Nelson Mandela’s former lawyer Ismail Ayob said that he agreed to repay money to the Nelson Mandela Trust because he does not have the money for a court battle, weekend newspapers reported. The Saturday Star quoted him as saying: ”I don’t have a war chest of R20-million of other people’s money to fight an action forever.”
Algeria said on Saturday its cooperation with Washington’s war on terrorism was ”profitable” but it would never agree to host a United States military base on its territory. The US has conducted joint training exercises in countries around the Sahel as part of the ”Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative”.
African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma visited the relatives of a florist murdered on a farm in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, on Saturday, after reading about the family’s tragedy. The South African Broadcasting Corporation quoted Zuma as saying the issue of crime in the country was serious.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) needs a courageous leader who will be able to challenge and engage the African National Congress when it errs, DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip said on Sunday. He said this will create a vigorous, rational and open-debate in a society that sought solutions to problems faced by the country.
Ahmad Hamad al-Tammimi used to live in the village of Quba. Before Iraq descended into sectarian war it was home to around 700 families. The vast majority were Sunnis. Tammimi, spiritual head of Diyala province’s Shias and a follower of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most important religious leader, was the imam at the local mosque.
Affirmative-action policies will never be ruled out in South Africa, the Labour Minister said on Saturday. ”Contrary to Parliamentary calls by opposition Democratic Alliance, affirmative action and current employment equity legislation would never be repealed but would be intensified instead,” said Membathisi Mdladlana.
Indonesian rescuers searched on Sunday for 44 people missing after massive landslides killed at least 25 people on Flores island, an official said.
Heavy rains hampered rescue efforts in East Nusa Tenggara province where dozens of homes have been washed away and roads severely damaged.
The Sharks left four probable tries on the park at the Absa Stadium on Saturday and as a consequence nearly paid the penalty by becoming the only South African side to lose their Super 14 rugby match this weekend.
The five tourists kidnapped in Ethiopia were sighted on Saturday in an Eritrean army camp, 20km from the border between the countries. The sighting, in a camp near the village of Ara-Ta, confirms that the Britons are being held by Eritrean soldiers and not local people and suggests there has been a dramatic escalation in tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
The woman known as the Oprah Winfrey of the Middle East has fled to London in fear for her safety amid a row over allegations that actresses were paid to pretend they were prostitutes on her television show. Dr Hala Sarhan is believed to have left Egypt aboard the private jet of Saudi billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal when it became clear that the government wanted her arrested.