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/ 12 November 2004

Not in the name of Stellenbosch

”Stellenbosch stands for an idea.” This was the popular intellectual war cry the old Afrikaner Nationalists used to influence and mobilise (rather, immobilise) Afrikanerdom of yore. But the Stellenbosch University of the 21st century stands for a new idea: of being an agent of change, a transformer in co-creating the country all South Africans deserve to live in. It was almost a case of ”too little, too late”.

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/ 12 November 2004

‘New charterists’ face challenge from old

This week’s revelation that senior African National Congress members may have bagged the lucrative foreign-owned stake in Telkom could uncork a debate on empowerment which is simmering in the ruling party. The consortium is led by Andile Ngcaba, the former director general of communications and a powerful ANC personality; Smuts Ngonyama, the party spokesperson and national executive committee member; and businesswoman Gloria Serobe.

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/ 12 November 2004

Row erupts over ‘share buy-back’

Telkom has denied allegations that it embarked on a share buy-back programme early this year to artificially boost its share price and secure a cushioned exit for its strategic equity partner, Thintana. This week questions were asked in Parliament about Telkom ”ramping” its share price, following the spectacular surge in the utility’s share value over the year, and allegations in noseweekthat this had resulted from Telkom buying its own shares.

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/ 12 November 2004

LPM back in court

Members of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) were back in court on Wednesday. The 52 activists arrested for demonstrating on polling day are facing charges of contravening a section of the Electoral Act, which states that ”on voting day, no person may hold or take part in any political meeting, march, demonstration … or engage in any political activity, other than casting a vote, in the area within the boundary of a voting station”.

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/ 12 November 2004

Shoprite strikers back at work

About 300 Malawian employees of the South African supermarket chain Shoprite Trading Limited have returned to work after their two-week strike failed to win any concessions from the company. The workers, who were striking in support of their demand for better wages, suspended the strike after the company advertised in the local press for workers to replace them.

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/ 12 November 2004

Mirroring the movie biz

It took about four calls before someone finally told me what Sithengi means. It was research officer Joy Lekgau, who presumed the word had Nguni roots, meaning ”market”. Uncharacteristic of the glamour the movie industry courts, Africa’s fastest growing film gathering has an ordinary name. If it were happening in the Arab world it would simply be ”Souk”. And it’s currently happening in Cape Town.

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/ 12 November 2004

Will the real Afrikaners please rise?

Students and staff at the University of Stellenbosch have united against a group of alumni, widely described as ”conservative old-timers”, who are opposed to a posthumous honorary doctorate for communist leader and advocate Bram Fischer.
The award has triggered a battle between the university’s council and senate, and the body of graduate students and academic staff, highlighting how deeply divided die volk still is.

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/ 12 November 2004

Race on to find strong, credible leader

To the end, Yasser Arafat kept his subordinates wrangling among themselves for influence and power. The Palestinian leader refused to anoint a successor even as his health declined over recent months. By the time he slipped into a coma, all the Palestinian leadership had to fall back on in deciding how to disperse the many powers that lay in the grip of the one man for 40 years was the law.