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/ 21 February 2006

E Cape premier fires youth commissioners

Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela has sacked provincial youth commission chairperson Mlungisi Lumka and youth commissioner Nonkuselo Nkayitshana, her office said on Monday. The working relationship with the commissioners had ”irretrievably broken down” after the publication of articles and advertisements by the commission.

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/ 21 February 2006

Absa reports results for nine months

South African banking group Absa on Tuesday reported an 18,3% increase in diluted headline earnings per share from a pro forma 600,7 cents to 710,9 cents a share for the nine months ended December 2005. Basic headline earnings per share for the nine-month period were up 20% from a pro forma 617 cents to 740,4 cents.

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/ 21 February 2006

Liberty Life CEO to leave company

Liberty Life chairperson Derek Cooper announced on Tuesday that the group’s CEO, Myles Ruck, is to leave the company after his service-retention agreement expires on May 31 because of personal reasons. Ruck has been invited to remain on the board of the Standard Bank Group as a non-executive director.

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/ 21 February 2006

AECI reports 23% increase in earnings

South African chemicals and explosives company AECI on Tuesday reported a 23% increase in headline earnings per share to 482 cents for the year ended December 2005, from 392 cents a year ago. On a fully diluted basis, headline earnings per share were 473 cents from 383 cents per share.

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/ 21 February 2006

Ringing up the Budgets

Since the banning of tobacco advertising, South Africa’s big three cellular providers have offered hope to media owners through substantial year-on-year growth in advertising budgets. They are now all in the top 12 in terms of local spend. Kirsty Laschinger finds out whether the upward trend will continue, and where this year’s money will go.

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/ 21 February 2006

Stymied Rights

In a look back at media coverage of the Cape’s "Manenberg Tornado", Sean Jacobs remembers that the local press can be as dismissive of citizens’ socio-economic right as US media were during and after Hurricane Katrina.

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/ 21 February 2006

Alarm Bells is Ringin’

The consumer has found out that repetition is boring, according to Harry Herber. In this indictment on the industry for their inability to get with the programme, he argues that media owners and agencies are way out of touch with evolving mindsets.

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/ 21 February 2006

Just Loathing Gonzo

Hunter S Thompson is dead. Long may it last, says Lin Sampson. Gonzo will not save local journalism, she argues, because there’s no shortcut to dying for one’s art – and besides, our own writealike Hunters go home to Ovaltine in the suburbs.