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/ 18 January 2008

Sudden death in Skielik

Racial tension was on a knife-edge recently in the North West dorpie of Swartruggens, as the shocked community came to terms with Monday’s shoot out which left four people dead. A teenager, Johan Nel (18), was arrested. He is alleged to have gone on a shooting rampage in an informal settlement, Skielik, about 5km outside the town on Monday afternoon.

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/ 18 January 2008

Agliotti fingers Gauteng director general

Gauteng’s top official, provincial Director General Mogopodi Mokoena, co-owned a company with Brett Kebble’s murderer, Clint Nassif, and accepted a R250 000 cheque from him. Mokoena’s links with Nassif were among issues raised by Glenn Agliotti in an affidavit the National Prosecuting Authority submitted to court last week in response to Jackie Selebi’s application to block his prosecution.

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/ 18 January 2008

‘When they see us coming they must be scared’

Call it fatalism, resignation or sheer naivety, but Osman Adam (46) says he doesn’t waste much time pondering over what he will do when armed thugs break down his door. A highly probable eventuality, considering that just two weeks ago the previous owner of the store he now manages in Kroondal, died in a pool of blood in the doorway in which he now stands.

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/ 18 January 2008

High cost of Kenya’s protests

Violence rocked Kenya for the third week running as the police cracked down on opposition protesters during a three-day countrywide civil disobedience campaign to press for the reversal of the controversial re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. While Nairobi remained mostly calm, chaos besieged opposition strongholds in western Kenya and along the coast.

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/ 18 January 2008

From mayor to premier?

Controversial former Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, who ruled the city between 2002 and 2006 and left the post after unauthorised spending of R275,6-million and irregular spending of R54,09-million, could be in the running to rule the Mother City again.

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/ 18 January 2008

Media houses at war

With the imminent launch of three new subscription broadcasting services and e.tv’s 24-hour news channel, the poaching war for experienced broadcasting professionals has well and truly begun. Rumours abound about who will be the next to jump ship to join rival broadcasters, but one of the latest to take the plunge is former e.tv news reporter Macintosh Nzimande.

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/ 18 January 2008

Democrats laugh the loudest

There is gleeful laughter coming from Michigan in the wake of Mitt Romney’s victory in that state’s primary — some of it emanating from the Romney camp. The win was crucial for him — if he’d lost his third straight contest he’d have been offering his withdrawal speech. So he lives to fight another day. But the loudest chuckles are coming from Democrats.

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/ 18 January 2008

Pikoli purge loses steam

Government’s fiery bid to get rid of suspended prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli is slowly losing steam, with indications that a shutdown of Frene Ginwala’s inquiry might be on the cards. President Thabo Mbeki suspended Pikoli four months ago pending an inquiry into his “fitness to hold office”.

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/ 18 January 2008

Pinocchio as police chief

In last week’s court application to block his prosecution, Jackie Selebi swore he was never “involved in any bribery and/or corruption”. Why, then, did he lie to the Mail & Guardian about meeting Brett Kebble, who bankrolled bribes Glenn Agliotti allegedly paid him? Before the M&G‘s first exposé in May 2006, Selebi admitted in an interview that Agliotti was his “friend, finish and klaar”.