Staff Reporter

THE sixth MTN Cape-to-Rio yacht race got off to a slow start on Saturday, with hardly enough wind to fill the sails of the 71-boat fleet. The weather and smooth water was however perfect for hundreds of spectators who took to the water in all kinds of craft to watch the start of the race, […]

THE United States government will ask Congress to approve an extra $100-million to the fight against Aids, bringing its total commitment to $325-million, Vice-President Al Gore said on Monday. He said the government will also commit $50-million dollars for the US contribution to the vaccine fund of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Monday 7.25pm SUB-SAHARAN Africa, with Mozambique in the lead, is set to be the fastest-growing region in the world this year, according to the latest annual analysis by the respected Economist Intelligence Unit. It forecasts that the world will be a richer place than it has ever been, even if 1,3-billion […]

COMBINED gold and foreign exchange reserves rose R0,2-billion in December to R45,4-billion from November’s R45,2-billion according to the latest figures released by the Reserve Bank on Wednesday. The figures confirm that there was a steady flow of foreign cash into the country’s buoyant financial markets over that period. A Reuters poll of economists saw the […]

SOUTH Africa’s largest life assurer Old Mutual Plc said on Tuesday it had agreed to sell its UK life business, Old Mutual Life Assurance Co Ltd, to two companies. Once the deals are completed, the combined impact is expected to release back to Old Mutual capital of around 75-million pounds during this year, a suplus […]

SOUTH Africa, Algeria and Morocco have named squads for the African Nations Cup finals in Ghana and Nigeria from January 22 to February 13: Squads: South Africa Goalkeepers: Andre Arendse, John Tlale, Hans Vonk Defenders: Mark Fish, Pierre Issa, Papi Khomane, Lucas Radebe, Frank Schoeman Midfielders: Alex Bapela, Quinton Fortune, Steve Lekoelea, Helman Mkhalele, Thabo […]

MODESTE Eta scored after 84 minutes to give Congo a 1-0 victory over French first division club Lyon. Some Congolese observers believe Eta will be the only local player in the starting line-up for their first African Nations Cup Group D match on January 25 against Morocco in Lagos.

THE sixth MTN Cape-to-Rio yacht race got off to a slow start on Saturday, with hardly enough wind to fill the sails of the 71-boat fleet. The weather and smooth water was however perfect for hundreds of spectators who took to the water in all kinds of craft to watch the start of the race, […]

DEFENDING African Nations Cup champions Egypt defeated fellow-finalists Togo 2-1 through a late headed goal from defender Abelzaher al-Sakka in Aswan on Wednesday. Yasser Radwan put the Pharaohs ahead in the first minute and Mohamed Azim levelled after 63 minutes.

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Windhoek | Sunday 4.00pm NAMIBIA said on Sunday that acts of banditry of the kind that killed three French children in the far northeast of the country reflect mounting Unita desperation in the face of a successful Angolan government offensive. Windhoek has given permission for Angola’s troops to launch attacks from Namibian soil, […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Saturday 4.30pm. Kaizer Chiefs ………. 2 (Nomvete 53, Mooki 61) African Wanderers …… 1 (Mthalane 14) IT may have been the first senior competitive club match of the new century in South Africa, but there was no sign of Buck Rogers on Saturday as Chiefs moved into second place on the […]

JOHN Tlale, one of three goalkeepers named by South Africa for the African nations Cup tournament, is a doubtful starter due to an ankle injury. His place would probably go to Brian Baloyi, who was voted second best goalkeeper at the 1998 finals in Burkina Faso behind Egyptian Nader al-Sayed.

FORMER African Footballer of the Year Kalusha Bwalya is among 12 foreign-based players in a preliminary Zambian squad named by coach Ben Bamfuchile for the African Nations Cup. Chipolopolo (The Bullet) play Egypt, Burkina Faso and Senegal in Group C.

THE rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on Sunday denied involvement in an attack in southern Sudan which two Sudanese aid workers died and two other went missing. SPLM/A spokesman Samson Kwaje said that his rebel group has no forces operating in Western Upper Nile, where the incident occurred, and that most of the rebel […]

FOREIGN affairs media director Marco Boni on Friday lost his bid in the Pretoria High Court to order his minister, Nkosazana Zuma, to grant him a voluntary severance package worth more than R800000. Boni had claimed that deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad approved the package on November 1 last year. On November 29, Boni received […]

SOUTH Africa’s selectors have retained the squad that defeated England at Newlands for the fifth and final Test next week and have included Border captain Pieter Strydom to “cover” for injuries. “Both Jonty Rhodes and Daryll Cullinan are carrying minor hamstring injuries, so we thought it best to cover ourselves by adding Strydom to the […]

