FIRE fighters battled for several hours to extinguish a blaze on Cape Town’s Signal Hill on Friday afternoon, which had city residents choking on the thick smoke. The fire was fanned by strong winds, and a helicopter trailing buckets of sea water scooped from the ocean were used to bomb the flames, which were eventually […]

CONGOLESE independence leader Patrice Lumumba was assassinated in 1961 by soldiers acting on the orders of a Belgian army captain in the presence of other Belgian officers, a new book claimed on Friday. Investigative author Ludo de Witte claimed Belgium was directly responsible for the assassination of Lumumba, the first post-independence leader in its former […]

FORMER foreign affairs minister and liberation struggle veteran Alfred Nzo died on Thursday afternoon. Nzo, 75, died at the Olivedale Clinic in Randburg where he was admitted after suffering a stroke in December 1999. Nzo was one of the longest serving Secretary General’s of the ANC, having held office from 1969 to 1991. Nzo has […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 7.30pm SIX million South Africans will be HIV-positive in the next five years, while Aids will cut the country’s population growth rate by 71% over the next decade, according to a survey by the South African Institute of Race Relations which was released on Sunday. Some 3.6 million people — […]

ALISTER BULL, Johannesburg | Friday 2.00pm. THE country’s four major banks, Nedcor, First National Bank, ABSA Bank and Stanbic said on Friday they would cut prime lending rates by one percentage point to 14,5%, with effect from January 19. The cuts were in swift answer to calls from the Reserve Bank on Thursday for lower […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 11.00am. IN yet another twist to the Benni McCarthy saga, the striker has been included by coach Trott Moloto in the African Nations Cup squad. McCarthy, who plays for Celta Viga in the Spanish league, was included — along with Ajax Amsterdam’s Aaron Mokoena — as ”standy players”. This face-saving […]

TELFORD VICE, Centurion | Saturday 6.00pm. The third day was rained out SOUTH African cricket is facing up to the prospect of Allan Donald and Daryll Cullinan playing a reduced part in the future. As rain washed out the second day of the fifth and final Test against England on Saturday, fast bowler Donald announced […]

STEVEN MANN, Cape Town | Friday 5.45pm. THE American maxi yachts Sagamore and Zephyrus IV reached the half-way mark in the Cape to Rio yacht race on Friday and are set to shatter the race record of 14 days and 15 hours if the ideal weather conditions hold. “Sagamore has sailed the furthest, but Zephryus […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Friday 2.45pm. BOBBY Charlton, a representative of England’s 2006 World Cup bid, said choosing South Africa to host the event would be the wrong decision. The Manchester United legend was quoted in Friday’s Daily Express newspaper as saying: “It’s been our policy not to criticise others because once the inspection teams […]

ANDY CAPOSTAGNO, Houghton | Friday 8.00pm. NAMIBIA’S Trevor Dodds leads the Alfred Dunhill Challenge half way through the second round at waterlogged Houghton. Dodds played 32 holes on the second day after only completing four before the light closed in on Thursday night. He shot a three under par 69 in his opening round and […]