THOUSANDS of people commemorated Human Rights Day on Sunday. While top musicians performed at a concert in Vereeniging, the National Association of People Living with Aids held fasts and marches throughout the country to highlight the plight of Aids sufferers. Human Rights Day was declared a public holiday in 1996 after decades of unofficial commemoration […]
UNITED States construction firm firm John Deere Construction and Engineering Company said on Thursday it plans to take a stake in Bell Equipment and get exclusive rights to distribute the South African engineering company’s articulated dump trucks in the Americas. The deal will see Deere inject about R180-million in equity into Bell in exchange for […]
THE Heath Special Investigations Unit is widening its probe of the Reserve Bank’s 1990 R1,4-billion rescue package for the now-defunct Bankorp group to include tobacco giant Rembrandt and insurance conglomerate Sanlam — both major shareholders in Basa banking group, which is already under scrutiny over the lifeboat deal. The Sunday Independent reports that the lifeboat […]
SOUTH Africa will export maize to other countries in the region despite a projected decline in production this year, a Southern African Development Community official said on Thursday. The official, from SADC’s regional early warning unit, said ealry crop estimates indicate South Africa total 1998 maize crop will amount to 7,69-million tons in 1998, against […]
ISRAEL’S ambassador to South Africa was caught having an affair with a female officer in Pretoria’s army intelligence service but was not recalled home, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday. The affair between Ambassador Uri Oren and the officer — believed to head a foreign relations unit in the service — was discovered two weeks […]
A MAN was shot dead when his faith in a bullet-proof charm proved unfounded in the east Nigeria town of Ohafia, a Nigerian paper reported on Monday. The unindentified man boasted to his neighbours that he would not be harmed if fired at after wearing the charm. The man asked a relative to shoot him […]
AUDITOR-GENERAL Henri Kluever has appointed three top auditing firms to investigate the books of six cash-strapped universities. Business Day reports that Kluever appointed the auditors, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and PriceWaterCoopers, at the request of Education Minister Sibisiso Bengu. Kluever said that KPMG will audit Fort Hare and Medunsa, Deloitte & Touche will audit the […]
ASSURANCE giant Old Mutual reported on Thursday assets under management of R317-billion, against R308-billion at the end of June 1998. The group, which has changed its year-end from June 30 to December 31, also reported that total premium income grew 14% to R31 billion. Premium income for the six months to the end of December […]
THE Health Department and cellular telephone network operators are to meet soon to discuss whether health warning are necessary on cellphones, following a European Union ruling that cellphones must carry health warnings. The Sunday Times reports that Health Director General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba said the cellphone operators have requested a meeting with the minister on […]
BOTH of the last two years’ winners gave way to Mpakaletsa Sephali who took line honours in the Old Mutual Om-die-dam 50km around Hartebeespoort Dam on Saturday. Michael Mphotane repeated last year’s feat when he held off the course record holder Stemmer Lekoto to take second in 2:55,53. Lejkoto finished 39 seconds further back. The […]