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/ 5 June 2008

Warning: A shift at the Constitutional Court

After the Constitutional Court judgements in the Clicks case, in which the majority set aside regulations dealing with pricing and dispensing of medicine, legal commentators raised the question as to whether a significant minority of the court — who appeared to adopt a more pro-executive position — would influence the future direction of the court.

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/ 27 February 2008

Masetlha hoax-email case postponed

The fraud case against former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused was postponed in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday. The case against Masetlha, IT specialist Muziwendoda Kunene and former NIA manager for electronic surveillance Funokwakhe Madlala was postponed to June 11 to 13.

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/ 25 February 2008

Masetlha hoax-email case postponed in court

The alleged fraud case against former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused was postponed in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Monday. The charges relate to alleged hoax emails implicating senior African National Congress members in a conspiracy against Jacob Zuma.

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/ 10 January 2008

ANC strapped in for bumpy ride

Jacob Zuma makes his first keynote speech as African National Congress (ANC) leader on Saturday amid forecasts his election as head of South Africa’s ruling party will herald the biggest bout of turbulence since apartheid. All eyes will be on whether Zuma proffers an olive branch towards President Thabo Mbeki or stakes his claim as head of a rival centre of power.

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/ 20 December 2007

Wanted: A job, any job

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>In the aftermath of Tuesday’s top six election, several senior Cabinet ministers and their aides are now getting their CVs together and are suddenly looking forward to the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> jobs section on Friday — they realise their future in a Zuma government and ANC is not looking very bright.

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/ 3 December 2007

Kunene to be charged with murder, court hears

Muziwendoda Kunene, the man caught up in the hoax-email saga, will be charged with murder, the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court heard on Monday. Prosecutor Simon Maluleka told the court that Kunene would be charged with the October murder of Ballito real-estate agent Lynne Hume. His eldest son is a witness in that case, Maluleka told the court.

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/ 28 November 2007

Billy Masetlha acquitted

Former spy boss Billy Masetlha was on Wednesday found not to have contravened the Intelligence Oversight Act by the Hatfield Community Court in Pretoria. His acquittal on charges of withholding information from Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani was greeted by loud applause from the public gallery.

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/ 23 November 2007

ANCYL throws weight behind Zuma

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its weight behind Jacob Zuma for president of the ANC, with current president Thabo Mbeki not featuring on its list of 66 nominations released in Johannesburg on Friday. ”We didn’t support him [Mbeki] for president of the ANC,” said ANCYL president Fikile Mbalula.

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/ 21 November 2007

FXI due in court over Masetlha documents

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) will appear in the Constitutional Court on Thursday in the case of Independent Newspapers versus the minister of intelligence. The FXI said on Wednesday it would argue that Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils did not follow proper procedure when trying to withhold certain documents from the public.

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/ 14 November 2007

Hoax email man shot in Pretoria

IT specialist Muziwendoda Kunene — one of the men allegedly behind the hoax email saga — was shot in Pretoria on Wednesday. The incident comes after Kunene claimed that senior members of the African National Congress were plotting to assassinate him. The party dismissed his claims as a ”conjured-up story”.

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/ 10 November 2007

Masetlha ‘had no political ambitions’

Former spy boss Billy Masetlha had no political ambitions and would have retired as National Intelligence Agency director general had he not been fired, the Hatfield Community Court heard on Friday. He is charged with allegedly withholding information from Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani.

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/ 2 November 2007

Witness corroborates Masetlha testimony

One of the witnesses recalled in the case of former spy boss Billy Masetlha on Friday corroborated evidence that the inspector general of intelligence was sent a report — which he had asked for — on September 30 2005. Although Masetlha’s former personal assistant Nokuthula Motshwane could not be in court, she gave evidence through an affidavit.