SOUTH Africa’s triumphant Pan Pacifics swimming team jetted into Johannesburg upbeat about their medal chances at next year’s Olympic Games. “We got eight medals now,” head coach Wayne Riddin said. “I don’t think eight is an unreasonable prediction for the Olympics, but we could even go over 10.” SA finished in the top five overall […]

TANZANIAN President Benjamin Mkapa said on Sunday that his country’s decision to pull out of the regional Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) still stands. Addressing journalists at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during a stopover to Europe, Mkapa said Tanzania has already given the one-year notice for withdrawal from the regional trade […]

TELKOM announced on Sunday announced that it will sell its public radio-trunking subsidiary, Q-Trunk, on the open market to allow Telkom to focus on core business 100% shareholding in Q-Trunk. She said the decision is based on the premise that the proposed equity sale would be to the advantage of both Telkom and Q-Trunk as […]

VOLKSWAGEN and its Audi subsidiary on Friday recalled 428000 vehicles worldwide on Friday due to a potential defect. Inspections of some 1998 Audi A4 and VW Passat models revealed that “the track rod ends of the front axle may leak, thus causing premature wear,” the automakers said. VW is recalling 270 000 Passats and Audi […]

NEIL MANTHORP, Cape Town | Tuesday 2.00pm. FORMER South Africa coach Bob Woolmer backed up his contention on Saturday that England’s miserable summer at the World Cup, and against New Zealand, does not necessarily mean they will be pushovers during the forthcoming five test series in South Africa. Apart from agreeing with the popular opinion […]

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Nkosazana Zuma’s sister appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday on two charges of fraud involving R3,5-million, SABC radio news reported. Hlobisile Ngxongo allegedly misused health department funds meant to benefit the underprivileged while she was head of the Maputaland women’s organisation. Ngxongo is out on bail of R25000 and the […]

Twenty-eight prisoners have died after security forces intervened to put down a mutiny in a jail in Niamey, the capital of the African state of Niger. The country’s justice minister, Lawali Danda, said on Monday that six republican guards who had the task of watching the prisoners had been arrested as a result of the […]

THE Western Cape government has decided to establish a permanent disaster relief fund in the wake of Sunday’s tornado. Social services MEC Peter Marais said on Wednesday that the lack of such a fund is, in itself, a disaster. Meanwhile, several organisations have criticised the provincial government for the reportedly disorganised state of the relief […]

ALLEGED Capital Park serial killer Samuel Sidyno on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court to seven charges of murder. The charges relate to the discovery of six bodies, and the pointing out of a seventh by Sidyno, on Capitol Hill and in the Magaliesberg, in Pretoria in December 1998 and January this […]

South Africa’s intermediary role in brokering a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted Burundi to request similar assistance to end six years of civil war that has claimed more than 250000 lives. Burundi’s president, Pierre Buyoya at the weekend met president Thabo Mbeki to ask Pretoria to play “an active role” in […]