Staff Reporter

Peter Dickson February 16 1857, said the teenage prophet, would be a day like no other. After the people had killed all their diseased cattle and left their crops to rot in sacrifice, the dead would rise. They would bring with them abundant cattle and food, drive the British into the sea, and herald the […]

Paul Kirk Lieutenant General Basie Smit, one-time commander of the South African Police’s (SAP) hated internal security branch and apartheid killer Eugene de Kock’s boss, is the South African president of the International Police Association (IPA). The IPA is a fraternal organisation of serving and former police officers that enjoys consultative status with the United […]

LAWRENCE BARTLETT, Harare | Friday 7.30pm EMPLOYERS and workers alike on Friday slammed the Zimbabwean government’s budget for 2000, saying it fails to address the country’s worst economic crisis since independence nearly 20 years ago. The powerful Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) stated that workers “will not accept additional burdens” — a reference to […]

trusts Shaun Harris Only R0,5-billion flowed into foreign unit trust funds over the past quarter – a figure that does not represent the huge appetite local investors have built up for offshore investment. Over the previous quarter, R2,2- billion was invested in international funds. The reason for the slowdown is many of the funds listed […]

Uncertainty in the markets is pulling private investors hither and tither, writes Shaun Harris Pity the private investors. They are being pushed and pulled from different directions and are clearly finding it difficult to take a view on where to invest their money. That seems the only plausible explanation for the trends emerging in the […]

Shaun Harris Until recently, property unit trusts (PUTs) hadn’t really caught the eye of the smaller, private investor. There are a number of reasons for this. Investors tend to focus on capital appreciation, and with PUTs the income yield is as important. Also, PUTs are a relatively small sector, easily overlooked. Perceptions began to change […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Washington | Friday 9.15am. SOUTH African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu underwent exploratory cancer surgery on Thursday at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in the southern US state of Georgia. The surgery “was to see where the cancer spread, and determine what kind of future treatments are necessary,” said hospital spokeswoman Michelle Stevenson. […]

Ivor Powell Two legal firms with connections to the former claims executive of the Road Accident Fund (RAF)were given large volumes of legal work contracted out by the fund. Former RAF claims executive Johan van Oudtshoorn – who was appointed internal audit executive for the fund after August 1998 – was involved in contracting out […]

Mail & Guardian reporter The ability to compare prices quickly and easily is one of the attractions of shopping on the Net. In the real world, you have to trudge between shops, trying to remember which had this or that item at the best price. But online, one store is a click away from another. […]

Charlene Smith CROSSFIRE After writing about a woman gang-raped in front of her children who now has HIV (October 15 to 21), a number of male callers to the Mail & Guardian suggested that my writings about rape suggested I have a boring life and “just need a good fuck”. Amazing how often it comes […]

THE chair of the South African Football Association Women’s Football Committee Nastasia Tsichlas has resigned. Safa said on Thursday it has received and “regretfully” accepted the resignation, effective immediately. No reason for the resignation has been given. “Safa is very pleased to reaffirm its confidence in the women’s football committee and shall soon announce the […]

Mercedes Sayagues One of Africa’s most pristine coastal areas may soon be lost if the Mozambican government carries out its plan to build a deep-sea port just south of the Maputo Elephant Reserve. The project is a $515-million partnership recently approved between the state railways Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique (CFM) and the firm Porto […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer I am seriously wondering whether some soccer officials have not lost the plot. Crowds are dwindling fast at Premier Soccer League (PSL) fixtures, yet they want to introduce another competition. Amid all the talk of fixture congestion, the PSL board of governors wants the Top Eight competition revived, with media speculation hinting […]

Pretoria Matthew Krouse spoke to curator Erna Beumers about her mission to return African art to Africa To say that each item on the Africa Meets Africa exhibition carries its history with it is an understatement. The mystery is reinforced by the tags on each that don’t date the exhibits by when they were last […]

HUNDREDS of people fleeing fighting between government forces and Unita rebels in eastern Angola have been crossing into neighbouring Zambia since early September, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A UNHCR official in the Zambian capital Lusaka said on Thursday that 200 refugees crossed over last month, while so far in October […]

MORE than 200 Delmas Colliery workers in Mpumalanga are to lose their jobs, and contractors will forfeit work worth millions of rands when the company restructures at the end of the month. This is due to the low demand for low-grade bituminous coal in the domestic heating and metallurgical markets, said Ingwe Coal Corporation spokesman […]

