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/ 14 November 2006

SACP expresses concern over Shaik ruling

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has expressed its serious concerns about the Supreme Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in the Schabir Shaik matter, the party said on Tuesday. ”The SACP notes and wishes to express its serious concerns about the implications of the letter written by Judge Hilary Squires to Business Day,” a party statement read.

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/ 14 November 2006

Thukela elephants find sanctuary

Nine African elephants in KwaZulu-Natal facing death following a successful land claim were moved to a wildlife sanctuary in Limpopo over the weekend, animal rights activists said on Tuesday. The previous land owners were planning to kill the elephants as the new owners intended using the land solely for farming, said Animal Rights Africa’s Michele Pickover.

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/ 14 November 2006

Zambia court rejects plea to scrap death sentences

Zambia’s Supreme Court has rejected a petition by two death-row inmates who sought the abolition of capital punishment on the grounds that it went against ”Christian values”. ”The courts in this country have no powers to abolish the death penalty because they do not have power to legislate,” the Supreme Court said in a judgement passed late on Monday.

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/ 14 November 2006

Drug prices for needy on the rise

Drug prices have increased in the past five years despite a commitment by the World Trade Organisation’s 149 members to make them more accessible to the world’s poor, Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Tuesday. MSF said that newer HIV medicines can cost up to 50 times more than the cheapest first-line treatments.

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/ 14 November 2006

Medical tourism stimulating SA economy

South Africa currently earns about R270-million from medical tourism, said Dr Tshepo Maaka, the managing director of Serokolo Health Tourism. Maaka said the country was increasingly being seen as a destination for medical tourism and cited factors such as its highly trained doctors, and excellent medical care.

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/ 14 November 2006

Arson trial of former Zim cricketer adjourned

The trial of former Zimbabwean Test cricketer Mark Vermeulen, charged with arson attacks on the Zimbabwe Cricket Association’s boardroom and training academy, was adjourned until next month by a court in Harare on Tuesday. Magistrate Omega Mugumbate agreed to a defence application for the adjournment in order to allow leading lawyer Eric Matinenga to free up his schedule.

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/ 14 November 2006

Task team to look at SA mines

A task team has been appointed to improve the state of South Africa’s mines, the Chamber of Mines said on Tuesday. ”As our gold mines are relatively old, more work needs to be done in order to achieve our goal of reaching international standards in 2013,” said the chamber’s senior executive, Frans Barker, in Johannesburg.

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/ 14 November 2006

Traffic enforcement set to disrupt Pretoria CBD

Drivers should expect delays on their way to the office on Wednesday in Pretoria’s central business district (CBD), Tshwane Metro Police have warned. ”Operation Adherence”, the metro police’s search for drivers with outstanding warrants of arrest, would move into the city on Wednesday, said metro police spokesperson Mel Vosloo in a statement.