The mystery aircraft impounded at Harare’s airport left South African air space illegally, en route for Burundi, aviation sources said on Tuesday. The aircraft, a Boeing 727-100 that once belonged to the United States Air Force, was scheduled to fly from Wonderboom airport outside Pretoria to Polokwane International airport and from there to Bujumbura, in Burundi.
Mercenaries on a mission
The mystery surrounding the ownership of a Boeing 717-100 cargo plane impounded at Harare’s airport deepened on Tuesday with various reports citing different sources contradicting each other. There are allegations that South Africans were among the 64 men on board.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=32393">Mystery plane ‘left SA illegally'</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=32381">Mercenaries on a mission</a>
Kagiso Trust is to acquire a 27% stakeholding in Bytes Technology Group’s (BTG) South African operations, it was announced on Tuesday. BTG said it had for some time stated its intention to introduce a black economic empowerment partner and had held discussions with various partners.
The United States military is about to add a new weapon to its already impressive arsenal in Iraq. But in contrast to other armaments, this one does not shoot or explode. It screams and hollers. The weapon can deliver a shrill 145-decibel tone over a distance of more than 300 metres, causing splitting headaches, pain, panic and, in some cases, even hearing loss.
South African Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel says the challenge nations face today is to translate the potential benefits of globalisation into real gains for the poorest in the world. On Monday, Manuel delivered the Oxford University Inaugural Global Economic Governance Lecture in the United Kingdom.
Bridgestone, the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres and other rubber products, on Tuesday stated that it is to invest about R700-million in upgrading and expanding its Brits tyre manufacturing plant in North West province over a five-year period.
The JSE Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE) was weaker just before noon on Tuesday, with a stronger rand weighing on heavyweight dual-listed and resources stocks. Volumes were light and just more than half a billion rands’ worth of shares had been traded.
A man inspecting the side of a building in Johannesburg’s Fox Street fell to his death on Monday afternoon, Emergency Services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said on Tuesday. The man was moving along the side of the building in a ”gondola” suspended from the top of the building, inspecting granite slabs.
South African Oscar-winner Charlize Theron on Monday got back a piece of the gold she so proudly dedicated to her home country. At a meeting with President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria, the actress was presented with an ounce of gold still ingrained in the rock in which it was formed.
The South African government was concerned that SA citizens may be among the 64 alleged mercenaries aboard an aircraft impounded in Zimbabwe on Sunday. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was in close communication with South Africa’s High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, Jerry Ndou, as he sought clarity on the circumstances surrounding the incident.