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/ 18 February 2005
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has expressed ”serious interest” in building two large-dish antennas in South Africa as part of its deep space array network, Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom announced on Friday.
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/ 10 February 2005
How to boost South Africa’s economic growth and reduce its unemployment rate are just two of the issues opposition parties are hoping to hear President Thabo Mbeki pronounce on in his State of the Nation address on Friday. They would also like clear plans for tackling the country’s Aids pandemic, eradicating poverty, improving social service delivery and dealing with Zimbabwe.
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/ 9 February 2005
The South African government on Wednesday confirmed it was considering classifying land owners in South Africa in terms of their race and nationality, but said this was being done purely to help it gauge the pace of land reform and the extent of foreign land ownership.
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/ 28 December 2004
The KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coasts have experienced unusual tidal activity and sea currents in the wake of the earthquake that struck south-east Asia at the weekend which sent giant waves across large areas of the Indian Ocean. In the PE area one person is missing, believed drowned, as a result of higher than usual swells
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/ 9 December 2004
If the power station at Koeberg in the Western Cape were coal-fired and not nuclear, it would have needed to burn more than 105-million tonnes of the black stuff over the past two decades to equal the power it has produced from just 621 tonnes of uranium, says Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
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/ 10 November 2004
A parliamentary committee has recommended South Africa’s free basic water (FBW) policy be ”re-determined” to exclude those who can afford to pay for their water supply. The FBW policy currently provides, free of charge, 6 000 litres of water per household per month to more than two-thirds of South Africa’s population.
Rare and endangered cycad plants, often referred to as living fossils, are being stolen in South Africa at an alarming rate, with at least two species from Limpopo province having disappeared completely. According to the National Botanical Institute, the country’s botanical gardens are also being targeted by cycad poachers.
Noisy, low-flying helicopters, the bane of weekend walkers seeking a little peace and tranquillity within the borders of the Table Mountain National Park, may soon be a thing of the past. Draft legislation currently before Parliament aims to limit the height at which an aircraft can fly over the park, or any other protected area in South Africa, ”to a level of 2 500 feet above the highest point”.
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/ 27 January 2004
Four German nationals pleaded guilty to illegally collecting rare stag beetles in the Western Cape when they appeared in the Paarl Regional Court on Monday. The beetles, of the Colophon genus, are reportedly worth thousands of rands on international markets.
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/ 15 November 2003
From centuries-old shipwrecks to ancient Stone Age middens and fish traps, South Africa’s coastline is a treasure-trove of historical gems and archaeological riches. Little information is available on the exact location and condition of these sites — but now the country’s first long-term underwater heritage survey has been launched.