WESTERN Cape political leaders on Wednesday signed a peace pledge committing their parties to a path of non-violence ahead of the general elections scheduled for May. This comes after five political leaders — four members of the United Democratic Movement and an African National Congress councillor — were murdered last week in Nyanga and KTC […]
SOUTH Africa donated R940000 to the United Nations Development Programme on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. It said the money will be used to help cover the programme’s operational costs in South Africa. Acting Foreign Affairs Director-General Abdul Minty presented a cheque to the programme’s resident representative David Whaley as South […]
THE Independent Electoral Commission announced on Wednesday that three provincial legislatures will be smaller after the general election. It said that the Gauteng legislature will lose 13 seats, bringing it down to 73 members, the Western Cape three seats and North-West legislature one. The number of seats in the National Assembly will remain at 400. […]
SPRINGBOK flyhalf Franco Smith was the high-profile victim as Northern Bulls coach Eugene van Wyk took the drastic measure of axing four players for Saturday’s Super 12 showdown against the New South Wales Waratahs. Clearly fed-up with his under-achieving team who lost their three opening matches against the Stormers (42-19), Otago Highlanders (65-23) and the […]
JUDGE Willem Heath’s anti-corruption unit has issued a subpoena to Absa for documents regarding the R1,1-billion Reserve Bank lifeboat to the Bankorp Group. Heath is probing the rescue package, and needs Absa’s documentation to complete its investigation. Gerhard Visagie, senior legal representative of the Heath unit, said Absa has not responded to the subpoena, but […]
NIGERIA’S Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. on Wednesday confirmed that it has signed a multi-million dollar contract with four western oil groups to build a third liquefied natural gas train. The company said the four companies concerned are Technip of France, Snamprogetti of Italy, MW Kellogg of the United States and Japan Gasoline Corp. It did […]
AUSTRIAN journalist Peter Cvetko was shot dead after his car broke down in Houghton Drive, Johannesburg on Wednesday morning. Cvetko (39) was a temporary resident in South Africa. Police spokesperson Inspector Mark Reynolds said he was on his way home from visiting friends in Hillbrow when the car broke down. He called the Automobile Association […]
A LIBYAN Airlines plane carrying 125 pilgrims for the hajj to Mecca left Tripoli on Thursday for Saudi Arabia, once again in violation of a United Nation flight embargo. The aircraft, dubbed the “Plane of Defiance” by the Libyan authorities, took off from Tripoli airport.Libya has been under UN sanctions since 1992 for its refusal […]
FREE STATE African National Congress chairman Pat Matosa has lost his High Court appeal against a 1997 conviction for attempted murder, and is likely to serve a five-and-a-half year sentence. Matosa plans yet another appeal however. The Court’s decision threatens Matosa’s political career — the Constitution prohibits anyone sentenced to more than a year in […]
DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila on Tuesday proposed a debate with his opponents — including rebels fighting his regime — on “the legitimacy of power”. The DRC leader gave no date for any proposed meeting, but suggested that it could take place in Italy if the rebels “feel threatened” in coming to the […]
THE Parliamentary trade and industry committee approved on Monday amendments aimed at ensuring a smooth transition from old legislation to the Competition Act which was passed last year. Dave Lewis, chairman of the existing Competition Board, told the committee the changes are aimed at concerns that firms might try to push through mergers without proper […]
THE Anglo-Swiss team trying to make the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight is now unlikely to touch down in Egypt, contrary to earlier hopes, organisers said on Wednesday. The meteorologists plotting the course of the Breitling Orbiter III, piloted by Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of Britain, will not be able to name […]
THE Cats received a boost on Tuesday, with news that Springbok World Cup hero Chester Williams returns from injury to play against the fearsome Otago Highlanders on Saturday at Ellis Park. The Cats’ vice-captain has recovered from a hamstring injury and will retake his left-wing berth from Lourens Venter, who has a shoulder injury. Griquas […]
JUST 15 days before the sale of Zambia’s major copper mines is to go through, prospective buyer Anglo American Corporation is still lacking a substantial mining partner to join the venture. Sources from the ministry of finance said on Monday that the Zambian government is in a difficult situation because Anglo — who appears to […]
NIGERIAN president-elect Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in Paris on Wednesday at the start of a European tour, two weeks after winning elections aimed at restoring civilian rule to his country. Obasanjo, Nigeria’s military ruler from 1976 to 1979, is to meet French President Jacques Chirac. His tour is also expected to take him to Britain, Germany […]
TAXI drivers at Apel village, 80km from Pietersburg, have prevented teachers from going to school in their own cars for three days. Regional Police Commissioner Erwin Dorfling said 17 primary schools and eight high schools have been paralysed since Monday. One teacher, who insisted on remaining anonymous because of threats from taxi drivers, said they […]
MOROCCO and the United Nations have signed a military agreement to identify and destroy mines and unexploded bombs still buried in the Western Sahara, UN officials based in Al Ayun said Tuesday. The agreement does not apply to minefields bordering the fortifications built by Morocco in the barren eastern part of the territory.Minurso, the UN […]
President Nelson Mandela will meet Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi in the capital Tripoli on Friday.
