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/ 11 October 2005

Following the leader

The succession battle in Zanu-PF enters a new phase as power blocs in the ruling party in Zimbabwe jockey for influence on the newly created Senate. President Robert Mugabe ensured his central committee sanction an early poll last Friday, a move seen as an acknowledgement by the 81-year-old leader that he needs to limit dissent.

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/ 11 October 2005

Aid arrives as quake toll nears 40 000

Aid began to flood into Pakistan on Monday as the death toll from the weekend’s earthquake continued to spiral and anger over the slow pace of the recovery effort boiled over in remote parts of Kashmir, which have been without supplies for days. In Pakistan, officials said the death toll would reach 40 000 by the end of the week.

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/ 10 October 2005

Out on a limb at Aardklop

For some reason or the other, I found myself down at the Aardklop Festival last weekend. Aardklop is a celebration of serious Afrikanerness that takes over the centre of the seemingly enlightened city of Potchefstroom at this time each year. Why the festival is there, and what aard it is busy klopping, is anyone’s guess.

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/ 10 October 2005

Fat cats take the cream

Fat-cat salaries are crowding out socio-economic delivery in many of South Africa’s municipalities, official figures show. The salaries of municipal councillors and officials outstrip spending on services by nearly R10 -billion — 10% of the total municipal budget. The figures must be seen against the backdrop of the municipal protests that have exploded across South Africa in the past six months.

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/ 10 October 2005

Health officials say Congo fever contained

Health officials are monitoring 151 people for symptoms of the deadly Congo fever virus, which claimed the life of an unnamed farm labourer at Groote Schuur hospital on Monday. Confident the disease will not spread, officials on Monday discharged seven people, including the dead man’s wife and son, from the Riversdale hospital.

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/ 10 October 2005

Scorpions: Should they stay or go?

Contrasting arguments on the future of the Scorpions were submitted by a police union and the Democratic Alliance at the Khampepe commission in Pretoria on Monday. The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union told the commission: ”The need for the Scorpions no longer exists.”