THURSDAY, 11.00AM: THE European Commission on Wednesday finally gave conditional approval to JCI’s proposed acquisition of Anglo American’s 26% stake in British multinational Lonrho, setting the stage for Lonrho’s bid to take over the troubled SA mining house. One of the conditions set is a repetition of last April’s demand by the commission that Anglo […]

WEDNESDAY, 11.00PM: SHARES on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange took a hammering from futures-related deals on Wednesday, pushing down all major indices. At the close the all gold index had edged down 2,2 points to 674,3, the industrial index had shed 84,8 points to 7 350,7 — a two-year low — and the financial index was […]

THURSDAY, 3.00PM: The head of Pretoria Local Prison faces suspension after accusations by two awaiting trial prisoners that he sold a smuggled a gun to inmates for R100 000. Deputy Director Johannes Makgoba, one of the high-level team investigating recent prison escapes, has been given until Friday to respond to the allegations against him or […]

WEDNESDAY, 11.00AM: SOUTH African golfing star and defending champion Ernie Els was two strokes behind leaders Nick Faldo and Jesper Parnevik at 69 after the first round of the $350 000 Johnnie Walker Super Tour in Cimanggis, Jakarta in Indonesia on Wednesday. Faldo and Parnevik shot 5-under-par 67s to share the first-round lead. “I did […]

TUESDAY, 11.30PM: INTERNATIONAL car rental company Hertz on Tuesday officially returned to the South African market after a 10-year absence. Launching Hertz Car Rentals at the Johannesburg International Airport, Hertz International president Antoine Cau said the South African operations are poised to become the group’s third largest franchise — behind Greece and Ireland — by […]

TUESDAY, 1.00PM: DESPITE the crime problems in South Africa, a recent survey of the world’s cities found Cape Town and Johannesburg to be the best African cities in which to live, and Brazzaville, Congo, the worst city in the world. The Corporate Resources Group conducted a survey of major world cities, looking at factors like […]

TUESDAY, 5.40PM: NO-ONE can be held criminally liable for the so-called “Shell House killings”, concluded Judge Bob Nugent on the final day of a six-month long inquest (see below). Nugent said that while no individual member of the police, the African National Congress or the Inkatha Freedom Party — or the three organisations as a […]

TUESDAY, 10.00AM: A SOUTH African delegation will meet European Union representatives at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to head off threats to local ostrich meat exports to the European market. The delegation, led by Land and Agriculture Minister Derek Hanekom and including several government veterinarians, will try to persuade veterinary authorities […]

TUESDAY, 5.00PM: CENTRAL government spending in the year to March 1996 was up 13,5% over the previous year, according to figures released by Central Statistical Services on Tuesday. Expenditure from the State Revenue Account amounted to R167 269,4-million in the 1995/96 financial year, ending March 31, 1996. This is 13,5% higher than the R147 329,2-million […]