FRIDAY, 11.00AM: SOME 800 000 Liberian voters head for the polls on Saturday to choose a parliament and a president to govern Africa’s oldest republic, ravaged by a bitter seven-year civil war that has killed more than 150 000 people. A huge West African peacekeeping force from 10 nations has been stationed in Liberia since […]
ON any scorecard of the death sentence, the late Judge B O’Donovan handed down more death sentences than any of his colleagues. In a three-year period he sent 25 prisoners to be hanged, and in his career he handed down 39 death sentences. On the other hand, one judge, NM McArthur, never sent a single […]
The office of the auditor general has come under attack from the old guard as well as the new – for doing its job properly. Henri Kluever is standing his ground, reports Mungo Soggot THE auditor general, Henri Kluever, has not had much luck with the Ministry of Mineral and Energy Affairs. As he took […]
THURSDAY, 10.30AM ALTHOUGH employment in the public sector showed a marginal annual increase between the first quarter of 1996 and the first quarter of 1997, R3 005,2-million more had been paid to public servants by the end of the first quarter of 1997 compared with the first quarter of 1996, according to data released by […]
Ken Barris RUDE SHELTERS by Robert Kirby (Jonathan Ball, R79,95) RUDE SHELTERS is a collection of Robert Kirby’s columns and articles that, judging by the content, span a three-year period from 1994 to 1996. It includes selections of his work as a television critic for The Star Tonight, satirical columns in the Sunday Times and […]
FRIDAY, 11.20AM: SOUTH AFRICAN and US Open champion Ernie Els struggled in the back nine and finished at 4-over 75 in the first round of the British Open on Thursday. Els said it was the toughest round he had ever played. “I played pretty well on the front line but then my start to the […]
Deciding on a Gauteng premier is likely to be a nerve-racking process, writes Wally Mbhele TWO candidates are tied in a neck-and-neck challenge for the premiership of Gauteng – and the final outcome is expected this weekend at a meeting of the leaders of the province’s African National Congress and its alliance partners. Arriving at […]
BRITISH POLICE ARRIVE TO HELP THREE senior British police chiefs have spent the past three weeks in South Africa as consultants to the SA police, and have recommended that the quality of policing is more important than the number of policemen. They have also advised that “getting the public involved” is the vital secret. They […]
THURSDAY, 3.00PM THE Bushbuckridge Committee on Wednesday decided to sever all ties with the Northern Province government. The decision was taken after a meeting between the committee and Northern Province officials. In terms of the decision, no Northern Province officials will be allowed to address public meetings in the area and circulars put out by […]
THURSDAY, 4.30PM WINNIE Madikizela Mandela earlier this week complained to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission through her lawyers about her teatment by the commission in the course of its investigations into the kidnap and murder of teen activist Stompie Seipei. Madikizela-Mandela’s lawyers on Wednesday published their letter to the TRC, prompting the commission to in […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: SOUTH African Football Association CEO Danny Jordaan says Safa needs about R7-million before the World Cup finals in France next year. Some of the money will be used for transport and accommodation, but some will be ploughed back into development programmes. “The national team players of tomorrow come from these provinces and if […]
THURSDAY, 11.00AM TELECOMS parastatal has scrapped a controversial R100-million tender for the creation of a national valu-added network after information technology companies argued that the terms of the tender favoured a particular vendor. Telkom denied the allegations and the Competition Board investigated the claims. but made little progress because no suppliers would risk criticising Telkom, […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: ORLANDO PIRATES have signed up Bloemfontein Celtics defender Willem Jackson. He says he left Celtic for the Buccaneers to get the recognition he deserves and to be noticed by national coach Clive Barker. “Pirates are a big side and playing for them will obviously help me get noticed, especially by national coach Clive […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: ZAMBIA, Mozambique and Namibia all share the points at the top of the table in the Cosafa Cup soccer tournament after their opening matches. Zambia, who were pre-tournament favourites were held to a 2-2 draw by Tanzania at the weekend. Namibia, who are a suprise at the tournament, boast a record of a […]
THURSDAY, 10.30AM TRANSPORT parastatal Transnet has approved a record R1,5-billion in capital expenditure for SA’s seven commecial sea ports in 1997/98. SA’s ports have long suffered from limited funding for new construction. Portnet CE Ivor Funnell said on Wednesday the sharp increase of R1,44-billion in Portnet capital investment is largely the result of increased demand […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: SOUTH AFRICA’S Llewellyn Hebert clocked a superb 48,17sec to win the 400m hurdles at the Nice Grand Prix meeting on Wednesday. Olympic silver medallist Samuel Matete came second, clocking 48,37sec. Herbert’s victories over world number one Bryan Bronson three days earlier and Matete on Wednesday have added to his status as a serious […]
PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela continued his South-East Asian tour on Thursday by receiving an honorary doctorate from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, where students sang "Happy Birthday" to him ahead of his 79th birthday on Friday.
