BRONWEN ROBERTS, Cape Town | Wednesday SOUTH African farmers have made an impassioned plea to the international community to rescue them from rural attacks, saying the violence was an “orchestrated bid” to force farmers off their land, as the government announced a land restitution programme was picking up speed. “It’s about forcing them to either […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Wednesday A FORMER SA Defence Force intelligence chief of staff has told the Pretoria High Court of his “dissatisfaction” about a lack of information on the end destination and ultimate use of millions of rands transferred to overseas bank accounts on behalf of the shadowy Project Coast. Project Coast was the […]

FORMER Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith returned this week to Zimbabwe after more than a month abroad, amid threats by the government to prosecute him for war crimes. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe last month threatened to bring Smith to trial for genocide and other crimes committed during the war to end white minority rule here, […]

ED STODDARD, Johannesburg | Wednesday SOUTH Africa’s Competition Commission has launched a probe into the practices of a number of alcoholic beverage companies, including industry giants South African Breweries and KWV Limited. The commission said in a statement it was also investigating Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery Ltd (SFW), as well as Rembrandt Ltd and its subsidiary […]

SOUTH Africa’s agriculture minister said this week an outbreak of foot and mouth disease had been contained and should eventually lead to a removal of bans on South African meat exports. ”It is a matter, that if we deal with it decisively, we can retain our credibility and those countries that have imposed bans will […]

DAVID MAGERIA, Nairobi | Wednesday LEADING regional brewer East African Breweries, which faces strong competition from South African Breweries in regional markets but remains dominant in Kenya, has announced plans to expand, rationalise and diversify its business. Top EABL officials said the company intends to acquire 100% of its two subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania […]

SOUTH Africa’s leading microlender, Unibank Investment Holdings Ltd, has unveiled a 23% jump in headline earnings per share (EPS) for the six months to September. The financial services group said its headline EPS – which strips out the effects of exceptional items and their tax impact – rose to 8.6 cents from 7.0 cents in […]

SOUTH African packaging group Nampak Ltd says its 2000 basic earnings per share had increased by four percent to 122.8 cents and expected to show earnings growth in 2001 despite slow regional growth. Nampak said in a statement that margins were constrained by minimal growth in domestic volumes, continuing pricing pressures and increased raw material […]

PHILLIP NKOSI, Pretoria | Tuesday THE Directorate of Public Prosecutions has vowed to tame the tiger in Mapogo-A-Mathamaga, the country’s most feared vigilante group, by setting up a special task team to probe the group’s activities. The formal justice system has proved ineffective in dealing with the excesses of the group, whose name comes from […]

SENEGAL’S President Abdoulaye Wade has “declared war” on “pirates” he accuses of pillaging the country’s offshore fish stocks, singling out Russian trawling fleets in particular. He denounced the former Socialist Party government which he accused of “looting our coasts by making secret deals with Russian trawlers” and an “anarchic” distribution of fishing licences. Fishing employs […]