Staff Reporter

SWAZILAND’s defence force has flatly refused to share its communications tower with the country’s only cellphone network provider, MTN. The defence force fears the cellphone company might gain access to army secrets. MTN wanted to use the tower in the remote town of Siteki to extend its coverage into the south-western rural areas. But army […]

CONSTRUCTION group Stocks and Stocks said on Monday that it was in talks to sell its building business to an unnamed consortium led by RMB Ventures Ltd. The building and construction group gave no further details, but said in a statement that various other prosposals were still being considered for its further restructuring.

FIVE men are believed to have drowned while trying to cross swollen rivers in on Sunday, police said, bringing to 48 the number of lives lost in floods in the country in the past week. Two of the victims were swept off a bridge over the Nkondlo River in Eastern Cape. The other three are […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 11.30pm. SUPERB fast bowling by Shaun Pollock enabled South Africa to turn potential defeat into a stunning 38-run victory over England in the triangular series final on Sunday. Pollock, named man-of-the series and man-of-the-match, took five for 20 as England fell for 111; after South Africa, deep in trouble at […]

CANADIAN gold miner Placer Dome Inc said on Monday it would likely buy out joint venture partner Western Areas Ltd if the South African company sold its 50 percent stake in their gold mine. “If the Western Areas stake becomes available the likelihood is very good that Placer will buy it,” Patrick Evans, the joint […]

AGGRESSIVE young orphaned elephants have killed 36 rhinoceroses, including rare black ones, in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in eastern South Africa. The elephants were orphaned when their parents were culled in South Africa’s Kruger National Park in the early 1990s in a bid to control the elephant population there. According to conservationists, the young elephants have been […]

SEVERAL hundred disappointed Nigerian football fans ran onto the pitch at the National Stadium, Lagos, Sunday, after Cameroon beat the co-hosts in a penalty shoot-out. The Surulere stadium was packed with more than 40000 supporters cheering Nigeria throughout the match which ended at 2-2 after extra-time was played. Despite regular appeals for the spectators to […]

OWN CORESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 5.30pm. THE editors of the Cape Argus and its sister paper the Cape Times were on Monday subpoenaed to appear before the Human Rights Commission as part of its investigation into alleged racism in the South African media. Subpoenas have already been served on the editors of the Sunday Times […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 12.45pm. BAFANA Bafana coach Trott Moloto was unrepentant as he arrived back in South Africa with his team on Sunday night from the in the African Nations’ Cup. After finishing third, Moloto insisted he was satisfied with the way his team played, despite wide-spread criticism of his 3-5-2 formation — […]

SPRINGBOK wing Deon Kayser has been included in the Sharks squad for a four game tour to Australia and New Zealand after X-ray’s showed his jaw was not broken. The mercurial flyer left the field with a suspected broken jaw at the halftime break during the Sharks’ 36-9 win over Eastern Province on Saturday. The […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 5.30pm STOCKS on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ended weaker on Monday, but off the day’s lows after an early dip on weak United States markets on Friday. Heavyweight financial and resource stock dragged the JSE lower shortly after opening. The financial index ended the day 2,20% lower, with the industrial […]

THE builders of the ill-fated Inyaka bridge that collapsed two years ago, killing 13 people, are being sued in the High Court for R1,35-million. This is despite an inquiry into the disaster that started in November 1998. Lawyer Richard Spoor is representing the families of six people who died when the 305-metre bridge collapsed, and […]

THREE UN officials – including a South African – detained by a pro-government Sudanese militia for the last week were released on Thursday. The three men, the second from the US and the third from Kenya, were accused by the militia of transporting rebel Sudanese People’s Liberation Army commanders in a UN aircraft.

AERO Zambia, a private run airline, has lost its bid in the Supreme Court to have its air permit back following the government’s decision to ground its operations last month. The airline sued the Zambian government after Transport Minister Nkandu Luo refused to renew its permit on the grounds that its equipment did not meet […]

ALMOST 700 metal workers reportedly boycotted a disciplinary hearing at Samancor’s Ferrometal plant in Witbank on Thursday after rejecting a company appointed arbitrator. The factory workers were charged with misconduct after allegedly participating in an unprotected protest action in support of the Congress of South African Trade Union’s job loss campaign last week. The workers, […]

TWENTY-eight people were injured when they leapt from a burning train north of Pretoria on Saturday. The passengers jumped from the moving train after its engine caught fire when an electric cable overhead fell on one of the locomotives, police spokesman Captain George Francis said. Seven of the injured were admitted to the nearby Eugene […]