THURSDAY, 11.30AM CENTRAL bank governors of Southern African Development Community member states are working to develop a database of monetary and financial statistics for publication on the internet, according to SA Reserve Bank deputy governor Timothy Tahane. Tahane said the project is one of several being pursued jointly by the 12 SADC members in a […]
THURSDAY, 11.00AM The trade and industry department’s standing advisory committee on company law has called for public debate on the issue of low-voting N shares, with possible changes to the Companies Act and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange rules in the pipeline. N shares are a type of security similar to ordinary shares, but with lower […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: SOUTH AFRICA is ranked 22 internationally and second in Africa after Zambia in the latest Fifa rankings issued on Wednesday. Brazil became the first team to log over 70 points. (ranking end of 1996 in brackets) 1 Brazil(1) 71.85 points; 2 Spain (8) 63. 38; 3 Denmark (6) 62.35; 4 Romania (16) 60.90; […]
WEDNESDAY, 8.30AM The education department has scaled down the launch of its ambitious “outcomes based” school curriculum, blaming staff and funding shortages for the delay. The new curriculum, which abandons learning by rote and external exams, will only be taught in grade one next year, with pilot programmes in grades two and seven at 270 […]
WEDNESDAY, 11.30AM FOOD and beverage group Cadbury Schweppes says it is investigating the possibility of buying bottling machinery from New Age Beverages, the local Pepsi bottler currently in provisional liquidation. MD David Jackson said the company has forwarded detailes to its UK parent firm to ascertain whether any of its global units are interested in […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM HOPES of an end to recent political violence in Kenya rose on Wednesday as President Daniel arap Moi met leaders of the parliamentary opposition after opening dialogue on reforms with religious leaders. The first meeting between the autocratic Moi and Christian and Muslim leaders came on Tuesday at State House in Nairobi as […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.30PM A POLICE general has agreed to testify at the amnesty hearing of confessed police torturer Captain Jeff Benzien to confirm that “unconventional interrogation methods” were authorised at the highest level during the apartheid conflict. Benzien’s lawyer, Gustav Cook, made the announcement on Wednesday shortly before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty committee adjourned […]
WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM: THE FEDERATION of International Football Associations’ (Fifa) newly introduced rules will come into effect at the Iwisa Charity Soccer Spectacular on Saturday. The Premier Soccer League’s referees boss, Errol Sweeney, said on Tuesday: “We are reminding referees, clubs and the public that Fifa introduced the rules at the World Youth Championships last month”. […]
WEDNESDAY, 12.00NOON THE Zambian government will appeal on Thursday against a court decision last year to release two editors who had been jailed indefinitely for “contempt of parliament”. Attorney-general George Chilupe will appeal against the release of Zambia Post editor-in-chief Fred M’membe and former managing editor Bright Mwape, who were detained on March 4, 1996 […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM A GROUP of angry Zimbabwean war veterans attempted to storm the national parliament building in Harare on Tuesday, prompting the legislature to call on President Robert Mugabe to take urgent action on war veterans’ compensation pay-outs. Riot police were called in to break up the demonstration by more than 100 former combatants who […]
WEDNESDAY, 12.00NOON ZIMBABWEAN market analysts are confident that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange will rise to new heights this year, thanks to the recent IMF decision to resume balance-of-payments support for Zimbabwe’s economic reforms and the budget, reducing the pressure on interest rates. The industrial index, which in 1996 rose by a whopping 121%, was on […]
WEDNESDAY, 10.25AM: THE Northern Transvaal prop forward Marius Hurter has been included in the Springbok squad to face New Zealand in their Tri-Nations match on Saturday. Hurter is among four changes to the team that played the British Lions on July 5. Hurter comes in for Griqua prop Dawie Theron. Ruling out hooker James Dalton […]
WEDNESDAY, 10.30AM SOUTH Africa’s reserves have been left largely untouched by the July 1 easing of restrictions on foreign exchange, according to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, and instead there had been a turn for the better in business confidence. Speaking at Tuesday night’s launch of the local operation of Malaysia’s TA Bank, Manuel said SA’s […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM AFRICAN National Congress acting secretary general Cheryl Carolus said on Wednesday that her party expects the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to use its powers to force National Intelligence Service head Niel Barnard to reveal the names of the apartheid intelligence agency’s informers. “We call on the TRC to insist that he reveals those […]
CRIMINALS USING POLICE NETWORKS SAFETY and security minister Sydney Mufamadi says that international crime syndicates have penetrated South Africa, relying on the underground contacts built up by former police and intelligence agents. A Bulgarian syndicate that arrived in this country had complete South African papers including vehicle registation documents, which could only have been supplied […]