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/ 29 May 2007

Judge questions Zuma blocking bid

A Durban High Court judge on Tuesday queried Jacob Zuma’s defence team over its efforts to stop the retrieval of documents from Mauritius that might relate to arms-deal corruption. He asked Zuma’s advocate Kemp J Kemp: ”If a person professes his innocence, then why go to all these lengths to prevent the evidence being obtained?”

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/ 28 May 2007

UKZN academics under investigation

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has informed two of its mechanical engineering professors that they are under investigation. In a statement on Monday, the university said the two men were informed that ”investigations are under way and charges relating to misconduct are being prepared”.

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/ 27 May 2007

Outspoken Sonn proved an able administrator

International Cricket Council president Percy Sonn, who died on May 27, will be remembered as an able administrator and a firebrand who sometimes spoke his mind too freely for his own good. He was a major figure in the racial unification of South African cricket and served as president of the United Cricket Board from 2000 to 2003.

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/ 26 May 2007

Confident Ajax spoil Sundowns’ dream

Ajax Cape Town spoiled the celebration plans of thousands of Mamelodi Sundowns fans who came all the way from Tshwane only to see their team outplayed and outclassed in an exciting Absa Cup final at a packed Absa Stadium on Saturday night. Sundowns were aiming for a domestic double but Ajax were more confident and evidently better prepared.

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/ 23 May 2007

IFP: We have proof of advertising-ban claim

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Wednesday claimed it had proof that KwaZulu-Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele ordered provincial government departments to cease advertising in the Sunday Tribune. On March 1, IFP KwaZulu-Natal caucus leader Lionel Mtshali released a statement that the provincial government had pulled R200 000-worth of advertising.

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/ 23 May 2007

Durban backtracks on name changes

The eThekwini municipality has backtracked on its plans to rename nearly 200 streets by extending the deadline for objections and inviting further submissions, the Mercury newspaper reported on Wednesday. The deadline for submissions of new names and objections to the existing proposals was extended to the end of June.

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/ 22 May 2007

Schabir Shaik sent back to prison

Fraud convict Schabir Shaik has been sent back to Durban’s Westville prison, the Correctional Services department said on Tuesday. It is believed that Shaik was returned to the prison on Monday night. He was referred to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban over a month ago, after he spent two months at a prison infirmary, and 83 days at St Augustine’s hospital.

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/ 20 May 2007

Muir: ‘We made too many mistakes’

Sharks coach Dick Muir refused to blame a missed conversion for his side’s 20-19 defeat by the Bulls in the Super 14 final in Durban on Saturday. Wing Frans Steyn, who had celebrated his 20th birthday during the week, missed the conversion to Albert ven den Bergh’s try that would have given the Sharks an unassailable eight-point lead with only 80 seconds remaining.

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/ 19 May 2007

Bulls snatch last-gasp try to bag Super 14

Springbok wing Bryan Habana scored a try two minutes into injury time to lead the Bulls to a thrilling win over the Sharks for their first Super 14 title. Bulls flyhalf Derick Hougaard added the conversion from next to the uprights to spoil the party for the 54 000 home fans who turned out to witness the first all-South African Super 14 final.

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/ 19 May 2007

All eyes on Super 14 final

Saturday is one of the biggest days in South African rugby history. Whether it goes to Pretoria or Durban, South Africa is guaranteed to hold the Super 14 title for a year when the Bulls and Sharks face up in the final at the Absa Stadium in Durban. The final will square up two of the strongest and most consistent teams in this year’s edition of the Super 14.

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/ 18 May 2007

Braai, booze sales rocket ahead of Super 14 final

Butcheries and bottle stores across Durban did a roaring trade on Friday afternoon and expected a manic Saturday morning ahead of the Super 14 final clash between the Bulls and the Sharks. Beer and braai packs were most in demand. ”There are huge braai orders,” said Chris Giani, the manager of Dirk’s Meet Market in Davenport Square.

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/ 17 May 2007

Durban set for Super 14 showdown

Durban is generally touted as the country’s surf capital. But such is the hype surrounding the upcoming Super 14 clash between the Sharks and the Bulls that even the surfers are talking rugby. The city’s two English-language daily newspapers have devoted pages and pages to the upcoming clash.

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/ 15 May 2007

IFP launches beauty pageant

In what may be a first for South Africa, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Tuesday announced that it had launched a beauty pageant in KwaZulu-Natal. And the search for Miss IFP KwaZulu-Natal has already received overwhelming interest, according to the IFP’s Sipho Mbatha, the organiser behind the event.

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/ 15 May 2007

Sharks keep close eye on injuries

A number of the Sharks rugby front-runners took a sabbatical from the first training session on Monday ahead of Saturday’s final against the Bulls in Durban. The major concern, though, for coach Dick Muir and the Sharks management was the state of health of two key players.

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/ 12 May 2007

Sharks sink Blues to reach Super 14 final

The Coastal Sharks scored 20 unanswered points in the final quarter here against the Auckland Blues on Saturday to romp to a thrilling 34-18 win in a Super 14 semifinal clash to qualify for the final next weekend. The Sharks led 14-6 at the break and will now host the southern hemisphere inter-provincial rugby competition final for the first time.

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/ 11 May 2007

Sharks, Bulls gear up for battle

Everything to play for and to the victor the spoils as the Sharks prepare to topple the Blues of Auckland to earn a home Super 14 rugby final in their tough-as-nails semifinal at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon. As a consequence, rugby hype is at its utmost frenzy as 52 000 spectators are set to fill the stadium to its rafters.

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/ 8 May 2007

AU gathering begins in South Africa

The African Union’s three-day retreat began on Tuesday at Zimbali Lodge north of Durban amid calls to resolve the continent’s conflicts and to further the aims of the AU. The three-day AU foreign ministers’ retreat is being held in preparation for the upcoming AU summit of heads of state and government scheduled for Accra, Ghana, in July.

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/ 8 May 2007

Many killed in Lesotho bus collision

At least 39 people were killed when a bus carrying textile-factory workers collided with a truck in Lesotho’s Leribe district, police said on Tuesday. Lesotho mounted police spokesperson Inspector Pheello Mphana said the bus, which was carrying 103 people, collided with the truck and trailer at 7pm on Monday evening.

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/ 4 May 2007

KZN sailor describes monster waves

Carol Erasmus, the 32-year-old KwaZulu-Natal engineer on the stricken Australian yacht Cowrie Dancer, had never seen such huge waves as those she faced in the southern ocean except ”in the movies”. Erasmus said she and Australian sailor John Blackman had been trying to secure the broken mizzen — the rear mast — when a huge wave hit the yacht on Monday.

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/ 3 May 2007

Durban name changes spark ministerial visit

Ongoing tensions over the proposed changes of street and building names in Durban prompted the national Cabinet on Thursday to dispatch two ministers to the city in a bid to resolve the heated situation. The announcement follows a march that saw 10 000 people converge on the Durban City Hall in protest against the proposed changes.

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/ 3 May 2007

Blue-light brouhaha rumbles on

A motorist who used his cellphone to film KwaZulu-Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele’s speeding motorcade in January has denied accusations that he is a racist, the Witness newspaper reported on Thursday. On Tuesday, provincial transport minister Bheki Cele issued a statement to the media justifying speeding VIP convoys.

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/ 2 May 2007

Speeding-convoy saga continues

Former KwaZulu-Natal premier Lionel Mtshali on Monday said there had never been an ”unprecedented outcry” over provincial ministers’ speeding vehicles during his tenure. ”During my time as premier, there were no road accidents involving government vehicles with blue lights,” said Mtshali.