WEDNESDAY, 9.30AM: The two ringleaders of the bungled Zambian coup launched upon the coup as an afterthought after drinking heavily, reports Wednesday’s Zamiba Post in the first detailed account of the ludicrous coup. The paper reports that Captains Steven Lungu and Jack Chiti spent the day together. Lungu has apparently been ill recently, which his […]

Nelson Mandela was back in Libya for a second time on Wednesday, but the welcome was no less effusive.

TUESDAY, 5.00PM: A TRADE and development agreement between South Africa and the European Union (EU) could be concluded by mid-1998, according to former Irish Republic foreign minister Gerald Collins. Collins is leading a EU parliamentary delegation to South Africa. He said on Tuesday talks have been going on for 27 months, and such agreements usually […]

THURSDAY, 8.00AM POET MZWAKHE MBULI, ever the publicity master, phoned the Sowetan newspaper from his jail cell last night to claim police framed him with bank robbery charges (see below). He said he was “asked by these two guys” to take them to Pretoria, which he did, and stopped his car willingly when asked to […]

WEDNESDAY, 9.30AM: FORMER Bafana Bafana coach and current physical trainer Augusto “Njenje” Palacios leaves for Europe this week to monitor the perfomances of the overseas-based players earmaked for the squad to play against Germany in Dusseldorf on November 15. South African Football Association CEO Danny Jordaan said among those players Palacios would be monitoring are […]

WEDNESDAY, 9.20AM: UMTATA-based Bush Bucks, will be looking to end their hodoo of losing to Orlando Pirates when the two sides meet in a Premier league match at Umtata Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Bucks PRO J Magingxa said: “My team is in good form at this stage and we do not want to miss this […]

TUESDAY, 11.30AM THE SA Chamber of Business, which represents English-speaking business leaders, has appointed its first black president. Humphrey Khoza, group personnel manager of Nestle SA, was elected as the new head at the chamber’s national convention, held in Somerset West. Outgoing deputy president Christoph Kopke of Mercedes Benz, who had been tipped to take […]

TUESDAY, 11.40AM: KAIZER Chiefs and Manning Rangers clash in Premier Soccer League match at Ellis Park Stadium on Wednesday night. The game has been termed as “the dress rehearsal” for Sunday’s Rothmans Cup semi-final game in Durban. The game was scheduled for the Johannesburg Stadium but was switched to 60 000-seater Ellis Park because of […]

TUESDAY, 3.00PM CHEMICAL warfare expert Wouter Basson has managed once again to have his case heard behind closed doors on Tuesday. Pretoria magistrate FW Pohlman ruled that those parts of the Basson case dealing with the secret army Project Coast should be heard in closed session. The court is hearing a bail application by Basson […]

TUESDAY, 5.30PM: Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Tuesday questioned whether a provincial referendum on the death penalty – called for by Western Cape Premier Hernus Kriel – will be legal or appropriate. Noting that the call for a referendum is likely to enjoy wide emotional support, he said he felt “it is wrong for leaders […]