SOUTH Africa’s eleventh-seeded Mariaan de Swardt and David Adams won their second mixed doubles Grand Slam title when they captured the French Open crown at Roland Garros on Friday. The South Africans beat top seeds Rennae Stubbs and Todd Woodbridge of Australia 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the final. This is the second successive year that […]
RWANDA on Sunday announced the “unilateral withdrawal” of its troops from the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Kisangani, where they have been fighting Ugandan troops for the last six days, a foreign ministry statement said. The announcement came after Rwanda claimed on Saturday to have driven Ugandan forces out of the diamond-rich […]
THE Nigerian government and labour leaders expect to reach an accord later on Monday on ending a five-day-old crippling general strike over sharp increases in gasoline prices. Local media quoted Information Minister Jerry Gana as saying labour chiefs had held intense talks with government leaders on Sunday, including one session each with President Olusegun Obasanjo […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 12.00pm. NEDCOR said on Monday that if its proposed bid to merge with banking rival Stanbic goes ahead, the merged group will be hiring 7000 people in its first three years. This is in stark contrast to a statement by the South African Society of Bank Officials that the merger […]
RURAL Aids victims and HIV positive residents who declare their status in Mpumalanga are treated like sexual perverts and are in danger of being stoned to death, the provincial Youth Commission warned on Monday. Commission chief executive Paulos Mnisi and a panel of commissioners said the province was so conservative that not even they were […]
A FIRE has gutted a disused mill in Newtown, where the Market Theatre, jazz bar Kippies and other cultural initiatives are also situated, in central Johannesburg. It is not known if any of the buildings surrounding the deserted Friedlanders Mill have been damaged. The fire was first reported at about 7am. At least seven fire […]
THE fate of South Africans Carel and Monique Strydom who are being held hostage in the Philippines is on hold after the Philippine government said it needs a cooling off period before resuming stalled talks with Muslim rebels holding 21 mostly foreign hostages on the island of Jolo. “We have decided that we are going […]
MURRAY Goodwin hit his second century against the West Indies in as many matches as Zimbabwe declared on 275 for eight at stumps on the second day of the three-day fixture at Arundel Sunday. Goodwin’s 126 also followed his unbeaten 148 in the drawn second test against England at Trent Bridge. Goodwin hit 113 in […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 11.15am. THE rand weakened in trade on Monday on worries about the United Nations’s withdrawal from the Zimbabwean election process at the weekend, while markets ended sharply up off the back of this week’s futures close out. By 5pm the currency was trading at R7,03 to the dollar. The all-share […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 1.15pm. SHARES in life assurance company Fedsure spiked higher on Monday morning, largely on the back of speculation of a possible merger with Liberty Group. By mid-morning the counter was up 4,38% at R33,40, with 91391 shares changing hands. The share price has risen by about 26% in the last […]
GOVERNMENT allied forces in Sierra Leone handed over a group of around 100 former child soldiers and war-affected children to aid workers at a camp in Masiaka. The batch of around 100 former child combattants were handed over by the Civil Defence Force, allied to the Sierra Leonean Army (SLA), to representatives of the UN […]
THE government has appointed Charles Nupen, former head of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, as mediator in the crisis at the University of Durban-Westville. Education Minister Kader Asmal said Nupen would assume his duties on Tuesday. The mediation process is expected to take five weeks. His appointment is the result of talks last […]
PATRIOTIC Army of Rwanda and Tusker of Kenya had contrasting passages to the East and Central Africa club championship final in Kigali this weekend. While the Rwandans battled to overcome SC Villa of Uganda 2-1 in the first semi-final at a packed Amahoro Stadium, Tusker coasted to a 3-1 victory over Mukura Victory of Rwanda. […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 12.00pm. LIAM Botham, son of former England Test cricketer Ian Botham, will make his first appearance for an England rugby union side in a tour match in South Africa on Tuesday. Botham will play on the right wing against North West in Potchefstroom in a side named on Sunday […]
ZIMBABWE will use traditional wooden ballot boxes in parliamentary elections on June 24-25 because they are still credible and readily available, Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede said on Saturday. He said the use of transparent ballot boxes used in other countries to guard against fraud would be a burden to taxpayers. “Our wooden ballot box is […]
ZAMBIA have called up Bayern Munich midfielder Andrew Sinkala for their Castle Cup Southern Africa championship quarter-final against Lesotho on Sunday. The Germany-based star is one of three players from outside the country included in a 22-man squad. Defender Hilary Makasa and striker Dennis Lota line up with South African clubs. Sinkala returns to the […]
