OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 7.00pm STATE arms manufacturer Denel announced on Wednesday it has signed a tri-party agreement to become a strategic supply partner to BAE Systems — one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence companies — and Saab, northern Europe’s leading high-technology company. The agreement has the potential to generate more than […]
RELIEF efforts in flood-ravaged Mozambique have cost the SA government R10,2-million so far, Deputy President Jacob Zuma told Parliament on Thursday. Zuma said the necessary funds will be made available through the departments of foreign affairs and defence. Military deployment so far has consisted of 88 personnel, five Oryx helicopters, 2 BK117 helicopters, 1 Casa […]
CONGO-BRAZZVILLE’S state-owned oil refinery (CORAF) has resumed production after a halt of almost four years due to delayed repairs, officials said on Thursday. The plant in the Central African country’s oil centre of Pointe-Noire is now refining 75 tons of crude an hour. The plant has a capacity of one million tons a year, but […]
RWANDA President Pasteur Bizimungu resigned on Thursday, just days after accusing parliament and a newly sworn-in Cabinet of disobedience. Bizimungu submitted his resignation in a letter to the president of the Supreme Court. Bizimungu, a Hutu, was embroiled in conflict with the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front – a former rebel organization and now a major […]
ENGLISH Premiership side Chelsea have agreed to release Nigerian international Celestine Babayaro Thursday for a crucial Olympic qualifier at the weekend, Nigerian sports officials said. The London club have been in a tussle with the Nigerian Football Association over the release of Babayaro after he overstayed in Nigeria at the end of the African Cup […]
SOUTH Africa has unveiled a collector’s gold coin depicting “Little Foot,” a hominid who lived 3.3 million years ago. The coin, nominally worth R2, contains a quarter of an ounce of 24 carat gold, and will sell for R800. Only 1000 are being produced. Little Foot, one of South Africa’s greatest palaeontological discoveries, lived in […]
THE SA Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on Thursday opened the 072 and 073 telephone subscriber number ranges to Vodacom and MTN. Announcing its decision, Satra said that the new lines will alleviate a desperate need for additional cellular subscriber numbers. Initially only the 0721 and 0722 access codes will be open to Vodacom and the 0731 […]
SARAH BULLEN and Reuters, Cape Town | Wednesday 5.00pm SHARES on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ended the day largely firmer on Wednesday as players filtered back into the market after a public holiday. Giving an early boost to the market was news that market bellwether Anglo American Plc’s annual results showed a 13% rise in […]
BOTSWANA is facing Zambia in Lusaka with an 18-man squad for the important Cosafa Castle Cup match. The squad is well-experienced, with more than half of the players having featured in previous Cosafa Cup competitions. The team includes prolific striker Diphethogo Selolwane, who scored twice against Swaziland on Sunday and also netted against South Africa […]
A GROUP of pro-Afrikaans activists took to the streets of Braamfontein today to express their displeasure at the decision by Transnet to forbid the use of Afrikaans by its employees. Members of an organisation calling itself the Pro-Afrikaans Aksiegroep (Praag) picketed along Jan Smuts Avenue in front of Wits University. They held placards calling on […]
AN agreement between the SA Post Office and trade unions may clear the way for the retrenchment of between 2000 and 4000 employees. The details of the agreement were not released but SAPO said that it has identified a number of surplus workers who could not be dismissed in the past. The Post office signed […]
PAKISTAN have crumbled under sustained pressure from India to be bowled out for 146 in the Sharjah Cup one-day international in Sharjah on Thursday. Leg-spinner Anil Kumble claimed 2/26 and Venkatesh Prasad and Sunil Joshi chipped in with 2/29 each to negate Pakistan’s advantage of taking first strike in good batting conditions. Pakistan lost their […]
THOUSANDS of gold miners are stayed away from work on Wednesday in a one-day strike at Free State gold mines to protest against job losses and poverty. Gold Fields, the world’s second largest gold producer, said mining operations at its Beatrix, St Helena and Oryx mines have effectively ground to a halt after 11000 members […]
PUMAS skipper Chaka Willemse has been left out of the side that will meet Griquas in a Vodacom Cup match this in Witbank on Saturday. Willemse has found himself without even a place on the bench as Matt Frank has returned from Super 12 duty with the Northern Bulls and Marco Wentzel has been chosen […]
A CAPE man who made five death threats to President Thabo Mbeki was found guilty in the Cape regional Court on Wednesday. The man, Theo James Keown, 50, pleaded guilty, but did not say why he made the threats. Keown called Tuynhuys on May 26 last year and told a presidential staffer that he wanted […]
SHARES in BOE Ltd vaulted on Friday on rumours that the banking and financial services group would announce details of a broad-ranging restructure as early as next week. Traders said regular talk that the group could become the target of a takeover was also swirling again. BOE was not immediately available for comment. At midday […]
