”Be careful what you wish for; you might get it.” The old adage has never seemed more apt in the light of the ironies thrown up by the Jacob Zuma saga. It is trite to observe that Zuma, who once asked for nothing more than his day in court, is now looking less happy about the state’s legitimate attempt to make his day a tough one by building the strongest case possible.
Ten people burnt to death on Friday in Abuja, Nigeria, when the bus in which they were travelling was hit by drunken motorist, causing the vehicle to catch fire. The 10 had just finished work at a hotel and were travelling to a settlement on the outskirt of Abuja in a staff bus when a car rammed into the bus.
Despite his advancing years and his stint in prison for assault, Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre’blanche is still an imposing figure. ”The rest of my life belongs to my culture, my language, my God and my nation,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
Smaller parties are set to take the major battering when the two-week defection window opens next Wednesday for members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The parties most like to suffer defections are the United Democratic Movement, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Independent Democrats.
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The state should be asked to pay Jacob Zuma’s legal fees, the tripartite alliance said on Thursday after discussing the controversy over the axed former deputy president the day before. South African Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande said the recent raids by the Scorpions on Zuma’s residences were also condemned.
Tropical Storm Katrina strengthened on Thursday as it trudged toward Florida’s heavily populated south-eastern coast, and forecasters expected it to become a weak hurricane before making landfall overnight. As the wind gained speed, the storm’s forward pace slowed, and it could drop 30cm of rain or more as it creeps across the peninsula.
A Kenyan court in Narok on Thursday charged two men with capital offenses in a brazen armed attack on a group of Japanese, South African and United States tourists in the country’s famed Maasai Mara game reserve this week. The pair, who were escorted into the courtroom under tight security, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At least 18 people were killed in western Zimbabwe on Thursday when a bus burst a front tyre and crashed near a bridge while racing another bus, state radio reported. Police spokesperson Bothwell Mugariri told the radio that the accident occurred when two buses from the same bus company ”were racing each other”.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has long complained of press criticism. But he sought to turn the tables on Thursday with a new tactic — sounding a buzzer every time reporters ask questions he deems ”not constructive”. On several occasions in the past, Thaksin has been angered by critical questions.