THE government on Saturday urged for an end to the violence in East Timor and for the overwhelming vote for independence from Jakarta to be respected. “The South African government calls on all the people of East Timor to respect and abide by the outcome of the referendum and to act with utmost restraint,” a […]

NICOLE MORDANT, Johannesburg | Monday 3.25pm SOUTH Africa should take quick advantage of opportunities offered by its free trade agreement with the European Union, or face losing out to nations queuing to join the 15-nation bloc, according to a senior EU bureaucrat. Philip Lowe, director-general for development with the European Commission, told a conference in […]

OVER 3000 illegal immigrants were arrested in Mpumalanga and Northern Province in August, said Regional Defence Force spokesperson, Sergeant Martie Rossouw, in Pietersburg on Sunday. Rossouw said a total 3239 illegal border crossers were caught, of which 1859 were from Zimbabwe and 1346 from Mozambique. She said soldiers arrested a further four suspects in connection […]

THE Africa Committee of the Socialist International on Friday kicked off a two-day conference in Maputo. The conference will debate the relationship between democratic socialism and Africa as well as the conflicts in Angola and the Great Lakes region. SI secretary general, Luis Ayala, said the conference forms part of preparations for the organisation’s 21st […]

PROPERTY worth R153 million was damaged in the Cape Flats tornado last weekend, the Cape Town city Council said on Friday. The figure was disclosed at a city council media briefing attended by city manager Andrew Boraine, mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo and the city’s chief civil protection officer, Mike Marsden. Marsden said of this amount, R10,4-million […]

THREE men appeared in the White River Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Thursday after they were arrested while allegedly trying to sell 62 protected tree ferns worth thousands of rands. John Mkhanzi, Amos Khoza and Shushine Mbuyane of Marite tribal trust near Hazyview were not asked to plead. They were arrested in Hendriksdal near Sabie […]

FED up with the continual noise of hooting taxis, angry residents in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, have submitted a petition to the local council, begging them to put an end to the din. Alexandra’s People Against Noise Pollution spokespersohn, Hope McPherson, says residents are at their wits’ end, but most are too afraid to complain. […]

MOZAMBIQUE’S government intends reviving mobile cinemas in its impoverished hinterland in an attempt to bring regular news, edutainment and entertainment to its rural citizens. National culture ministry spokesman, Jose Pereira, said on Wednesday that government will license private entrepreneurs to run the cinemas. Mozambique’s previous fleet of mobile cinemas were all State operated as part […]

FOREST HILL High School principal Edward Legg, who was almost killed in a hijacking a month ago, died of a suspected heart attack on Wednesday as he was identifying his alleged assailants at a parade. Gauteng police spokesman Inspector Mark Reynolds confirmed Legg’s death. He said a post mortem will be held to determine the […]

ELECTRICITY utility Eskom is gearing itself up to start paying tax as early as January 2000 in terms of new legislation covering its operations. Business Day reports that Eskom CE Allen Morgan has indicated that the utility will be affected by tough economic conditions and market volatility in the year to end-December — predicting a […]