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/ 29 November 2006
South African lesbians Franci Schoeman and Bianca Berrios got ”married” two years ago but are now primed for the real thing as same-sex unions become legal for the first time on the continent. The Anglican pastor who risked earning the church’s wrath by solemnising their union in a ceremony not recognised by law said he would be happy to perform the rites all over again.
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/ 27 November 2006
The Democratic Alliance (DA) must transform its reputation as the voice of the white minority before it can ever hope to challenge the African National Congress’s stranglehold on power, analysts said on Monday. Tony Leon stunned observers on Sunday when he announced he would step aside at the party conference in May next year.
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/ 19 October 2006
What would it take for motorists to leave the comfort of their cars and venture on to daunting public transport? With traffic congestion choking economic activity, the government has caught on to international concepts like Car-Free Day — taking place on Friday — that aim to encourage people to do just that.
There appeared to be little relief in sight for the rain-sodden Eastern Cape, with the whole province on high alert as heavy rains continued, disaster management said on Thursday. Disaster Management’s Captain John Fobian said warnings had been issued all over the province from the Fish River to Port Elizabeth.
A senior advocate with the crime-busting Scorpions unit broke down in the Randburg Regional Court on Monday when she heard she would have to remain in Johannesburg prison. Fearing victimisation, Portia Kgantsi (39) appeared shaken when she heard she would have to wait another seven days for her bail application.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Sunday called for action to be taken against government officials responsible for mismanagement of finances. DA defence spokesperson Roy Jankielsohn said the annual report of the Department of Defence tabled in Parliament showed that the department had received a qualified audit opinion from the auditor general for the fifth year in a row.
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/ 27 September 2006
Durban businessman Schabir Shaik will only later find out if he has to turn over R34-million to the state after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein reserved judgement on his civil appeal on Wednesday. The state says the R34-million is proceeds from the benefits Shaik and his Nkobi group reaped from their relationship with former deputy president Jacob Zuma.
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/ 26 September 2006
The admissibility of the now famous encrypted fax, which led to Durban businessman Schabir Shaik’s second corruption conviction, dominated proceedings at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. On the second day of Shaik’s appeal hearing, state prosecutor Billy Downer faced an array of questions from a full bench of SCA judges.
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/ 26 September 2006
Schabir Shaik did not ”cold-bloodedly” set out to enter a corrupt relationship with former deputy president Jacob Zuma, his advocate told the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Monday. ”There is a world of difference when people stake out and stalk people in [public] office with a cold-blooded intent,” submitted Jeremy Gauntlett SC.
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/ 6 September 2006
More than 60 HIV scientists, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner and leading academics, have called for the immediate removal of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the Treatment Action Campaign said on Wednesday. In a letter to President Thabo Mbeki, a total of 81 signatories said the minister’s health policies were ineffective and immoral.