Cape Town | Tuesday WESTERN Cape director of public prosecutions Frank Kahn says he will not prosecute people for smoking in public places until ”sloppy draughtsmanship” in the law has been changed. The issue has been highlighted by a charge laid by a Cape Town anti-tobacco activist over smoking in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in […]

Pretoria | Tuesday THE Pretoria High Court has for the third time this year declined to endorse a conviction of a child rape accused because a magistrate failed to hold a proper enquiry to ensure the victim was a competent witness. On Monday, Judge Johan Els set aside the rape conviction of a 26-year-old man […]

Cape Town | Thursday A CARGO compartment smoke warning light and landing gear that failed to retract were among reasons that forced a total of 13 South African Airways planes to return to the airport after take-off during the first five months of this year. This is according to Public Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe, who […]

An 18000-ton scrapped tanker adrift in Algoa Bay could pose a potential danger to shipping, Smit Pentamarine salvage director Dave Main said on Saturday. He said the situation was currently under control as both the company’s salvage tugs, Wolraad Woltemade and Gondwana, were put on stand-by. Every effort was made to ensure that The Era […]

JUSTINE GERARDY, Johannesburg | Tuesday EVERY exam was the same. An inexplicable illness would strike, leaving her unable to write and unable to explain why. No one could give a reason. Until an igqirha (traditional healer) told her that a witch whose daughter had dropped out of school did not want her to write her […]

THE trial of three members of People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) who escaped from the Cape High Court on October 4 but were later recaptured will continue on Wednesday. Ebrahim Jeneker, and brothers Abdullah and Ismail Maansdorp escaped from the holding cells of the Cape Town High Court during their trial on 138 charges […]

AMER OUALI AND MARC PONDAVEN, Algiers | Monday THE Algerian government said on Sunday the death toll from fierce storms that swept the country had killed at least 343 people, injured more than 300, and left at least 4 000 families homeless. Rescuers continued to search in clinging mud and through piles of debris for […]

Khwaja Bahauddin, Afghanistan | Monday US B-52 bombers unleashed their heaviest payloads on Taliban frontline positions on Sunday as militia and opposition forces battled for a key district in northern Afghanistan. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meanwhile defended plans to carry on raids through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan saying there was a real […]