Preparations for South Africa to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup are on track, chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said on Monday. ”Anybody who suggests otherwise must have their heads read,” he said in response to news reports on Monday that said South Africa was lagging in its preparations for the event.
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The prosecution began final argument in Schabir Shaik’s fraud and corruption trial on Monday, describing the case that started in the Durban High Court in October as an epic. Prosecutor Billy Downer said the state has succeeded in proving that Shaik used Deputy President Jacob Zuma’s assistance to gain private business advantage.
The current lawsuit by three HIV-positive women against Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille and journalist Charlene Smith is uncovering more than just issues of privacy. It is also highlighting South Africa’s urgent need to normalise HIV in order to prevent a social backlash after a person discloses a positive status.
Zambia on Monday started a day of national mourning to mark the burial of an estimated 50 workers who died in a blast at a Chinese-owned explosives factory at a copper mine in the small town of Chambishi. All flags in the country will fly at half-mast and entertainment activities have been banned on Monday.
An explosion rocked an office of Zanzibar’s ruling political party the day after the discovery of the body of a slain activist from the group, police said on Monday on the politically volatile Tanzanian island. Four people have been arrested in connection with the explosion late on Sunday, which did not result in casualties.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer, the charismatic left-wing revolutionary who became an international statesman, is embroiled in the most serious crisis of his career. A scandal over relaxing the requirements for visas allowed tens of thousands of Eastern Europeans to flood into Germany from 2000 to 2003.
Harmony Gold suffered a cash operating loss of R54,7-million in the March quarter, the company announced on Monday. In a statement, chief executive Bernard Swanepoel said the poorer results were caused by operational disruptions. Production declined by 14,1% to 679 251oz compared with the December quarter.
Nine people were killed and about 60 injured in a collision between a bus and a goods train outside Makhado on Monday, Limpopo police said. Superintendent Ailwei Mushavhanamadi said five men and three women were killed at the scene. A fourth woman died in hospital.
Pam Golding Properties, the residential company within the Pam Golding Property group, South Africa’s largest independent real estate group, has reported record turnover of R12,9-billion for the financial year to end-February 2005, up an impressive 36% compared with R9,5-billion the previous year.
Amid scattered violence, Togolese voted to elect a new president they hope will bring democracy after decades of tyranny and restore order following months of turmoil caused by the death of Africa’s longest-serving ruler. Leading candidate Faure Gnassingbe reiterated his vows to restore security, unite the divided country and install a government of national unity if elected.