Tonga produced the only surprise in the opening 12 matches of the Commonwealth Games rugby union sevens competition in Melbourne on Thursday, beating medal contenders South Africa 26-19. The hard-tackling South Pacific islanders deserved their Pool D win at the Telstra Dome and were led superbly by inspirational captain Tevita Tu’ifua.
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Elphus Mashile smiles contentedly as he enjoys the sunshine from the stoep of a colonial-style house set in a manicured garden. "I am so happy that I can stay at Keurboom," he says. "I do not know how I would get treatment if I could not come to this place." This is Mashile’s second visit to the Keurboom Interim Home in Belgravia, which provides support and care for patients undergoing treatment for cancer.
Global positioning systems units in South Africa are retailing for twice as much as they sell for in the United States, bringing into question the markup on the latest technologies that are imported into South Africa. A Garmin E-trex Yellow GPS unit retails in the US for about $100 (R617).
With more than five million of its 47-million citizens HIV-positive, South Africa currently has more people living with HIV/Aids than any other country. This brings with it a heavy burden as concerns providing anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to those in need. More than 500Â 000 South Africans require ARVs.
An earth tremor shook parts of eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique on Wednesday, less than three weeks after an earthquake hit the same area, state television said. ”There was an earth tremor in some parts of the country at around 2pm,” the state-controlled Newsnet said.
Saddam Hussein dismissed his trial as a ”comedy” when he testified for the first time on Wednesday in a case that could see him and his seven co-accused hanged for crimes against humanity. The ousted Iraqi leader also called for resistance to the United States-led occupation, prompting Chief Judge Rauf Abdel Rahman to order the session closed.
Soldiers and police in Chad have thwarted an overnight bid to overthrow President Idriss Deby Itno’s regime and kill him by shooting down his aircraft, the government spokesperson said on Wednesday. Communications Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor told a press briefing that ”a coup attempt was foiled”.
Khutsong residents are not accepting their fate regarding the government’s decision to incorporate their municipality into the North West province. Instead they plan to challenge the government in the Constitutional Court on March 30. Khutsong is preparing to battle it out in the courts to remain part of Gauteng.
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Jacob Zuma’s lawyer could ask that testimony by a top Gauteng police detective be declared inadmissible after he admitted to not following basic police procedure, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Wednesday.