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/ 19 September 2003
Nine-and-a-half years into our democracy, we are back in the world of rumour-mongering and assassination by innuendo. Take the case of National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka. As in the bad old days, the accusers have not proved anything beyond reasonable doubt.
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/ 19 September 2003
The Brenthurst Initiative sets out to link empowerment and growth, in line with Mbeki’s conviction that economic growth, development and BEE are complementary processes. But it remains the discredited deal-making mode of recent years. Worse, it can point to no case where empowerment of this kind generates growth.
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/ 19 September 2003
In a turbulent week for the banking sector, FirstRand came in with enviable results for its year to June 2003, troubled Nedcor announced the departure of CE Richard Laubscher and the shares of South Africa’s three top banks moved sharply in reaction last week.
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/ 19 September 2003
If any elected leader was asking to be overthrown, it was President Kumba Kobde Yala of Guinea Bissau. And last Sunday a 32-member military junta siezed power. Within a day-and-a-half of Yala’s fall, life was back to normal in Guinea Bissau: traffic was back on the streets and it was business as usual.
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/ 19 September 2003
The Israeli military has claimed that large budget cuts agreed by the government last week will ground much of the air force and leave the army at its weakest since the Yom Kippur war 30 years ago.
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/ 19 September 2003
The US economy stumbled again this week with the release of crucial retail sales, consumer confidence and inflation data that were uniformly worse than analysts had expected. According to the US Commerce Department, retail sales rose by 0,6% in August, below Wall Street forecasts of 1,4%. In July retail sales grew at 1,3%.
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/ 19 September 2003
Saudi Arabia, in response to the current upheaval in the Middle East, has embarked on a strategic review that includes acquiring nuclear weapons. This new threat of proliferation in one of the world’s most dangerous regions comes on top of a crisis over Iran’s alleged nuclear programme.
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/ 19 September 2003
It’s been a while since 20 000 people attended a game of rugby in Bloemfontein and despite Corne Krige’s chagrin at the reception given his Springbok team on Tuesday night, quite clearly not everyone bought a ticket simply to exercise their right to boo.
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/ 19 September 2003
Rarely in soccer do two clubs with such totally different styles of play meet in the final of a major knockout cup as they do in Sunday’s culmination of the inaugural South African Airways Super 8 competition.
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/ 19 September 2003
A story doing the rounds seeks to explain the inexplicable: how could Mbeki appoint Manto as acting prez while he and Zuma were out of the country? Apparently it was feared that if any more capable person was appointed, the people wouldn’t want Mbeki and Zuma back, Oom Krisjan muses.