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/ 26 September 2005
Wildfires began claiming lives — both human and animal — on Monday as they ran unabated across the hot, dry countryside, fanned by heavy winds. A six-year-old girl, Bonakele Ngema, burnt to death in a house where she was trapped while seeking refuge from a roaring blaze that bore down on her in Mntanenkosi reserve, KwaZulu-Natal.
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/ 26 September 2005
Firefighters were put on standby in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape on Monday after fears that blazes in four other provinces could spread, a public-private firefighting organisation said. Working on Fire spokesperson Val Charlton said fires are raging in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Mpumalanga.
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/ 24 September 2005
The other day I saw a fat, white kid in the international departure hall at Johannesburg airport. His straining T-shirt had three broad hoops of colour across it: orange, white and blue. On his belly the flags of the Transvaal Republic, Orange Free State and Cape Colony bulged out of shape
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/ 20 September 2005
Listed hotel and gaming group Sun International and its Free State-based black economic empowerment partner, Mangaung Sun, are on track to open their new R240-million Windmill Casino and Entertainment Centre complex in Bloemfontein at the end of September, Sun International said on Tuesday.
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/ 19 September 2005
A senior state prosecutor told the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday that the state is working non-stop in the murder investigation of senior Free State official Noby Ngombane. Ngombane, a senior official in Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff’s office, was murdered at his Hillsboro home on March 22.
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/ 17 September 2005
The Free State Cheetahs had to fight for the spoils of victory at Wellington on Saturday to stay in the hunt for Currie Cup glory after coming from behind to beat Boland 29-21 in the final quarter of a lively premier-division contest. The Cheetahs looked a shadow of the side that beat the Sharks at King’s Park a fortnight ago.
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/ 16 September 2005
Recent meetings with municipalities to discuss their finances were ”a disaster and a nightmare,” the Free State legislature’s public accounts committee said on Friday. The committee met municipalities during August to consider reports of the auditor general on the financial statements of all municipalities.
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/ 14 September 2005
The finances of most Eastern Cape municipalities are in such a poor state that they cannot calculate how much they are owed in arrears, media reports said on Wednesday. Local government MEC Sam Kwelita said only two municipalities out of more than 40 had received unqualified audit reports from the auditor-general.
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/ 12 September 2005
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) picketed outside Telkom’s head offices in Pretoria on Monday, accusing the telecommunication giant of ignoring it and its grievances. The FXI says Telkom refused to attend a recent meeting to discuss issues including the poor roll-out of telephone lines in rural and poor areas.
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/ 12 September 2005
Arthur Zwane burst into the limelight at Giyani Stadium on Sunday by scoring both goals in Kaizer Chiefs’ 2-0 Premier Soccer League win over Dynamos. In other matches, Lamontville Golden Arrows played to a two-all draw against Santos, Orlando Pirates beat Bush Bucks 3-1 and Free State Stars and Tembisa Classic ended 0-0.
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/ 11 September 2005
In a poor advertisement for Currie Cup rugby the Lions overcame a decidedly off colour Cheetahs outfit 31-20 in a patchy encounter played at the Vodacom Park Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Leading 21-13 at the break, the Lions inexplicably failed to use their backs, which in the first half had torn the Cheetahs apart.
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/ 7 September 2005
White farmers on Wednesday threatened an armed struggle similar to that waged by the African National Congress unless their property and cultural concerns are addressed. A handful of farmers presented a memorandum to TAU South Africa president Paul van der Walt on the fringes of an agricultural union conference.
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/ 7 September 2005
Moroka Swallows beat a determined Free State Stars 1-0 in their hard-fought Castle Premier Soccer League (PSL) game at the Germiston Stadium on Tuesday afternoon in front of a poor midweek crowd, after leading 1-0 at the break. As a result of this win, Swallows move from 11th to third position on the PSL log.
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/ 6 September 2005
Having made a dismal start to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season, Moroka Swallows are seeking to regain their wings — and Tuesday night’s PSL game against Free State Stars at the Germiston Stadium could set them on their way. The Birds have been further boosted by the return of most of their injured players.
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/ 4 September 2005
In a tough, bruising and uncompromising Currie Cup match in Durban on Saturday, the Free State Cheetahs muscled their way to a 29-18 victory to end the unbeaten run of the Sharks. In other matches, Western Province beat the Lions, Griquas beat Boland, the Eagles defeated the Griffons and the Falcons beat the Pumas.
