A call by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for mass protests against President Robert Mugabe resonates among the majority of Zimbabweans and has dramatically raised the country’s political stakes, but could well fail if the opposition movement remains divided, analysts said.
The Independent Democrats on Thursday rubbished claims from Cape Town mayor Helen Zille that ID leader Patricia de Lille had vetoed working with the DA-led coalition city government. ”The ID wishes to state that these are blatant lies,” said Simon Grindrod, leader of the ID in the council.
Negotiations between Zimbabwe and Rand Merchant Bank of South Africa for a $1-million loan facility have virtually collapsed after Harare failed to prove it was able to pay back, authoritative sources told independent news source <i>ZimOnline</i> on Thursday.
Nine rescue teams were fighting an underground fire at Simmer and Jack Mines’ (Simmers) Buffelsfontein mine in the North West province on Thursday in a race against time to reach nine missing miners, the company said. Simmers CEO Gordon Miller said the rescue teams were close to where they thought the men might be.
Police fired rubber bullets at protesting guards after they apparently set alight a security van in Pretoria on Thursday afternoon. Guards made their way to Church Square, trashing rubbish bins and causing havoc in the city centre. Shops were also set alight. The violence came on the first day of a security-guard strike in seven provinces.
United States and British forces freed three Christian peace activists — a Briton and two Canadians — without firing a shot early on Thursday, ending a four-month hostage drama in which an American among the group was shot to death and dumped on a Baghdad street earlier this month. Meanwhile, at least 53 Iraqis died in violence.
As Nigeria’s attempt to determine its actual population entered a third day on Thursday, abduction of census officials, abandonment by enumerators, shortages of materials and violence have continued to dog the exercise. Regarded as the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria has never succeeded in determining its actual population.
The man who will coach Bafana Bafana at the 2010 Fifa World Cup will only be announced after this year’s World Cup in Germany. An interim coach will be announced in April to guide the national team to the Cosafa Cup, according to South African Football Association (Safa) president Molefi Oliphant.
Steve Vaught’s quest to shed the dozens of kilograms of fat he was lugging around began with a single step, as did his one-man expedition to cross the United States on foot. Vaught, who began his trek last April in Oceanside, California, has so far covered more than 3 700km — the last leg to New York with freezing Midwestern winds snapping at his back.
Security-guard employers were reporting little absenteeism in Johannesburg and the East and West Rand on Thursday, the first day of a two-day security-industry strike in six provinces. In the Cape and Pretoria, however, some companies experienced 80% absenteeism, and cases of intimidation were reported.