The political and security situation in the Great Lakes region has deteriorated over the past decade despite robust intervention by the international community through protocols, peacekeeping missions, bilateral arrangements and development initiatives. Failure to make an impact has been partly blamed on the inability of state-centred mechanisms to address issues such as the stateless Banyamulenge.
There is growing evidence of political pressure on Zimbabwe’s media with government stepping up its harassment of journalists at two of the country’s remaining private publications, the Zimbabwe Independent and the Standard. Over the past week, journalists from the Mail & Guardian‘s sister publications have been questioned by the police about stories published as far back as February.
Arsene Wenger has told Wayne Rooney wil have to live ”like a monk” if he is to make the most of his phenomenal talent. The 18-year-old’s stunning debut for Manchester United in midweek came as no surprise to the Arsenal manager, who has previously described Rooney as the most exciting young English player he had seen.
So splendid was the agenda, and so eloquently was it read, and so warm were the sunbeams streaming down through the stained-glass representation of the ascension of Idi Amin, that the delegates at the first sitting of the Pan African Parliament decided to adjourn for half an hour to indulge their democratic ecstasies.
It took nearly a year, but Brian van Rooyen has finally delivered on his promise to shake South African rugby to its foundations. This week he buried both the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) and SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd and replaced them with one structure, to be known simply as SA Rugby.
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/ 30 September 2004
Year-on-year producer price inflation for all commodities for South African consumption (PPI) rose to 1,1% last month from 0,7% in July. This 0,4 of a percentage point increase could be explained by increases in the annual rates of change in the PPI for petroleum and coal products, transport, agricultural products and food at manufacturing (from -1,4% to -1,3%).
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/ 30 September 2004
The official opposition Democratic Alliance has welcomed a commitment by Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk to complete a strategic environmental assessment in Pondoland, an ecologically sensitive area of the Eastern Cape currently under threat from mining and the construction of a toll road.
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/ 30 September 2004
The South African government has called for a peaceful resolution to the impasse surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme, following a meeting between President Thabo Mbeki and Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, the government news agency, BuaNews reported on Thursday.
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/ 30 September 2004
”With one fluid movement, Mabele’s assistant heaves the bleating goat over his shoulder and into the open boot of the car. He then repeats the process with the second goat, which seems more stoical about its fate. The goats soon settle down and two satisfied clients drive off. Goats are famously obliging.” The divide between town and country, urban and rural, is by no means clear-cut.