MONDAY, 12.45PM: AFRICAN Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI) has reported a 14% drop in full-year earnings, but says it will return to a real earnings growth this year. Group managing director Mike Smith attributed the earnings drop to R187-million lost at the Kynoch fertiliser plant through production difficulties and low nitrogen prices. Most of the […]
MONDAY, 6.30PM: ANGOLAN rebel movement Unita on Friday declared the complete demilitarisation of its troops, bringing to an end the tortuous demilitarisation process and finally meeting the key condition in the 1994 United Nations-brokered peace accord. The long-awaited declaration, signed by Unita vice-president Antonio Sebastiao Dembo, that “Unita declares its complete demilitarisation from today, March […]
MONDAY, 11.45AM: THE Coastal Sharks reaffirmed their position as contenders for the Super-12 crown by demolishing the Western Stormers by 32-17 at Kings Park on Saturday. The Sharks and Springbok skipper Gary Teichmann scored two tries in a thrilling performance in front of his home crowd. Heartening to see was the return to form of […]
MONDAY, 2.00PM: SPORTS Minister Steve Tshwete said on Sunday that the constitutional “impasse” caused on Thursday when National Council of Provinces Chairman Patrick “Terror” Lekota refused to allow Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s Adjustments Appropiation Bill to be debated after 10 Cabinet ministers failed to attend the sitting, was “resolved” after hours of top-level government deliberations […]
MONDAY, 12.45PM: TWO weeks of striking by security industry employees has been ended by a settlement reached between unions and employers over the weekend. The settlement follows the Labour Court of Appeal’s judgement on Thursday upholding a previous decision deeming the strike to be legal. In both cases, the applications of employers to have the […]
FRIDAY, 6.30PM: PAKISTAN’S batting collapsed in their second innings on Monday, leaving them reeling at 120/7. Asked to chase 394 for victory, the tourists were always going to have a hard task but, as in the first innings, their batting could not take the South African attack’s pressure. Allan Donald picked up two wickets, with […]
FRIDAY, 12.30PM: SOUTH African Elana Meyer broke her own world 21,1km best time at the Kyoto City half marathon in Japan on Sunday, exactly a year after beating German Uta Pippig’s time in the same race. Last March the athlete from Stellenbosch ran in a time of 67minutes 36seconds. She bettered that mark by seven […]
Chris Gordon The Angolan ambassador to the United Nations, Franca van Dunem, has accused Unita of preparing for war. The crisis, occasioned by the rebel movement’s repeated failure to meet UN deadlines for completing peace protocols, came to a head this week with the government warning of a major increase in hostilities. A meeting between […]
Krisjan Lemmer Krisjan Lemmer has decided to introduce an annual “Zuma Award” for the public official making the most innovative appeal to racism to cover up government incompetence. The prize is an all-expenses-paid weekend in George with the Groot Krokodil as host. The award is named after the Minister of Health in tribute to her […]
Stepping from the relentless glare of a Johannesburg summer morning into the cool darkness of the Wits Theatre is not unlike entering a secret, parallel universe. One minute you’re dodging a stream of sausage-factory suits hurtling along the pavement to work, the next you’re watching a man in a loincloth sweep his arms over a […]