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/ 25 January 2008

A big ‘gemors’

If it’s not energy efficiency, it’s power rationing; if it’s not power-rationing, it’s load-shedding; if it’s not load-shedding it’s blackouts; and if it’s blackouts – well it’s just one big gemors. South Africa’s power crisis has commercial, industrial and domestic power users pulling their hair out in frustration as they search for ways to save power. But what can be done, and how?

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/ 25 January 2008

It’s always dark in here

She looks down while washing dishes in a bucket as we enter the house where she lives with 56 people scattered around the house and on the property. “Please sit down. Sorry, the couch is a bit wet,” she says. It is striking how dignified she looks while sitting up straight in a pink dress with her hands folded on her lap.

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/ 24 January 2008

Staff members steal R2,5m from W Cape administration

Thieving staff members caused losses worth R2,5-million in the Western Cape provincial administration in the last 12 months, the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court heard on Thursday. The deputy director in the administration’s Forensic Investigation Unit, Rajendra Naidoo, testified at the trial of a former staff member, Melanie Otto.

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/ 24 January 2008

Top matrics get a presidential handshake

President Thabo Mbeki congratulated the country’s top matric students of 2007 — 18 pupils from the nine provinces — at the presidential guest house in Pretoria on Thursday. The pupils had received scholarships through the Thabo Mbeki Matric Merit Awards programme, which is administered by the Thabo Mbeki Education Trust.

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/ 24 January 2008

US raises concerns over Tsvangirai arrest

The United States said on Thursday it has raised its concerns with Zimbabwe over a political opponent’s arrest which it called a bid to intimidate and muzzle democratic opposition. The US ambassador to Harare, James McGee, spoke on Wednesday to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai after he was released after several hours in custody.

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/ 24 January 2008

Kenya crisis: Rivals shake hands

The two rivals in Kenya’s political crisis met on Thursday for the first time since a disputed election and pledged to seek an end to weeks of unrest that have killed nearly 700 people. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga shook hands and smiled after the closed-door talks, brokered by former United Nations boss Kofi Annan.