Staff Reporter
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/ 15 February 2007

Dispensing fees to be reviewed, says Manto

A forthcoming review of pharmacy dispensing fees announced by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Thursday was well received by pharmacists. When the health minister launched the controversial new structure for the fees pharmacies could charge when dispensing medicine last year, pharmacists were outraged.

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/ 15 February 2007

Economists welcome unchanged rates

The two-day meeting of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee decided to maintain the repo rate at 9% on Thursday, in line with consensus expectations. Nedbank economist Magan Mistry commented: ”The unchanged stance is very much what the market had expected.”

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/ 15 February 2007

Spears placed under provisional liquidation

The Port Elizabeth High Court on Thursday granted an order to place the Southern Spears rugby franchise under provisional liquidation, radio news reported. The Spears were originally intended to participate in the Super 14 competition this year, but their proposed entry into the competition led to controversy.

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/ 15 February 2007

FSB: Curatorship of Fidentia justified

The application to place Fidentia Asset Management under curatorship is justified and the curators should be left to do their job, the Financial Services Board (FSB) said on Thursday. The FSB’s deputy registrar for financial-service providers, Gerry Anderson, said: ”There was every justification for the FSB to have applied to court for a provisional order …”

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/ 15 February 2007

Nqakula may know where Rashid is, says attorney

Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula may know where deported Pakistani national Khalid Rashid is, Rashid’s attorney claimed in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday. Zehir Omar, attorney for Rashid’s family, asked a full bench of the Pretoria High Court, headed by Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, to allow him to place ”new information” before them.

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/ 15 February 2007

Darfur rebels to respect ceasefire

Darfur rebels said on Thursday they will respect a ceasefire and are willing to go back to the negotiating table after a meeting with United Nations and African Union envoys. UN envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson and AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim on Wednesday met rebel commanders.

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/ 15 February 2007

Mbeki pays tribute to Leon

President Thabo Mbeki paid tribute to outgoing Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon on Thursday, saying his ”lively engagement” will be missed in the National Assembly. ”From where I sit, I would never have the courage to argue that he served merely as a Chihuahua, because, indeed, he has the bark of a bull terrier,” he said.