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/ 1 September 2005
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Wednesday defended its surprise decision to play the SAA Supa8 Cup final between Bloemfontein Celtic and Supersport United at Potchefstroom’s Olen Park on Saturday September 17 because it was ”the most neutral venue available”.
A 50-year-old tree tumbled across a road in Newlands, Cape Town, on Friday as gale-force winds, driving rain and bitter cold hit the city in the early hours of the morning. The Elsieskraal River flowing through Pinelands had apparently burst its banks, but there was no major flooding reported so far, said senior traffic officer Lyndon Herbert.
About R1,2-billion of public hospital fees are still outstanding from the 2004/05 financial year, the Democratic Alliance said on Thursday. ”An astonishing 68% of fees billed for the 2004/05 financial year were not paid,” said DA health spokesperson Dianne Kohler-Barnard. The DA found that only R560-million (32%) was paid.
Suspended United Democratic Movement deputy president Malizole Diko plans to form a new party, according to affidavits filed this week in the Cape High Court. The documents are part of the UDM’s bundle of papers in reply to a bid by Diko and five other party officials for an interdict lifting their suspension from the party.
Residents of Bothaville’s Kgotsong township ran riot in a protest over service delivery on Tuesday, burning shops, disrupting schools and damaging property. Free State police spokesperson Inspector Stephen Thakeng said the situation in Kgotsong is tense and police are keeping a close watch.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says it remains committed to pursue its rolling mass action in support of the jobs and poverty campaign, which runs until February next year and includes periodic national stayaways as well as sectoral action.
Molly, the "receptionist" at Klippe Rivier guesthouse, drags herself from the spot where she has been enjoying the early morning sun. Her eyes peruse the breakfast room, where a scrumptious morning meal has just been served, hoping that some scraps remain for the taking.
Frankfort in the Free State was calm on Wednesday morning, but police remained on the alert for more service delivery protests. Police spokesperson Superintendent Motarafi Ntepe said a heavy police presence was maintained in Frankfort and Namahadi where demonstrations turned violent this week.
The situation in Frankfort calmed down on Tuesday after more residents were arrested for public violence, eastern Free State police said. Police spokesperson Superintendent Motarafi Ntepe said 64 people have been arrested since violence broke out on Sunday in Namahadi township over alleged poor service delivery.
Free State local government minister Joel Mafereka is to visit Frankfort where protesting residents disrupted schools and traffic on Monday, a municipal official said. Protesters, apparently unhappy with service delivery in the municipality, have been blocking roads with burning tyres and other objects since Sunday.
The countrywide strike by members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union is likely to end on Saturday, a KwaZulu-Natal union representative said. Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town has been granted a court order against Samwu strikers, and protests seem to have died down in the Free State and Gauteng.
While a strike by 75% of South Africa’s gold miners continues, gold miner AngloGold Ashanti on Monday announced a higher wage increase for its employees. About 80Â 000 mineworkers belonging to the National Union of Mineworkers walked off the job on Sunday, the first strike in the industry since 1987.
The Sharks produced one of their finest second-half displays in years to defeat the Currie Cup champion Blue Bulls 18-14 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night. The Griffons received a beating in their last qualifying Currie Cup match in the North West stadium on Friday night when they were thrashed 43-0 by the Free State Cheetahs.
Free State health officials have closed the operating theatres at the Katleho hospital in Virginia after three patients were infected with klebsiella. Provincial health department spokesperson Elke de Witt said on Friday three outpatients had suffered post-operation wound sepsis at clinics in Virginia and at the Katleho District hospital.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) season, which gets into full swing this weekend, will be a gruelling one — particularly in the run-up to Christmas. Each of the 16 top division clubs must complete 20 league games and two domestic knockout cup competitions by December 22.
Executives from Rover motor company were promised rugby Test tickets in exchange for a luxury car for rugby boss Brian van Rooyen, the Daily Dispatch website reported on Tuesday. This was done despite an earlier sponsorship by Ford to supply Van Rooyen and Saru with vehicles.
Thirteen people died in a collision between a bus and a van between Rouxville and Smithfield on Monday morning, Free State police reported. The accident occurred at about 1am, said Sergeant Thandi Mbambo. ”The truck was apparently parked partially on the side of the road after a mechanical problem,” Mbambo said.