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Jacob Zuma’s daughter believes his rape accuser had ulterior motives when she arrived at his Johannesburg home last November, the high court heard on Thursday. ”She was either trying to definitely seduce my father or get money from him,” said Duduzile Zuma (23), shortly before the court sitting was adjourned to Friday.
Drummer Don Alias, who kept tempo for Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Lou Reed, has died in New York aged 66, his website said on Wednesday. In a nearly 50-year career, Alias showed his versatility on drums and other percussion instruments, accompanying headliners such as Carlos Santana, Al Jarreau and Herbie Hancock.
The Special Court for war crimes in Sierra Leone said on Thursday it had assigned a lawyer free of charge for Liberia’s former warlord and president Charles Taylor, who faces trial for crimes against humanity. Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, a barrister with a British firm, has been appointed to represent Taylor for three months.
Zimbabwe police want to press fresh charges of treason against opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party activists cleared last month on charges of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, authoritative sources told ZimOnline.
The European Parliament called on Thursday for the creation of a European Union blacklist of countries where corruption is rife, to help the EU make decisions on providing development aid. In a report by Dutch Member of European Parliament Margrietus Van den Berg, backed by the 732-seat EU assembly, it also demanded more transparency in the massive development budget of the EU.
Zimbabwe is the only blot on President Thabo Mbeki’s otherwise successful foreign policy, says The Economist in its April 8 survey on South Africa. The Economist notes that South Africa has moved from being an international pariah under apartheid to become one of the most engaged, open and connected countries in the world.
The South African Trade and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) rejects an interim court order declaring a strike by security guards illegal, but will comply with it, the union said on Thursday. ”The Satawu national strike is therefore suspended with immediate effect and all striking members must return to work to ensure compliance with the court order,” said a spokesperson.
Captain Rahul Dravid led from the front as India crushed England by four wickets on Thursday to take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-match one-day series. Dravid fashioned England’s dismissal for 237 with astute bowling changes and then hit 65 off 73 balls to help the hosts surpass the modest target with 16 deliveries to spare at the Nehru stadium.
As the screws started tightening on LeisureNet’s bosses, they instructed their former in-house architect to invest 000 in an overseas development he knew nothing about. The architect, Dawid Rabie, was in the witness box for a second day in the trial of former LeisureNet joint chief executives Peter Gardener and Rodney Mitchell, their business associate Hans Moser, and Mitchell’s wife Suzanne.
Hip hop will be blasting from the speakers and aerosol fumes will thicken the air as the country’s most talented graffiti crews line up for the Write4Gold 2006 graffiti competition in Johannesburg next month. It is the first time that the Germany-based graffiti and aerosol art competition goes global. Write4Gold, a non-profit and previously pure European event, will visit 17 cities on four continents.