Transport Minister Dullah Omar passed away in the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic on Saturday morning, a family spokesperson said. Omar will be given an official funeral with ”all the honours due to a serving member of cabinet” government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said.
Omar: A biography
Equatorial Guinea’s deputy foreign minister briefed the South African government on Thursday on developments in his country, where South Africans have been accused of being involved in preparations for a coup d’état. Sources said ”a message of gratitude” had likely been sent from the Equatorial president for South Africa’s role in foiling a coup attempt.
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa has promised to speed up the issuing of valid taxi permits after facing a crowd of protesting taxi drivers in Johannesburg on Monday. In the meantime, those with temporary permits would not have their vehicles impounded except when they are found to be unroadworthy.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=32340">Call for official’s sacking</a>
John Gonzalez, the founder of ManNotIncluded.com — a United Kingdom-based website that links sperm donors with potential parents — has launched a new venture involving human eggs. Gonzalez (41) set up the sperm donor site in June 2002 — and it has so far resulted in six births.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>The next government needs to put more money into further education, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. Visiting Tshwane North College’s Mamelodi campus outside Pretoria, Mbeki braved the driving rain to meet the staff and students as part of the African National Congress’s election campaign.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
People are growing weary of violence and do not wish to die for someone else seeking a seat in Parliament, Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Brigalia Bam said on Monday. She added that in the past three weeks there had been 18 political rallies and only three incidents of violence, all in KwaZulu-Natal.
Special Report: Elections 2004
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/ 19 February 2004
The next Cabinet should include many new faces, despite President Thabo Mbeki’s often conservative approach to reshuffles, political analysts predicted this week. They forecast a big migration from the provinces, with Limpopo Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi leading the way.
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/ 9 February 2004
Smaller conservative parties will be fighting for the same piece of the pie in the upcoming election, but will have different tactics. The Freedom Front Plus and the Herstigte Nasionale Party will be fighting each other for the minds of the conservative electorate whom they both claim are out in the political wilderness.
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/ 6 February 2004
President Thabo Mbeki in his State of the Nation address to Parliament on Friday said that his government does not foresee making any policy changes. Mbeki highlighted some of the achievements of the past 10 years, but also noted the ”blemishes” of the past, giving a fleeting reference to the HIV/Aids pandemic sweeping the country.
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/ 4 February 2004
Embattled High Court Judge Siraj Desai was given special leave by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Penuell Maduna on Tuesday. Desai was arrested on January 19 after Aids activist Salome Isaacs accused him of raping her in a Mumbai hotel room, but Isaacs later withdrew the charges.