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/ 12 February 2004

World markets, gold prop up JSE

The JSE Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE) was marginally positive in noon trade on Thursday, with a higher gold price and stronger world markets offsetting the negative effect of a stronger rand. The rand was quoted at R6,72 per dollar from R6,89 when the JSE closed on Wednesday.

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/ 12 February 2004

RMI blasts abuse of Customs Act

The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) on Wednesday warned that it is taking up the cudgels of its members to fight what it calls "abuse of the enormous powers" incorporated in the Customs Act, which it charges has unfairly been crippling small and medium-sized businesses in the automotive industry.

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/ 12 February 2004

Infrastructure hampers SA iron-ore exports

Kumba Resources is missing out on the rapid expansion of demand for iron ore from commodity behemoth China due to South Africa’s rail and port infrastructure not keeping pace, says Kumba CEO Dr Con Fauconnier. As a result, Kumba’s competitors that can more easily raise output are increasing their share of iron ore exports to China.

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/ 12 February 2004

Star newspaper slammed for irresponsible journalism

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Wednesday criticised The Star’s HIV/Aids reporting and pleaded for responsible journalism. ”That was a dangerous headline,” said TAC treasurer Mark Heywood, ”It will cause fear”. The headline in question, on the Johannesburg newspaper’s front page, was: ”Aids drug risk for mothers”.

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/ 12 February 2004

Homecoming for District Six elders

In a windswept but joyous ceremony, former South African president Nelson Mandela on Wednesday handed over symbolic keys to the first two homeowners to resettle in Cape Town’s District Six. Ebrahim Murat (87) and Dan Ndzabela (82) will be the first of an estimated 4 000 homeowners to resettle in the area over the next 36 months.

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/ 12 February 2004

Madiba’s old offices a crime den

Old, tacky clothes lie all over the floor. A stench hangs in the air. The first and second floors of this downtown Jo’burg building are crammed with shacks. The people who live here are homeless; some make a living guiding cars into parking places. This is Chancellor House, which once housed the offices of South Africa’s most famous legal team — Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.

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/ 12 February 2004

Nigerian police are still on the take

In the past two years, 800 policemen in Nigeria have been dismissed for extortion and another 65 have found themselves in court. But, the arrests and dismissals do not appear to be making a real dent in the levels of police corruption in Lagos, as far as extortion of money from motorists is concerned.

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/ 12 February 2004

Is South Africa going the Zimbabwean way?

The complaint by opposition parties that South Africa is fast becoming a one-party state is stubbornly not going away, and is set to dominate the forthcoming election.
In this view, the African National Congress is becoming too powerful and is likely to subvert South Africa’s democracy, running the country into the ground in the process. Some people — tongue in cheek — claim this has already happened.