The fact that so many pundits fancy the Springboks’ chances of beating the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations decider at Dunedin in New Zealand on Saturday is a good thing and a bad thing. This is the opinion of former Springbok captain Morne du Plessis, who earned 22 Test caps for his country and led the side in 15 of those matches.
Banking group Absa foresees nominal house price growth of at least 20% for 2005, but single-digit growth for 2006. "Nominal house price growth of at least 20% seems likely for 2005 as a whole, taking into account growth in prices of about 27% in the first six months of the year," the bank said in a statement.
The Land Rover bounced down a yellow dirt track, carrying three khaki-clad European tourists streaked with sweat, exhilarated after an elephant-spotting expedition. By the roadside, farmers sitting on fallen tree trunks complained that a herd of elephants had broken through electric fences yet again, wreaking havoc among their plots of cassava and fruit trees.
South Africa’s July 2005 producer price index (PPI) rose by 3,6% year-on-year from a 2,3% increase in June, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday. Nico Kelder, economist at the Efficient Group, commented: "This is a very high increase — higher than we expected."
Limpopo police on Wednesday arrested 18 people who claim to be doctors in Bushbuckridge, following a tip-off that they were targeting the elderly. Superintendent Moatshe Ngoepe said it was believed that the so-called doctors would set up a ”pay-point” and then send a group of young women to recruit the elderly.
League leaders Pirates held on for a 3-3 draw in their Premiership match against Santos, which was played at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, after leading 2-0 at the interval. The home side looked as if they had snatched an early lead, but then Lebohang Kukume was adjudged to be off-side and that was all the incentive the visitors needed.
Opener Lou Vincent’s 172 steered New Zealand to the second highest one-day total in history and a 192-run victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match of the triangular series on Wednesday. New Zealand notched 397 for five as Vincent’s innings at the Queens Sports Club beat countryman Glenn Turner’s prior record as the highest one-day score from a New Zealander by one run.
Liverpool have been branded ”morally wrong” by Bolton after admitting they want to take Greek midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos to Anfield. The European champions have gone public on their interest in the right-sided player and have even held preliminary talks with his current employers.
A slate of amendments that critics warn will seriously reduce constitutional protections and freedoms in Zimbabwe cleared a first vote in Parliament on Wednesday. After a stormy debate, lawmakers voted 61 to 28 to approve the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
A shrinking world got considerably smaller on Wednesday. Google, a company spawned in a garage of two university students in California just seven years ago, announced a new service that will allow you to telephone your mother in Australia free of charge, as long as she too is a Google user.