OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 7.30pm THE Constitutional Court on Tuesday announced it has decided that it will not hear an appeal by the Mail & Guardian and the Freedom of Expression Institute to access military intelligence reports against two South African National Defence Force officials. In a unanimous judgment, delivered by judge Pius […]

FRUSTRATED firefighters and police are being probed for possible negligence after they were forced to watch as a runaway bush fire gutted 400 impounded vehicles at the Lobamba Police Station 20km south east of Swaziland’s capital, Mbabane, on Monday evening. The firefighters, who are based just 20m from the police station, were unable to do […]

SAFETY and Security Minister Steve Tshwete on Monday denied reports that controversial new draft firearms control policy had been scrapped. Tshwete’s spokesman, Andre Martin, said the process of drafting a new firearms control policy document had not been halted, and the department will present a final draft to Tshwete this week. If he approves the […]

PUBLIC Service Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi says the government will not budge from its latest wage offer to public servants. Moleketi said the government’s offer, applied unilaterally after seven-moth long wage talks broke down, is reasonable. The minister’s announcement comes the day before some 800000 public service workers embark on a one-day protest in support of […]

SIX second half tries swept Griquas to a resounding 45-26 victory over an increasingly ragged Falcons who let slip a 14-point 21-7 interval lead as their disappointing season dribbles to a close. The home side scored three times in the first half, two of them from well-worked lineout moves close to the line and the […]

MANAGEMENT of the Durban Roodepoort Deep group of gold mines said on Sunday night that the 9000 miners fired from the Hartbeesfontein mine last week will return to work on Monday. The reinstatment followed talks between management and the National Union of Mineworkers. The miners were dismissed following illegal strike action over workers’ unhappiness about […]

SOME 3500 strikers from the National Union Mineworkers are to report for work at Ingwe Coal Corporation in Mpumalanga on Wednesday, after an agreement late on Monday ended a four-day pay strike. About 9000 NUM members at Anglo coal mines in the province are still on strike, demanding a 9% wage increase. Ingwe spokesman Sol […]

Seventy-three fishermen are still missing following a violent tropical storm off southern Senegal’s Casamance coastal province at the weekend which left 16 dead, the daily Le Soleil reported on Tuesday. The bodies of 16 fishermen were recovered on Sunday along with the wreckage of 16 canoes, while some 18 other small fishing vessels were missing, […]

THOUSANDS of builders stand to lose their jobs this year since the real value of projects undertaken (at constant prices) plunged 20,8% (R1,04-billion) to R3,95-billion in the first six months of 1999 against the same period last year, Statistics South Africa announced on Wednesday. Statistics SA reports declines in the value of construction projects in […]