Staff Reporter

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 […]

NEW Africa Investments Limited (Nail) co-founder, Jonty Sandler, took out an advertisement in the Business Day on Thursday in an attempt to lay to rest reports that he speculation over his efforts to stop newspaper reports that he was allegedly being investigated on charges of sodomy. Sandler’s public declaration follows his urgent application on October […]

AFRICA’s innovators converge on Addis Ababa next week to showcase how they are entering the global information age and using IT to meet development challenges. Technology for development will be examined by 600 delegates from governments, the private sector, civil society, and other groups from form Africa and the world converge on Addis Ababa from […]

The Appeal Committee of the Advertising Standards Authority meets on Friday to assess the ASA ruling on the Charlize Theron rape commercial. Advertising agency The Jupiter Drawing Room and Femina are appealing the decision of the ASA Standards Committee and as the appellant will appear before the Appeal Committee. The complainants submitted documentation in reply […]

WHILE Scotland and England maintained the Five Nations challenge for the World Cup with comfortable wins on Wednesday, Argentina spoiled Europe’s day with a shock win to oust Ireland in the quarter-final qualifying matches. Wing Diego Albanese scored the only try of an error-filled match as Argentina beat Ireland 28-24 to reach the World Cup […]

ANGLICAN Archbishop of Cape Town Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane asked the government during an visit to Umtata on Tuesday to reassure him that the controversial Supermax maximum security prison under construction outside Kokstad will apply rehabilitation principles. “We cannot allow our Southern African prisons to become places for exacting revenge and retribution,” he said in asking […]

POLICE arrested a nineteenth suspect on Wednesday night for invading the Madimbo Corridor military base last month. Nkuzi Development Association fieldworker Shirhami Shirinda was held at about 5pm, when he was about to attend a meeting with farmers and two MECs. He has been charged with public violence, malicious damage to property, and trespassing after […]

THE Grahamstown High Court on Wednesday reserved judgment in the appeal against the conviction of rape handed down earlier in the year. Judgment was reserved to all for a further day of re-examining the evidence. Earlier in the day Ntini’s lawyer Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett, SC, argued that he finds fault with six critical respects of […]

MPUMALANGA’s controversial Motheo rural housing deal has finally been renegotiated but is still being delayed by legal technicalities surrounding tribal land, provincial housing MEC, David Mabuza, said on Tuesday. The original R198-million deal, hailed as South Africa’s largest rural housing project at the time, was cut by half in 1997 when a commission of inquiry […]

UNFASHIONABLE mid-table club Mbale Heroes won the Uganda FA Cup for the first time since 1976 when they defeated Lyantonde FC 3-0 on penalties after a goalless final. Mbale will represent Uganda in the 2000 African Cup Winners Cup having ended a stranglehold on domestic competitions by Kampala clubs SC Villa, Express and KCC.

FRENCH team manager Jo Maso on Tuesday slammed the citings system being used at the World Cup and hinted at an Anglo-Saxon conspiracy. Maso claimed justice was “operating at two different speeds” for players in the tournament. He pointed out that England flanker Lawrence Dallaglio punched winger Jonah Lomu in the head in the match […]

SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallett says New Zealand are capable of thrashing any side at the World Cup and believes France’s management set-up has let them down. In a column on a rugby website, Mallett said the All Blacks, who fielded a reserve side for their 101-3 defeat of Italy in a group game last week, […]

THE Grahamstown High Court on Wednesday reserved judgement in the appeal against the conviction of rape handed down earlier in the year. Judgement was reserved to all for a further day of re-examining the evidence. Earlier in the day Ntini’s lawyer Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett, SC, argued that he finds fault with six critical respects of […]

ZIMBABWE’s government will present its annual budget on Thursday to a restive population desperate for a solution to the country’s worst economic crisis since independence two decades ago. The country is struggling with record inflation of 69,7%, interest rates above 60%, formal sector unemployment at 50% and an unstable currency. Its public health system is […]

A BANK account of Correctional Services Commissioner Khulekani Sitole has been frozen following the start of an investigation into allegations that he abused department finances, SABC radio reports. The report said the First National Bank in Vrede in the Free State decided to freeze Sitole’s account after the branch manager read news reports that Parliament […]