SWEDISH vehicle manufacturer Volvo AB announced on Wednesday it plans to invest in Southern Africa as part of a globalisation strategy. The company is currently involved in talks with the South African-based Scandinavian Motor Corp, in attempts to increase Volvo’s presence in Southern Africa. Scandinavian Motor Corp said on Wednesday that advanced negotiations are underway […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 12.30pm. PUBLIC Works Minister Jeff Radebe has announced that the government is to sell the abattoir parastatal, Abakor, as well as several non-core businesses of Denel. Speaking after a meeting of the inter-miniterial Cabinet committee on the restructuring of state assets, Radebe said Abakor will be sold “voetstoots”. The decision […]

THE South African Municipal Workers Union on Tuesday declared a dispute with Nelspruit’s transitional local council over its controversial R300-million water privatisation deal. Nelspruit signed the groundbreaking deal with British multinational, Biwater, in October 1998 but has been unable to implement the scheme because of objections by Samwu and other African National Congress-aligned unions. Samwu […]

NIGERIA’S main trades union body on Tuesday issued a two-week notice of a public sector general strike if the government does not resolve the problems of striking teachers. Nigerian public workers will embark on nationwide strike on November 2 if the pay and conditions of teachers on strike since last month are not improved, the […]

AN alliance of Malawi opposition political parties announced on Thursday it willusetop Britishor other foreign lawyers to challengethe country’s June 15 general election results. The alliance, comprised ofthe Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) said on Thursday that they have alreadyheld discussions with foreign lawyers. Malawi’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Peter […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Freetown | Thursday 5.30pm CLASHES between former rebels and their ex-junta allies in a northern Sierra Leonean town have left dozens of civilians dead and caused many residents to flee the area, local media said on Thursday. This comes a day after a symbolic ceremony to mark the start of disarmament in Sierra […]

SIXTEEN Thai sex workers working in the country illegally were deported on Thursday afternoon , SABC television news reported. The prostitutes, who worked in an exclusive hotel in Sandton north of Johannesburg, were deported by the police and the Department of Home Affairs. As many as 5000 Thai sex workers were working in South Africa […]

US Defense Secretary William Cohen held talks on Thursday with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi on sharing missile early-warning data with Gulf and Middle East allies. The talks kicked off a two-day visit by Cohen, who is also scheduled to meet with President Hosni Mubarak on Friday and observe a major wargames exercise involving […]

CANADIAN gold-mining company Barrick Gold, the world’s number two producer, announced on Tuesday plans to invest $280-million in a new site in Tanzania. Production will begin in early 2001 at the Bulyanhulu mine, whose site was acquired by Barrick when it took over Vancouver-based Sutton Resources in March. “We see Bulyanhulu making a strong contribution […]

CABINET on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the introduction of inflation targeting as part of the framework for South African monetary policy. Annoucing the decision, Finance minister Trevor Manuel said the new policy will take effect in the first quarter of next year.

AUSTRALIA’S Tiaan Strauss believes Wales have made a major error in not picking Allan Bateman, his friend and former rugby league teammate, for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against the Wallabies. Argentina’s Agustin Pichot was quoted at the weekend as saying Bateman should be in Wales’ starting line-up. Now Aussie number eight Strauss, who knows the […]

WORLD champions South Africa have made more handling errors than any other team at the Rugby World Cup 99, according to statistics compiled by the tournament organisers. But the data is not as damning as it appears because the Springboks enjoyed such monopoly of possession in their group A games against Spain and Uruguay that […]

THE Gauteng finance and economic affairs department and the Gauteng tender board on Thursday announced that Standard Bank has been recommended as the preferred bidder for the provincial banking tender. The tender award will be confirmed after consultation between the standing committee of the provincial legislature and the MEC for finance and economic affairs, Jabu […]

THE world’s largest gold producer, Anglogold has been approached by the embattled Ashanti Goldfields, Africa’s third-largest gold producer. According to the Business Day Anglogold has been approached by Ashanti’s advisors. Anglogold said the meeting was little more than “fundemental information gathering.” The move officially places Anglogold in the battle arena for Ashanti which is reportedly […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Paris | Thursday 10.00am. SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallett has demanded more ruthlessness from his side in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against England at the Stade de France. Mallett called on back-rower Bobby Skinstad in particular to make a bigger impact as the South Africans seek a fourth straight win in their defence of […]

AIR control watchdog, the Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company, said on Wednesday that its computer systems are now Y2K compliant. “A committee specially constituted to administer the readiness of the company’s systems for Y2K is pleased to report that all the company’s navigation, communications and other systems have been thoroughly tested and upgraded and […]