BRYAN PEARSON, Port Elizabeth | Tuesday SOUTH African President Thabo Mbeki’s refusal to provide anti-retroviral drugs to pregnant women is tantamount to sanctioning genocide of babies, an exasperated public health doctor has claimed. The view is growing, Costa Gazi said, that Mbeki and his government would rather babies of HIV-positive mothers are born infected with […]

THE public works ministry has drafted a policy document for the Cabinet promoting the sale or co-use of military bases around the country starting from next year, Business Report said. Gugu Mazibuko, the chief director of state property holdings, said it was unclear how many bases would be sold or co-used, but the government could […]

CUMULATIVE infections of HIV/Aids skyrocketed between 1986 and June this year from four to 75 383 cases, says Namibian Health and Social Services Minister Libertine Amathila. Speaking at a three-day workshop on the impact of HIV/Aids on tertiary institutions in Namibia, Amathila said some of these people had died already, some were dying and others […]

LEGISLATORS have increased pressure on the head of the Nigerian lower house of parliament and his deputy to resign following their indictment by a corruption probe panel. Umar Ghali Na’Abba and his deputy, Chibudom Nwuche, should immediately step aside or resign their positions to allow an investigation into various allegations of corruption levelled at them, […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Bisho | Tuesday A DATE for South Africa’s much-postponed municipal elections could be announced by the end of the week after a committee reviewing the concerns of traditional leaders over new municipal boundaries finalised a report for President Thabo Mbeki. “We’re almost there,” said Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi. The announcement […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday THE Truth and Reconciliation Commission has reserved judgment in a former military intelligence operative’s application for amnesty for planning the bomb attack which maimed Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs. Henri van der Westhuizen, 40, said that prior to the hearing he approached Sachs – who as an African National Congress […]

SOUTH Africans are using some 75% more condoms this year than last, an indication HIV/Aids awareness programmes are working, says Deputy President Jacob Zuma. “The demand for free condoms issued by government has increased from 200m last year to about 350m this year,” Zuma told a gathering in the Free State to mark the second […]

THE Gaddafi Human Rights Prize has been awarded to Cuban President Fidel Castro in recognition of his “heroic role” in resisting imperialism, according to a report in the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma. Libya’s permanent representative to the United Nations Abuzeid Omar Dorda handed the award to Castro in a “simple but moving” ceremony at […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday THE Heath Special Investigating Unit intends to investigate South Africa’s controversial R32m arms deal after studying an Auditor-General’s report which highlighted several flaws in the procurement process. If the Heath unit’s application for a proclamation to probe the deal is approved, it will become the third body to probe […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday THE Heath Special Investigating Unit intends to investigate South Africa’s controversial R32bn arms deal after studying an Auditor-General’s report which highlighted several flaws in the procurement process. If the Heath unit’s application for a proclamation to probe the deal is approved, it will become the third body to probe […]