Staff Reporter

A SHIP was heading to the separatist Indian Ocean island of Anjouan in the Comoros on Friday to evacuate an assessment team of African foreign ministers stuck between opposing factions. Officials in neighbouring Mauritius said the ship was sent by Moroni, the capital of the Comoros archipelago, to rescue the team mandated by the Organisation […]

Tangeni Amupadhi and Wonder Hlongwa Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal has grabbed the headlines in recent months, but a cluster of nearby villages in the Umvoti valley may well hold the unenviable title of murder capital of the world. Police estimate that since 1996, more than 600 people have been assassinated in what are described as “faction […]

THE United Nations Security Council extended for six weeks on Thursday the mandate of a UN mission charged with preparing an independence referendum in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. The vote came hours after Morocco signed a technical agreement which provides for the UN forces in the former Spanish colony to be armed in […]

HUGE crowds are expected at the AA Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand at the weekend when the official Vodacom F1 test session starts on Saturday. The Williams and Grand Prix newcomers British American Racing (BAR) teams will be testing at Kyalami from Saturday until Wednesday. Technical crews from both teams arrived in South Africa […]

LIBYAN leader Moammar Gadaffi has called for a meeting of African leaders to deal with “plots” against the continent, the official Jana news agency said in Tripoli on Thursday. Gadaffi made the proposal in telephone calls to African heads of state, including President Nelson Mandela, and Burkina Faso’s Blaise Compaore, acting president of the Organisation […]

Loose cannon: Robert Kirby I can’t imagine why such a fuss is being made about the appointment of Mr Ramesh Vassen as consul general to India. Anyone with two eyes in his head could see it coming a mile off. The appointment of one’s political buddies into high office has always been within the purview […]

Emeka Nwandiko Bathed in fluorescent light, Lisa Bornman points a 9mm Taurus pistol at a red bull’s- eye and fires. Despite the debate raging in the country whether handguns should be banned, Bornman takes weapons training to protect herself. She is part of a growing legion of women who believe a gun is the means […]

Martin Jacques:SHARE WORLD Six months ago, China was the new global star. While virtually every other country in East Asia had devalued its currency, China resisted, cushioning the effects of the regional crisis. United States President Bill Clinton and a succession of other Western leaders trod the increasingly obligatory path to Beijing. Economic reform, notably […]

ZIMBABWEAN writer Yvonne Vera, author of Under the Tongue, which won the Commonwealth prize in 1997 (Africa Region), has been awarded Sweden’s The Voice of Africa literary award for 1999. Vera (34) will be presented with the award at a function at the Gothenburg Book Fair. 11

DEMOCRATIC Party Gauteng leader Peter Leon told the Gauteng legislature on Thursday that he has information that a gambling operator paid R1-million to a Gauteng MEC to secure a casino license. Leon refused repeated requests to name the MEC. Leon subsequently came under fire from leader of the house Firoz Cachalia, who charged that Leon […]

LEGISLATION to liberalise Mozambique’s telecommunications sector is nearing completion and will be presented to cabinet and parliament for approval soon, the country’s deputy minister of transport and communications, Antonio Fernandes, said on Thursday. The new law will allow Mozambique’s state telecom company, TDM, to commercialise or partially privatise core services by teaming up with foreign […]

Securitisation should give the banking industry a kick in the pants and investors a new toy, writes Donna Block Looking for a new home loan? Okay, “round up the usual suspects”. Only a month ago most consumers looking for a home loan would have taken a similar tact. The major banks all have comparable rates, […]

David Shapshak South African scientists have developed a low-cost, environmentally friendly water- stabilisation system which could revolutionise the way water is treated. The system’s benefits are untold in a country were water is scarce:providing safer drinking water, especially for rural areas, and potentially saving the country a fortune in maintaining the underground water pipes in […]

Jamie Doward Online war is set to break out when Christie’s announces later this year that it will hold auctions over the Internet, putting it in direct competition with Sotheby’s. Two weeks ago, Sotheby’s, the world’s oldest international auction house, revealed it was to develop an Internet trading arm for art, antiques, jewellery and collectibles. […]

steel Ben Turok In 1958 when Marius Schoon applied for membership of the Congress of Democrats (COD), the Congress Alliance (as the African National Congress-led movement was then known) was actively fighting to defend its policy of non-racialism against those who wanted to establish the Pan Africanist Congress as a basically anti-white organisation. The ANC […]

Howard Barrell: OVER A BARREL Who would want to be President Nelson Mandela? Not me. And my reasons have nothing to do with spending nearly 30 years in prison. What would convince me I could do without international adulation and the Nobel Peace Prize would be the exasperation of having to placate, encourage and cajole […]

