KHADIJA MAGARDIE and NAWAAL DEANE, Johannesburg | Friday AS South Africa was reeling at the news of an alleged gang-rape and sodomising of a nine-month-old baby in Upington last November, the Northern Cape MEC for health was blasting a Kimberley hospital for giving the infant anti-retroviral medication. It emerged this week that after widespread media […]

A 10-week old outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in northeast Gabon and neighbouring Congo has claimed its 25 victim, according to figures from Gabon’s health ministry. The latest casualty brought to 18 the number of people to have succumbed to the haemorrhagic disease in the central African country of Gabon, according to health ministry […]

PARENTS in a village in eastern Kenya kept their 400 children away from classes for two days because they were convinced the local school was haunted by spirits that would suck their blood, a schools inspector said on Wednesday. Kilonzo Musilu, who inspected the primary school in the village of Ithiani, some 130 kilometres east […]

Johannesburg | Sunday SOUTH Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its trades union alliance partner on Saturday presented a united front, following a first meeting to iron out differences over privatisation and Aids policy between them. In a joint statement issued by the ANC and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the […]

ABOUT five thousand residents of Taung and the surrounding areas converged at the Batlhaping Ba-Ga-Phuduhutswana Royal Kraal for the reed dance celebrations, SABC radio news reported on Wednesday. Their chief, Sam Mankurwane, said the celebrations mark the arrival of 849 women initiates back home. Mankurwane said hundreds of male initiates would join the women for […]

MORE than 50 men, women and children were left homeless, after a gang of men set homes alight at Muldersdrift on the West Rand, SABC radio news reported on Thursday. The torching took place allegedly after a quarrel between the owner of the property and the people living in the houses. Police representative Captain Paula […]

Harare | Sunday PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has shrugged off international criticism ahead of elections in March, unleashing a new broadside against British Prime Minister Tony Blair and saying God was on Zimbabwe’s side. ”Mr Blair, don’t be a liar, a Bliar,” Mugabe told a meeting of over 5 000 Christians in the capital Harare. ”God […]

South African taxpayers could be forced to pay R50-million to save the Democratic Republic of Congo peace talks, SABC television news reported on Tuesday. Delegates are due to converge on Sun City in the North West at the end of January for the next round of talks. According to Sir Ketumile Masire, the DRC peace […]

A 38-year-old man is to appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court soon after police on Wednesday confiscated 17 fridges filled with the shellfish delicacy perlemoen (abalone). The man would face charges of dealing in perlemoen without a permit, police representative Inspector Amanda Roestoff said. Roestoff said Inspector Mkhacani Maluleke was investigating a housebreaking complaint in […]