Staff Reporter

Marianne Merten and Chiara Carter Police and politicians anticipate that the audacious bomb blast which hit Cape Town on Thursday will provide impetus to calls to provide police with additional powers to combat urban terrorism in the Western Cape. The blast has made a mockery of Operation Good Hope which was launched this week – […]

Alex Dodd:LANDMARKS `How will this ancient blood-soaked earth make its story felt today?” I am wondering. It is 4.30am and we’re driving into a storm. Violent streaks of lightning shoot through the pre-dawn darkness, illuminating the R23 that leads to Dundee. >From Dundee we will drive through the small town of Nqutu and take the […]

Motel Jonathan Romney There have been a few changes round the homestead. There’s a new neon sign out front, and the poky old fruit cellar has been refurbished as a place where you could get down to some serious taxidermy. They’ve even replaced the shower curtain in Cabin 1. Otherwise, life is much as it […]

Park Sechaba ka’Nkosi The government’s land reform programme may be challenged in the Constitutional Court by two Northern Province clans. The Mhinga Traditional Authority, acting on behalf of the Maluleke and Vanwanati clans, cannot reclaim lost land under the Restitution of Land Rights Act because they were dispossesed before 1913. The Act confines claims to […]

Belinda Beresford Perhaps it’s the scars of a wild youth, the aftermath of a delinquent spouse or the legacy of mismanagement of your money. But a bad credit record can have unpleasant repercussions, including failure to get a bond, credit card, store card, cellphone – all the trappings of a relatively affluent South African. It’s […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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” […]

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 […]

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 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, […]

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 […]

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 arrived in Baden Baden, Germany.

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

South African Hendrick Ramaala scored his first major international success when he won the men’s IAAF cross country challenge event in Belfast, Ireland on Saturday. Road running specialist Ramaala was 30 metres behind at the beginning of the final lap in the eight kilometres event but won a sprint finish ahead of Kenya’s Laban Chega […]

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 […]

SWAZILAND’s national Olympic committee will decide on Wednesday whether to fire its president, David Sibandze, following his resignation from the International Olympic Committee on Sunday. Sibandze (66) resigned along with three other members at the weekend in the worst corruption scandal to rock the IOC in its 105-year history. IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch also […]

CASUALTY figures in the Sierra Leonean capital rose dramatically on Wednesday as mortar fire was heard on the western edge of the Freetown peninsula. This comes a day after the Nigerian-led intervention force warned it would launch an offensive against the rebels. In the first official death toll since fighting broke out in Freetown on […]

TREVOR Phillips, former chief executive Officer of the Professional Soccer League (PSL), launched a company on Tuesday that will be one of the first African-based sports management groups to apply for Fifa accreditation. “The company will focus on providing the soccer industry with a two-pronged service — player management and sports marketing,” Phillips said. “While […]

THE Cameroonian national football championship began in various parts of the country on Saturday. In Douala, Union Sportive de Douala beat Bamenda Free Boys 4-0 and Port FC won 2-0 against Badjoun Stadium, while in Yaounde, hosts Tonnerre Kalara Club (TKC) drew with Baham (2-2). In Ngaoundere, Canon de Yaounde, which will play in this […]

DISSIDENTS of Angola’s Unita movement, who last year disavowed rebel chief Jonas Savimbi, on Tuesday elected the leaders of the group they have named the Unita Renewal Committee. The dissidents, including ex-aides to Savimbi who formed a splinter group as Angola plunged back into civil war last year, elected Silvestre Gabriel Samy the secretary-general of […]