CD of the week: Keith Henderson Boo! continue their climb towards glittery Munki Punk superstardom with the release of their first CD, which happens to be called Pineapple Flava (the cassette is Banana Flava). Having been in existence for just over a year, the trio – which consists of seasoned South African musos Chris Chameleon, […]

Sechaba ka’Nkosi Meet the Federal Alliance’s newest recruit and probably Louis Luyt’s most sensational catch. She is streetwise Elizabeth Rapuleng (50) of Zondi, Soweto. Rapuleng dumped the ailing New National Party only three days after party stalwarts such as Sheila Camerer organised a big bash to celebrate her birthday. Rapuleng joined the alliance last week […]

Stephen Langtry The New Apostolic Church, which drew applause recently from Deputy President Thabo Mbeki for its proposed new national anthem, has a shady past which extends from a close relationship with the Nazi regime to support for apartheid. Confronted by this information, a representative for Mbeki, Titus Mafolo, said: “It is difficult for the […]

SEVENTY Rwandan non-commissioned officers are to train as pilots in Israel, the monthly Newsline reports in its current issue.Armed forces spokesperson Emmanuel Ndahiro denied the report but other military sources said that military personnel are scheduled to leave for Israel soon.”Rwanda has intensified training of its military in the past five years apparently to get […]

SUDANESE civilians may be tried by military courts for crimes involving firearms, explosives, espionage, and military secrets, a source cited by the official Suna news agency said in Khartoum on Thursday. “If the army commander-in-chief and state prosecutor agree, civilians suspected of these crimes may be judged by the armed forces tribunal, responsible for the […]

KALAHARI Bushmen who once occupied the land in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park will be returned a part of the park plus additional land in a historic agreement to be saigned next month. Land Affairs Minister Derek Hanekom said on Thursday. the land claim is at “the point of settlement” and he is confident the […]

FUGITIVE German billionaire Jurgen Harksen collapsed at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after being refused bail. Harksen was admitted to hospital under police guard with a suspected heart attack. Cape Town Magistrate Mike Wagener, who earlier this week ordered Harksen’s extradition to Germany on tax evasion charges, on Wednesday refused him bail and […]

ALL eyes in Nigeria will on this weekend’s meeting of the Nigerian People’s Democratic Party in Jos, in the central plateau region, where party members meet to pick from a list headed by former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo and former vice presidential candidate Alex Ekwueme. Obasanjo, a retired general who ran Nigeria from 1976 to […]

ZIMBABWE’S short-term money market rates spiked higher on Wednesday in their first large reaction to the central bank’s weekend rates hike. However, localised student unrest at the university campus on Wednesday had no effect on trade, dealers said. The Reserve Bank lifted its benchmark bank rate on Saturday by 2,5 percentage points to 45% and, […]

DEPUTY President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday the government will not delay this year’s general election, expected to be held in May, despite legal wrangling over electoral rules. “The government has no intention to ask for a postponement of the general election,” Mbeki told parliament, adding that he hopes the exact poll date will be […]

AFRICA’S two Waynes are out of the Dubai Open tennis championship. Wayne Ferreira was sent home on Tuesday by Francisco Clavet of Spain, losing 13-11 in a third set tiebreaker. The South African was beaten 3-6 6-2 7-6 by the world number 29 on the second day of the $1-million tournament. Zimbabwe’s Wayne Black was […]

A COALITION of non-government organisations under the umbrella of the Gun Control Alliance launched a “Charter for Gun Control” on Wednesday. The intention of the campaign is to “establish social consensus” on the issue. The campaign aims to prevent the keeping of forearms for self-defence by persuading the authorities to issue firearm licences only to […]

POLICE have arrested four members of a suspected murder gang which terrified Northern Province residents at a popular meeting place for amorous couples 20km south of Pietersburg. The lovers’ lane gang is believed to have shot and killed three men and a woman during their six-week reign of terror at Lebowakgomo. A second woman was […]

OIL giant Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday that it is still trying to fine-tune an international investment of $8,5-billion in Nigeria with the Lagos government. “These are proposals that are currently being worked out with the Nigerian government,” a spokesman said after publication of disastrous company results. A Shell managing director, Philip Watts, confirmed […]

A COALITION of eight opposition parties in Niger has taken the lead in weekend municipal elections, according to preliminary and partial results released in the capital Niamey on Thursday by the National Independent Electoral Commission (Ceni). The coalition, which has fared better in Niger’s main cities, has captured 318 municipal seats out out 570 districts, […]

NORTHERN Province police charged 10 farmers with attempted murder on Thursday after the farmers allegedly assaulted three stock theft officers and damaged a police van. The unnamed farmers forced three black Pietersburg police officers off the road on Tuesday afternoon. “The officers spotted a suspicious truck full of cattle near Bochum and attempted to pull […]