Benita Van Eyssen
Benita Van Eyssen works from Germany. foreign correspondent/editor/native of nowhere Benita Van Eyssen has over 53 followers on Twitter.
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/ 3 July 2006

SA arms deal back in the spotlight

The controversy surrounding South Africa’s biggest arms-acquisition deal has resurfaced. That prosecutors in Düsseldorf at the weekend confirmed a probe into allegations that a German ship-building consortium supplying four Corvettes to the South African navy, handed over bribes, proves rather embarrassing and comes at a bad time for the two nations.

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/ 24 March 2006

R900 a month, 12 hours a day

Phil Naledi has changed the lives of residents along a leafy street in the north-eastern Johannesburg suburb of Sydenham. He earns R900 a month for guarding the houses in the relatively affluent suburb, working 12-hour shifts. ”No one can make a life if they spend so much time working for this little money,” he explains.

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/ 6 March 2006

Amandla!: Tsotsi wins Oscar

Hollywood seems to have embraced the South African reality of crime, grime and poverty after Tsotsi won the best foreign-language film Oscar on Sunday. The story of a violent young criminal living dangerously in and around the townships of Johannesburg has been lauded for its apt depiction of life for millions today.

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/ 24 January 2006

Durban gets ready for A1 grand prix

As the final preparations for the first of three A1 grand prix races were under way in South Africa on Tuesday, managers of host city Durban announced they have their sights set on building a reputation as a global motorsport centre. The A1 grand prix, a growing force on the world racing calendar, takes place on Sunday.

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/ 3 January 2006

Rains wreak havoc in Southern Africa

Heavy rains in parts of Southern Africa have left more than 1 000 people homeless, caused structural damage, and played a part in spreading cholera . In Zambia more than 1 000 cases of cholera have been reported since August with at least six deaths amid an escalation in the number of infections in recent days.