SPRINGBOK flyhalf Henry Honiball is joining English rugby team Bristol from Natal for an undisclosed sum, Bristol said on Friday. Honiball, 33, signed a two-year contract with an option to play for a third season. Newspaper reports estimated that the contract was worth some 250000 pounds. Honiball, who has won 33 international caps, said he […]
FOURTEEN new caps have been included in the South African Under-21 rugby squad for this year’s Sanzar/UAR Tournament in Argentina in July. The 28-man squad, captained by Natal prop John Smit, was finalised at the weekend following the match between an SA Under-21 Invitation XV and the Vodacom Cup All Stars in Port Elizabeth. The […]
ANDRE Joubert will remain with the Natal Sharks for, at least, the remainder of the current Currie Cup season, the Natal Rugby Union announced in a statement on Tuesday. “Joubert’s experience is seen as a tremendous asset and a possibility of being called up by Nick Mallett for the Tri-Nations and the World Cup is […]
THE respected politcal staff of the Mail & Guardian have written profiles of the new Cabinet, named by President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday. Click on the links below for each ministers history. Jacob Zuma, deputy president Essop Pahad, Minister in office of the President Nkosazana Zuma, Foreign Affairs Patrick Lekota, Defence Steve Tshwete, Safety and […]
NOT all deputy ministers were announced on Thursday, but those who are known are: Dirk du Toit (Agriculture), Brigitte Mabandla, (Arts, Science and Culture), Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge (Defence), Smangaliso Mkhatshwa (Education), Joyce Mabudafhasi (Environmental Affairs and Tourism), Sipho Mphahlwa (Finance). Longtime stalwart in Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad hangs onto his post. Other new appointees include Lindiwe […]
HERSCHELLE Gibbs said a spray used to treat a sore finger may have caused him to drop a vital catch off Australian captain Steve Waugh in Sunday’s World Cup Super Six game. Waugh had scored 56 when Gibbs spilled a simple catch, appearing to let the ball slip from his hand as he tried to […]
WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM: IRELAND beat the North-West mealie farmers by 26-18 in a scrappy rugby tour match played at Olien Park in Potchefstroom on Tuesday. The match was a poor one, with both teams giving away too many penalties — 15 each. North-West were soon trailing the Irish 12-0, after being heavily penalised in the opening […]
SOUTH Africa have been reinstated as favourites to win the World Cup despite their defeat by Australia on Sunday and the fact they have to face them again in the semifinals. Bookmakers William Hill said they had cut South Africa’s odds to 7-4 from 11-5 after receiving several substantial bets. “We took a string of […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 6.10pm. NEWLY sworn in Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Ronnie Kasrils on Thursday said he was happy with his new post, describing it as a “mid-life change”. He said he would follow the policies laid down by his predecessor, Kader Asmal, and attempt to speed up the delivery of water. […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 8.00pm. THE qualifying rounds for the 2000 African Nations Cup reach a thrilling finale this weekend with eight teams fighting for four places and four more battling for two play-off positions. Co-hosts Ghana and Nigeria and title holders Egypt gain automatic entry to the biennial showcase of football on the […]
DAVID SHAPSHAK & Reuters, Birmingham | Thursday 7.50pm. NEEDING just one run to advance to the World Cup final, South Africa were knocked out when confusion between the last two batsmen saw Allan Donald being run out. Lance Klusener had knocked up two fours of the first two balls of the final over to level […]
AIR Namibia’s recent purchase of a brand new Boeing 747-400 Combi is being challenged by a rival plane manufacturer because a proper tendering process was not followed. Airbus Industrie has asked the German Embassy to help them secure a meeting with the Namibian Government to obtain an explanation on why Air Namibia dumped tender procedures […]
TUESDAY, 1.30PM: THE 1998 Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, won by Dmitry Grishine in a new record time of five hours, 26 minutes and 25 seconds, was dominated by Russian athletes, with four of the top five men’s runners, and two of the top five women, hailing from Russia. Grishine, who started the up-run […]
OWN CORESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 7.30pm. REACTION to the Cabinet announced by President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday was mostly positive, although certain appointments drew criticism from opposition parties. The leader of the official opposition in Parliament, Tony Leon, said Mbeki had missed a golden opportunity to make some inspired, imaginative and quality appointments to the […]
ETHIOPIAN troops killed, wounded or captured more than 21000 Eritrean soldiers between June 9 and 13 in battles along the border between the two Horn of Africa states, the Addis Ababa government claimed on Wednesday. Asmara claimed earlier that “the total number of Ethiopian troops put out of action in five days of intense fighting […]
JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Tuesday 18.20pm SUSPENDED Mpumalanga Parks Board chief Alan Gray won a third reprieve on Tuesday when his legal team managed to stall his disciplinary hearing yet again. Independent presiding officer Kobus Lowies postponed Gray’s disciplinary hearing on 22 separate misconduct and mal-administration charges indefinitely on Tuesday following a legal challenge against […]
