WEDNESDAY, 11:00AM: WHITE farmers gathered at local meetings yesterday to learn from the farming union which farms will be redistributed to black farmers. The farmers say that the list goes further than derelict land or farmers who own more than one property, and includes some of the finest land in the country. The country’s land […]

WEDNESDAY, 8.35AM: A FUMBLING Springbok midweek squad sufered their second defeat at the hands of France A at the Stadel Mayol on Tuesday night. France A who led 13-7 at half time, won the game 21-7. The game, reminicent of last week’s, was marked by too many mistakes. Within the first 10 minutes South Africa […]

TUESDAY, 5:30PM: THE Truth and Reconcilliation Commission continued to hear submissions and apologies from religious leaders on Wednesday, when some of the country’s most conservative churches admitted to their failure to act during the apartheid era. Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa president Dr Izak Burger said the church was split into four racially divided […]

WEDNESDAY, 8.55AM: PERCY Montgomery will again play at fullback for the Springboks in the second test against France this week. First choice, No 15 Justin Swart, who injured himself at training prior to the first test against France, has fully recovered but is not well enough to play in Saturday’s game. Coach Nick Mallett said: […]

TUESDAY, 5:30PM: INDONESIA’S President Suharto arrives in South Africa on Thursday for a three day visit — but a demonstration by senior Cosatu officials outside the Indonesian embassy made it clear that not everyone will make him welcome. Cosatu has departed from the cautious stance of its alliance partner, the ANC, by making a blunt […]

WEDNESDAY, 6:30PM: FIVE million people in Southern Africa will require food aid over the next nine months as ‘El Nino’ begins to bite, causing what is expected to be the worst drought in a century. World Food Programme executive director Cathrine Bertini said in Johannesburg on Wednesday that about US$200 million will be required to […]

TUESDAY 8.30AM: THE Western Cape finally won its stalled attempt to become the first South African province with its own constitution after the Constitutional Court on Monday unanimously approved the province’s latest draft. The province, ruled by the National Party, submitted a request for a constitution of its own in September, but it was only […]

WEDNESDAY, 11:00AM: ALMOST 7 000 miners went on strike yesterday at the Harmony gold mine in the Free State, in protest against a new wages contract signed last month. The contract links the miners’ wages to the mine’s productivity, which has been flagging in the past few months with Harmony posting disappointing results for the […]

TUESDAY, 5:00PM: The government which has continued to insist that it will make its budget deficit target of 4% in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, has finally hinted that it may miss by a small amount. Deputy finance minister Gill Marcus told an investment conference arranged by stockbrokers on Monday that “even […]

EMPLOYMENT BILL FINALLY PASSED The Basic Conditions of Employment Bill finally passed through the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday, despite National Party attempts to block it with 20 last-minute amendments. Debates on the amdendments delayed the bill by just 24 hours. The defeated amendments aimed to limit the labour minister’s powers and slow a […]