Johannesburg - The new party of breakaway African National Congress members that is generating huge excitement in South Africa in the run-up to elections has finally been given a name.

One of the party's founders, the former premier of the richest province, Gauteng, Mbhazima Shilowa, confirmed Monday that supporters of the new party attending a weekend convention had decided on South African Democratic Congress (SADC).

Washington  - Addressing a 4,500-strong convention in Johannesburg, the leader of a group of breakaway members of South Africa's ruling African National Congress accused the former liberation movement of reviving the "terrible legacy" of apartheid.

Johannesburg - The deadlocked negotiations between Zimbabwe's rival political leaders should focus on providing justice and relief to the victims of political violence - and not just politics, Amnesty International said Friday in Johannesburg.

Presenting a report on recent human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, the London-based rights watchdog pointed out that no one had been held accountable for the campaign of state-sponsored violence against opposition supporters in the wake of March elections.

Over 120 people were killed and thousands reportedly injured and displaced in attacks by ruling party militia and the military to avenge President Robert Mugabe's defeat by the Movement for Democratic Change.

Johannesburg - A South African soldier was killed and another seriously injured in an attack by gunmen on their unit in the conflict-hit western Sudanese province of Darfur, the South African defence department said Thursday.

The troops were about 3 kilometres from their base at Kutum in the north of the province on Wednesday when unknown gunmen approached them at a water point and opened fire, defence forces spokesman Brigadier General Kwena Mangope told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in Johannesburg.

Harare, Johannesburg - Zimbabwean riot police broke up two demonstrations by hundreds of women and students Monday outside a hotel in Harare where talks were under way to salvage a crucial power-sharing deal.

The police used force to disperse at least 300 women activists, who were calling for President Robert Mugabe and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai to quickly form a unity government to allow for the rebuilding of the tattered economy.

At least 11 women were treated for injuries after being beaten by the police and 47 were arrested, according to the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe.

Windhoek, Johannesburg - Ivory tusks will be sold for the first time in nearly 10 years in southern Africa on Tuesday as four one-off auctions of ivory stockpiles to Chinese and Japanese buyers kick off in Namibia.

South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, all of which have booming elephant populations, have been given permission by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to sell off stockpiles of ivory from their national parks.