HIGH levels of human faeces have been found in the drinking water in Mpumalanga’s Lowveld, as a result of the heavy flooding in the province and neighbouring Mozambique, warned provincial deputy director of health promotion, Heila Jooste, on Monday. She said laboratory tests indicated that at least 17 of 20 communities were heavily contaminated with […]

THE Nigerian government has decided to award its four GSM mobile phone operating licences by auction, after the collapse of a bidding process. The auction will be conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission and supervised by an “internationally recognised competent body” to be appointed by the government. The government sacked NCC boss Emmanuel Nnama last […]

THERE was no pre-fight medical done before World Boxing Association number one contender Henry Akinwande’s mismatched fight in Cape Town last Tuesday. While the medical is required by law, the Western Cape Boxing Commission claimed they only found out a day before. The bout which ended in the first round was in itself a disgraceful […]

TRANSPORT Minister Dullah Omar signed an air services agreement with Yemen on Sunday, celebrating the inauguration of flights between Johannesburg and San’a, Yemen, which started in December. “The Government of South Africa has adopted a clear policy to strengthen the bonds between South African and the rest of the Indian Ocean Rim countries,” Omar said […]

ELLIS MNYANDU, Cape Town | Monday 10.00am SOUTH Africa’s newly introduced inflation target of three to 6% will not hurt economic growth over the next three years, says director-general of finance, Maria Ramos. She said if South Africa had chosen a tighter band, it would have had to raise interest rates in the near-term in […]

THE Reserve Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady at this week’s monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting on Wednesday, analysts said on Tuesday. But they added the beneficial impact of the country’s investment upgrade from Standard & Poor’s last week might give it some scope to ease rates further in the near term. The […]

RWANDAN Prime Minister Pierre-Celestin Rwigema resigned from his post on Monday amid mounting accusations of financial impropriety. “Rwigema has offered his resignation in a letter addressed to President Pasteur Bizimungu,” a senior aide to Bizimungu said. Rwigema, a Hutu, became Prime Minister in October 1995 and replaced Faustin Twagiramungu — another Hutu now in exile […]

THE South African National Editors’ Forum appears to have won a victory in its struggle with the Human Rights Commission over media racism. Sanef, together with the editors of several other publications, met with HRC chairman Barney Pityana on Tuesday morning. Subpoenas forcing the editors to appear at HRC hearings on media racism were withdrawn […]

BANGLADESH is likely to be granted test status making it the 10th test match playing nation, says Ali Bacher, the head of the development committee of the game’s top international body said. “It is now a mere formality,” Bacher, chief of the International Cricket Council’s development committee, told reporters at the weekend. “The development committee […]

THE tariffs on national toll roads will increase by an average of 6,47%, effective from March 1, the SA National Roads Agency announced on Monday. SANRA chief executive officer Nazir Alli said about R9-billion will be spent over the next few years to build new roads and upgrade existing roads. The agency manages approximately 7000km […]