FORMER West Indies captain Brian Lara returned to form in spectacular fashion on Saturday when he scored 176 runs in a three-day match against Zimbabwe at Arundel on Saturday. The West Indies reached 364 for six by the close as Zimbabwe struggled to cope with the left-hander’s impressive batting. Lara reached his century off 93 […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Nairobi | Sunday 3.00pm. ERITREA claimed on Sunday that it foiled a large-scale Ethiopian offensive on the Assab front, inflicting huge losses on the Ethiopian army which was forced to retreat to its original positions. In a statement, the Eritrean foreign ministry said the Ethiopian offensive on the Assab front involving more than […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Saturday 1.45pm. AN offer of immunity by South African prosecutors to sacked cricket captain Hansie Cronje does not extend to legal proceedings currently under way against him in India, an official said on Sunday. Cronje, opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs and bowler Henry Williams have all been offered immunity from prosecution […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Saturday 8.00pm. SUNDOWNS failed to live up to their favourites tag when they were beaten 1-0 by Kaizer Chiefs in the Bob Save Superbowl final, losing out on an historic treble. The 80000 strong FNB Stadium crowd were captivated by the match, which was not a classic by any stretch of […]
BRITISH soldiers are due for a beating in Sierra Leone … on the football pitch at least, army officials admitted on Saturday. A scratch side from 42nd Marine Commando, the unit which has been patrolling Freetown and manning checkpoints for the past few weeks, are to take on the Sierra Leonean national team in a […]
KHEIREDDINE Ameyar, director of one of the most influential French-language Algerian dailies, La Tribune, committed suicide this week, the paper announced on Saturday. The sudden death of Ameyar, 54, who killed himself early on Friday, left the Algerian press in shock, with papers unanimously paying tribute on Saturday. Ameyar worked for the government newspaper El […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lagos | Friday 3.45pm. AT least six people have been killed and 16 arrested as a strike over the fuel price in Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos entered its second day, paralysing businesses and international air traffic. Business was brought to a standstill on Friday in Lagos, Abuja and other major cities, as shops […]
NORTHERN PROVINCE Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi’s office was still without telephones on Friday, a week after they were cut because various departments owe Telkom a total of R39-million for outstanding bills. Officials have been forced to use their cell phones, or run to other departments whose lines are working to fax and email. Government spokesman Jack […]
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki signed the Skagen Declaration with Nordic prime ministers in Denmark on Thursday. The Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – have “noted the enormous challenges the African continent continues to face at the dawn of the 21st century”. Officials said it was agreed that the continent’s challenges call for […]
ELECTIONS set for next March in Lesotho will be delayed because proper preparations have not been done. Deputy Prime Minister Kelebone Maope said on Friday that if preparations had started in May, the elections could have been held in March or April next year but the present problems will delay the process. Maope said there […]
PROTEAS offspinner Nicky Boje says he has “no idea” why he is mentioned in the tapes in possession of New Delhi police — which upon their release in April triggered off one of cricket’s worst match-fixing scandals. Boje told the King Commission probing alleged match-fixing in cricket on Friday that disgraced former Proteas skipper Hansie […]
EGYPTIAN customs officer Gamal El-Ghandour will make history when he officiates at the Spain-Norway match in Rotterdam on June 13 becoming the first non-European to referee a Euro 2000 tie. El-Ghandour’s participation follows an agreement between football’s governing bodies in Europe and Africa to exchange referees for their top competitions. French referee Alain Sars took […]
MORE than 45000 Burundians have left five regroupment camps in Kanyosha, on the outskirts of Bujumbura. It comes a day after Nelson Mandela, chief mediator in Burundi’s peace process, announced that he has made a deal with Burundian President Pierre Buyoya for all internees to be freed from Burundi’s regroupment camps by July 31. About […]
ZIMBABWE recovered from a disastrous start to cruise home by five wickets against Ireland on Thursday. It was their second limited overs win in two days against an Irish team bolstered by guest plauer Mark Waugh. Seamer Paul Mooney ripped out Trevor Gripper, Andy and Grant Flower and Paul Strang to leave Zimbabwe reeling at […]
ZAMBIAN squad for a Castle Cup Southern Africa championship quarter-final against Lesotho in Maseru on Sunday: Squad: Goalkeepers: Kennedy Kalale (Nkana), Collins Mbulo (Green Buffaloes), Fred Mwale (Roan Utd) Defenders: Mannase Mwanza, Jones Mwewa (Power Dynamos), Laughter Chilembi, Elijah Tana (Nchanga Rangers), Hilary Makasa (Ajax Cape Town/Rsa), Ennex Masiya (Kabwe Warriors), Kingsley Musabula (Zanaco) Midfielders: […]
PROTEAS seamer Henry Williams will face a United Cricket Board disciplinary hearing following his admission that he accepted an offer of $15000 from former skipper Hansie Cronje to bowl badly during a one-day international match against India at Nagpur. United Cricket Board chief Dr Ali Bacher said that the inquiry would be set up as […]