ANGOLA’S government on Wednesday said it is in favor of resumption of direct negotiations with separatists in Cabinda, an oil-rich enclave to the north of mainland Angola. “The government has always been in favor of negotiations, and one day we will resume dialogue,” Cabinda Governor Amaro Taty said over the independent Catholic radio station Ecclesia. […]
THE Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that prisoners must be allowed to vote in the June 2 general election. In its ruling in an application brought by two prisoners, the court held thast it is unconstitutional to deny prisoners the vote and ordered the Independent Electoral Commission to register convicts and awaiting-trialists who were behind […]
CAPE TOWN unveiled plans on Wednesday to welcome in the new millennium in style, but warned potential revellers to book their place for a sunny New Year soon. Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo said the city plans a six-month programme of arts and cultural events starting in September as well as a huge New Year’s […]
DEFENCE Minister Joe Modise on Thursday confirmed South Africa will withdraw its troops from Lesotho, SABC radio news reported. Modise said the situation in Lesotho has stabilised. South African troops have been in Lesotho since September last year as part of a Southern African Development Community peacekeeping force along with Botswana. Speaking in Pretoria, Modise […]
PENNY Heyns progresses to the semi-finals of the world short-course swimming championships on Thursday in Hong Kong. The Olympic gold medallist clocked up the fastest time in the women’s 50m breaststroke in the heats on the first day, with a time of 30,80 seconds. Another South African, Julia Russell, was seventh in the heats, with […]
THE Volkstaat Council has formally disbanded, SABC radio news reported. The council was established after the 1994 election to investigate the application of the constitutional clause acknowledging territorial self-determination of groups sharing common language and culture. Although the council has formally disbanded as a government body, it will continue to exist as a privately funded […]
AMANDA Coetzer began her defence of her Family Circle Cup tennis title in brisk winds with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Russian qualifier Elena Makarova at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. “I felt like I had to be really, really careful with some shots and I had to really commit my footwork, the South African […]
THE US government has denied freezing all aid to Zimbabwe as reported in the Financial Gazette on Thursday. The paper claimed the country’s rights record caused a freeze in all aid. The United States embassy in Harare has denied the report. The embassy said if any decision to suspend US aid to Zimbabwe had been […]
BUCHIZYA MTSETEKA, Johannesburg | Thursday 11.15am ANGOLA’s civil war, one of Africa’s longest running conflicts, is entering a more dangerous phase after reports that Unita rebels have acquired air power, analysts said on Wednesday. The Johannesburg-based Institute for Security Studies and diplomats say that Unita forces led by Jonas Savimbi have purchased attack helicopters and […]
THE Melissa virus, which burst on to the computer scene five days ago, has turned up in South Africa. The virus is spread by e-mail and infects address books in computers, forcing them to send out infected e-mails. Local service provider Internet Solutions claims to have found the virus and stopped its progress in time. […]