SOUTH African captain Hanse Cronje led his team to a stunning three-wicket victory against Pakistan in the one-day limited-overs international at Buffalo Park in East London on Saturday, claiming man-of-the-match title after taking two for 17, in ten overs. Some 13 000 people attended the match to see Cronje’s men extend their unbeaten run over […]
THE Nigeria Labour Congress, the main trade unions’ federation, on Tuesday launched strike action over a minimum wage and said it expects “solid support” in two th The NLC last week called the strike to press for application of an agreed minimum wage which the governments of 24 states say they cannot afford to pay. […]
LABOUR Minister Membathisi Mdladlana launched the National Skills Authority on Monday, saying it will promote training for school leavers and the unemployed, as well as improving the relationship between the education system and the job market. The authority replaces the National Training Board in terms of the Skills Development Act. Another new law, the Skills […]
President Nelson Mandela will formally proclaim June 2 as the election date by the end of the week.
TWENTY people have died in a cholera outbreak in Kano, northern Nigeria, in the past three weeks, health workers said in Lagos on Monday. The humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres, which has set up a treatment centre in the city, has seen some 350 cases of cholera since March 24 around Kano, one of the […]
STEEL giant Iscor said on Monday it would close its 96-year-old Durnacol coal mine in 2000 because continued production there is no longer economically viable. Iscor chairman Hans Smith said in a statement that massive cutbacks in domestic steel production had resulted in a dramatic drop in demand for coal from Durnacol. Iscor mining division […]
CONSTRUCTION of the 400-kilovolt powerline between Windhoek and Namibia’s border with South Africa is well on course and should be completed before the end of this year. NamPower on Monday reported progress on the 735km single-circuit powerline which has already reached Gibeon while the new Kokerboom substation 15km east of Keetmanshoop is nearing completion. The […]
HOME Affairs Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Monday asked his director general, Albert Mokoena, to respond in writing and in detail to each of the allegations against him. This is despite a written denial by Mokoena two weeks ago that the claims are false. The allegations pertain to Mokoena’s ownership of the Mecer Panthers basketball team, […]
MOROCCO has appealed to several sub-Saharan African countries to help it recover two enclaves occupied by Spain. The country’s prime minister Abderrahmane el Youssoufi said on Monday that Rabat needs the diplomatic support of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Kenya and Nigeria to win back the enclaves of Melilia and Ceuta, which remained under Spanish control […]
THE South African Tourism Board is to launch a R90-million marketing campaign this year to attract tourists from Britain, Europe, and the United States. Deputy Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Peter Mokaba, speaking after a meeting in Johannesburg of the Tourism Forum, said the campaign, to be launched later this year, will involve R50-million spent […]
ANY delay in the upcoming elections could have a negative impact on investor confidence in South Africa, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel warned on Monday. International investors had already discounted the fact that the election would take place and that irrational statements will be made, he said. However the series of court actions aimed at extending […]
FORMER Springbok lock Johan Ackermann could be making his comeback against Griqualand West in a Vodacom Cup rugby match in Kimberley on Tuesday afternoon. Ackermann, who has been ruled out of the game for two years for using an anabolic steroid, was included on the bench. Ackermann played club rugby for the Witwatersrand Police second […]
DAVID SHAPSHAK, Johannesburg | Friday 6.00pm. WAYWARD Springbok hooker James Dalton, whose absence from practise this week and failure to contact his province could reportedly cost him his lucrative contract with the Golden Lions, was spotted drinking this week at a bar outside Johannesburg. He spent two hours at Squires, next to the Hartbeesport Dam, […]
A BRILLIANT try in injury time by British Lions centre Scott Gibbs set up Wales for a dramatic 32-31 victory over England on Sunday, handing Scotland the Five Nations championship for the first time since 1990. Welsh flyhalf Neil Jenkins, who had a superb day with the boot for a total of 22 points, kicked […]
NIGERIAN ended a four month strike over pay and conditions after receiving promises of a review, press reports said on Monday. The public sector doctors began their strike on December 14 after they were excluded from a new public sector wage package announced by military ruler General Abdulsalami Abubakar in September. At a meeting Saturday, […]
NIGERIA’S president-elect Olusegun Obasanjo called Monday for greater economic aid to his country, saying Chinese entrepreneurs and investors were welcome. The two countries should work together to draw up plans for bilateral economic and trade cooperation in the years to come, he said in a meeting with Chinese business representatives, including from the power, oil, […]