THE chairman of the Inkatha Freedom Party in Tin Town, Inchanga, and four family members were killed in an ambush in the area on Thursday night. IFP spokesman Velaphi Ndlovu said the ambush was the result of a division within the Tin Town branch on how to deal with the problem of youngsters involved in […]

SOME 22 people drowned when their boat capsized in western Uganda’s Lake Albert earlier this week, police said on Friday. Police spokesman John Kimera said that the accident occurred on Wednesday night when the boat was travelling from Kihoro town in Hoima district to Panyamuru in Nebbi district. The boat reportedly hit submerged metal bars […]

FORMER Springbok flyhalf Hennie le Roux, who refused to play in the Super-12 competition last year, said on Thursday that he will be ready to take his place in the Cats side. Le Roux, who was the kingpin in the Golden Lions’ Currie Cup triumph last year, said that he feels secure about his place […]

THE United States is evacuating all its employees and contractors from northern Namibia because of the worsening security situation, and tells its citizens to stay away from the region. “US government affiliated personnel there are being relocated and US citizens in the area are urged to depart,” the State Department said in a statement. Included […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Accra | Sunday 4.15pm. BAFANA Bafana Stalwart Mark Fish will retire from international soccer to concentrate on club football. The long-serving vice-captain blamed the South African soccer on South African Football Association (Safa) for poor organisational skills. The Bolton Wanderers defender, ironically defended coahc Trott Moloto, who is almost certainly on his way […]

MPUMALANGA legislature speaker William Lubisi had to be airlifted to Nelspruit for the ceremonial opening of the House on Friday after floods stranded him 40km away in the rural village of Pienaar. Lubisi arrived just in the nick of time but the crowd of spectators waiting to hear whether Mpumalanga will get disaster flood funding […]

ESKOM announced its new CEO officer designate as Thulani Gcabashe in Johannesburg on Friday. Speaking at the announcement, Eskom’s Electricity Council chairman Reuel Khoza said Gcabashe and Bongani Khumalo were appointed deputy chief executives a year ago. Gcabashe will take over the reigns of Eskom from current CEO Allen Morgan no later than March 1, […]

STANDARD Bank Investment Corporation (Stanbic) said on Thursday that the High Court has granted it leave to appeal against a court ruling in favour of Nedcor, whose hostile takeover bid it is fending off. A Nedcor official said that it was disappointed at the decision, which could delay its approach for many months. On Monday, […]

THE Standard Bank Cup match between Easterns and Western Province due to begin playing this morning at Willowmoore Park in Benoni was cancelled because of this week’s rain. Easterns will play their next limited overs match against Gauteng on March 1.

LUKE BAKER, Johannesburg | Friday 5.30pm THE rand weakened sharply on Friday, falling to its lowest level in 17 months as strong demand for the dollar battered the currency and forced those caught holding rand to ditch their positions. Traders said the move, which saw the rand slide from R6,32 early in the session to […]

SHARES in Duiker Mining slumped almost 7% in opening Friday trade as the market reacted to its news that the South African coal miner expects to make a loss in the first half of its financial year. The stock retreated 45 cents or 6.98% to R6 following the company’s late Thursday warning.

THE Weather Bureau has warned that torrential rains that have claimed the lives of at least 38 people in the north of the country are set to continue for three more days. Thousands have been left homeless by the rains, which have wracked the Northern Province, Mpumalanga and Gauteng over the past week. Northern Province […]

THE Democratic Republic of Congo says a prolonged civil war had scared off nearly $1-billion in foreign mining investment from the mineral-rich nation, but a new mining code should lure investors back. Mines Minister Frederic Kibassa Maliba told investors at a mining conference he is confident that a three-day show in Kinshasa next week will […]

PRIMEDIA Publishing announced it will restructure its operations into more focused business units to enable it to produce better performing titles. The group said the restructuring was in line with the recent announcement by its parent company, listed media group Primedia Limited, of a restructure into two focused operating areas: media — which includes divisions […]

THE new chairman of the SABC board is Dr Vincent Maphai, the Minister in the office of the president, Essop Pahad, announced on Friday. The new deputy chair is Barbara Mafakela. Pahad said President Thabo Mbeki had appointed the board which will serve for a period of 4 years effective March 1.

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 11.30pm. SHAUN POllock took five for 20 as South Africa fought back to win the rain-reduced triangular one-day series final, after suffering a batting collapse in their inngings leaving England needing to match a dismal 149 all out. Skipper Hansie Cronje engineered a timely run of good form with a […]