Staff Reporter

George Hazeldon believes his proposed self-sufficient community will solve South Africa’s crime problem … for some. Chris McGreal went behind the electric fence George Hazeldon likens his vision to Mont St Michel, the ancient French monastery and fortress. Detractors dismiss the British property developer’s scheme as a fool’s paradise. Either way, the contracts are rolling […]

WALLY MBHELE, Johannesburg | Friday 10.30am. EMBATTLED Mpumalanga Premier Mathews Phosa is set to be discharged of his duties next month as premier and African National Congress provincial chair when the party meets to finalise its list of parliamentary candidates. The ANC committee investigating the causes of infighting among ANC heavyweights in Mpumalanga — which […]

Review of the week: Brenda Atkinson The Goodman Gallery’s new year triple billing is headed by Mimmo Paladino’s Carte Siciliane, a set of 12 new works etched on handmade paper. Paladino first came to the attention of Europe’s artworld in the late Seventies with a series of drawings, after which he moved on to painting […]

MINISTERS from 11 African countries met in Pretoria on Thursday to seek a solution to the separatist crisis in the Comoros. The South African foreign ministry said the meeting, chaired by Organisation of African Unity Secretary General Salim Ahmed Salim, was called at the request of Comoran Prime Minister Abass Djoussouf. It is aimed at […]

ANGLO American Corporation announced on Tuesday that the British-based company it is to form with its offshore arm, Minorco, will post its listing particulars to shareholders at the end of April — two and half months later than planned. When it announced the formation of the new company Anglo American (AA) in October, Anglo had […]

KENYAN International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Charles Mukora quit the IOC on Wednesday in the wake of the votes-for-favours scandal. However, Mukora said he was an “innocent victim” and that he would retain his other positions. He is first vice-chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, a post to which he was elected in Kuala Lumpur […]

President Nelson Mandela arrived in Baden Baden, Germany.

PRICES of some basic foodstuffs in Zimbabwe are set to go up yet again by an average 20% from mid-February, the second such increase in four months. This follows domestic food manufacturers petitioning the government for the price hikes. They say their companies are threatened with collapse unless they pass on to consumers production costs […]

MINISTERIAL delegations from 11 African countries will meet in Pretoria on Thursday to search for a political solution to the secessionist crisis on the Comoros Islands, foreign ministry spokesman Marco Boni said on Wednesday. Boni said that South Africa called the meeting, which is to be chaired by Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo, at the request […]

ZAMBIAN legislators have called for a serious government probe into reports alleging top state officials are supplying arms to Unita rebels in Angola. Two members of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy have asked President Frederick Chiluba to tell the truth about these allegations. One of the lawmakers, Jerry Muloji, said any delay in carrying […]

THE WORLD Bank is expected on Thursday to release a $170-million credit to Zambia for various programmes. Finance minister Edith Nawakwi revealed on Wednesday that the World Bank agreed to extend to Zambia the credit worth $170-million. Nawakwi said the Private Sector Reform and Export Promotion (PSREP) credit will be released in three tranches, the […]

AT least 10 new recruits in the Mozambican customs service have been fired for alleged corruption. The move follows the discovery of malpractice at Namaacha border post on the Mozambique-Swaziland frontier. The Mozambican government has employed Brisitsh customs officials to recruit and train personnel in an effort to improve the customs service. The customs department […]

THE ARBITRATION ruling in the dispute between Govin Reddy and the SABC has been delayed for over one month, The Star reports on Thursday. Closing arguments from both parties are due on March 5. Paul Pretorius, the arbitrator in the case was expected to rule February 1, but will now only do so on March […]

A HUGE fire broke out on Thursday in an oil pipeline running to Cairo in a desert area south of the Egyptian capital, police said. The fire was started by a blast in an underground section of the Mostorod pipeline at 2.30pm in the Zahraa al-Maadi area. The cause of the blast is not certain, […]

FORMER security policeman Michael Bellingan on Wednesday told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty committee that he doubts former president FW de Klerk would have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize had he not murdered his wife, Janine Bellingnan. The Star reports that Bellingan told the committee he believes if he had not murdered Janine, […]

A FORMER East Londoner, Rhodes scholar and teacher, Gill Taylor has been elected to the executive of the National Sports Council in Cape Town with a portfolio giving special attention to the development of hockey in underprivileged areas. As Gill Sperinck, Taylor gained colours for Border, Rhodes University, and Western Province. In Cape Town Taylor […]

THE Border Vodacom rugby tour to Australia is off as not enough funds have been raised through lottery sales. However, the prizes still hold and the draw for them will still take place. Border coach Gert Smal said on Wednesday that ticket sales had not gone as well as expected forcing the cancellation.

