Kase Lawal, the lynchpin of the deal, this week provided his version, and former minerals and energy minister Penuell Maduna denied all knowledge. Inquiries to President Thabo Mbeki, current Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, state oil officials and African National Congress office-bearers were met with one-line replies — or stony silence.
I always feel I’m succeeding as a columnist when I cast a fly on to a serene academic paralysis and cause some famished intellectual to rise up from the pedagogic murk.
Although the resurgence of conflict, terrorism and drought has diverted attention away from Africa’s longer term needs, a number of positive developments have taken place in recent months.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to take action "possibly as early as Friday" on a draft resolution to deploy an emergency force to Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations (UN) News reported on Wednesday.
International relief non governmental organisation (NGO), Action Against Hunger (ACF), expressed concern on Wednesday about the nutritional situation in Lubumbashi, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), because of what it termed a "steady and large surge" in malnutrition among the city’s population.
Empowerment investment holding company New Africa Investments Limited (Nail) has formally called for expressions of interest from parties interested in acquiring some or all of its assets or who are interested in exploring merger alternatives.
Black economic empowerment should refer to the overall empowerment of the majority who suffer under the legacy of apartheid capitalism.
<b>Not the movie of the week:</b>Shekhar Kapur’s epic <i>The Four Feathers</i>, is lavishly done. However, considering that this is the seventh time the movie has been made, you would have thought Kapur would try to put a new spin on it, but he is content with a simple and simplistic interpretation.
Four new collections of poetry take a close look at modern South African society. Some strike a discordant note, others are playful, light and enjoyable.
The government will use performance scorecards to measure progress towards black economic empowerment by private enterprises.
The large Lourensford wine farm near Somerset West, has embarked on the South African wine industry’s first fully-fledged waste water recovery project that will see the creation of two hectares of man-made wetlands.
In the months before the Iraq war the Pentagon ignored repeated warnings that it would need a substantial military police force ready to deploy after the invasion to provide law and order in the postwar chaos, US government advisers and analysts said yesterday.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=14844">US lifts sanctions on Iraq</a>
Agriculture and agro-processing have been identified as sectors that can spur growth and job creation. But despite its work-creating potential, agriculture has haemorrhaged jobs in the past decade.
Durban will come alive with poetry during the last week of May with the return of the Poetry Africa festival.
Women make up an average of only 17% of media sources in Southern Africa although they make up 52% of the population, a report by the Media Institute of Southern Africa said.
Statistics South Africa, the government agency responsible for generating most of the country’s official economic statistics, will be examining "several" aspects of inflation data that could be problematic, according to Statistician General Pali Lehohla.
South African steel group Iscor said on Tuesday that production was running normally at all its steel plants despite strike action by a small number of National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa members.
President Thabo Mbeki’s spokesperson said the government will respond in writing to Zimbabwean Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, who complained about South African media reports on Zimbabwe.<br>
<li> <a class="standardtextsmall" href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=14737">Bob’s spindoctor moans about SA media</a>
Auditing firm Deloitte & Touche said on Monday it would defend a R200-million claim for damages by black empowerment company Sekunjalo Investments Limited (SKJ), one of the shareholders in Leisurenet, placed in liquidation in October 2000.
The postmodern archangels’ presence in our midst may prompt the thoughtful to recast received notions of gender, sexuality and — even — of work, play and pleasure.
On Tuesday close to 18 000 workers belonging to the National Union Of Metalworkers Of South Africa will embark on indefinite protected industrial strike action at the Iscor steel division.
Property unit trusts (PUTs), as a proxy for property performance, have generated a 14,9% return in the year to end-March, sharply outperforming bonds, says Debbie Prinsloo of Investment Solutions, the country’s largest multi-manager.
Nigeria on Friday repatriated two gorillas recovered from animal smugglers to eastern neighbour Cameroon, where they will be returned to their natural habitat in the Limbe Wild Life Park.
One man who should be smug about the Treasury’s elimination of the Net Open Forward Position is Iraj Abedian, chief economist of the Standard Bank Group.
There can be no doubt that the sanctions recommended by Parliament’s ethics committee on Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota – a written reprimand by the speaker and a week’s forfeiture of salary – are a symbolic milestone.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and power utility Eskom are expected to meet on Friday in an arbitration meeting in a bid to resolve a wage dispute.
South Africa’s net open foreign currency position (NOFP) has now moved into positive territory following the booking of the proceeds of the government’s â,¬1,25-billion (about R11-billion or $1,4-billion) eurobond issue last week, according to South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Tito Mboweni.
Deutsche Securities, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, has revised its rand forecast, as local economists now reckon that US interest rates will only rise in the second quarter next year, six months later than their previous forecast.
The brave spin that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw put on African developments could not disguise the reality that his visit took place against the bleakest backdrop.
Parliament’s joint ethics committee on Thursday sanctioned Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota for failing to comply with the provisions of the parliamentary code of conduct in not disclosing certain business interests as reported in the <i>Mail & Guardian</i>.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=14579">ANC welcomes fast action on Lekota</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=14580">Lekota out of pocket by just R11 485</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=14361">Shadow falls on Lekota</a>
Non-governmental organisation Christian Aid has called for a "global oil deal" which forces oil companies and countries like Angola to publish details of payments and revenues from the lucrative trade.
South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa officially closed the Western Cape Metropolitan black economic empowerment (BEE) conference late on Tuesday, warning against a tendency to believe that barriers to BEE were insurmountable in some sectors of the economy.