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The Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial ended on Wednesday afternoon with Judge Hillary Squires saying a judgement will not take place before May 30. ”Like all rivers that eventually reach the sea, we have reached the sea,” Squires said at the end of the case.
Jazz musician Robbie Jansen has made a ”miraculous” recovery from a near-comatose condition and is sitting up demanding fruit salad, his relieved record-company executive said on Wednesday. Jansen was admitted to the Tygerberg hospital almost a month ago following his collapse at his home in Elsies River.
Abu Farraj al-Libbi, a senior al-Qaeda suspect, has been arrested in Pakistan, the government said on Wednesday. Al-Libbi, a native of Libya who authorities say is a close associate of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and acted as al-Qaeda’s operational chief in Pakistan, was arrested earlier this week, the government said on Wednesday.
The ever-present threat of a sudden spike in global oil prices, and the resulting impact on slow-growing and struggling economies such as Japan, Germany and France, poses a significant risk to local exporters who rely on those markets for much of their business, says a senior South African economist.
There is "no precise date" for the start-up of the second national operator (SNO) — which will compete with the semi-privatised state telephone operator Telkom, says Minister of Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin. He said such matters as the shareholders’ agreement and business plan are being discussed.
A detailed plan for fighting the increasing number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Africa was unveiled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, according to the global Stop TB Partnership. African and international health and development officials met to discuss the ”spiralling epidemic” of TB.
South Africa’s second of three Type 209 submarines was launched in Emden in northern Germany on Wednesday. The boat was christened ”S102”. Speaking during the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Defence Mluleki George said the naming and launching of any vessel is a significant occasion, as it only happens once in its lifetime.
A blast that killed at least 15 people in a Mogadishu stadium where Somalia’s transitional prime minister was speaking about plans to bring a government to the lawless country and reconcile rivals has deepened concern over the viability of peace prospects in Somalia, analysts say.
A suicide bomber ripped through an Iraqi police recruitment centre in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil on Wednesday, killing 45 and wounding up to 100 a day after Iraq’s first democratic Cabinet was sworn in. Scenes of chaos filled the streets as ambulances evacuated the dead and injured from the compound.
Orlando Pirates increased their lead in the Premier Soccer League by three points when they beat Ajax Cape Town 1-0 at Newlands on Tuesday. Pirates can thank their goalkeeper Francis Chansa for maximum points, as he brought off several excellent saves.