OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 3.30PM. APARTHEID chemical and biological weapons supremo Dr Wouter Basson, ordered by a high court to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Wednesday, has obtained a postponement of his hearing to Thursday as his legal representatives were unable to appear for him at short notice. After granting Basson […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Luanda | Tuesday, 7.00PM THE United Nations observer mission in Angola has opened an investigation into last week’s massacre of 215 people in the north-east village of Mussuku in Lunda-Norte province. The mission has sent police and observers to investigate the killings, which the Angolan government has blamed on Unita rebels. Unita has […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 12.45PM. THE four youths who murdered American exhange student Amy Biehl in 1993 have been granted amnesty in a unanimous decision by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty committee. Pan Africanist Congress supporters Vusumzi Ntamo, Ntobeko Peni, Easy Mzikhona Nofemela and Mongezi Manqina, who were all aged between 18 and […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 6.00PM. THE justice sytstem fails the majority of South African people, Justice Minister Dullah Omar said on Tuesday, explaining why he supports the concept of community courts. Addressing a seminar in Johannesburg on alternative justice systems, Omar said: “The current justice system does not provide everyone with access to justice […]

Sarah Bullen, Johannesburg | Monday, 7.00PM THE Johannesburg Stock Exchange had a “disastrous” day on Monday, with stock falling across the board and the market losing 1,6% of its value on the day. The market remains on tenterhooks after international credit rating agency Moody’s last week put South Africa on a revolving credit alert, which […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 7.00PM. THE mastermind behind the apartheid government’s chemical and biological weapons programme, Dr Wouter Basson, must testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Cape High court ruled on Monday. South Africa was shocked by revelations in the commission in June of the activities of the programme, which included […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 7.30PM. THE South African Rugby Football Union on Tuesday amended its constitution, despite fervent appeals to the contrary by former Sarfu president Louis Luyt. Luyt called the changes unconstitutional, and said that some of the executive mebers do not have the right to vote. In spite of Luyt’s protestations […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 9.00PM. GAUTENG housing department head Mogopodi Mokoena, reacting to calls by the National and Democratic parties to a probe into the into the awarding of a R412,5 million subsidised housing project, said that the proper procedures were followed in giving the project to a developer with links to the Provincial […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Dakar | Tuesday 5.00PM. A RADIO station controlled by Guinea-Bissau rebels who signed a ceasefire with government forces last weekend, reported on Tuesday that government forces have violated the agreement. The station reported that Senegalese pro-government forces attacked rebel positions near Bafata. The rebels also claimed that government forced blew up a bridge […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday, 6.00PM LAWTERS acting for Western Cape director-general Niel Barnard have served notice on African National Congress provincial leader Ebrahim Rasool that Barnard intends to sue him for defamation. Barnard is believed to be seeking a R20-million settlement from Rasool following the ANC leader’s claims last week that the director-general […]