THE European Union has given Zambia 6m euros to be used to prepare next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. The money is to be used to train electoral officials and to buy in voting material. Zambia is due to hold presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in the last quarter of 2001. Under the terms […]

DARREN SCHUETTLER, Johannesburg | Tuesday ANGLOGOLD chief Bobby Godsell says the rationalisation of South Africa’s gold industry is a ”national imperative”, but he has steered clear of speculation that his company is eyeing rival Gold Fields Ltd. Analysts have mooted a tie-up of the country’s two biggest gold producers after Anglo American Plc, AngloGold’s majority […]

BLACK economic empowerment group African Renaissance Holdings said it had bought a 25% stake in Marconi Plc’s local subsidiary for R130m. African Renaissance said it had an option to increase its investment in Marconi Communications South Africa to 30% within 12 months, depending on predetermined performance criteria. ”The partnership completes our investment strategy in becoming […]

SOUTH Africa will spend R400m over the next 18 months on an international advertising campaign to lure tourists. The campaign, mostly focused on Europe, will kick off in London on January 12 with a massive street party in Covent Garden where Satour will be offering beer and wine at South African prices. Tourism is South […]

EMSIE FERREIRA, Cape Town | Tuesday SOUTH Africa has promulgated emergency regulations to curb linefishing because stocks of some of the most popular species have sunk so low that they are unlikely to recover without a complete ban. Conservationists are also battling to save South Africa’s unique abalone shellfish species following close to a decade […]

EMELIA SITHOLE, Johannesburg | Tuesday SYNTHETIC fuel producer Sasol said this week it was buying German RWE AG’s Condea speciality chemicals unit for 1.3bn euros ($1.16bn) in a deal launching the South African group in Europe. The acquisition, which Sasol clinched ahead of US private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Bain Capital, would dilute […]

SOUTH African software group Softline Ltd said it had strengthened its presence in the US accounting software market through an $8.5m acquisition of AccountMate Software Corporation. Based in San Francisco, California, AccountMate is an established player in the midrange accounting software market with more than 15000 registered users and 120000 installations since it was founded […]

CELLULAR telephone operator Vodacom Tanzania said its connection targets set in 1999 were about to be overtaken and it expected to have 200 000 customers by the end of 2002. Vodacom Tanzania said it has connected 50 000 customers in its first four months of commercial operations, against a 1999 projection of 100 000 customers […]

SOUTH Africa’s ruling ANC won 59% percent of the popular vote in last week’s municipal elections, with the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) taking an unexpectedly high 22%, according to the final tally. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said the Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won 9.14% of the vote. The IEC said that the ANC […]