THE Constitutional Court on Tuesday reserved judgment in its hearing on the New National Party’s challenge to the government ruling that only voters with bar-coded identity books can vote in the June election. The judgment is pending the presentation of supporting documents. The NNP, which took its case to the Constitutional Court after losing its […]
IRELAND will donate R45-million in development aid to Lesotho this year, Irish consul-general to Lesotho Tom Wright announced in the capital Maseru on Wednesday. Addressing a reception to mark Saint Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national day, Wright said poverty alleviation is at the heart of Ireland’s development programme to Lesotho. He added that the Irish aid […]
MPUMALANGA housing deputy director-general Steve Ngwenya has resigned to take up a post with the Independent Electoral Commission, MEC Craig Padayachee said on Tuesday. Addressing the provincial portfolio committee on housing and local government, Padayachee said Ngwenya will join the IEC as Mpumalanga’s electoral officer. Housing department spokesman Leon Mbangwa also resigned from the department […]
SABC programme director Mandla Langa will be appointed chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) at the end of March to replace outgoing chair Felleng Sekha, the National Assembly’s communications committee decided on Tuesday. The committee also resolved that the other two vacancies on the IBA council be filled by Sentech group executive Ken Herold […]
ABOUT 500 Mondi paper mill workers started a week of striking for a 12% pay rise on Wednesday. Mpumalanga secretary of the South African Agricultural Plantation and Allied Workers’ Union, Lawrence Mooi, said the union is not prepared to back down on its demands. Mondi general manager Colin Harvett rejected the union’s 12% across-the-board increase […]
THE final 16 football matches in the BobSave Superbowl competition will be played this weekend. Fixtures: Friday: 8pm: Seven Stars v Kaizer Chiefs (Athlone Stadium) Saturday 8pm: Manning Rangers v Santos (Chatsworth Stadium); 3pm: Supersport United v Orlando Pirates (Odi Stadium); 3pm: Qwa Qwa Stars v Moroka Swallows (Charles Mopeli Stadium) Sunday: 3pm: Ria Stars […]
GAMING giant Tsogo Sun began construction on its first permanent Mpumalanga casino this week despite High Court litigation aimed at overturning its casino licence in Nelspruit. The move follows Moven Pic’s takeover of the rival Karos Hotel Group in October 1998. Karos lodged one of two separate High Court challenges against Tsogo in 1997 after […]
ENGLAND’S Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) broke with 212 years of tradition on Tuesday by announcing its first women members. The prestigious London cricket club, still responsible for the laws of the game, said it had chosen 10 women as honorary members of the club. They include former England women’s captain Rachel Heyhoe Flint. The MCC […]
ALL Black winger Jonah Lomu hopes to make a comeback from injury in an invitation game on Friday. Lomu has not been able to play with the Waikato Chiefs Super 12 team and now hopes to play with the Bay of Plenty Steamers Invitation XV. Manager Steve Gilbert said Lomu would test his knee injury […]
THE Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty committee on Tuesday granted amnesty to apartheid-era spy Dieter Gerhardt. Gerhardt (64), a former commander of Simon’s Town naval base, was sentenced in the Cape Town High Court in 1983 to life imprisonment for spying for the former Soviet Union. He was released in 1992 as a political prisoner […]
SIX countries — Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia — on Wednesday formally empowered an international Task Force to fight wildlife crime in Africa. Referred to by many as “African Interpol” for wildlife and the first of its kind in the world, the Task Force will have its headquarters at the […]
MAURITIAN authorities are to search a Spanish-owned fishing vessel suspected of fishing illegally for the rare Patagonian Toothfish. Greenpeace has accused the “Salvora” which arrived Tuesday in Port Louis, of fishing for toothfish off the French-ruled Kerguelen islands in the far south of the Indian Ocean in what is an exclusive French economic zone.French ambassador […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 2.00pm. THE WESTERN Stormers are under pressure to perform after fielding a second-string team against the Otago Highlanders and must have a good night against ACT Brumbies in their Super 12 match on Friday. Only a victory over the Brumbies at Bruce Stadium in Canberra will vindicate Coach Alan Solomons’s […]
NIGERIA’s outgoing military government has named a new set of 41 envoys to head the country’s foreign missions abroad. The foreign ministry said in a statement that the move, ahead of the May 29 date for military hand-over to elected civilians, is “an integral part of the transition programme meant to lift Nigeria out of […]