THE West Indies were fined 35% of their match fee on Monday for a slow over rate during their first Test victory over Zimbabwe at Port of Spain. Zimbabwean opener Grant Flower was handed a suspended ban of one Test match or two one-day internationals for misconduct. Flower hit the stumps with his bat after […]
EDUCATION Minister Kader Asmal has won the 2000 Stockholm Water Prize for his “visionary” leadership in water resource management, the prize committee announced on Wednesday. Asmal, a former minister for water affairs and forestry, was awarded the prize “in recognition of his unprecedented efforts in the development of vision, legislation and practice in the field […]
NATIONAL co-ordinator of the Rennies Wetlands Project, David Lindley, warned on Wednesday that South Africa’s fresh water supply is expected to run out within 30 years. Lindley said the extent of the recent flooding in the north of the country points to mismanagement of water resources. Lindley said immediate steps must be taken to manage […]
THE African National Congress called on all South Africans to intensify the struggle against racism in its message for Human Rights Day on Tuesday. Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, in which 69 black anti-apartheid demonstrators were murdered by police in 1960. “Forty years after the Sharpeville massacre we mark Human […]
SOUTH Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique are drafting a trans-frontier water sharing agreement to develop tripartite projects. Swaziland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives principle secretary, Noah Nkambule, said technicians from the three countries would complete a draft agreement by June 30. The agreement and a linked implementation plan will include a detailed environmental impact assessment covering […]
TELKOM said on Monday that it has signed a R5-billion fleet outsourcing deal with a subsidiary of Berlin-based DaimlerChrysler Services. Telkom said in a statement that, subject to Competition Commission approval, debis Fleet Management will purchcase Telkom’s 19 000-strong vehicle fleet and then provide a full maintenance lease service to it for five years. Telkom […]
SOUTH Africa is preparing to host the first United Nations World Conference on Racism and Xenophobia next year. The department of foreign affairs says the event should attract 10000 to 15000 delegates from across the globe. A definite date and venue has not been set but the conference is expected to take place by September […]
SOUTH Africa’s 2006 World Cup Bid Committee ambassadors Abedi Pele Ayew and Roger Milla will join delegations to travel worldwide in the next months in the final push of the World Cup 2006 bidding campaign. Milla, the African Footballer of the Century, and former Ghanaian captain Abedi Pele will form part of the entourage when […]
JAPIE Mulder and Rassie Erasmus will both start for the Cats in their match against Wellington. Erasmus will play a full match after playing 70 minutes against the Highlanders last Friday, his first match since the World Cup. Erasmus underwent surgery on an injured groin after the rugby showpiece. Mulder will be back after spraining […]
RESERVE Bank governor Tito Mboweni earlier in the week said he is concerned that there is a worrying lack of current information available from Statistics South Africa. Business Report reports that, speaking at the first meeting of the Monetary Policy Forum on Monday, Mboweni expressed concern at the lack of up-to-date information about the level […]
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has congratulated Senegalese opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade on his victory over President Abdou Diouf in the country’s general election. “The South African government is convinced that under Mr Wade’s leadership, Senegal will prosper and the relations between our two countries will grow further,” Mbeki said in a statement. Mbeki also congratulated the […]
MAIZE futures traders expect the 1999/00 maize crop to come in at 9,33-million tons, well above the first official commercial crop estimate of 8,97-million tons in February. “We have had nearly perfect weather conditions for this crop and it is looking very, very good,” said a Johannesburg-based trader. “A lot of people planted very late […]
THE Hurricanes have been forced to look at playing lock Inoke Afeaki at flank for their Super 12 clash with the Cats at Palmerston North on Saturday after replacement loose-forward Semo Sititi failed a fitness test. The Hurricanes are in serious trouble with most of their loose-forwards injured. Filo Tiatia is out for at least […]
GOLD continued to move higher on Wednesday boosted by short-covering after initial market disappointment following the Bank of England’s fifth gold auction on Tuesday. The metal was last bid at $290,05 an ounce. “We saw better international markets overnight, particularly Wall Street. Bullion is up and we had the release [on Wednesday morning) of Anglo […]
TWENTY-EIGHT people were burnt to death and 40 seriously injured in Tanzania when an overturned fuel tanker caught fire as villagers were stealing its petrol. Three people who initially survived the blaze died on Tuesday in hospital. Laurian Sanya, the regional police commander of Mbeya, said that one of two tankers travelling to neighbouring Malawi […]
THE military regime in the Indian Ocean republic of the Comoro Islands has put down a coup attempt. Former prime minister Abbas Djoussouf and local radio reports said on Wednesday that several members of the armed forces had been arrested, including Abderrahmane Abdallah, the son of Comoran president Ahmed Abdallah who was assassinated in 1989. […]