ABOUT 600 leaders of chemical, energy and mine workers’ unions from around the world will meet in South Africa next month for a congress to be opened by President Thabo Mbeki. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) congress will be held in the east coast city of Durban from […]

THE public can now report exam cheats or possible exam fraud syndicates in Mpumalanga to government investigators on a special hotline. Mpumalanga education MEC Craig Padayachee said in a statement on Tuesday the new hotline was meant to compliment other strict measures already in place to ensure the integrity of the 1999 matric exams. These […]

THE Umtata City Council, in a tough bid to recover R1,4-million in outstanding debts from the Bisho government, has cut electricity to government offices, schools and the University of Transkei (Unitra). Telecommunications giant Telkom also had its power cut for failing to pay a R450000 electricity bill. Council representative Sonwabo Mapoza added that water supply […]

SPRINGBOK fitness coach Kevin Stevenson said on Monday that there was no question of sending home fly-half Henry Honiball, who has not yet played in the World Cup after picking up a hamstring injury in training. Stevenson said that even if 33-year-old Honiball wasn’t fit for Sunday’s quarter-final with either England or Fiji he would […]

ARCHIBISHOP Desmond Tutu is to be admitted to hospital in Atlanta in the United States on Thursday for tests to determine new treatment for prostate cancer, he said in a statement on Tuesday. Recent tests in Atlanta have indicated that his prostate cancer, first diagnosed and treated in 1997, has recurred. “I understand this is […]

UPINGTON-based Griqua and SA Country Districts player, Noel Jansen, has been included in the Griqua B team to play Namibia in the UCB Pool A three-day fixture starting in Kimberley on Thursday. The Griqua team is: Brett Tucker, Willie Dry, Pieter Koortzen, GrantElliott, Andre Botha (captain), Adrian McLaren, Noel Jansen, Allan Kruger, Zahir Abrahim, Adri […]

PRIME Minister Tony Blair, actor Hugh Grant and singer Chris de Burgh are just some of the personalities lined up to pitch England’s 2006 World Cup bid to officials of world soccer’s governing body. England is pulling out all the stops for the six-day visit of a Fifa inspection team led by American Alan Rothenburg, […]

AFRICAN Football Confederation executive committee members meet in Burkina Faso on Thursday to discuss the 2000 Nations Cup finals in Ghana and Nigeria. CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon left Ghana with mixed feelings last month after inspecting stadiums and other facilities for the biennial showcase of football on the continent. Hayatou and his delegation […]

SCANDINAVIAN hotel group Radisson on Monday indicated it will expand into South Africa, building ten major hotels in the country over the next three years, SABC television news reported on Monday. This emerged at the two-day SA Investment Conference which opened in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Monday. The multi million rand joint venture is […]

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions has called for the withdrawal of Burmese representatives participating in the South African International Trade Exhibition currently underway at Nasrec in Johannesburg. In a statement COSATU said the Burmese military junta forcibly overthrew a democratically elected government after the country’s democratic elections in May 1990. Since then, Cosatu […]

FOLLOWING reports that another nuclear power station is being planned at Koeberg, outside Cape Town, a group of individuals and organisations have banded together to revitalise the Koeberg Alert campaign which was active during the 1980s. Electricity giant, Eskom, which is seeking approval from government for the construction of an experimental $100-million ‘pocket nuclear’ power […]

THE South African International Trade Exhibition opened in Johannesburg on Wednesday with a hope that the next few years will see the increasing integration of production across the region. Speaking at the opening, director-general of trade and industry Zav Rustomjee said the recently concluded free trade agreement with the European Union and the Southern African […]

A BANK account of Correctional Services Commissioner Khulekani Sitole has been frozen following the start of an investigation into allegations that he abused department finances, SABC radio reports. The report said the First National Bank in Vrede in the Free State decided to freeze Sitole’s account after the branch manager read news reports that Parliament […]

ENGLAND beat Fiji 45-24 in the quarter-final play-off match at Twickenham on Wednesday to book a last-eight clash with World Cup holders South Africa in Paris. England, leading 21-3 at the interval, ran in two tries in each half to see off the Pacific islanders in a bruising physical encounter which saw several players leave […]