The parliamentary caucus of the ruling African National Congress has backed the movement’s national executive committee in declaring that it was not over-centralised and that the country was not systematically shifting towards a dictatorial leadership style.
United States President George Bush warned on Thursday of United Nations Security Council action against Iran if Tehran formally refuses to freeze sensitive nuclear work, something Washington has made a condition for talks.
President Robert Mugabe on Thursday sought to reassure Zimbabwean mining firms over proposals to give the state a larger ownership share, saying they would not lead to property grabs. "We are not there to frighten away investors. We are not there even to take away that which is not ours. No. We are there purely to become partners in Zimbabwe," said Mugabe.
Internal trade barriers are "not the issue" as far as promoting business growth in Africa is concerned but rather poor communication between member states, says a top delegate and trustee of the newly established African Investment Climate Facility, Ugandan businessman William Kalema.
The Smit murders of 29 years ago have not been solved, the South African Police Service said on Thursday. Responding to media reports that new information had come to light solving the murders, spokesperson Superintendent Ronnie Naidoo said the police were not aware of the information.
The debut album by Oasis, the band that best spread the Britpop craze of the 1990s, has been voted the greatest album of all time in a major music poll published on Thursday. <i>Definitely Maybe</i> beat <i>Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band</i> by the much-loved Beatles into second place.
Residents in Johannesburg and other inland and KwaZulu-Natal regions who are experiencing gas shortages need not panic because "there will be gas", Colin McClelland, director of the South African Petroleum Industry Association, told the <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i> on Thursday. "I’m not concerned that people won’t get gas," he said.
Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal has opposed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s referendum call, protesting that it would annul the results of the January elections. ”This matter represents a nullification of the legislative institution and an annulment of the outcome of the elections,” Meshaal told the Qatari daily al-Watan.
Scottish champions Celtic have confirmed that they are in talks with South African international Quinton Fortune, aimed at signing the former Manchester United midfielder. Fortune (29) was released by United at the end of the season after an injury plagued seven years at Old Trafford, but he has been recommended to Celtic by his former teammate, Roy Keane.
Lleyton Hewitt and Anastasia Myskina, two players with plenty to prove at the French Open, moved into the third round on Thursday. Hewitt, the former world number one, overcame a difficult first set before seeing off French wildcard Mathieu Montcourt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 and now faces Slovakian 22nd seed Dominik Hrbaty for a place in the last 16.