Hundreds of people have gathered to pay their respects to the former public works minister Stella Sigcau at the Qawukeni Great Place in the Transkei on Tuesday morning. South African President Thabo Mbeki is to deliver the eulogy. Sigcau’s body has been lying in state at her home ahead of the official funeral.
American oil companies stand to gain in competing for access to oil reserves in Libya by the restoration of normal diplomatic relations and the removal of Moammar Gadaffi’s regime from a United States list of terrorism sponsors. The diplomacy that led to the renewal of ties with the North African country, which were severed in 1980, could also serve as an example to Iran.
A seriously injured truck driver was trapped inside her vehicle for about 10 hours following an accident outside Kyalami in Johannesburg, emergency services said on Tuesday. Her vehicle’s airbag possibly deployed as she was driving, knocking her unconscious and causing her to drive off the road.
Indian eunuchs have started issuing their own photo-identity cards in a battle for business with ”fake” transsexuals who have muscled in on their begging operations. Eunuchs say many men are dressing up as women and are involved in small-time crime and use more aggressive tactics to collect cash.
Two armed, masked men burst into a town hall north of Paris, taking 13 municipal councillors hostage and demanding tickets for Wednesday’s Champions League football final, officials said on Tuesday. ”As grotesque as it may seem, it appears that these people came with the intention of getting hold of places for the Champions League,” the police department said.
The JSE was off its worst levels by midday on Tuesday as some bargain hunting emerged after the all-share index fell over 800 points, or 3,7%, on Monday. The gold-mining index, which was off 4% earlier, had come back and by midday was 2,87% lower. By 11.53am, the all-share index had shed 0,92%, with the platinum-mining index down 3,58% and resources off 1,95%.
England captain Andrew Flintoff insisted there was ”no doom and gloom” in the camp after nine dropped catches helped Sri Lanka achieve one of cricket’s great escapes in the first Test. The tourists, following-on, finished on 537-9 after being bowled out for just 192 in reply to England’s first-innings 551-6 declared at Lord’s.
Australia’s new national coach on Tuesday brushed aside suggestions that an under-strength England team named for next month’s two-Test rugby tour Down Under will be a pushover for the Wallabies. John Connolly, who coached two English sides before taking over the Wallabies from Eddie Jones at the end of last season, said England’s depth was ”phenomenal” and not to be underrated.
General Motors plans to begin exporting South African-made Hummers to countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America by the end of the year, a company official said on Monday. The Struandale plant in the Eastern Cape is slated to export 33 countries, a spokesperson said.
The Bolivian government pushed ahead with its moves to re-nationalise its energy industry, ordering foreign financial companies to surrender control over shares they administer for a public pension fund. The Bolivian government on Monday gave Spanish Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, and Futuro SA of Swiss Zurich Financial Services three days to hand over the assets they administer for a fund used to pay pensions.