Winger Peter Hewat surpassed a scoring record as New South Wales rallied from a 10-point deficit and beat South Africa’s Bulls 23-13 on Saturday to reach the Super 12 final for the first time. ”We’re disappointed right now, but we gave it everything we had,” Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer said after the match.
It was good cheer, rugby and music in Pretoria’s Church Square on Saturday after a group of about 500 protesters submitted petitions to the Department of Arts and Culture against renaming the city Tshwane. A handful of black participants took part in the march, which was attended by the young, old and disabled.
Inkatha Freedom Party leader and traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Saturday called for the recognition of the Zulu kingdom.
Addressing an imbizo (meeting) of the Zulu nation outside Durban, Buthelezi said: ”We are not speaking about the position of the king alone. Our kingdom is broader than his majesty alone.”
Ethiopia’s main opposition coalition said on Friday it will not accept election results for 84 seats that may hold the balance of power in the 547-strong Parliament, increasing already high tensions as the nation awaits official results. Both opposition and ruling parties are claiming victory based on their own projections.
Sol Campbell could miss out on the FA Cup final for the second time in three years as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger weighs up leaving the England defender out of his starting line-up against Manchester United. Campbell, who missed the 2003 final due to suspension, has just returned to the side after a three-month injury absence.
The United States, Nato and the European Union have joined the United Nations in pressing for an international probe into the alleged killing of hundreds during an authoritarian crackdown in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek leader has staunchly resisted calls to end the crackdown on the opposition in the city of Andijan.
A London public-relations (PR) firm has been hired to polish the image of the Ugandan government, which is wrestling with a civil war, a tarnished human rights record and a wave of criticism from Western media and human rights groups. Uganda is due to hold multiparty elections next year.
White farmers may be allowed back on their land in Zimbabwe as part of a plan by the government of Robert Mugabe to solve the country’s deepening economic crisis. Gideon Gono, Governor of the Reserve Bank and Mugabe’s main policy-maker, made the proposal as he announced a 31% devaluation of the Zimbabwe currency.
Allan Heyl, the last surviving member of the Stander gang of bank robbers who was released from Krugersdorp prison on Wednesday, is free to speak to journalists, the Department of Correctional Services said on Friday. Departmental spokesperson Graham Abrahams said Heyl is now free to deal with the public.
Equatorial Guinea on Friday welcomed news that South Africa will try suspects who allegedly organised a coup plot in this oil-rich Central African nation. South African prosecutors said on Monday they will try 61 suspected mercenaries who were deported to South Africa from Zimbabwe a day earlier.