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/ 25 January 2005
Springbok flank Schalk Burger has vehemently denied reports that he was involved in an incident of road rage in Stellenbosch a fortnight ago. According to the Cape Times, Burger allegedly left an unidentified Parow man with a broken jaw after he drove into Burger’s car in Stellenbosch on January 10.
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/ 25 January 2005
Director General of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Chippy Olver is to quit at the end of February, the environment ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday. ”I guess his own feeling is he has been in government for the last 10 years and he wants a bit of fresh air,” departmental spokesperson JP Louw said.
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/ 25 January 2005
Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Buyelwa Sonjica is to sign a forestry lease agreement on Tuesday between the South African government, MTO Forestry and the Amatola Forestry Company, which opens the door to black empowerment companies to lease part of the country’s forests.
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/ 24 January 2005
The new pharmacy operations of listed health and beauty retailer New Clicks Holdings continue to show a loss four months into the company’s 2005 financial year, with the government’s new dispensing-fee regulations eating into margins. This is leading the company to focus on rolling out pharmacy dispensaries in larger Clicks stores.
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/ 24 January 2005
The African National Congress Youth League has welcomed the appointment of advocate Vusumzi ”Vusi” Pikoli as South Africa’s new National Director of Public Prosecutions — taking over from Bulelani Ngcuka. The youth league said: ”Vusi is a seasoned cadre of the movement, a former leader of the ANC Youth League, a disciplined revolutionary.”
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/ 24 January 2005
Johannesburg- and London-listed financial services group Investec plans to raise R522,5-million via the issue of five million new preference shares at an issue price of R104,5-million, the company announced on Monday. The preference share offering opens on Monday and closes on Friday February 11.
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/ 24 January 2005
Forty members of Parliament implicated in the travel voucher scandal will be informed from Monday that they will be prosecuted. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Sipho Ngwema would not say what political parties they belonged to, or whether the state would be demanding that they pay bail.
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/ 23 January 2005
The project of rebuilding District Six floundered as a result of lack of funds, but late last year the clouds parted, when a bank agreed to lend financial muscle to the rebuilding. A scheme to sell bonds secured against the value of the new homes is now expected to resurrect the project.
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/ 21 January 2005
Forty MPs are to be prosecuted for their role in Parliament’s travel scam, the Scorpions announced on Friday. "After considering the evidence and consulting with the affected parties, we have decided to prosecute certain members of Parliament in this matter," spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said.
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/ 21 January 2005
Shareholders of Australian-listed grocery and liquor wholesaler Metcash Trading have approved resolutions that will facilitate the group’s plans to buy the 60% stake in Metcash held by South African-listed holding group Metoz, Metcash confirmed on Friday. Metoz was previously known as Metro Cash and Carry or Metcash.
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/ 21 January 2005
A rush of investors keen to participate in the strong run of local equities has forced Old Mutual to close its top-performing general equity unit trust fund, the Old Mutual High Yield Opportunities Fund, to new investments with immediate effect. Old Mutual Unit Trusts announced its decision to close the fund on Friday.
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/ 20 January 2005
A Cape Town primary school on Thursday lodged an application in the High Court challenging the Western Cape education department’s intention to send English-speaking students to the school, overriding the school governing body’s admission and language policy. According to the body’s chairperson, the matter has been brewing for the past three years.
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/ 20 January 2005
The Eastern Cape health department has announced a R4-million plan to help deal with perennial cholera outbreaks, which have since 2002 claimed the lives of 83 people and hospitalised another 6 000 in the region. A departmental spokesperson said 22 specialised motorbikes are going to help combat outbreaks.
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/ 20 January 2005
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk should break his silence on the escalating crime against tourists in Cape Town by calling a summit to address "this crisis" and raise its priority in the government’s Budget, the official opposition Democratic Alliance said on Thursday.
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/ 20 January 2005
As infighting continued to plague the Independent Democrats, a renewed call for a postponement of the party’s Western Cape congress was made on Wednesday. Senior office bearers, including chairpersons of nine ID branches in Cape Town’s metropolis, have signed a statement calling for the postponement due to the ”chaotic planning and absence of a fair process”.
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/ 20 January 2005
Shortcomings in the enforcement and the monitoring of fire control mechanisms, such as firebreaks in informal settlements, were acknowledged by the Western Cape government on Wednesday. This followed a devastating fire at Cape Town’s Joe Slovo settlement on Saturday which left 12Â 000 people homeless and caused the death of an infant.
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/ 19 January 2005
The government of the City of Cape Town has been given an unqualified audit report for the first time by Auditor General Shauket Fakie, for its financial year ended June 30 2004, Cape Town executive mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo announced on Wednesday. "It is with humility that I can announce a great achievement," Mfeketo said.