DISGRACED political analyst Eugene Nyati may face additional fraud charges on top of those of attempted murder and contempt of court when he returns from the Far East later this month. He apparently attempted to mislead court officials into thinking that he applied to be excused from court last week. Nyati was supposed to appear […]
FOUR people were injured, one of them seriously, when a bomb went off overnight in the Ugandan capital Kampala, police said on Sunday. “Three (people) had minor injuries but one of the victims was seriously injured. She had shrapnel wounds in her head and eye,” police spokesman Bob Ngobi said. The explosion occurred late on […]
THE Northern Free State Griffons beat Namibia’s Kudus 36-25 after leading 16-13 at halftime in a Vodacom Cup match in Windhoek on Saturday afternoon. The match was not much of a spectacle, with especially the home team being guilty of numerous handling errors. The visitors, however, took their chances well and were deserved winners. The […]
THE Queensland Reds beat a vastly improved Northern Bulls 17-7 in their Super 12 clash in Brakpan, outside of Johannesburg, on Friday night. The Bulls, who have not won any of their seven games, looked much better than they have in previous outings, holding the visitors in the first half and scoring the period’s only […]
SIX members of Telkom’s treasury department were told to clear their desks on Monday fter they tried to set themselves up as a private tresury dealing company, with Telkom as a client. The sudden resignation of the six — including treasury head Willie Landman, two senior corporate officials and three senior dealers — has rocked […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 5.00pm. AMAZULU and Vaal Professionals drew their Castle Premier League match 1-1 at Kings Park in Durban on Sunday. There was no score at half-time, but the visiting side protested when Papi Mbele managed to scramble the ball over the AmaZulu goalline in the 18th minute from a cross by […]
A DECISION on whether South African citizens who live abroad will be able to vote in the upcoming June 2 elections is expected on Monday, amid clamour from expatriates and opposition political parties. The IEC has been inundated with requests from overseas, as well as buffeted by suits and demands from the National Party and […]
INSPIRATIONAL Springbok flank Ruben Kruger could also make his comeback this weekend. The former Bulls skipper has been pencilled in for their Super 12 clash against the Sharks this Saturday, after a serious knee injury last September sidelined him.
THE Sudanese government is ready to accept Egypt as a “neutral mediator” in its conflict with northern opposition forces, the daily Al Usbu reported on Sunday.The newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said Egypt recently sent Sudan a message containing the viewpoint of the northern opposition regarding reconciliation with the government.Sudan replied to the message by voicing […]
THE two Libyan suspects of the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing are satisfied with the conditions of their detention in the Netherlands where they are awaiting trial, Libyan state television reported on Saturday. Al-Amine Khalifa Fhimah (43) and Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi (47) “called their parents by phone to assure them that all humanitarian requirements were […]
ANGLO American Corporation has been in contact with Chile’s state-owned Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, about joining up to exploit state-owned Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines. Anglo chairman and CEO Julian Ogilvie Thompson said on Thursday that Anglo expects to make a decision in the second quarter of this year about who will be its […]
THE Department of Trade and Industry on Thursday launched a Business Referral and Information Network “Brain” website aimed at promoting small business enterprises. The site aims to provide businesses with access to information and assistance on business development. Small Business Promotion Centre chief director Patrick Kohlo said the government will inject R5-million into the project […]
PRO-GOVERNMENT forces have captured Bunumbu, a major town in eastern Sierra Leone, from rebels fighting the Freetown government, reports said on Sunday. Journalists in the region said a three-day battle for Bunumbu ended Friday when Civil Defence Forces drove rebels of the Revolutionary United Front from the town. Bunumbu, which has a key educational Teacher’s […]
GUINNESS South Africa on Thursday announced Namibian Breweries will distribute and sell its Guinness and Kilkenny beer and draught in South Africa. The agreement, effective from May 1, when the current distribution deal with South African Breweries expires, is widely seen as an attempt by the Irish brewery to compete for the African beer market […]
THE Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council said on Thursday it is to continue with its implementation of the Igoli 2002 restructuring programme — despite demands by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union for an immediate halt to the plan. Samwu said the plan has been hatched without any consultation with the city’s poor, and violates a […]
THE decision to bring in Auditor General Henri Kleuver to settle the dispute between Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and Judge Willem Heath over the effeciveness of his special investigative unit was welcomed by Heath on Thursday. “The auditor-general is independent, and once he has checked our files, there will be clarity,” said the anti-corruption unit’s […]