Staff Reporter

SOME four million Ethiopians are infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS. The recently released government statistics were made public 17 months after the United Nations warned that more than 9% of the adult population of Ethiopia is HIV-positive. Vice-Minister of Information and Culture Besrat Geshaw noted that with an estimated four million people […]

AT least four members of Rwanda’s national football team, including its captain, have absconded in Germany, apparently in the hope of playing for professional teams in Belgium, Rwandan officials said on Tuesday. Nicholas Ntare, secretary-general of the Rwanda Amateur Football Association which is responsible for the team, said the players failed to show up at […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 12.30pm. RAJA Casablanca of Morocco host Esperance of Tunisia this weekend in the first leg of a dream African Champions League final. Apart from the glory of winning the premier club competition on the continent, the winners qualify for the first world championship finals and matches against giants like Real […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Tuesday 10.30am. COINING the phrase “Simply unbelievable” to describe the Rothmans Cup was a stroke of ironic wit that no copy writer had the foresight to know would be so pertinent this season. In a new twist to a tangled soccer year, Jomo Cosmos have been booted out of the lucrative […]

LEGENDARY African footballer Roger Milla, whose four goals helped propel Cameroon to the 1990 World Cup quarter-fianls, has been voted Africa’s Footballer of the Century, by African Soccer magazine. The London-based monthly made it’s choice from a pool of the continent’s top football coaches, players and experts. And it was the name of 47-year-old Milla […]

SOUTH African Defense Minister Patrick Lekota arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Friday for a two-day official visit. Qatar and South Africa signed an accord on air links in June. Last year, the South African company Sasol agreed to work with the state-owned Qatar General Petroleum Corporation and Phillips Petroleum of the United States […]

SOUTH African allrounder Jacques Kallis will not bowl in the first two Tests against England this summer. Kallis is suffering from severe tendonitis of the left knee, and will probably only bowl in the third Test at Kingsmead on Boxing Day. Kallis was advised not to bowl by specialist, Spike Eramsus, who examined him in […]

A HOSPITAL official confirmed on Monday that Ethiopia’s former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, is being treated for heart disease in the Park Lane Clinic in Johannesburg. Mengistu, the army officer who ruled Ethiopia for 17 years after overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, arrived in South Africa on Thursday for specialised medical care. He has […]

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki on Friday told a special parliamentary debate on the next millennium that he wants peace and democracy to settle on Africa in the new year. Mbeki urged the the two houses of parliament, sitting for the last time this year, that 2000 should be dedicated to working towards the African Renaissance — […]

THE country’s mainstream media came under fire on Monday in an interim report of an inquiry by the South African Human Rights Commission into racism in the media. Addressing a conference, in Johannesburg on Monday, SAHRC chairman Barney Pityana said preliminary investigation reveal that certain parts of the media are still fostering discrimination. He said […]

THE first Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka was abandoned as a draw on Monday because of persistent rain. The umpires called off the match in mid-afternoon because conditions proved impossible for play. It was a blow to Sri Lanka who held out hopes for victory after gaining the advantage over their hosts over the […]

SARAH BULLEN and Reuters, Cape Town | Monday 1.45pm ECONOMISTS were pleasantly surprised on Monday when Statistics South Africa announced that the economy grew a seasonally adjusted and annualised 3,1% in the third quarter of 1999. The third quarter Gross Domestic Product calculation by Stats SA was seasonally adjusted and annualised. A Reuters poll of […]

ZIMBABWE will hold parliamentary elections around March next year, President Robert Mugabe has announced. He told a state banquet for visiting Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham on Saturday night that the elections will follow a review of the constitution currently under way. Mugabe said the National Constitutional Review Commission he appointed was due to present […]

HANSIE Cronje has made himself available to play for South Africa for a full term thus wiping out any doubts that have existed after the last selection media conference. Announcing the team in Durban for the first Test against England starting at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday, National selection committee convener Rushdi Magiet said […]

STEVEN MANN, Cape Town | Monday 11.15am THE Democratic Party’s claims that its offices were bugged have been referred to the head of detective services in the Western Cape, Commissioner Andre du Toit, for investigation. Police spokesman Faizel Kader said on Monday Du Toit would make arrangements to take a statement on the charges from […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 12.30pm. MAKHULONG Stadium in the East Rand township of Tembisa may have been a Castle Premiership venue for just a few months, but it is fast gaining a reputation as a ground best avoided by visiting teams. Only Manning Rangers have beaten the newly-promoted club there this season and draw […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 4.20pm. AN urgent court application against financial giant Old Mutual over its alleged unfair retrenchments of staff has been filed by the Banking Insurance Finance and Assurance Workers Union. The union alleges the retrenchments are a direct result of the demutualisation of the company. The court application also comes as […]

