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/ 19 September 2006

Cosatu: No leadership opposition identified

By the end of the second day of the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu) congress in Midrand, there was still no clarity on whether there was any official opposition to the present leadership. The nominations for new national office bearers for Cosatu closed on Tuesday but no details on any possible new candidates were being released.

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/ 8 September 2006

Goodbye Cats, hello Lions

The Cats will no longer be. The much-maligned Super 14 franchise will now only be know as the Lions. In a statement issued on Friday, the Golden Lions Rugby Union said that after ”in-depth market research” they decided that their international brand (read Super 14 brand), which used to be known as Cats, will in future be called Lions.

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/ 6 September 2006

Call to prosecute all implicated in grant fraud

The 21 000 civil servants caught fraudulently claiming social grants should all be prosecuted, face disciplinary hearings and be made to pay back the money, two rights monitoring groups said on Wednesday. ”It is vital that justice in these cases be seen to be done,” the Grahamstown offices of the Black Sash and the Public Service Accountability Monitor said in a joint statement.

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/ 6 September 2006

Institute says red tape hampers economic growth

Labour regulations and official red tape tops a list of key constraints hampering South Africa’s economic growth, a Bureau for Economic Research survey showed on Wednesday. Other constraints identified are state leadership and capacity (policy support and municipal services), infrastructure deficiencies and costs and labour skills.

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/ 4 September 2006

Mixed reaction to new textile quotas

An agreement to limit Chinese clothing and textile imports has brought mixed reaction, with labour in the textile industry welcoming the opportunity to rebuild the industry and the Democratic Alliance saying it will bring price increases. The China-South African agreement follows more than a year’s negotiations. It sets quantitative targets on specified clothing and textile products.

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/ 4 September 2006

Survey shows more children attending school

More children are attending and finishing school but more are vulnerable due to poverty and the death of at least one parent, said an Education Department report released on Monday. The report found that the demand for high school and higher education institutions would probably grow strongly while demand for primary schools would grow more slowly.

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/ 31 August 2006

SA dam levels close to overflowing

South Africa’s dams are 92% full, according to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry’s records. The department reports on its website that the dams were only 65% full this time last year. This week, dam levels in the provinces ranged from overflowing in the Northern Cape to 72% full in Limpopo.

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/ 24 August 2006

TAC delivers strong Aids message to govt

Members of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) staged protests outside government offices around the country on Thursday. The illegal protest was part of a ”global day of action” to pressure the government on its response to HIV/Aids. However, the Department of Health said it will continue to focus on prevention in its fight against HIV/Aids.

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/ 24 August 2006

TAC: ‘We want action and we want it now’

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) had decided to deliberately stage illegal protests because it was tired of the government’s failure to act on HIV/Aids, it said on Thursday. ”We deliberately did not apply for permission to protest and we don’t apologise for that because we are tired of government’s inactivity in the face of the Aids pandemic,” said the TAC’s general secretary Sipho Mthathi.

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/ 24 August 2006

Rain eases in sodden southern Cape

Rainfall has eased in the sodden southern Cape but more is expected, said the South African Weather Service on Thursday. In the 24 hours to 8am on Thursday, the weather service recorded 11,6mm in Riversdale, compared to 28mm the day before, 4mm in George (71,5mm on Wednesday) and 18mm in Heidelberg (25mm on Wednesday).

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/ 23 August 2006

TAC has ‘secret’ plans for day of Aids action

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is remaining tight-lipped hours ahead of a planned international day of action on Thursday. ”It is a secret,” said Rukia Cornelius, the TAC’s national manager, on Wednesday. The day will see protests at South African embassies and government institutions in South Africa, the United States and Europe.

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/ 22 August 2006

Govt told BEE not progressing quickly enough

The South African government has been told that progress has been very slow in achieving black economic empowerment (BEE) in South African business, with government itself contributing little in terms of procurement from black business. This emerged in a meeting between President Thabo Mbeki and his economic cluster ministers on Tuesday.

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/ 21 August 2006

Two boys killed in hand-grenade tragedy

Two boys died near Cofimvaba after picking up hand grenade they found while hunting, Eastern Cape police said on Monday. ”Police explosives experts said it is an M26 hand grenade of South African origin,” said Superintendent Edwin Taleni after the police explosives unit went to the scene on Monday to identify the type of explosive.

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/ 20 August 2006

Parliament to study court rulings on Acts

Parliament on Saturday said it has taken note of Constitutional Court rulings this week relating to the Abortion Amendment Act and the cross-boundary municipalities law, among others. ”The two judgements are of critical importance to the legislative procedures of Parliament,” Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete said.

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/ 17 August 2006

How to save herstory

Despite the difficulties they faced, women’s struggles during apartheid resulted in South Africa today having one of the most progressive constitutional-legislative frameworks for women’s rights in the world. It is not, however, a time for complacency — there exist devastating compromises and crucial omissions, writes Pregs Govender.

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/ 16 August 2006

Snow claims three lives in Eastern Cape

Three people were found dead after they were trapped in snow in Mount Fletcher in the Eastern Cape, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported on Wednesday. ”Today’s [Wednesday] freezing weather in the area is probably the cause of their death.” Disaster teams in the Eastern Cape were also battling to clear roads of snow that fell overnight in Barkly East and Elliot, Arrive Alive said.

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/ 16 August 2006

E Cape politicians claim cellphones being bugged

Prominent Eastern Cape politicians and officials believe their cellphone conversations are being tapped or intercepted, Dispatch Online reported on Wednesday. It said at least one has made a formal complaint on the matter to the police. So nervous are senior officials that many now use code names to disguise their conversations when discussing political affairs on their cellphones.

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/ 16 August 2006

Shoprite strike: Negotiations set for Friday

Negotiations to end a pay strike by workers at Shoprite Checkers will begin in Johannesburg on Friday, the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) said on Wednesday. ”Shoprite requested the CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] to intervene and a meeting has been set up for August 18,” said Saccawu negotiator Thoko Mchunu.

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/ 16 August 2006

E Cape fears roofs collapsing under heavy snow

Roofs of houses and businesses were in danger of collapsing under the weight of snow in Barkly East and Elliot in the Eastern Cape, Arrive Alive said on Wednesday. Disaster teams and traffic authorities were using graders to clear snow off the road. ”But it is very, very cold and the snow is very thick,” said an Arrive Alive spokesperson.

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/ 15 August 2006

Saccawu: Strike is impacting on Shoprite

A strike at Shoprite stores around South Africa enjoyed widespread public support and is impacting on the company, the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) said on Tuesday. ”The strike is continuing today [Tuesday] and the fact that Shoprite are closing some stores is proof that the strike is having an impact,” said Saccawu negotiator Thoko Mchunu.

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/ 15 August 2006

Addo elephant park set for expansion

The Addo Elephant National Park is set to become the third-largest national park in the country, according to South African National Parks. The park’s new southern access road was officially opened by the minister of environmental affairs and tourism on Tuesday, coinciding with the park’s 75th-anniversary celebrations.