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/ 19 January 2005
The share price of Distell South Africa’s largest listed wine and spirits producer, has gained 7,4% or R1,80 to reach its previous all-time high on Wednesday on the back of its bullish trading update, issued late on Tuesday. At 4.30pm, Distell shares were quoted on the JSE Securities Exchange at R26, up from R24,20 at Tuesday’s close.
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/ 19 January 2005
Rugby’s squabbling administrators have brought the game into disrepute, the chairperson of Parliament’s sport portfolio committee said on Wednesday. His comment, during a presentation by SA Rugby’s 2011 World Cup bid committee, came as the Democratic Alliance accused the minister of sport and recreation of ”taking sides” with his brother in the row.
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/ 18 January 2005
President Thabo Mbeki is not obliged to say why he decided to pardon convicted fraudster Allan Boesak, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said on Tuesday. The Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday it has written to both Mbeki and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla, asking for full reasons.
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/ 18 January 2005
Chief land-claims commissioner Tozi Gwanya says he believes that all 22 447 unresolved land-restitution claims will be settled by the end of this year. ”We are confident,” he said on Monday in Cape Town, where he and provincial commissioners are holding their regular quarterly meeting.
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/ 18 January 2005
Pharmacists will not be breaking the law should they not abide by the government’s dispensing-fee rule for medication, and have nothing to fear from threats by the Department of Health to prosecute those who do not adhere to the government’s regulations, says Anthony Norton, attorney for the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-National&ao=178127">Pharmacies charge ‘whatever they want'</a>
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/ 18 January 2005
SA Rugby on Monday confirmed the preliminary South African squads to participate in the 2005 Vodacom Rugby Super 12 competition. Three of the four South African squads — the Cats, Sharks and Stormers — must still add players, while the Bulls have confirmed a full squad of 30 players.
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/ 18 January 2005
The share price of SABMiller plc, one of the world’s largest brewers, has reacted positively to the group’s trading update, gaining 1,45% or R1,35 in early trade on Tuesday on the back of evidence of continued strong growth in the brewer’s beer volumes. At 10.30am, SABMiller was quoted on the JSE Securities Exchange at R97,65.
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/ 17 January 2005
The United States wants to resolve the issue of the debt burden that is crippling the growth of many African countries, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said on Monday. He was addressing journalists in Cape Town, where he is attending a Commission for Africa meeting. Progress in this area, he said, is possible in the next few months.
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/ 17 January 2005
South African businessmen aim to create a ”beachhead of influence” in the Middle East during a three day black economic empowerment visit to Israel next week. An initiative of South Africa’s Ambassador to Israel Fumanekile Gqiba and supported by the South African Israel Chamber of Commerce, the visit followed that of an Israeli delegation to South Africa last year.
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/ 17 January 2005
The government of Canada has cancelled $21-million in debt owed to Canada by Madagascar under the Canadian Debt Initiative. Canada has also announced $42-million in increased funding to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, according to Paul Boothe, the G8 personal representative for Canada.
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/ 17 January 2005
Health and beauty retailer New Clicks has increased its turnover from continuing operations by 25% in the four months from September 1 to December 31 2004, versus the previous year, aided by the inclusion of pharmacy operations compared with the year-earlier period. Group sales totalled R2,97-billion for the four months.
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/ 16 January 2005
Temporary shelter and relieve was being arranged on Saturday night for about 8 000 people left homeless after a fire razed about 1 500 shelters in the Joe Slovo informal settlement and parts of Langa. An unnamed infant perished in Saturday’s fire and several people were injured in the conflagration.
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/ 15 January 2005
An unidentified infant died on Saturday as runaway fires swept through several informal settlement zones in Langa outside Cape Town. Emergency services spokesperson Johann Minnie said 8 000 people were affected when flames ravaged zones 30, 24, 25, 26, 27, 18 and 32. Seven people, including two children, were seriously injured.
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/ 15 January 2005
Emergency personnel rescued 16 people stranded on a roller coaster that malfunctioned on Friday afternoon at the Ratanga Junction entertainment complex outside Cape Town. Internal investigations are under way after the fun-park ride turned sour — a mechanical failure resulting in the 16 being stuck at the highest point of the ride.
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/ 15 January 2005
Glass-packaging manufacturer Consol, which is being unbundled from industrial giant AVI, will be making its reappearance on the JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) on February 28 after an absence of seven years, it emerged on Friday. With a total turnover of about R2,1-billion rand, Consol is South Africa’s largest glassmaker.