FRIDAY, 10.25AM: THE Springboks will tackle New Zealand in the Tri-nations rugby match at Ellis Park stadium on Saturday. South Africa has won only three of the 10 matches they have played against the All Blacks since their readmision into international rugby in 1992. “That factor is playing more on the minds of the experienced […]
FRIDAY, 10.50AM: The four rebel rugby unions who opposed the new Super-12 system accepted it on Thursday, ending the crisis in the competition. SA Rugby Football Union president Louis Luyt met the four unions’ presidents — Keith Parkinson of Natal, Harold Verster of Free State, Hentie Serfontein of Northern Transvaal and Ronnie Masson of Western […]
FRIDAY, 12.30PM FORMER British MP Emma Nicholson, who has been sheltering Katiza Cebekhulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s kidnapping co-accused who was abducted and carried to Zambia to prevent him testifying against Madikizela-Mandela, said this week in London that she is to travel to SA in September and offered an interview to the truth commission. Nicholson, who has […]
Fencing may have originated with the European aristocracy, but now it is flourishing in Mamelodi township FENCING: Julian Drew NOT so many years ago no black man without the speed of Hezekiel Sepeng would have ventured on to the Pretoria University campus inquiring whether he could join in with the sporting activities. A slower individual […]
close Gustav Thiel GROOTE SCHUUR Hospital’s famed heart transplant unit could close down within months if government and private funding continue to dry up. Its existence is endangered because the cardio-thoracic unit, of which it forms a part, is under the financial whip. The government is concentrating on primary health care, and discussions about wider […]
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; […]
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, 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, 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, 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: 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, 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, 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: 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM THE Bushbuckridge Border Committee, the organisation which has been articulating the community’s demands in the acrimonious provincial border dispute in the area, on Wednesday refused to comment on a compromise proposal aimed at solving the border dispute, despite ostensibly being one of the parties to the agreement. On Tuesday Constitutional Affairs Minister Mohamed […]
WEDNESDAY, 10.30AM GOLD’s recent downward spiral continued on Tuesday after a few days of consolidation, with the metal closing in London at $319,75/oz. Morning trade in London saw bullion trading at $319, before it climbed bask up to $320 for a while in the afternoon. Gold’s drop back below $320 has precipitated fears of a […]
WEDNESDAY, 4.30PM RIOTING flared again in the Mpumalanga town of Secunda on Tuesday when gangs of youths petrol bombed council vehicles and the houses of town councillors. In Embalenhle township outside Secunda, 15 vehicles were torched, as were the houses of the mayor and a town councillor. Mpumalanga police say the attacks are linked to […]
WEDNESDAY, 10.30AM FORMER apartheid homeland broadcasters are to be integrated into the SA Broadcasting Corporation as soon as an audit of their assets has been finalised and all parties consulted, SABC communications head Enoch Sithole said on Tuesday. Sithole said the integration is expected to take place within the month, and a comprehensive report will […]
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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 12.30PM: 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 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, 10.30AM 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 […]