WEDNESDAY, 5.00PM: The bull trend on US markets helped spur industrial shares on the JSE on Wednesday, but the gold index fell below 1 000 points for the first time since the most recent contraction on Wall Street began in early August. At the close the all gold index had dropped 8,9 points to 992,8. […]

THURSDAY, 8.30AM FORMER policeman and Civil Co-operation Bureau operative Ferdi Barnard appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday, where his charge sheet gave the first details of how the state has reconstructed the 1989 murder of anti-apartheid activist Dr David Webster. The state says that Barnard, who had monitored Webster’s house for some […]

THURSDAY, 11.00AM: LATEST retail sales figures released by the Central Statistical Service show seasonally adjusted retail sales fell 5% in June to R11,5-billion under pressure from continued high interest rates. Clothing, textiles and footwear were particularly hard hit. The slowing retail sales figures follow recent trends in manufacturing production, leading economists to warn that the […]

THURSDAY, 4.30PM THE Speaker in Lesotho’s National Assembly, Dr Teboho Kolane, on Thursday ejected the remaining 18 Basutoland Congress Party parliamentarians from the assembly for seven days, for what he said was gross unparliamentary conduct. The MPs were dragged from the Assembly by police after refusing to budge when they were ordered to go. On […]

THURSDAY, 1.00PM: WESTERN Province rugby selectors have recalled Springboks James Small and Fritz van Heerden for the Bankfin Currie Cup match against Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. Van Heerden was ruled out for the Tri-Nations match against Australia because of flu and Small was rested for last Sunday’s game against Mpumalanga Pumas. Garry […]

WEDNESDAY, 5.00PM: LATEST figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA show that new model introductions continue to lift passenger car sales, but weakness in the heavier vehicle sectors provides further evidence of a slowdown in general economic activity. Naamsa said on Wednesday new passenger car sales held up reasonably well in […]

THURSDAY, 1.00PM: THE South African Rugby Football Union will not name the new Springbok coach after it’s executive meeting on Friday. The post will be advertised and the successor for current coach Carel du Plessis will be chosen from a shortlist of contenders. The favourite for the job is former Springbok Nick Mallet, who was […]

THURSDAY, 1.00PM: NORTHERN Transvaal rugby selectors have made three changes to the team to face Mpumalanga Pumas in a Bankfin Currie Cup match in Witbank on Saturday. Thys Potgieter replaces fullback Kosie Alberts and Archer Dames takes Potgieter’s place on the wing. Piet Boer comes in for injured Springbok Marius Hurter. A replcement for Jannie […]

THURSDAY, 1.00PM: IF Cape Town wins the 2004 Olympic Bid, the South African Broadcasting Coporation’s Topsport channel will pay more than $15-million if it wants the broadcast rights to the Games. Topsport general manager Edward Griffiths said they are still negotiating with the International Olympic Committee, which owns the world-wide television rights to the games. […]