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/ 1 November 2005

Zim opposition talks end in deadlock

Zimbabwe’s main opposition party edged closer to a split on Monday as crisis talks to resolve differences over taking part in controversial polls next month ended in a deadlock. ”The president and members of the management committee agreed to disagree,” said Movement for Democratic Change deputy secretary general Gift Chimanikire.

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/ 1 November 2005

Minister may consider moratorium on land sales

It may be necessary to consider a moratorium on the sale of public and state land to prioritise land for sustainable human settlements, Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu said at the National Municipal Housing Indaba on Monday. However, municipalities have neither the capacity nor the mandate to deliver housing, she added.

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/ 1 November 2005

Eastern Cape fires ‘out of control’

A fire in the Humansdorp area of the Eastern Cape and three fires in the Tsitsikamma area were out of control on Monday night, Working on Fire (WOF) said. ”They are burning commercial timber and indigenous veld,” WOF spokesperson Val Charlton said at 7.30pm. Gale-force winds expected on Tuesday would fan the flames.

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/ 1 November 2005

Oil prices settle below $60 a barrel

Oil prices settled below $60 a barrel for the first time in three months on Monday, as forecasts calling for warmer weather sparked a wave of selling. Earlier in the month, the market had moved lower on signs of weakening gasoline demand following a summertime spike in pump prices.

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/ 1 November 2005

Signs of a national disaster

It was an intense three days: at the South African Human Rights Commission’s headquarters in Johannesburg, about 30 people had their chance to say their piece on the state of basic education. A few (the government and union officials) wheeled out statistics that claimed to demonstrate the success of the system and referred to failings as "challenges".

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/ 1 November 2005

Don’t bank on the boom

South Africans feel worse off this year, with more people claiming to have gone without cash income or medical treatment than last year. These are the latest results from the 2005 FinScope Survey, conducted by FinMark Trust, which tracks perceptual changes in the South African environment, especially in relation to financial services.

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/ 1 November 2005

Taking stock of future growth

It’s 8.30am on a damp, Saturday winter morning in Cape Town, but still the lecture room at Share Direct is full. The people in the audience don’t look like stockbrokers in suits and ties. They’re ordinary people — a teacher, a travel agent, a construction worker. What they all have in common, though, is the realisation that each will need to get the most out of their current income if they are to enjoy financial freedom in the years that lie ahead.