Staff Reporter

Melvyn Minnaar potable pleasures Since the great gates to wealth from world- wide wine sales opened, former vineyard bywoners and enriched company directors alike jumped on to the South African brand wagon for their sip of the market. The result has been a plethora of new trade titles for wine. A number of the recently […]

Cash-strapped communists are to benefit from financial and political support, write Ferial Haffajee and Sechaba kaNkosi The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will soon provide financial and political support to the South African Communist Party (SACP). A resolution taken at Cosatus sixth national congress last week puts to rest calls for an independent […]

A new series of short films is focusing world attention on African film. Andrew Worsdale previews, Janet Smith speaks to the South African director So Be It, the Senegalese short film that won the Silver Lion at Venice a fortnight ago, is just one part of a series of African movies creating a stir at […]

THURSDAY, 11.30AM SOUTH African telcommunications parastatal Telkom significantly strengthened its monopoly on regional telecoms with the signing earlier this week of a contract to build and operate one of 12 global satellite access nodes (SANs) for ICO Global Communications. Work has already begun on the SAN at Hartebeeshoek satellite tracking station west of Pretoria. The […]

US TROOPS IN MALAWI SIXTY US soldiers will on Friday begin training Malawi’s 800 army officers for peacekeeping operations, the American embassy said on Thursday. Led by Major Brian Stackhouse, the Americans arrived on Wednesday as part of the US-sponsored African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI). The Americans are training troops from several African countries with […]

THURSDAY, 4.00PM SOUTHERN African leaders have agreed to meet to discuss the deteriorating political and security situation in Angola, government sources said on Wednesday. No date has been set, but the meeting is expected to take place within a fortnight. A planned meeting in Luanda on Tuesday next week has in the interim been called […]

THURSDAY, 1.00PM: THE South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) disciplinary committee has suspended Natal scrumhalf Kevin Putt for verbally abusing referee Andy Turner in a Currie Cup match against Mpumalanga Pumas on September 13. Sarfu CEO Rian Oberholzer said after the hearing in Cape Town on Wednesday that it is Sarfu’s obligation to protect match […]

THURSDAY, 11.00AM GOVERNMENT intends making a final decision on the process of privatising SA Airways next month, Public Enterprises Minister Stella Sigcau’s ofice said on Wednesday. Spokesman Wandile Zote said the interministerial cabinet committee will decide the issue on October 16. He added no decision has yet been made on the percentage stake for sale, […]

President Nelson Mandela on Wednesday declared Robben Island a national monument and museum to mark the country’s first Heritage Day holiday.

WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM A BARRAGE of negative factors ground down the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Tuesday, with the declining all share and industrial indices ending off their lows. Analysts were emphatic that fundamentals were sound, but that a heavy sell-off in the futures market spooked investors. At the close, the all gold index had fallen 24,1 […]

WEDNESDAY, 2.00PM FOUNDATIONS are being laid for the first major downstream development of the R7-billion Saldanha Steel project. Duferco Steel Processing, a joint venture between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Swiss-based steel firm Duferco, will provide cold-rolled and galvanised steel products early in 1999. Total production is aimed at the export market, with the […]

WEDNESDAY, 11.30AM: PREMIER Soccer League defending champions Manning Rangers signed former Bafana Bafana midfield maestro Teboho Moloi from Orlando Pirates on Tuesday. Moloi, who has been training with the “Mighty Maulers” since Monday, is likely to make his debut against log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in a PSL match at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday night. “We […]

TUESDAY, 4.30PM RETIRED security police general Nic van Rensburg, in testimony before the truth commission’s amnesty committee, on Wednesday admitted lying in an application to the Cape High Court last year to temporarily gag the mother of slain student leader Siphiwo Mtimkulu from testifying. Van Rensburg brought the court action to stop Joyce Mtimkulu from […]

WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM A DISPUTE between environmentalists and the minerals and energy department threatens to add sourcing and transport costs to the operations of Sasol subsidiary Sasol Chemical Industries (SCI). The unit stands to be affected if the fuel producer has to abandon plans to extend its Sigma mining operations. SCI’s coal requirements have traditionally been […]

BRAZZAVILLE FIGHTING CONTINUES RIVAL factions in the Congolese capital Brazzaville hammered each other with heavy weapons fire overnight, as forces loyal to President Pascal Lissouba and former dictator Denis Sassou Nguesso seem determined to find a military solution to the conflict. Bitter fighting between Lissouba’s troops the militia of Sassou Nguesso has continued despite increasingly […]

WEDNESDAY, 11.30AM: BAFANA BAFANA are scheduled to play a number of matches as part of their preparations for the World Cup finals in France next June. The South African Football Association (Safa) have also accepted invitations to play Austria and Denmark next year. They play Austria on May 31 in Vienna and Denmark in Copenhagen […]

WEDNESDAY, 1.00PM OIL company Engen will spend more than $60-million in expansion into sub-Saharan Africa within the next few years. John Slee, Engen’s managing director for Kenya, says the company will soon shift its focus to fuels, from lubricants, petrochemicals and bitumen, with the bulk of the investment going into marketing and brand diversification. “We […]

