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The Democratic Alliance has produced a pack of playing cards that highlights the candidates on the African National Congress election lists who have ”betrayed their office as public representatives”.
Special Report: Elections 2004
A senior national transport department official on Saturday lashed out at motorists for their behaviour on the country’s roads that shows a total disrespect for human life. Wendy Watson, spokesperson for the Arrive Alive campaign, was reacting to an incident this week in which a metro police officer stationed in Nelspruit was killed in a hit and run incident.
Two African National Congress activists were killed and another injured after being abducted from a late night church service at Mqedandaba, near Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal, ANC provincial spokesperson Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said on Saturday.
Russia was on Saturday night gripped by the spectacle of rescuers struggling to save up to 30 miners trapped beneath tons of rubble after an explosion in a Siberian coal mine left 22 of their colleagues dead. A blast, apparently caused by a methane gas leak, tore through the Taizhina mine shaft at 6.30am, near the mining town of Osinniki, 3 000km to the east of Moscow in the coal-rich region of Kuzbass.
French customs officers at a Paris airport have seized more than 5 600 prehistoric artefacts, believed to have been looted from archeological sites in Niger’s desert, the economy ministry has announced. The objects consisted of 5 530 stone arrow heads and 90 other carved stones from the neolithic era.
Iraqi kidnappers on Saturday night paraded an American before television cameras, threatening to kill him unless United States forces lifted the siege of Falluja. Thomas Hamill had earlier been taken prisoner and driven off in a car by masked insurgents, adding a new twist to the growing crisis over foreign hostages in Iraq.
‘We have to fight to a safe haven’
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Ten years after South Africa turned its back on apartheid with its first fully democratic elections, the country returns to the polls this week for elections that are certain to sweep President Thabo Mbeki and the African National Congress back into power.
Special Report: Elections 2004
South African teams won three of their four matches and two sides – the Sharks and Stormers — nestled into strong playoff positions in weekend matches in rugby’s Super 12 tournament. At Durban on Saturday, the Sharks picked up their first victory over New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders, a 29-25 decision at Kings Park.
Ariel Sharon struggled this week to garner support for his proposal that Israel unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli prime minister is expected to put his ”disengagement” plan to a vote of Likud party members next month, but it appeared to many that ”Mr Sharon is not convinced his plan will win approval,” reported Haaretz.
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The ruling African National Congress (ANC) will win ”decisive” support in next week’s general elections, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday, adding a ”great mood of optimism about the future” had swept the country.
Special Report: Elections 2004