Staff Reporter
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/ 24 October 2007

500 000 forced to flee California wildfires

Fierce wildfires raged across Southern California on Tuesday, threatening more than 60 000 homes as night fell and forcing half a million people to flee in the state’s largest evacuation. California’s worst fires in four years tormented the San Diego area in the south and threatened mountain communities further north.

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/ 24 October 2007

Celebrating teachers

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate teachers and the central role they play in efforts to achieve quality education for all children. However, in many countries not all children have the opportunity to enter a classroom or gain basic literacy or numeracy skills, as there are simply not enough qualified teachers.

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/ 24 October 2007

Teaching ‘out of the box’

The word “innovation” has acquired special status in South Africa’s educational vocabulary since the introduction of the outcomes-based education in the late 1990s. Teachers, most of whom trained and taught during apartheid, have had to learn new rules of the game.

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/ 23 October 2007

Party before nation?

Is Frene Ginwala the appropriate person to chair the inquiry into the conduct of suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli? Will she be impartial, or will she make findings that support President Thabo Mbeki’s controversial action regardless? My own experience of working with her raises some real concerns, writes Andrew Feinstein

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/ 23 October 2007

One for the workers…

Earlier this month the Constitutional Court ruled in a case with tremendous consequences for ordinary South Africans and our system of labour relations. The appeal involved the dismissal, more than seven years ago, of Zingisile Sidumo by Rustenburg Platinum Mines. Sidumo was employed to patrol the mine’s high-security facility, where precious metals are separated from lower-grade concentrate.

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/ 23 October 2007

Jo’burg mayor launches new bus system

Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo on Tuesday launched the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT), which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Johannesburg. Masondo said the BRT, also known as Rea Vaya, would introduce a network of buses travelling along dedicated bus ways with bus stations situated every 500m.

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/ 23 October 2007

PetroSA-Imvume court file ‘not mislaid’

The Johannesburg High Court has not mislaid the file in the matter between PetroSA and Imvume Management, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said on Tuesday. ”The file is in fact in the possession of the registrar of the filing section of the Johannesburg High Court …,” department spokesperson Zolile Nqayi said in a statement.