitants, had to travel to nearby Sandton and Bramley for their full banking services or rely on a few automated teller machines.
South African brand management group Barloworld said on Wednesday that it plans to repurchase its own ordinary shares held by its wholly-owned subsidiary Barloworld Investments. Barloworld Investments acquired the ordinary shares in Barloworld in 2000 and 2003 and holds a total of 19 090 900 shares — or 8,3% of Barloworld’s entire ordinary issued share capital.
Russian Football Union (RFU) boss Vitaly Mutko officially confirmed on Wednesday that Dutch manager Guus Hiddink will take over Russia’s national squad after the end of the World Cup in Germany. Mutko added that the RFU and the 59-year-old Dutch guru would sign a two-year contract on Friday, which later may be prolonged for another two-year term.
Daryll Cullinan hopes the lessons learnt from the 3-0 Test defeat by Australia are applied when South Africa take on New Zealand, starting with the first Test at Centurion on Saturday. The elegant right-handed batsman believes the three-Test series against New Zealand is an ideal opportunity for certain players to prove themselves capable at the highest level of the game.