Johannesburg  - Thousands of South Africans joined demonstrations in support of corruption-accused African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma on Wednesday, two days before a court is due to issue a key ruling on his case.

Thousands marched in the port city of Durban and the eastern city of Sasolburg to demand that the charges against former deputy president Zuma be dropped.

Johannesburg - Africa's biggest air traffic hub, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, opened a new terminal Wednesday as part of a major upgrade scheduled for completion by the 2010 football World Cup.

The 2.3-billion-rand central terminal is two-and-a-half times the size of the current international arrivals hall.

A new international departures hall is slated for completion in December, a new retail centre for April 2009 and a new baggage management system for December 2009.

Johannesburg - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez was in South Africa on Tuesday for talks with President Thabo Mbeki on strengthening ties between one of the world's largest oil producers and Africa's second-largest consumer of the commodity.

Chavez arrived in South Africa on Monday evening for the three-day visit, his first to the country whose leader, Mbeki, he describes as "my friend."

On the eve of the talks, the South African Foreign Ministry announced the two leaders would sign a major agreement on energy cooperation.

South Africa, Africa's second-largest consumer of oil after Egypt, currently gets most of its oil from the Middle East but is keen to diversify. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.

Johannesburg - A cold front bringing with it snow, storms and minus degree temperatures to South Africa has cost several people their lieves as well as destroyed thousands of hectares of bush and pasture land, according to local reports Monday.

Highland regions of the West Cape Province around Capetown were hit by snow, while three other provinces were plagued by bush fires of several kilometres that were whipped up by strong winds.

One official compared the burning areas to a battlefield, saying the fires were out of control.

Rescue workers and government officials spoke of between 10 and 15 people dead, including the pilot of water bomber plane that crashed over the weekend.

Edinburgh, September 1 : A new research, by scientists at the Edinburgh University, has suggested that climate change could make Africa’s animals evolve into a number of new separate species.

According to a report in the Scotsman, the future loss of lakes and rivers in Africa would influence how species such as buffalo, wildebeest and elephants evolve.

Large populations of animals, which need water to survive, could be divided and, over time, evolve into new species to cope with their new surroundings.

An isolated population of buffalo, unable to interbreed with others, might evolve to the size of small elephants in the future, in order to accommodate a larger stomach, according to the report.

Johannesburg  - German shipbuilding giant MAN Ferrostaal warned that the allegations of bribery levelled at it by a South African newspaper in connection with a multi-billion-dollar state arms deal could "endanger the creation of thousands of jobs" by scaring off partners in an offset project.