The head of the defence team for 70 suspected mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea has withdrawn from the case, his associates said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the leader of the 70 suspected mercenaries pleaded guilty on Wednesday to violating Zimbabwe’s security laws.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=119410">Will Zim 70 be sent to E Guinea?</a>
Government-backed Arab militiamen chained and burned alive civilians in a raid on a market in Sudan’s Darfur region in violation of a ceasefire signed in April, African Union (AU) monitors said Wednesday. ”The attackers looted the market and killed civilians, in some cases chaining them and burning them alive,” said a report released by AU ceasefire observers in the region.
Sudan to face ‘genocide’ inquiry
Botswana, with the highest per-capita rate of HIV infection in world, is struggling to cope with the demand for treatment.
About 400 bus passengers were stranded on the snowbound Kingscote Pass between Underberg and Swartberg in southern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, SABC radio news reported. Four buses, two trucks and two buses were trapped in the snow on the R617 road.
Namibia is bringing in new regulations to force supermarket chains and other importers, most of which are South African-owned, to buy local fruit and vegetables, the government said on Tuesday. From October 1, wholesalers and importers of fruit and vegetables will have to buy three percent of their supplies from Namibian farmers, said the Namibia Agronomic Board.
South Africa’s CPIX inflation (headline inflation excluding mortgage costs) was up 5% year-on-year (y/y) for metro and other urban areas in June compared with 4,4% y/y in May, April and March; 4,8% y/y in February; 4,2% y/y in January; and 4% y/y in December, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was ensconced in positive territory in noon trade on Wednesday, helped by continued weakness in the rand and firmer world markets. Better-than-expected consumer inflation numbers released just after noon further lifted the JSE’s spirits.
It’s bigger and uglier than its male counterpart. Sometimes it even makes a noise. But many South African women who have used it say they prefer it. Ten years after it was first introduced to South Africa, the female condom, or femidom, is gaining popularity in the country, but cost is limiting its use. The government buys it at about R7 a unit, which is at least 10 times the price of a male condom.
John Kerry borrowed President George Bush’s tactic of using military hardware as a campaign prop on Tuesday as the Democratic camp sought to promote his credentials as a trustworthy commander-in-chief. With the latest polls giving Kerry a slender lead with little more than three months to November’s elections, the challenger presented his vision of national security with the guns of the USS Wisconsin as a backdrop.
Grain South Africa was disappointed with the Agricultural Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) framework document launched on Monday, the body’s chairperson said on Tuesday. Bully Botma said many of the elements agreed upon by the stakeholders were left out of the published document, while many others had been unilaterally introduced.