A NORTHERN Province man who chopped up his girlfriend and threw her body parts down a pit toilet last Christmas Day has been jailed for 18 years. Samuel Chuma, 30, of Nkhavhele village in Giyani, Northern Province, butchered Grace Mabaso in his parent’s bedroom and told his mother to keep out of “men’s business” when […]

THE World Bank has lodged complaints with authorities in Chad over the country’s diversion of oil revenues to the defense ministry. Under pressure from the bank and the International Monetary Fund, Chadian authorities revealed on November 25 that nearly $4.1m in oil revenues had been allocated to the defense ministry. This could jeopardise Chad’s efforts […]

JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Pietersburg | Monday NORTHERN Province’s director general has launched an investigation into the abuse of State resources for electioneering by the African National Congress (ANC) following alleged abuses in the Office of the Premier. The probe follows media questions about the use of tax funds and government officials to organise a rally in […]

AT least 200 people were killed when a petrol tanker lost control and rammed into vehicles before bursting into flames in southwest Nigeria at the weekend. The victims, including a newly wed couple, were burnt beyond recognition. The accident, which involved more than 10 vehicles, occurred on Saturday and cut into heavy traffic on the […]

DEFENCE and veterinary personnel say every animal in the KwaZulu-Natal province might have to be put down to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Veterinarians slaughtered more than 4000 animals in September and October, but the disease, believed to have been imported in swill bought from a ship in Durban harbour, has spread from the […]

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) said this week it had approved Tanzania’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) as ”providing a credible basis for sustainable improvements in the lives of the poor.” Earlier this year the IMF approved a three-year $181.5m loan under its Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) to support Tanzania’s 2000-2002 economic programme. Targets […]

SOUTH African state-owned defence group Denel says it will refocus its ordnance unit to counter a shrinking global arms market and hopes a partnership with BAE Systems will give it access to NATO markets. Acting Ordnance group executive director Louis Dirker said the world market for military small arms had contracted to a tenth of […]

AVIS Southern Africa, the South African-based auto rental group, says it does not expect to achieve an earnings per share growth for 2001 due to margin pressure. Continuing low economic growth in southern Africa, high fuel prices and decreased foreign visitors would also limit earnings potential. ”Although there are some short-term pressures on earnings growth, […]

AFRICAN Oxygen (Afrox) has reported a 28% jump in revenue for the year to September 30, 2000, after recording good growth in its healthcare business. Afrox annual revenue rose to R4.7bn from R3.6bn in the previous year. The group attributable earnings per share was 88.5 cents from 76.9 cents, while a dividend of 47 cents […]

SOUTH Africa’s African Life Assurance Company (Aflife) has reported a sharp drop in its interim earnings, but said the foundations for future shareholder wealth creation were firmly in place. Headline earnings per share plunged to 64.7 cents in the six months to September 30 from 134.7 cents the previous year, hit by a range of […]