There must be unity in the tripartite alliance ahead of the local government elections, African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. ”We must fight against ‘clique-alism’ and factionalism that can divide our movement,” he told a Congress of South African Trade Unions central committee meeting.
Roger Federer, playing his first match since lifting the Wimbledon title in early July, struggled to a ragged 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory over James Blake at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday. The Swiss world number one’s last match was the final over Andy Roddick that clinched a third consecutive Wimbledon title.
A common approach involving the Zimbabwean private sector and political parties was needed on the pending loan agreement between South Africa and Zimbabwe, said South African deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Tuesday. Pahad was briefing the media in Pretoria on the ministerial meeting and Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit.
The black economic empowerment deal concluded by Aflease Gold and Uranium Resources earlier this year will contribute to empowerment in the communities where the group’s assets are located, according to Neal Froneman, the group’s CEO.
New Arsenal skipper Thierry Henry is dreaming of breaking the team’s goal-scoring record at Highbury in the club’s final season at their historic ground. Henry’s penalty against Newcastle moved him within three goals of Ian Wright’s all-time club-scoring record of 185 goals.
Zimbabwe fought back to have New Zealand at 48 for two at stumps after making 231 on the first day of the second Test at Queens Sports Club on Monday. James Marshall was caught at gully off the bowling of Heath Streak for 10 and then his brother, Hamish, was run out for 13 in a horrible mix-up with Lou Vincent.
The absence of a cohesive, coordinated overall programme at the helm of South African soccer was evident again on Monday when the Premier Soccer League overturned its entire midweek programme, with Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Supersport United, Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town now shorn of matches.
England is going crazy for cricket, with newspapers pushing football coverage off the celebrated back pages on Tuesday to agonise over the country’s dramatic draw against Australia in the third Ashes Test. The centuries-old game is enjoying a massive revival thanks to the heroics of England captain Michael Vaughan and his teammates.
Three Ethiopian political parties on Tuesday threatened to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections in the remote eastern Somali state, citing a litany of complaints about ruling party conduct. Fierce disputes that sparked deadly violence in the capital in June persist over alleged fraud in the May 15 elections for which final results show a ruling party victory.
A powerful magnitude-7,2 earthquake struck north-eastern Japan on Tuesday, injuring at least 56 people, triggering small tsunamis and shaking skyscrapers as far away as Tokyo, 300km to the south. A caved-in roof at an indoor pool in the coastal city of Sendai injured 14 people, national broadcaster NHK reported.