Staff Reporter

SOUTH Africa is reviewing a request from Ethiopia to extradite former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, the department of foreign affairs said on Monday. The South African government received a formal request on Friday night, foreign affairs spokesman Dan Ngwepe said. “The relevant government departments and agencies will review this request in the coming days.” The […]

SOUTH Africa’s economy will rebound next year after posting a modest increase in 1999, while both consumer and core inflation rates are expected to edge lower, according to Reuters’ latest monthly economic poll. The monthly survey of 20 South African and London-based analysts published on Thursday also forecasts the rand to depreciate by only 5% […]

THE Post Office posted operating losses of R224-million for the 1999 financial year on Friday, but said that it hopes to break even by 2001. Announcing the results chairman Max Maisela, announced said that the loss takes into account a loss of R158-million for the former TBVC states Post Offices, which were incorporated into the […]

SOUTH Africa’s Metropolitan life (Metlife), a financial services group targeting mainly black customers, on Tuesday reported a strong jump in headline earnings and predicted strong future annual earnings growth. In the year to September 30, 1999, Metlife lifted its headline earnings 37% to 75,82 cents a share. The dividend was increased to 25,50 cents from […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Washington | Tuesday 10.00pm. DEFENCE Minister Mosiuoa Lekota warned on Tuesday that a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot be successfully implemented unless the United Nations plays a larger, more effective role. Lekota discussed the volatile situation in the DRC with US Defense Secretary William Cohen, who gave a tepid […]

THE Heath Special Investigating Unit has summonsed eight senior magistrates to account for alleged corruption totalling R38-million. Heath unit spokesman Guy Rich said on Sunday the magistrates from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the North West and the Eastern Cape, were summonsed on Friday. A further 30 chief magistrates will receive summonses in the new year, he said.

THE public service department wants a national framework agreement to be negotiated with organised labour in order to win support for “alternative service delivery mechanisms”, the Business Day reports. The paper reports the document containing the proposal — aimed at reducing government’s personnel costs — has been adopted as the basis for talks with public […]

A PROMINENT group of South African lawyers on Tuesday urged President Thabo Mbeki to extradite Ethiopian former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who is accused of mass murder. The General Council of the Bar, representing 1700 advocates, said that Mengistu, who is wanted for genocide in Ethiopia, could not claim immunity from prosecution and extradition as […]

TWO senior Witbank councillors will be criminally charged for illegally using council electricity and refusing to pay their rates and taxes. Reginald Nkosi and Moses Msibi allegedly made illegal electricity connections from the council grid to their township homes earlier this year, council spokesman Pieter de Klerk said in a statement on Tuesday. The matter […]

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions on Monday launched a campaign to rally South Africa to “buy local”. Cosatu said in a statement that the country needs policies that encourage the use of locally manufactured raw materials, and grant preferences for companies who are expanding production for the domestic and the export market. It […]

SOUTH Africa are happy they won’t have to travel far for their first World Cup qualifying tie and are counting on some home support from the away fans. “It’s a fair draw, Lesotho is a good team, but you want to get to the finals, you have to play anybody,” said Raymond Hack, chief executive […]

DEBT-strapped Ghanaian gold producer Ashanti Goldfields said Friday it had submitted a financial restructuring plan to its creditor banks, which have extended it another two weeks’ grace. In a statement issued at the London stock exchange, Ashanti said that while the banks are preparing their response, it will attempt to reach an agreement with the […]

THE Xhosa Royal Council is meeting representatives of the British High Commission in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The Xhosa Royal Council seeks to establish talks about reconciliation with the British Royal Family in relation to the seven colonial frontier wars and the Nongqawuse incident (The Xhosa National Suicide of 1857) instituted by the British. 06

THE South African Women’s Cricket Association (SAWCA) announced on Tuesday that they will wearing the Protea national emblem when representing the country in the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand next year. The squad previously competed under the banner of the United Cricket Board. Three training camps will be held in preparation for the tournament […]

SWAZILAND’S government Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS) has banned the kingdom’s largest labour union organisation, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, from broadcasting any announcements or other information unless they have been approved by the police, African Eye News Service reports. SBIS director Tars Makama told the roughly 200000 strong union federation at the weekend […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 10.00pm. THE Dalai Lama on Tuesday said South Africa should use it’s economic links with Beijing to work towards changing the Chinese government’s attitude towards human rights. “It is important to have good relations with China but in the meantime on certain issues such as civil rights and democracy […]

FORMER West Indies test fast bowler Sylvester Clarke collapsed and died at his home in Barbados at the weekend. Clarke, who would have celebrated his 45th birthday later this month, was the third former West Indian Test player to die in the past month. Fellow fast bowler Malcolm Marshall died of cancer last month at […]

