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/ 10 November 2006

Banks middle-finger Tito

Tito Mboweni has come up against a new enemy in his battle to curb the credit-spending splurge. The banks. Flying in the face of the Reserve Bank governor’s attempts to bring down consumer spending and debt, South Africa’s banks are going into overdrive by offering consumers new lines of credit in an attempt to grow their books.

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/ 10 November 2006

Cadillac’s comeback

Right-hand-driven Cadillacs will officially be available for sale in South Africa from February 2007, motor vehicle giant company General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has announced. GMSA plans are to release three new marques, the BLS mid-size sedan, SRX Crossover SUV and the STS full-size sedan.

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/ 10 November 2006

The problem with ANC Inc

First oil. Now manganese. This week we reveal the second major funding front set up by the ruling ANC. The party is clearly behind Chancellor House, an empowerment holding company that has won a stake in manganese mining rights with a potential value of R1-billion. It is part of a consortium chasing a R26-billion power station tender, and has lesser stakes in many other businesses.

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/ 10 November 2006

Homework may not be good for kids

A small but increasingly vocal group of United States parents and educators is pushing for homework to be abolished for younger children on grounds that it serves no purpose. According to two new books on the subject, American children are being robbed of time to enjoy hobbies, sports and even family time because of too much homework.

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/ 10 November 2006

Waffle or wisdom?

Sitting in the waiting room of my aroma-chiropodist the other day, I picked up a recent copy of what used to be that excellent British magazine <i>The Spectator</i>. It had an interesting front page. In enormous letters it announced THE END OF SOUTH AFRICA — Rian Malan Mourns the Collapse of His Homeland. That’s going to be worth a read, I thought, but I turned first to a favourite part of the “Speccie”, the weekly literary competition under the byline Jaspistos.

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/ 10 November 2006

Road rules

South Africa is among the world’s worst when it comes to road accidents – a fact that is emphasised every year during the holiday periods when the number of accidents rise.

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/ 10 November 2006

Every drop counts

It is predicted that by the end of the century, a barrel of water will cost more than a barrel of oil. In cities such as Dar es Salaam and Delhi, the taps often run dry and women spend hours every day looking for water to buy from tankers and vendors. In the rural areas this is often not an option, and available water must be harvested from rainfall or rivers without wasting a precious drop.