Staff Reporter

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 […]

JUSTIN Hobday set a new course record by shooting a 61 (-11) in the first round of the South African Masters on Thursday at the Oppenheimer Park Golf Course in Welkom, Free State.

INTERNATIONAL investment bank Deutsche Bank is due to launch the first of its Index Tracking Certificate markets — linked to the Alsi 40 Index — on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Thursday. An ITC is a financial instrument listed on the JSE. The instrument tracks the performance of a specific underlying index — in this […]

A CONSTRUCTION engineer told the Inyaka bridge inquiry on Thursday that cracks which appeared in the bridge before it collapsed were wider than allowed. Ricardo de Sastet, an engineer for the bridge’s builders Concor Construction, told the inquiry that cracks seen on the bridge before the collapse were 1,2 metres long and two millimetres wide […]

AMERICAN superstar sprinter Marion Jones will be among five leading Americans participating in the last two legs of the Engen Grand Prix Summer Series. Prevented by budget constraints from taking part in the March 13 Summer Series opening in Pietersburg, the Americans will be competing in Roodeport on March 19 and in Cape Town on […]

A DELEGATION of the Organisation of African Unity in the separatist Comoran island of Anjouan is “stuck” between two armed factions, officials in the Mauritian capital said on Thursday. “The delegation is apparently having problems right now, stuck between two armed factions who have been fighting on the island for several weeks,” an official said. […]

THE African National Congress on Thursday rejected charges that its members are planning to kill leaders of the Inkatha Freedom Party ahead of the looming general elections. IFP leader Mangosuthu Butheleziclaimed on Wednesday that the ANC is arming its supporters in KwaZulu-Natal and planns to assassinate IFP leaders before the poll, due in May. Minister […]

President Nelson Mandela and his wife Graa Machel will visit Sweden next month.

UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni has ordered his controversial brother, Major General Salim Saleh, to repay a loan he owes the troubled Uganda Commercial Bank, the independent Monitor newspaper reported on Thursday.”He [Museveni] sent me a message through someone that I should pay the UCB loan [of $1,7-million] so that I can clear this mess,” Saleh […]

INKATHA Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi claimed on Wednesday that African National Congress leaders in violent KwaZulu-Natal province are arming supporters ahead of the general elections this year. Buthelezi said in Cape Town that the ANC has plans to assassinate IFP leaders and that a number have already come under attack in recent days. He […]

THE South African Tennis Association on Wednesday decided to move the Euro-African Zone group 1 tie from Johannesburg to Cape Town after players expressed their concerns about playing at altitude. Despite signing a letter of commitment to hold the April 2-4 contest at Johannesburg’s Standard Bank venue, Sata has agreed to pay a penalty fee […]

MOZAMBIQUE’S public tele-communications company, TDM, has invited tender bids for a multimillion dollar underwater fibre-optic communications cable linking the country’s two biggest cities of Maputo and Beira. The project is partly financed by Germany, which has imposed preconditions forcing developers to source all components for the project from either Germany or Southern African Development Community […]

ALBANIA’S exiled King Leka, jailed this week pending a bail hearing, was hospitalised with a bleeding ulcer late on Tuesday. Police spokesperson Captain Francois Grobbelaar said on Wednesday that Leka (60) had complained of feeling ill and was admitted to a Johannesburg clinic. The king is being held on charges of illegal possession of firearms, […]

DEPUTY Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Tuesday said South Africa will continue to support the peace process in Burundi, and to helping the country recover from years of internecine conflict. Pahad met with Mr Nzojibwami Augustine, Second Vice President of the Transitional Assembly of Burundi in Cape Town today. South Africa has been supporting the […]

THE World Flower Show, claimed to be the world’s biggest, will be held at the Durban International Convention Centre from Thursday to Sunday, according to organiser Anthea Johnston. She said some 450 floral artists from 27 countries will take part in the event, which is being held in Africa for the first time under the […]

A MAGISTRATE ordered here on Tuesday that Trevor Tutu, the son of Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, be held in police custody after he failed to appear in court for the third time on charges of reckless driving.Tutu was due in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court for the resumption of a trial in which he […]

ZIMBABWE’S President Robert Mugabe’s battle with the country’s judges sent Zimbabwe’s main share index tumbling on Tuesday. Dropping for the third consecutive day, the industrial index slipped 185,79 points or 2.6% to 7078 as investors waited for further political developments. Meanwhile, Mugabe’s demand on Saturday for judges attacking his human rights record to step down […]

THE North West Development Corporation has been placed under judicial management at the request of the North-West government. Many enterprises funded by the provincial parastatal have failed to repay their debts to the corporation. The office of the MEC for finance and economic affairs, Martin Kuskus, said the global economic crisis and the opening of […]

JCI GOLD, the company that emerged from the ashes of mining house JCI Ltd, said on Tuesday it hopes to give details of its final structure by the end of February. JCI Executive Deputy Chairman Brett Kebble said the company is now focused on a proposed merger with Consolidated African Mines after a separate deal […]

SECURITY guards nationwide are set to strike on Wednesday to demand a shorter working week. The guards — 70000 strong — belong to the Transport and General Workers Union whose general secretary, Randall Howard, warns businesses face chaos if the strike goes ahead. Howard said on Monday that industrial action was the union’s response to […]

MPUMALANGA’S new Environmental Affairs MEC, Luckson Mathebula, has been charged with assault after allegedly beating his estranged wife with a large wooden curio. Mathebula was formally charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm by the auditor general on Monday and will appear in court next week. He allegedly beat Aletta Rose Mnisi […]

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook were lambasted by the conservative British press on Wednesday for their handling of the so called “arms-to-Africa” scandal. On Tuesday a cross-party group of MPs slammed the foreign office for allowing British mercenaries to supply weapons to Sierra Leone — in breach of a United […]

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 […]

TWO of the four Zimbawean journalists detained at the weekend were released on bail of Z$5000 each by the Harare Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The two journalists, Mirror editor-in-chief Ibbo Mandaza and Mirror reporter Grace Kwinjeh were charged under the draconian Law and Order Maintenance Act of Ian Smith’s government for “publishing false information likely […]

MOZAMBIQUE’S second multiparty elections since its 16-year civil war ended in 1992 have been scheduled for October at a budget of just over $42-million. Almost half of the budget is already allocated to an extensive voter registration campaign which will reregister all potential voters from scratch following allegations by opposition parties — particularly opposition party […]

WESTERN Areas and Canadian mining group Placer Dome have firmed up a $235-million joint venture agreement. Western Areas is hoping that the deal will allow it to dilute its risk from South Deep, its deep level project and to explore mining projects throughout the world. Placer Dome will chair the joint-venture board and have the […]

A PAINSTAKING century by Mal Loye of Northamptonshire gave England A the upperhand over Zimbabwe A on Tuesday, the first day of a five-day Test in Bulawayo. Loye batted through all but six overs of the day for his unbeaten 122, which included 17 boundaries. His effort on an easy paced wicket enabled England A […]

THE Jordanian embassy in Pretoria has opened a book of condolences for King Hussein, who died suddenly at the weekend. The embassy said on Tuesday that members of the public will be able to sign the book from 10am to noon and from 2pm to 4pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the embassy at […]

SOUTH African Breweries said on Tuesday that it will publish its prospectus on Wednesday to coincide with the launch of a road show to promote its upcoming London listing. SAB, one of the world’s five biggest brewers, plans to move its primary listing to London in March. The road show begins in London on Wednesday. […]