WEDNESDAY, 4.30PM The armed wing of the banned Islamic Salvation Front on Wednesday announced a ceasefire in Algeria effective as of Wednesday next week. The statement from the Islamic Salvation Army, dated September 21, was signed by its national leader Madani Mezerag. The ceasefire call comes two days after up to 200 people were slaughtered […]

MONDAY, 10.30AM The market value of New Africa Investments Limited (Nail) more than doubled to R3,4-billion on Monday, in its first share rights offer. Chairman Ntatho Motlana said Nail’s capital raising made corporate history: “We don’t believe any company has more than doubled its market capitalisation with its first rights offer,” he said. Nail issued […]

WINNIE MUST APPEAR TRUTH commission spokesman John Allen said on Monday that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela will have to appear in person before the commission on Thursday, even if she wishes to apply for a postponement of her in camera hearing. Madikizela-Mandela’s lawyers said at the weekend they will apply for a postponement of the inquiry because […]

TUESDAY, 12.00NOON: GAUTENG Lions utility back Hennie le Roux will be in the team to play Northern Free State in a Bankfin Currie Cup match in Welkom on Friday night. Le Roux last played for the Lions against Mpumalanga Pumas on July 13, when he left the field with a thigh injury. Le Roux is […]

TUESDAY, 9.30AM SOUTH AFRICA’S first private ‘virtual network’ was launched on Monday, a R50-million venture offering electronic commerce and financial services at lower costs, thanks to shared infrastructure and costs. The driving force is Dimension Data, which has linked up with Nedcor, Wooltru (which owns department store chains such as Woolworths, Dions and Makro) and […]

TUESDAY, 12.00NOON: MOROKA SWALLOWS will be out to collect maximum points when they meet Jomo Cosmos in a Premier Soccer League match at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Fresh from a 3-0 defeat by Bush Bucks, Swallows coach Sheperd Murape has vowed to beat Cosmos. He said they lost to Bucks because they missed two […]

TUESDAY, 4.00PM The trial of former Zimbabwean president Canaan Banana on charges of sodomy and indecent assault was adjourned on Tuesday while the judge considers a defence application for the case to be thrown out of court. Banana faces trial on 11 counts of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault involving seven aides, a cook, […]

TUESDAY, 12.30PM BRITISH-based National Westminster Bank is reviewing its joint venture operation in South Africa with the Board of Executors. The review is part of the bank’s restructuring of its global securities operations, moving the most profitable treasury and foreign exchange operations into a separate arm, Global Financial Markets. Press reports indicate that BoE Natwest […]

MONDAY, 6.00PM TEENAGE rightwinger Stephanus Coetzee, sentenced to 40 years in jail a fortnight ago for his part in the Christmas Eve bomb blasts in Worcester, has refused to testify against his fellow accused. Johannes van der Westhuizen, Cliffie Barnard and Abraham Myburgh have pleaded not guilty to murder charges related to the bomb blasts, […]

MONDAY, 1.30PM DELEGATES to a British conference on economic crime have been warned that rivalry between South African government departments has delayed the creation of a money-laundering watchdog for more than a year. Confusion over whether the proposed Financial Intelligence Centre will come under the authority of the Reserve Bank, the finance department, or the […]

MONDAY, 1.00PM: NATAL beat Eastern Province 57-26 in a Bankfin Currie Cup match in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. Natal, who are seeking their fifth title in seven years, ran in nine tries in a highly entertaining game. Natal’s Shaun Payne crossed the line four times with Andre Joubert and Joos Joubert each scoring a pair. […]

MONDAY, 1.30PM The share price of Hunt Leuchars & Hepburn rose 20% on Friday to R6,50 when the market gave the thumbs-up to the proposed restructuring of the Rembrandt-owned food company. The restructuring will see the unbundling of Rainbow Chickens to shareholders. The decision has been prompted by the effect of loss-making Rainbow on HL&H’s […]

MONDAY, 1.00PM: JOMO COSMOS — South Africa’s representative in the African Cup Winners’ Cup — were eliminated in the tournament by Al-Mansoura of Egypt. Cosmos drew the second leg 2-2 at PAM Brink Stadium on Sunday to give the Egyptians a 5-2 aggregate. Cosmos lost the first leg 3-0 in Egypt. Cosmos’ Mozambican striker Manuel […]

SECOND BLACK NAT LEADER THE National Party at the weekend elected Pieter Saaiman as its Northern Cape provincial leader, the second person of colour to lead a NP provincial branch. Saaiman, 46, will replace Dr Kraai van Niekerk, who is retiring. Mpumalanga NP leader David Malatsi was the party’s first black provincial leader. Saaiman was […]

FRIDAY, 12.00NOON: GAUTENG Lions and Gauteng Falcons meet in a Bankfin Currie Cup match at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday. Many believe the match will be like a reunion of Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) as both teams have a number of RAU players in their team lists. There are 11 RAU players in the Lions’ […]