RUSSIA plans to cancel more than half of Mozambique’s debt according to an agreement signed between the two countries, the Mozambique News Agency reported on Wednesday. According to the agreement, the forgiven debt would be earmarked for poverty alleviation programs in this southern African country – one of the nation’s poorest countries. Some $300-million of […]

PARLIAMENT celebrated International Mother Tongue Language Day on Thursday with special debates in both its Houses. MPs and delegates stressed the importance of people being able to express themselves in any of South Africa’s 11 officials languages, while recognising there was also a need for a common understanding between different language groups. Celebrations started with […]

Johannesburg | Monday SOUTH African fuel producer Sasol on Monday announced that its Sasol Petroleum International (SPI) had been granted approval to prospect for natural gas off Saldanha along the Western Cape coast. ”The prospecting agreement for block 3A/4A covers an area of 28 395 square km offshore western South Africa in waters ranging in […]

Cape Town, | Tuesday THE chairman of South Africa’s parliamentary watchdog resigned on Monday, blasting an investigation into the country’s controversial arms procurement programme. Gavin Woods (51) who chaired the public accounts committee, said his resignation was sparked by a report by three statutory agencies, which cleared the government of corruption in the deal that […]

Antananarivo | Tuesday MADAGASCAR’S opposition leader and self-declared president Marc Ravalomanana on Tuesday appointed Jacques Sylla as prime minister of his future government. He told journalists he had ordered Sylla, a former foreign minister, to ”form a government as quickly as possible.” Ravalomanana’s move was a further challenge to President Didier Ratsiraka, who imposed a […]

BEN MACLENNAN, Cape Town | Tuesday HEALTH Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has pleaded for greater understanding from the media of her department’s fight against Aids. ”We are in the driving seat but of course we need to bring everybody else on board to understand which direction we are moving (in),” she said in Cape Town on […]

HANNES DE WET & MARIETTE LE ROUX, Sun City | Tuesday TALKS aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing Democratic Republic of Congo civil war got off to an uncertain start at Sun City on Monday when the opening ceremony began four hours late without the presence of opposition politicians. There were also […]

A community policing officer (CPO) was killed and two CPOs were wounded on Sunday night when they came under automatic rifle fire while investigating a report of gang activity in Ravensmead, Cape Town, police said. Representative Superintendent Wicus Holtzhausen said the three, accompanied by a policeman, followed up the report. At the corner of Firdale […]

THREE school children were shot and wounded — with a single bullet — at an athletics meeting in Sasolburg on Wednesday, allegedly by a fellow pupil playing with a firearm, police said. Free State police spokesman Captain Serame Skosana said on Thursday a boy had brought the firearm into the De Villiers stadium in his […]