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 […]
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 Angolan government rejected on Wednesday an initiative by Burkina Faso President Blaise Campaore to invite Unita rebels to the next summit of the Organization of African Unity. It said the move would contravene United Nations sanctions imposed against Unita.Campaore, who is also OAU chairman, last week invited Unita rebels and those fighting in the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A WITNESS in the Julie Ward murder trial told a Nairobi, Kenya court on Tuesday that he has no doubt the British tourist was murdered. Ward’s dismembered and burnt remains were found in the Masai Mara Game Reserve on September 13, 1988. Officials at the time claimed Ward had been attacked and killed by wild […]
THE AUDITOR-GENERAL has slammed the public enterprises department in a recent report, citing R350000 in unauthorised expenditure in the year to March. Failure to follow proper tender procedures for employing consultants in a privatisation plan led to the overrun. Auditor-General Henri Kluever said the department failed to turn over official documentation on the sale of […]
AT least 800 armed Democratic Republic of Congolo soldiers fleeing a rebel offensive have streamed into Zambia over the past few days, the Times of Zambia reported on Monday. The paper reported that nearly 10000 civilians including some French settlers had also crossed into Zambia. The soldiers entered Zambia through the northern town of Kaputa, […]
ERNIE ELS slipped a spot to fourth in the world rankings on Monday after American Mark O’Meara rose two places to third after finishing joint third in the Honda Classic. Vijay Singh, who won the Coral Springs tournament by two strokes on Sunday, climbed one place to seventh. Tiger Woods leads the rankings with fellow […]
MATTHEW LEE, Washington | Tuesday 7.00pm. A YEAR after his landmark trip to Africa, United States President Bill Clinton on Tuesday urged the international community to forgive $70-billion in debts owed to it by African countries. Clinton announced the proposal at the opening session of a US-Africa ministerial meeting at the state department at which […]
SIX people have drowned and scores more are missing after a boat carrying at least 200 people sank in the Forcados River in south-east Nigeria, press reports said on Tuesday. The accident took place late on Sunday near Burutu in the swamps south of the troubled oil town of Warri, the reports said, quoting police […]
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 judgement is pending the presentation of supporting documents. The NNP, which took its case to the Constitutional Court after losing its […]
SOUTH AFRICA will be short of water just 20 years from now unless people cut back their usage immediately, Water Affairs Minister Kader Asmal said on Monday. “Our economy is growing. Our climate is becoming drier. Our demand for water is growing too,” said Asmal, launching National Water Week at Cape Town’s Waterfront. “Experts predict […]
HEALTH Minister Dr Nkosazana Zuma leaves for Washington, DC. on Tuesday to attend the three-day International Conference on Children and Tobacco from March 17 to 19. The summit, hosted by the United States Senate, The Campaign for Tobacco Free-Kids and the American Public Health Association, will be attended by more than 100 delegates and health […]
President Nelson Mandela on Monday thanked Denmark for its help in the struggle against apartheid.
THE United Nations mediator to Angola left the war-torn country on Monday following the withdrawal of the UN mission there, as reports of weekend clashes reached the capital. “I am leaving Angola encouraged. We did our best,” Issa Diallo told journalists before his departure. Diallo said the United Nations would continue to work to end […]
GHANA and Nigeria will co-host the 2000 African Nations Cup, the African Football Confederation (CAF) said Monday in Guinea. The West African countries replace Zimbabwe, who failed to meet stadia and financial targets, in staging the 16-team event from January 23 to February 13.
SOME 14225 children were reported raped in the first 11 months of last year, according to police figures presented on Monday at a conference on crimes against children. Northern Province divisional commissioner of human resources, Neels Steenkamp, said at the Nylstroom conference that reported rapes of children have doubled since 1994, when 7559 cases were […]
THE two wives of a Malian immigrant were given suspended five-year jail terms on Monday for having five of their daughters circumcised in 1992 at their home in a Paris suburb. The case was linked with that of Hawa Greou, another Malian woman who was jailed for eight years by a Paris court in February […]
RAINS over prime sugar lands in eastern KwaZulu-Natal have staved off fears that the crop could be adversely affected by recent hot weather, a sugar official said on Monday. Soaking rains last weekend brought relief to maize farmers and sugar cane growers. Mtunzini on the North coast of the province had 43mm of rain, Durban […]
KENYAN Simon Bor set a course record of 2:09:25 in winning the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, beating the mark set 11 years ago by compatriot James Bungei by almost one minute. South Africa’s Johannes Maremane finished fifth in 2:14:19.
THE Azanian People’s Liberation Army will officially disband at a parade in Umtata on Saturday March 20. PAC spokesperson Wonder Masombuka said on Tuesday the move comes after a unanimous decision at the party’s conference in December that its armed wing be officially disbanded. PAC President Stanley Mogoba will preside over the final parade in […]
President Nelson Mandela will meet Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi in the capital Tripoli.
TWO members of the Azanian People’s Liberation Army were convicted in the Bisho High Court on Monday of the 1994 murder of three Iranian nationals belonging to the Baha’i Faith church. The men claimed the crime had been politically motivated, and that they had mistook the Persians for “Boers”. The men have applied for amnesty […]
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 […]
PROFESSOR Willem van Riet has been appointed acting chairman of the board of trustees of South African National Parks. The appointment by Environmental Affairs Minister Pallo Jordan follows the resignation of Vusi Khanyile on March 12. Khanyile cited increased work pressure as managing director of Thebe Investments as the reason for his departure in a […]
THE Northern Province government will not build its government complex this year, as planned, but will continue renting offices, public works MEC Collins Chabane said on Monday. Construction has been postponed to allow more cost-effective building plans to be devised. This year’s R40-million budget for the complex will be reallocated to roads and other projects. […]
MAIZE futures moved down sharply in early Monday trade after widespread rains this weekend in maize growing areas. The North-West province’s Klerksdorp had 51mm of rain and Lichtenburg had a soaking 58mm. The Free State towns of Kroonstad received 13mm, Frankfort 19mm and Welkom 15mm. Gauteng and Northern provinces also had scattered showers. Futures dealers […]
TRADITIONAL leaders around South Africa will receive the same government salaries and benefits after talks between Constitutional Development Minister Valli Moosa, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, Land Affairs Minister Derek Hanekom and the Congress of Traditional Leaders (Contralesa). Moosa announced at the weekend that the government plans to bring uniformity to the salaries of kings and […]
AN outbreak of cholera has killed 113 people in Zimbabwe in the first 10 weeks of this year, health officials said. At least 1115 cases have been identified and reported throughout the country, with officials expecting the cases to rise in coming weeks. According to figures available on Monday, the water-borne disease claimed 990 lives […]
SHARES in Sun International Ltd (Sisa) jumped nearly 27% in early trade on Monday on speculation that pop star Michael Jackson will buy a 27% stake in the hotel group. This comes after Business Times reported on Sunday that Jackson is to buy 27% of Sisa for R400-million from the provincial North West Development Corporation. […]