The dark clouds threaten a downpour. Already, light showers have started. But Margaret Wangui, her two-year-old daughter strapped tightly to her back, is not running away from the rains. She is fleeing the city council askaris (guards) who are cracking down on hawkers.
Thousands of rands were stolen when three men posing as clients robbed a Virginia bank in the Free State on Saturday morning, police said. Spokesperson Inspector Stephen Thakeng said three employees were serving clients at the bank while two security officers stood by, when the robbers entered the bank.
”It is like the sky on a beautiful May morning, when the sun has just come over the horizon,” says Eunice Mangwane. ”That is why we called this place Umtha Walanga — the rays of the sun. Because it shines rays of hope over Hamburg.” This place is a two-storey building in Hamburg, a ramshackle South African town along the Keiskamma River.
South Africa were still in deep trouble on 155 for two when bad light stopped play early on the third day of the second Castle Lager Test at Newlands on Saturday. They need another 239 runs to avoid the follow-on. Test debutant Jeetan Patel will have reason to remember the third day of his first Test.
British music rebel Adam Kidron, who has caused a storm in the United States by recording a Spanish version of The Star-Spangled Banner to show solidarity with immigrants, on Saturday night invited President George Bush to sing along on the next record.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that can be altered by anyone with a computer, has proved remarkably useful for pulling political dirty tricks. Political operatives are covertly rewriting — or defacing — candidates’ biographical entries to make the boss look good or the opponent look ridiculous.
Hundreds of dead dolphins have washed up along the shore of a popular tourist destination on Zanzibar’s northern coast, and scientists have ruled out poisoning. It was not immediately clear what killed the 400 dolphins, whose carcasses on Friday were strewn along a 4km stretch of Nungwi.
Unheralded Pretoria professional Chris Swanepoel flew to the top of a logjam leader board on Friday to set the stage for a thrilling finale to the inaugural SAA Pro-Am Invitational at Paarl Golf Club. The easy-going 21-year-old capitalised on a hot putter to card an eight-under-par 64 and claim the sole lead at 13-under-par 131.
Al-Qaeda’s number-two leader has issued a video saying that hundreds of suicide bombings in Iraq have ”broken the back” of the United States military — the latest in a volley of messages by the terror network’s most prominent figures. Ayman al-Zawahri said US and British forces ”have achieved nothing but loss, disaster and misfortune”.
In a season for Kaizer Chiefs that has ominously contained more Downs — with a capital D — than ups, the form of tough acting captain and central defender Fabian McCarthy has stood out like a shining beacon. But now an injured McCarthy will be out of Saturday’s prestigious Absa Cup semifinal against Mamelodi Sundowns.