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/ 21 October 2006

Cosas voices support for sacked spy chief

The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has come out in support of Billy Masetlha, the former spy boss, who appeared in court on Friday. ”We reaffirm our unwavering support for our living monument, a founder member of Cosas and a tried and tested veteran of the congress, comrade Billy Masetlha,” Cosas said on Friday.

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/ 21 October 2006

ANC caucus rejects report of MP money plan

The African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus has denied seeking to use public money for ”unauthorised purposes” after reports that it wanted Parliament to boost the party’s funding. ”We reject with contempt the allegation,” said ANC parliamentary caucus spokesperson Mpho Lekgoro in a statement on Friday.

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/ 21 October 2006

Blade Nzimande digs in

Members of the South African Communist Party politburo have advised its secretariat to be less combative and to raise its differences with the alliance partners in a more ”strategic” manner. They raised concerns that the confrontational approach was plunging the party into ”unnecessary” conflicts with the ANC and its leadership.

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/ 21 October 2006

‘We will not give up our seats’

”We will not resign.” That is the line African National Congress MPs who have pleaded guilty to charges of theft and fraud in the Travelgate scandal are taking with their party bosses. Five MPs who last year entered plea agreements with the National Prosecuting Authority were asked to resign their parliamentary seats.

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/ 21 October 2006

Aluta continua in Cape Town

Capetonians eagerly awaiting the outcome of the bitter dispute between Democratic Alliance mayor Helen Zille and the African National Congress over the city’s system of governance will have to wait a little longer. However, the battle for control of the city claimed its first casualty this week.

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/ 21 October 2006

Give them their daily bread

Lesinewu opens his mouth and bites into an invisible tower of bread he is pretending to hold in his hands. He is in grade six and an athlete for Riverlea Primary, a small school in the south-west of Johannesburg. He says he needs six sandwiches because he is always running. Almost a third of his school’s 890 pupils receive a daily government lunch.

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/ 20 October 2006

Clashes undermine bid to put Iraqis in charge

Iraq’s prime minister sent an envoy to the southern city of Amara on Friday after clashes between Shi’ite militias and police in areas United States and British forces handed over to Iraqi control months ago. Violence between Shi’ite militias and Iraqi security forces have killed 15 people and wounded 91 since Thursday, a security source in Amara said.

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/ 20 October 2006

Morse-code SOS makes a comeback

Morse code, the dots-and-dashes signalling system first used at sea on the Titanic and long since consigned to the scrapheap, made a triumphant comeback this week in the rescue of a stranded fisherman. The man had run aground near Hayling Island on the south coast when his boat began taking on water.