POLICE are preparing to ask Interpol, the international police body, to help track down elusive political analyst Eugene Nyati after he successfully dodged a local warrant of arrest for ten weeks. The Pretoria Regional Court ordered Nyati’s arrest on April 1 when he failed to appear for trial on attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting […]
Johannesburg | Wednesday 1.45pm. HUMAN rights violations continue in post-apartheid South Africa, with frequent reports of deaths in police custody, Amnesty International said in its latest annual report published on Wednesday. Five years after all-race elections ended minority white rule in South Africa, there are “numerous reports of torture, ill-treatment and suspected unlawful killings by […]
AFRIKANER Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre’Blanche and one of his generals, Piet “Skiet” Rudolph, have been granted amnesty for their part in the siege of Ventersdorp in which three people died, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty committee confirmed on Monday. Beeld reports that Terre’Blanche was also granted amnesty for two other incidents: the tarring and […]
EIGHT consortia met the Monday noon deadline for bids for the coveted third cellular phone licence. The bidders are: Telenor/Telia Consortium, NextCom Cellular, Afrozone Telecomms, Five Mobile Networks, Africa Speaks, Spatial Cellular, Cell C and Khuluma 084 Cellular. A ninth bidder, Zintatu, failed to meet the 12 noon deadline to deliver 25 copies of their […]
THABO MBEKI’S inauguration as president on Wednesday was celebrated by a fly-over of three South African Airways Boeings which swooped over the festivities at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. One such Boeing delighted crowds at the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup with its fly-past over Ellis Park Stadium, but the use of three […]
THE appeals of far-rightists Daryll Stopforth and Leonard Veenendal against the refusal of their applications for the suspension of the decision to extradite them to Namibia will be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on September 7. The extradition of Stopforth and Veendendal was applied for by the Namibian government on June […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 7.49pm. THE current caretaker of former special police base Vlakplaas on Tuesday said he plans to buy the farm and convert it into a museum. Caretaker Louis Smit told reporters at the farm he hoped former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock will be freed and visit the planned museum. De […]
INAUGURATION revellers at the Union Buildings gardens in Pretoria on Wednesday afternoon settled in to enjoy some music and entertainment. Nineteen acts are lined up to perform at a post-inauguration concert, including local stars Hugh Masekela, Brenda Fassi, Johnny Clegg and Juluka and Lucky Dube, as well as international musicians Youssou N’dour and Angelique Kidjou. […]
Swaziland National Aids Programme officials are warning people infected with the HIV/Aids virus against buying any product advertised locally for the treatment of the disease. Aids sufferers have apparently flocking to a dealer in Manzini, following an advertisement about a drug named colloidal silver. Enquiries made by the Swaziland Aids counselling office found that medical […]
ZIMBABWE were one goal up against Bafana Bafana at half-time in the President Thabo Mbeki Inauguration friendly match at FNB Stadium on Wednesday. Hurlington Shereni scored in the 24th minute in the international soccer friendly. Bafana not too ‘Chippa’ 15
BRONWYN ROBERTS, Johannesburg | Wednesday 12.30pm NELSON MANDELA commemorated South Africa’s Youth Day by laying a wreath in Soweto, just hours before officially handing power to his deputy Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday. Several hundred people from the sprawling township outside Johannesburg greeted Mandela and his wife Graca with applause, cheers and whistles at the Hector […]
ZIMBABWE’s civil servants have refused the 5% salary increase offered by government on Tuesday,y and have gone on a nationwide strike demanding a 25% rise. Zimbabwe’s labour law does not allow the civil servants to strike. The defiant workers have given the government until Friday to adequately resolve the crisis or face an indefinite strike. […]
STATE prosecutors slapped another four fraud charges against alleged cash-heist kingpin Collin Chauke’s lover, Dudu Nkosi, when she appeared in the Nelspruit district court on Monday. Nkosi now faces 14 separate fraud charges. After she was arrested with Chauke at her Nelspruit townhouse on January 19, she was charged only with harbouring a known fugitive. […]
VOTING ended at most polling stations in Malawi’s second democratic elections on Tuesday at the scheduled time of 6pm, chief elections officer Roosevelt Gondwe said. He said voting would continue at a few centres which opened late to allow everyone to cast their ballots. Counting was due to begin soon after the polls closed, but […]
President Nelson Mandela will on Thursday spend his first day in retirement on a plane winging his way to a secret holiday destination, a presidential aide said on Tuesday. The aide declined to say where the outgoing president, accompanied by his wife, Graca Machel, was headed. “He will be away for two weeks. Mrs Machel […]
WESTERN Dape Director of Public Prosecutions Frank Kahn has referred a docket in which Foreign Affairs official Robert McBride is charged with being an accessory in an assault case, back to the police for further investigation. McBride and a friend are being accused of assaulting a woman at an escort agency in Cape Town. According […]