Donwald Pressly
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/ 26 October 2006

Manto’s condition ‘not too serious’

South Africa’s Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s condition is ”not too serious”, government spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Thursday. He said the minister’s condition is improving and it is expected she will be released from hospital in the next ”couple of days”. Asked what she is suffering from, Maseko said it was up to the minister to communicate the details of her condition.

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/ 26 October 2006

SA Cabinet gives nod to REDs

The South African Cabinet has given its approval to the proposal to create six regional electricity distributors (REDs) which will be established as public entities under the auspices of the Electricity Distribution Industry. This was confirmed on Thursday — after the Cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday.

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/ 25 October 2006

More money for hospitals, housing, Aids

South Africa’s nine provinces are to receive an additional R28,2-billion over the next three years, according to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. Provincial government is projected to get R178,3-billion this year — 2006/07 — including R150,7-billion from the equitable share and R27,5-billion in conditional grants.

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/ 17 October 2006

Review highlights Gauteng traffic congestion

There are now nearly 7,4-million vehicles on South Africa’s roads, with the most acute congestion in Gauteng, where there were nearly 2,9-million vehicles as at the end of March this year, according to the Provincial Budgets and Expenditure Review. Commenting on the document, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel said the roads and transport section of the review ”makes very interesting reading”.

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/ 13 October 2006

Leon: Mbeki has placed his head deeper in the sand

The whole of South Africa, and South African President Thabo Mbeki’s own parliamentary caucus, "is transfixed" by a crisis that has planed value off the rand, propelled shock-waves through investors at home and abroad and all but ground government delivery to a halt — but Mbeki has, with "masterly indifference", replaced his head more deeply into the sand, says Tony Leon.