CANADIAN liquor giant Seagram has lost its legal bid to prevent a merger between Stellenbosch Farmers Winery Group (SFW) and drinks-maker Distillers. Seagram made the application in Cape Town’s High Court on November 15, two days after SFW and Distillers sealed a merger that industry analysts said would hit Seagram’s market share. Between them SFW […]

A 35-year-old man was beaten to death with bricks in Port Elizabeth in what appears to have been a case of mob justice, SABC radio news reported. The victim had allegedly attempted to rape a five-year-old girl. A witness to the victim’s crime allegedly called on other members of the community, who then proceeded with […]

CELLULAR operator MTN has denied that it was guilty of overcharging subscribers, maladministration and fraudulent sales. The denial comes after a report in the Mail & Guardian last week, which appeared to plough through letters and papers relating to insurance and tax issues, Business Report said. A representative of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) […]

ADE OBISESAN, Lagos | Monday NIGERIANS are eagerly awaiting promised revelations this week about the circumstances surrounding the 1998 death of detained millionaire politician Moshood Abiola. Major Hamza al-Mustapha, a close security aide to the late dictator Sani Abacha, last week told a government panel which is hearing allegations of human rights violations that he […]

THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has rejected what it calls a “miserable” and “meagre” offer by the retail motor industry of a three percent wage increase for petrol attendants. The offer was the employers’ attempt to avert a looming strike during peak season, Numsa spokesman Hosea Morapedi said. Numsa is demanding a […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday LOCAL pension funds are repatriating surpluses of R80bn to employers while they grant pensioners increases of only 1%, according to the authoritative British actuarial association magazine, The Actuary. Beeld newspaper reports that Roger Wellsted, the South African consultant who wrote the article, claims that many South African pensioners had to […]

STRICT Islamic Sharia law banning consumption of alcohol, prostitution, stealing, gambling and other vices came into force on Sunday in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest state. Kano Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said the bill would apply only to Muslims. He appealed to state residents to abide by it, warning that those who took laws into their […]

FORMER South African President Nelson Mandela has expressed optimism as talks to end Burundi’s seven-year civil war focused on the most difficult issues that have so far foiled a comprehensive peace agreement. Mandela, who is meeting with Burundian president Pierre Buyoya, angrily dismissed speculation that Burundian leaders are not ready to suspend hostilities and pick […]