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/ 10 June 2005

Arms deal letter central to fight-back

Deputy President Jacob Zuma has been battling for his political life for years, and his supporters believe he still has numerous ways to to take the fight to President Thabo Mbeki, writes <b>Sam Sole</b>. "Schabir Shaik is only the instrument of the attack on Zuma," a close associate of Zuma says.

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/ 10 June 2005

To Shaik or not to Shaik?

The question is not really whether Jacob will jump and when. The real question –arising out of the Hillary Squires judgement on MK stalwart Schabir Shaik — is who, or what, will ultimately have to jump with him. Or rather, who will be prepared to do so. The African National Congress, now the seat of power, has long had a shady relationship with the moral imperatives of struggle culture.

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/ 10 June 2005

Banking on you — today, tomorrow, whatever

It is always gratifying to see big business tightening its belt, and Absa should be praised for its decision not to pay extravagant fees to an advertising agency to handle its "My bank" campaign. Indeed, it has become abundantly clear that Absa has not only economised by eschewing professional copywriters altogether, but has empowered previously marginalised camps by entrusting its re-branding to a band of rhesus monkeys chained to typewriters and supervised by crack addicts.

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/ 10 June 2005

A painful dilemma

Stephen Ward (the Profumo Scandal). Gordon Liddy and E Howard Hunt (Watergate). Now, you can add the name of Schabir Shaik. Small men, all of them, with their 15 inglorious minutes of infamy. But with big trials and with big consequences that overshadowed their pathetic samples of human fallibility.

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/ 10 June 2005

Get your subsidised computer here

Vodacom barely caused a ripple with its announcement last month that it would start subsidising computers in the same way it has cellphones in an effort to increase data use on its network. Beaming from a 19,5% leap in profit to R27, 3-billion and dividends of 61,9% to R3, 4-billion in the year to March, Vodacom is also hoping to boost its data traffic.