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/ 22 March 2005

Spicemaker takes action following dye scare

One of South Africa’s large spice manufacturers, Robertsons, said on Tuesday it has withdrawn some of its products from supermarket shelves following the Sudan Red dye scare. ”The products were withdrawn as an extreme precautionary measure because they use similar raw materials to the Robertsons peri peri spice withdrawn on Friday,” the company said.

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/ 22 March 2005

Minister addresses imbizo on prison issues

Union members spared Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour any discomfort on Tuesday when he addressed a range of issues at a community imbizo (meeting) in Mitchells Plain. ”We don’t want to speak, we would be guillotined back at work,” said a Prisons and Police Civil Rights Union member.

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/ 22 March 2005

Typhoid returns to Kinshasa

A typhoid epidemic has returned but the taps installed 15 years ago still can’t provide drinking water to the residents of Kinshasa’s crowded Kimbanseke area.
Their plight and that of millions of others worldwide is the focus of the United Nations World Water Day on Tuesday.

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/ 22 March 2005

Western Areas in the black

A fourth-quarter recovery lifted junior miner Western Areas’ year-end results into the black for the 12 months ended December. The group said on Tuesday that substantial revaluation gains of R307-million on dollar liabilities (in accordance with AC133) boosted the results of Western Areas for the fourth quarter.

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/ 22 March 2005

Media groups’ shares tumble

Shares in media and entertainment group Johnnic Communications and Naspers fell on Tuesday on the back of different factors, a trader said. "I’d say the fall was unbundling-related for Johncom shares, whereas with Naspers we are seeing a continuation of profit-taking," a trader said.

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/ 22 March 2005

‘Great voter apathy’ in Zimbabwe

South African civil society groups came back from Zimbabwe disillusioned about the state of democracy in the country, they said on Tuesday. The six-member delegation said that ”only the most optimistic MDC [Movement for Democratic Change] politicians” could hope for political change through free and fair elections.

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/ 22 March 2005

Malawi’s president could face impeachment

A group of lawmakers in Malawi plan to launch a bid to impeach President Bingu wa Mutharika later this month, alleging that he violated the Constitution, a party spokesperson said on Tuesday. Discussions to impeach the president were held last weekend at the residence of former president and United Democratic Front leader Bakili Muluzi, who is engaged in an open feud with Mutharika.

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/ 22 March 2005

Somali govt divided over relocation plan

Somalia’s transitional government-in-exile met in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday in a bid to bridge deep divisions over plans to relocate to the war-shattered nation that are now in chaos, officials said. But with inter-clan tensions still running high, there was no indication that Tuesday’s meeting would yield any immediate consensus, the officials said.

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/ 22 March 2005

Royal Thai rain-making operation launched

Thailand on Tuesday began a cloud-seeding campaign overseen by the king to alleviate a severe drought that has dried up reservoirs and baked rice paddies across the world’s number-one rice exporter, senior officials said. The rain-making operation is to focus first on the country’s impoverished north-east.

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/ 22 March 2005

Another boost from SA for tsunami relief

Almost R700 000 was given to the South African Red Cross towards the tsunami relief fund by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in Pretoria on Tuesday. ”We are proud as Jewish people to be part of South Africa where people care about those in suffering halfway around the world,” said Zev Krengel on behalf of the board.