THE ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg were evacuated on Friday morning following a bomb-scare. ANC Chief Information Officer Smuts Ngonyama said security personnel were told that there was an explosive device in the building and relayed the information to the authorities. The bomb incident comes a day before the party celebrates its 88th anniversary on […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Saturday 4.30pm. SOUTH Africa will back incumbent Issa Hayatou of Cameroon in the African Football Confederation presidential election in Ghana this month. National football association president Molefi Oliphant announced Friday that his organisation favoured Hayatou ahead of lone challenger Armando Machado from Angola. “We believe Hayatou has displayed great leadership, uplifted […]

ZAMBIA suffered another shock in their build up to the African Nations Cup when they lost 4-3 to the Zimbabwe Olympic team on Saturday. Dennis Lota, Bernard Makufi and Andrew Sinkala, who play their club football in South Africa, Sweden and Germany respectively, scored for Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets). Zambia, who launch their Nations Cup Group […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Perth | Saturday 6.00pm. SOUTH Africa found success in its eighth appearance at the $585000 Hopman Cup, beating qualifier Thailand 3-0 on the back of a pair of sterling singles performances to claim the trophy on Saturday. Victory at the Burswood Dome on Rebound Ace, the surface of the upcoming Australian Open, was […]

THE African National Congress celebrated its 88th birthday with rallies across the country on Saturday. ANC president Thabo Mbeki addressed the official meeting in the Northern Province where he launched 2000 as the ANC’s year of the dawn of the African century. In KwaZulu-Natal provincial ANC chairman S’bu Ndebele addressed a crowd of supporters at […]

ONLY taxis displaying new route-based permits will be allowed to operate in Soshanguve and its surrounding areas, north of Pretoria, from next week, SABC radio news reported on Thursday. This follows an agreement between two Soshanguve taxi associations and transport officials to stabilise the taxi industry. The agreement applies to Mabopane, Ga-Rankuwa, Hammanskraal and Soshanguve. […]

ALGERIA were thrashed 7-0 by world club championship contenders Vasco de Gama of Brazil in Rio after trailing by three goals at half-time. The Desert Warriors meet South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon in Group B at the African Nations Cup finals.

PEOPLE Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) is running out of money and battling to fund legal representation for 23 members facing criminal charges. In an interview with Sunday Argus Ebrahim Francis admitted Pagad is in dire financial straits. “Our people are being arrested under scheduled offences, which means they have to prove why they should […]

ABOUT 1000 members of the extremist Islamic group Qibla staged a peaceful protest in the streets of Cape Town on Friday, burning American, Israeli and Russian flags. Chanting “One Zionist, one bullet,” and “Death to America,” the protestors marched through the center of town first to the Russian consulate, and then to the American consulate, […]

LAZARUS Zim, Managing Director of M-Net has joined the board of Supersport United Football Club, serving as Vice Chairman. The announcement was made at the team’s headquarters by SuperSport United Chairman Khulu Sibiya. Zim is no stranger to football administration, having served as a director and secretary of Free State Stars in the late 80’s […]

FORMER French champions Lens said on Friday that they are prepared to ignore Ghana’s demand that midfielder Alex Nyarko join his national side this weekend to prepare for the African Nations Cup. A Lens spokesman said that they want to keep the 26-year-old until after their crucial relegation clash with Nancy on January 12. “We […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 4.40pm. STOCKS on the JSE look set for more gains next week, underpinned by prospects of a stronger economy in 2000, but some equity analysts warned on Friday that rate fears offshore might trigger volatility. Analysts said the Johannesburg bourse, which vaulted by 57% last year, hitting new highs for […]

MINISTER of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin on Friday released the names of eight manufacturers shortlisted to produce new purpose-built public transport vehicles. AMC, DaimlerChrysler, Iveco, QLS and Tata have all proposed to build either 18-seater or 35-seater configurations while GAZ, Kwoon Chung and Malandela have tendered to supply 18-seaters.

LISTENERS of the pan-African radio station Africa No 1 have voted Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi the most notable African of 1999, the station announced on Saturday. He beat out former South African president Nelson Mandela. The station said 35 million listeners voted for either Gaddafi or Mandela, but did not specify how big the gap […]

IRISH Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will visit South Africa and Lesotho next week in the first official visit by an Irish prime minister to southern Africa, officials said on Friday. Ahern, accompanied by a delegation of trade and aid officials, will visit Lesotho’s King Letsie III on Monday. The prime minister will also meet his […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Luanda | Saturday 6.00pm. ZAMBIA denied on Saturday that it had put its troops on high alert along the border with Angola in anticipation of Angolan soldiers chasing UNITA rebels across the frontier. Government chief spokesman and Information Minister Newstead Zimba and Defence Minister Chitalu Sampa both issued separate statements denying that the […]