The Barclays takeover of Absa is a done deal. The Johannesburg High Court on Thursday dismissed the application by anti-globalisation lobby Jubilee South Africa and Professor Dennis Brutus to stall the deal. Jubilee and Brutus opposed the takeover, saying Barclays had ”aided and abetted” the apartheid.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq on Thursday killed a kidnapped Egyptian envoy after releasing a video of him wearing a blindfold. An internet posting showed Ihab al-Sherif (51) identifying himself as the head of Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Baghdad and confirming that he previously worked at Egypt’s embassy in Israel.
The death toll from the bomb attacks on the London transport system has risen to 52, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday. The Australia leader’s remarks point to a far higher toll than the latest official British estimate of 37. He did not say where the information came from.
South African Airways (SAA) is profitable again after several years of massive losses, but questions over the leadership of its new CEO, Khaya Ngqula, refuse to die down.
It should have been repulsive, this giant self-administered orgasm of righteousness branded Live 8. One should have been appalled that the masses were urged to action by Madonna, the hatchet-faced poster-girl of everything that has been repulsive in the West for the past two decades.
The Grace in Rosebank, one of Johannesburg’s oldest hotels, is soon to unveil a new conference venue. Work is under way upgrading the hotel’s function rooms, which up until now have only been able to accommodate groups of up to 30 delegates. When work is complete in September, The Grace will offer conferencing facilities for groups of up to 120.
Charlene Mfundisi grins from ear to ear as she puts the plate on the table, obviously expecting the response that comes next. "My God, that’s amazing. I’ll never eat all that!" It’s something she’s heard more than once, but her smile is testament to the fact that she’s not tired of hearing it.
Beggars and street vendors who thought the directive from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) not to prosecute "poverty crimes" meant that they could go on with their business are mistaken. NPA head Vusi Pikoli this week said that the authority would be adopting a bias towards the poor and not prosecute crimes where the suspects were clearly driven by poverty.
The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project spent more than R40 000 on a billboard advert intended to promote the idea of same sex marriage at a cricket match in Centurion. The expenditure has been cited as an example of the alleged misuse of funds by South Africa’s major gay organisation, whose work has been put on hold until the findings of an internal audit have been made public.
After spending a year behind bars, former Scorpions deputy director Cornwell Tshavhungwa will have his day in court next Tuesday when his corruption trial begins in the Pretoria Regional Court. Tshavhungwa was arrested on June 7 last year on charges of corruption and fraud after he allegedly accepted bribes from senior government officials.