AT least 84 elephants have been killed by ivory poachers in Zimbabwe this year, 31 in the past two weeks, official and conservation sources said on Monday. The death toll is likely to lead to renewed pressure by wildlife activists for the reimposition of an outright ban on ivory dealing after experimental sales by three […]

SOME of the continent’s top motocross riders will be in action this weekend when they ride in the inaugural African Nations Motocross Challenge at Donnybrook, Zimbabwe on Saturday and Sunday. The competition will be staged under the auspices of the African Motorcyle Union (AMU). The Challenge will be decided in three different categories — 80cc, […]

ROTHMANS CUP Semi-final, first leg; at Vosloorus Stadium: Jomo Cosmos 1 (Bradley Muir 84-og) Manning Rangers 2 (Bruce Ramokadi 39, Keryn Jordan 58). Second leg – Wednesday, Chatsworth Stadium CASTLE PREMIERSHIP At FNB Stadium: Orlando Pirates 1 (Dennis Lota 78) Kaizer Chiefs 0; At Caledonian Stadium: SuperSport Utd 2 (Kaitano Tembo 35, 78) Free State […]

INCOMING national police commissioner Jackie Selebi says he’ll don a police uniform if it will help bring the police closer to the community. “They are our police… the only one we’ve got and they have to be respected,” Selebi told a seminar on police co-operation between South Africa and Sweden. Selebi said he had initially […]

SOUTH African Airways announced on Monday that it is to halt its service to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, effective 1 December 1999. SAA said that the flights have been in definitely withdrawn due to recent hostilities.

THE South African A cricket side to oppose Sri Lanka A in the three one-day matches at Chatsworth on Wednesday, Paarl on Friday and Cape Town next Sunday has been named. It will be led by Dale Benkenstein. The squad is: Mark Bruyns (KZN), Nic Boje (FS), Neil McKenzie (Northerns), Dale Benkenstein (KZN) captain, Ashwell […]

ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 12.30pm. Jomo Cosmos (0) 1 (Bradley Muir 84-pen) Manning Rangers (1) 2 (Bruce Ramokadi 39, Keryn Jordan 58) FOOTBALL truly is a funny game because Jomo Cosmos finished this Rothmans Cup semi-final, first leg grateful to be only one goal behind after wasting sufficient first-half chances to win comfortably. If […]

SOUTH African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Saturday flew to the Middle East for a five-nation tour aimed at cementing ties with Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Pahad will first travel to Kuwait where he will join South African Defence Minister Patrick Lekota and Kuwaiti officials in discussions before meeting his Kuwaiti counterpart. […]

FORMER Mpumalanga transport MEC Jackson Mthembu was ordered this week to refund the State for the Mercedes Benz he smashed while driving without a license during the run-up to the June 2 elections. Mthembu rolled the luxury car through two traffic signs and into a tree in Witbank in May while on ANC business in […]

LAWYERS for Midi television, who own television channel e.tv, on Monday asked the Cape Town High Court to “seriously question” the motivation behind the liquidation proceedings against it. Midi TV is defending an application by production company Sprockets to have it provisionally liquidated for allegedly failing to pay R5,5 million it says it is owed […]

ALAN FINLAY, Johannesburg | Friday 4.30pm. THE JSE ended up on Friday, off the back of a strong Dow Jones which closed 1,4% or 152,61 points up on Thursday. But midday the all share index had reached its highest level for the year and the best since April 1998. The overall closed 0,65% or 48,78 […]

US human rights activist Jesse Jackson, who was scheduled to visit Freetown on Monday, has cancelled his visit after checking into hospital, a US embassy spokesman in Abidjan said. Jackson entered hospital in the United States on Friday, the spokesman said, without giving details on his condition. Jackson is the US special envoy for the […]

EGYPTIAN and US investigators are said to be planning a joint report for release on Monday on the fateful final moments of Flight 990 as officials dismissed suggestions of a diplomatic row over the inquiry. Amid Egyptian anger over speculation an alleged statement by one of the pilots indicated he may have crashed the plane […]

KOSIE Venter played the lead role for Free State in their chase to reach Natal’s 341 on the second day of their Supersport Series match at Kingsmead. Venter defied the Natalians for 60 overs when his side were in trouble on 42/3 and helped them avoid the follow-on. Venter was the last wicket to fall […]

A NIGERIAN court has ordered that 13 university students be remanded in custody over the murder of eight others on July 10. The students are to stand trial on suspicion that they were members of secret campus cults who attacked the students in their hostel. Meanwhile, twenty-two persons, including an infant, were burnt to death […]