BANKS could nearly double profits and cut bank charges by 15% if they could win the battle against bank crime, The Star reports. In 1999, R68-million was stolen in bank robberies. According to the paper, crime committed at ATMs cost R55-million and fraud estimated to cost about R4-billion a year. In 1998, banks made a […]

SCORES of Egyptian girls in Kano, northern Nigeria, on Monday continued their seige of the hotel housing the Egyptian football team. The girls, autograph hunters in their teens and early twenties, lurked around the hotel’s reception hall with the hope of getting the players’ attention. Some of the Egyptian players not only granted autographs but […]

THE former boyfriend of television presenter Tracy Going, Richard Latham, has been fined R5000 in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court. Latham assaulted Going during their relationship and maliciously damaged her car. Latham also received a five-year suspended sentenceon condition that he agrees to drug rehabilitation and periodic urine tests. In one particular incident that was widely […]

THE government repaid a net R1,32-billion during January, bringing total financing for the 1999/2000 (April-December) fiscal year to R25,38-billion, according to Department of Finance figures released in Pretoria on Thursday. Revised budgeted financing figures for the full fiscal year were not provided by the department. According to provisional figures, R753,6-million was raised in January through […]

LEADING gold producer Harmony Gold Mining Company announced on Tuesday that it has purchased a 19,95% interest in Australian gold producer Goldfields from Hanson PLC at a price of A$1,25 per share. The deal is valued at A$41-million. Harmony, currently the third largest gold producer in SA, has expanded in the past five years from […]

EMBATTLED residents of Alexandra outside Johannesburg have been evacuated to higher ground after the Jukskei river burst its banks on Tuesday. Several homes were washed away and more rain is expected to fall on Tuesday night. Emergency services and police divers are on standby to assist people, some of whom are apparently unwilling to leave […]

SHARES in JCI Gold Ltd pressed firmer in early trade on Thursday as Western Areas withdrew merger plans. Western Areas said on Wednesday it has withdrawn plans for the proposed merger of companies in the JCI/Randgold Group to form a single global mining company. It said the proposal was no longer feasible due to inadequate […]

ABOUT 200 visitors to the Kruger National Park were trapped by floodwaters at Skukuza camp after heavy rain on Monday. No one can get in or out of the area by road. The group has been moved to higher ground at Skukuza as a precaution. A spokesman said there is no crisis, and a helicopter […]

MITCH PHILLIPS, London | Monday 10.30am. RUGBY union’s planned introduction of video referees could be delayed because of concerns about costs, a leading official has claimed. The experiment was due to begin in the southern hemisphere’s Super 12 regional competition, which kicks off later this month, and the Tri Nations. But Rian Oberholzer, head of […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 11.15am. GOLD mining giant Gold Fields on Thursday reported higher quarterly profits on the back of a stronger gold price and a turnaround at its key Driefontein mine. The Johannesburg-based gold miner posted earnings after exceptional items of R192-million for the three months ended December 31. That compares to a […]