THE Nigerian government has ordered all civil servants over age 60 to retire in a first move aimed at cutting back on the vast public service sector, officials said on Wednesday. In a directive sent out to all ministries, secretary to the government Gidado Idriss ordered officials to require all over 60s to retire “voluntarily” […]

TANZANIA’S national carrier Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) said on Wednesday it plans to resume flights to Burundi next month after regional leaders lifted economic sanctions against the country. Meanwhile, ATC is also set to dry-lease a Boeing 737-300 aircraft from Australia’s Ansett Worldwide in February to boost its present fleet of two Boeing 737-200 and […]

MORE than 400 members of the Paper, Print, Wood and Allied Workers Union have been locked out at National Magazine Printers in Cape Town after the union staged a go-slow. The go-slow was in response to what the union calls futile wage negotiations and began on Wednesday afternoon, SABC Radio reported on Thursday. A spokesperson […]

MALAWIAN women have been urged to take part in parliamentary politics by the first deputy speaker of the national assembly. Lilian Kapanda called for more female representation in the legislature in order to have a strong say on national issues. Kapanda says only nine women are members of parliament, while women make up 52% of […]

JUDGE Willem Heath’s special anti-corruption unit should probe the unlawful and improper use of public funds by former Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) councillors, Public Protector Selby Baqwa said in a statement on Wednesday. The recommendation is contained in Baqwa’s Special Report on the Affairs of the IBA, which will be tabled in Parliament soon. His […]

SWAZILAND’S former member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), David Sibandze, has resigned from his post as head of Swaziland’s Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA). In a statement released on Wednesday, Sibandze said: “Pursuant to my resignation from the IOC, I felt that it would not be in the best interest of SOCGA to […]

PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela on Tuesday cancelled his scheduled trip to Germany in response to unrest in the wake of the the assassination of United Democratic Movement leader Sifiso Nkabinde in KwaZulu-Natal on the weekend. Mandela was due to arrive in Baden-Baden in Germany on Thursday.

THE Angolan government abandoned the 1994 peace accord on Tuesday and said it would use its military might to seize land held by Unita rebels. Faustino Muteka, minister for territorial administration, told parliament that an official declaration ending the validity of the 1994 Lusaka agreement would be issued before the end of February. The army […]

FRENCH oil company Total has taken control of Forzando coal mine in South Africa by purchasing shares in the mine from South Africa’s Anglovaal Minerals (Avmin), Total announced on Tuesday. Total previously had a 50% stake in Forzando. The mine has been operational since 1996, last year producing some 1,1-million tons of coal. Output is […]

THE Western Gauteng Services Council seized all the ambulances from the West Rand town of Krugersdorp on Monday, because it has allegedly failed to respond to emergency calls. The ambulances are owned by the province, but operated by agents, in this case the Krugersdorp municipality. Dr Philip van Rensburg, director of Gauteng’s emergency services, said […]

OVER 2200 workers will be retrenched in early February when another two Mozambican cashew processing plants close. This brings to 11 the number of plants forced to close over the past five years because of nut shortages and crumbling infrastructure. Only four sizable plants remain. Cashew Industry Association chairman Keko Patel said the closure of […]

NONE of the nine people aboard a United Nations-chartered plane that crashed in central Angola early this month survived, the UN said on Tuesday. On January 13, the rebel Unita movement, which denies charges that it shot down the Hercules C-130 on January 2, said everybody on board was killed. A rescue team on Monday […]

TWO Namibian wrestlers — Wynand and Nico Jacobs — are the only wrestlers from Africa to participate in a two-year Olympic Solidarity scholarship scheme in Canada. The youngsters will leave for Canada on Tuesday night, and will immediately start the programme upon arrival, Namibia National Olympic Committee secretary-general Gerhard Roux said. The scholarships were awarded […]

ARMY units have arrested over 103 illegal Mozambican immigrants hundreds of kilometres from the border near the small farming towns of Piet Retief and Delmas in Mpumalanga over the past week. South African National Defence Force spokesperson Lize Pienaar said on Wednesday that the arrests formed part of a concerted anti-crime campaign in the region […]

THE sale of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines’ (ZCCM) remaining mines is expected to effectively end a crisis period in the Zambian economy, Barclays Bank said on Tuesday. According to a bank newsletter, the sale of Nkana and Nchanga mines — previous to the sale they were a key obstacle to donor aid — has now […]