He had no qualms over becoming a state witness in the Boeremag treason trial as he was ”not amused” with what the accused were doing, a self-confessed coup plotter told the High Court on Thursday. Willem Grobler testified that his attorney had advised him to become a state witness shortly after his arrest, as the evidence against him was overwhelming.
The information and communications technology (ICT) sector in South Africa has returned to health, according to a new study released this week. While four of the 37 listed companies included in the survey made a loss in 2004, this is down from more than a quarter in 2001, and compares well with other sectors.
President Robert Mugabe thanked China for helping Zimbabwe during its ”time of need” after six trainer jets were delivered to the cash-strapped country on Wednesday, state media reported. The six Karakorum 8 (K-8) jets at Thornhill base near Gweru will be used to train air-force pilots, The Herald reported.
Jet fuel has become a major component in a local illicit brew drunk by many urban poor in Nairobi, a local newspaper reported Thursday. The Daily Nation newspaper quoted a brewer and seller of the illegal changaa liquor in a Nairobi slum, saying airport workers sell jet fuel to a well established net of customers who sell it on to brewers in the city.
Kenya is pushing ahead with plans for an East African political federation with neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda that would create a common currency and Constitution for the three nations by 2010. Kibaki, Tanzanian President Yoweri Museveni and Ugandan President Benjamin Mkapa are due to meet at a special summit, probably in Kenya, on May 20.
A group of 42 asylum seekers have arrived in this Southern African country from Somalia after a two month trek covering more than 2 200km with little food, water or rest, officials said on Wednesday. The men said they were forced to continue their walk after being refused refugee status in Tanzania and Mozambique.
An Eskom employee died and another was seriously injured after the collapse of the conductor structure of a transmission line they were busy upgrading in Vanderbijlpark on Wednesday. An Eskom spokesperson said three Eskom employees were sitting on the conductor when the structure collapsed.
IBM has announced a prototype anti-spam technology that it claims is eliminating 99% of incoming spam in lab tests. The software, FairUCE (Fair use of Unsolicited Commercial E-mail), looks at the identity of the e-mail sender, as opposed to the more common technique of filtering spam by analysing the content of e-mails.
An academic has come forward with what appears to be the first Mandela art fraud.
Indonesian scientists have placed 11 volcanoes under close watch after a series of powerful quakes increased the chances of a major eruption. Tens of thousands spent a third night in temporary camps after fleeing the slopes of Mount Talang on Sumatra island, where hot ash has been raining down since Monday, more volcanoes began rumbling into life.