FIVE female teachers were dismissed on Thursday for forcing 16 pupils to simulate sex in front of a class three years ago, a government official said. The five, from a primary school in the village of Waterval in eastern Mpumalanga, in 1996 forced boys and girls aged between eight and 12 to perform sexual acts […]

PULP and paper firm Sappi said on Thursday it expected a significant improvement in earnings in 2000 as pulp prices rise and demand for paper increases. The company also said it has no intention of moving its primary market listing to New York from Johannesburg. Speculation has increased that it will seek such a move […]

THE fixtures for the South African Sevens Championship to be played at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on the weekend have been announced. Friday: 2pm: Fiji v Japan 2.20: Canada v Namibia 2.40: Argentina v Georgia 3pm: New Zealand v Zimbabwe 3.20: France v Tonga 3.40: Australia v Morocco 4pm: Samoa v Uruguay 4.20: […]

THE manager of the Rovic diamond mine near Dealesville in the Free State pleaded guilty in the Virginia Regional Court on Wednesday to culpable homicide in relation to the mudslide in November 1996 that killed 20 people. Beeld reports that Pieter Smith, 56, admitted he had been negligent by not properly investigating a sagging in […]

A HIGH-ranking Bank of Athens official and two other people were arrested in Johannesburg on Wednesday for allegedly defrauding South African banks of millions of rands — and possibly billions — SABC television news reported. The arrests come after more than two years of intensive investigations into white collar crime by a special team of […]

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has announced the appointment of three new senior management appointments in the Public Service sector. In a statement on Saturday, Mbeki said Hilton Dennis (41) has been appointed as director-general of the South African Secret Service (SASS), replacing Billy Masetlha (45) who had been redeployed as director-general of the Home Affairs Department. […]

GOVERNMENT troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo recaptured the strategic rebel-controlled town of Bokungu in the northwest of the country, a rebel spokesman said on Friday. It is the first time rebels in the DRC conceded losing one of their positions to Kinshasa’s forces since their war to oust President Laurent-Desire Kabila began in […]

MOROCCAN international striker Ahmad Bahja has been transferred from the Emirati side Al Wasl to Saudi club Al Nassr for $900000 in time for January’s World Club Championship. Bahja, 29, joined Al Wasl in May from another Saudi club, Al Ittihad, for $1_,05 million but he hardly played because of a five-game suspension after a […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 12.00pm. BAFANA Bafana will launch their campaign for a second consecutive appearance at the World Cup against Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Sudan or Swaziland in the middle of next year. Provisional dates for the home-and-away first-round matches are the weekends of June 2, 3, 4 and June 16, 17, 18, which […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Monday 4.45pm. THE Zimbabwean fight-back against Sri Lanka has been cut short as bad light forced the players to leave the field on the third day of the final Test in Harare. Zimbabwe were 48-2 in their second innings when the umpires called off play as dark clouds swept across the […]

VETERAN fast bowler Eddo Brandes took 3-29 on his return to test cricket to help Zimbabwe reduce Sri Lanka to 159-7 when bad light ended play 11 overs early on the second day of the third test on Sunday. Zimbabwe had earlier been bowled out for 218. Opener Russel Arnold was holding the Sri Lanka […]

ZIMBABWE defeated Namibia 2-0 in a Cosafa Cup Group B under-20 soccer match at Vosloorus Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday. The first half belonged to the Zimbabweans, but they failed to score any goals despite dominating their opponents completely. Namibia lost their goakeeper, Heribert Kapeng two minutes before the break when he hurt himself after […]

JACQUES HASDAY, Maputo | Sunday 3.30pm MOZAMBIQUE’S “democracy party” turned sour on Sunday with the holding of an extra day of polling that the opposition charges is designed to allow further vote-rigging by the ruling Frelimo party. The third and final day of voting began quietly, however, with some polling sites reporting no voters some […]

A 20-year-old Dutch tourist was reportedly abducted from a city hotel five hours after arriving in Cape Town this week, taken on a horror ride, tortured and held captive overnight in a Langa shack. Leahauda von Greunen, who arrived in Cape Town from Mauritius at 3pm on Thursday, said she was making a telephone call […]

SWAZILAND drew 3-3 with Zambia after coming from behind in their Cosafa Cup match at a wet Vosloorus Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday. Zambian Mwela Phiri scored the first goal in the sixth minute, Nsofwa Chaswe made it 2-0 just three minutes later. The Swazis fought back well and Wandile Nxumalo scored in the 34th […]