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The Independent Democrats may fulfil its pre-election prophecy of being the king-makers in the City of Cape Town on Wednesday, when the first council meeting elects the new mayor. ”If there is no resolution, the ID has to decide if it will vote for Nomaindia Mfeketo [incumbent ANC mayor] or not,” said the Democratic Alliance.
London-based human rights activist Peter Tatchell on Tuesday dismissed Zimbabwean government allegations that he was linked to a plot to overthrow President Robert Mugabe. Tatchell, who has attempted citizen’s arrests of Mugabe, described the claims as ”Mugabe fairy tales” and ”downright laughable”.
Life will never be the same for a West Rand man whose R50 Quickpick ticket matched the Lotto winning numbers drawn last Wednesday. He only realised 24 hours after the draw that he was R34-million richer. The payout is the biggest since the game’s inception six years ago.
A programme to ”empower” police officers and their families through motivation, prayer and support was launched at the Rhema Bible Church in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Pastor Ray McCauley said the church had realised it needed to do something after police infiltrated a gang that had planned to take him hostage and rob the church.
In the past 24 hours, police have found the bodies of at least 85 men killed by gunfire execution-style in a gruesome wave of apparent sectarian killing, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. They include at least 27 bodies stacked in a mass grave in an eastern Shi’ite neighbourhood.
Black economic empowerment (BEE) deals of a disclosed value of R55-billion were announced in 2005, compared with R62-billion disclosed in 2004, according to BusinessMap Foundation. The foundation recorded 350 BEE deals last year compared with some 250 the year before.
A Tornado fighter jet refuelling a Cheetah fighter in mid-air and the SAS Amatola replenishing at sea were some of the high points noted by task-group commanders in a military exercise involving South African and German forces. Exercise Good Hope II took place around the Cape of Good Hope recently.
Despite their historical past, Africans cannot be absolved of their own responsibility to themselves and their children, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday. Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament, he said the African peoples have achieved much, but much also remains to be done.
It’s not easy pandering to the needs of rock stars. Just ask Big Concerts’s Attie van Wyk, the man bringing Robbie Williams to our shores, writes Jean Barker.
German media reports on Tuesday said that Kimi Raikkonen’s move from McLaren-Mercedes to Ferrari in the new year has been finalised. Bild newspaper quotes an unnamed ”McLaren insider” as saying that the Finn has made up his mind — in favour of Ferrari.