The majority of the 64 coup ”foot soldiers” imprisoned in Zimbabwe last March on their way to an abortive coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea were released on Thursday. But their future is bleak. Pomfret, their home for the 15 years — including about 700 houses, a school, churches and a cemetery where the remains of soldiers who died in combat are buried — will be razed to the ground.
Another head has rolled in the Eastern Cape agriculture department, in what is widely viewed as a government purge of ”the good guys” amid an investigation into the controversial Kangela empowerment land deal. The department’s chief financial officer, Vusi Menzelwa, was suspended on Tuesday on 13 charges, some relating to Kangela.
Laugh It Off, the brand parody company that has been locked in a dispute over freedom of expression versus trademark protection with international brewer SABMiller for the past two years, will have its day in the Constitutional Court next Tuesday. At the heart of the legal argument is the parody specialists’ T-shirt ”Black Labour, White Guilt”.
The South African Communist Party expects greater sacrifices from white farmers than from any other sector to help alleviate poverty in rural areas, farmer’s union Agri SA said on Thursday. This followed a meeting between the two groups in Pretoria on Wednesday.
All Blacks flyhalf Carlos Spencer scored one try and set-up another on Friday to lift the Auckland Blues to an 18-15 win over the Queensland Reds in a Super 12 rugby match at Eden Park. The Reds, who hadn’t beaten the Blues at Auckland in the competition’s 10-year history, led against the run of play within 10 minutes of fulltime before Spencer turned the match.
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The law treats guilt like pregnancy — in court you can’t be half guilty. But life is more complicated, making for a poor fit when the messy compromises of existence are dragged under legal scrutiny. When the Sunday Times previewed corruption-accused Schabir Shaik’s entry to the witness box, the paper speculated on which Shaik would emerge.
The recent appointment of Lazarus Zim as CEO of Anglo American South Africa and the subsequent reshuffling of reporting lines have rightly raised questions about his overall influence and responsibility. It also makes one wonder if white executives now see the globe as their new playground. Another question raised was why was Zim not offered a seat on Anglo’s newly-created executive board?
The JSE Securities Exchange rallied to yet another record high on Friday, boosted by a weaker rand. Lack of sellers further helped the local bourse. By 12.02pm, the all share index advanced 0,43% to 13 598,83 after earlier trading at a best ever 13 626,86. Industrials were up 0,22%.
The story so far: her hull holed by an iceberg, the ferry begins to sink. Todd and Janet declare their true feelings. DeShawn commits a faux pas when talk turns to prosthetic limbs and the Battle of Midway. The second instalment of the three-part sporting <i>Dictionary of Received Ideas</i> is presented, and the engine room floods.
It’s not exactly secret, but it might as well be — a former nuclear shelter has become an operations centre for Symantec, the world’s largest internet security vendor. If there is a war in cyberspace, then this is the frontline. The bunker, designed to house 30 people for 60 days, is a relic of Cold War politics.