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/ 9 November 2007

Sachs tells how he crafted ANC’s code of conduct

Designing a code of conduct for a liberation struggle in exile was the most significant work of his career, Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs said on Thursday. ”To my mind that was the beginning of the constitutionality at the heart, at the core of the freedom struggle,” Sachs said in delivering the second annual Abdullah Omar Memorial Lecture.

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/ 8 November 2007

Zuma’s future hinges on NPA’s next move

With just more than a month to the African National Congress presidential election, Jacob Zuma will be waiting to see whether the National Prosecuting Authority will recharge him for corruption. Court rulings on Thursday clarified the status of searches and documents related to the investigation against him concerning alleged corruption in the arms deal.

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/ 8 November 2007

Zuma to approach Constitutional Court

African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma will approach the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal two of Thursday’s Supreme Court of Appeal judgements, said his lawyer. They would also ”observe with keen interest” whether the rulings emboldened the National Prosecuting Authority to again indict Zuma on any charges.

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/ 8 November 2007

NPA ‘pleased’ with Zuma appeals

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Thursday expressed its satisfaction after it won all its appeals in the Supreme Court of Appeal in its legal battle with African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma. ”It brings certainty and finality at least up to this point on the contested issues,” said NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.

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/ 8 November 2007

Vavi calls for worker-biased ANC

The Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu) interest in the African National Congress’s (ANC) national conference is influenced by the will to retain an ANC bias towards the workers of the country. This is according to Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi, who was speaking at the general council of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union.

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/ 7 November 2007

Fifth estate, not the state

Self-regulation for newspapers ratcheted up a gear last week with the inaugural meeting of the Press Council in Johannesburg. But the African National Congress (ANC) is also notching up its own pressure on the press. Comprising a panel of citizens and journalists, the Press Council was launched earlier this year to beef up the existing ombudsman in handling complaints about coverage. The system is a kind of fifth estate to check on the fourth.

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/ 6 November 2007

Six years on: Mbeki, the Aids dissident

President Thabo Mbeki remains an ”Aids dissident” who has told a biographer that he regrets bowing to pressure from his Cabinet to ”withdraw from the debate” over the disease ravaging South Africa. According to a long-awaited biography by Mark Gevisser, the president feels aggrieved that he was deflected from continuing to question the causes of the epidemic.

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/ 6 November 2007

World Cup can heal Africa’s wounds

The first Soccer World Cup to be held in Africa can be the glue which binds a continent too often riven by conflict, according to the man in charge of organising the world’s most popular sporting event. Danny Jordaan said the 2010 tournament was a perfect opportunity to showcase Africa and banish negative stereotypes.

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/ 5 November 2007

Will govt depts pay to network in Polokwane?

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/321750/Icon_ANCconference.gif" align=left border=0></a>A reported networking lounge at this year’s African National Congress (ANC) national conference could set taxpayers back by up to R40-million, the Democratic Alliance warned on Monday. Media reports said that big business is to fork out R5-million for a seat on the sidelines of the ANC’s national conference in Polokwane next month.

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/ 4 November 2007

Mbeki takes flak as ANC battle nears finale

After eight years at the helm of Africa’s economic powerhouse, Thabo Mbeki cuts an increasingly lonely figure as the battle for the reins of the African National Congress (ANC) approaches its finale. As well as taking fresh blows from his political foes, the president has also become the target of senior ANC party members.

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/ 4 November 2007

Mbeki’s men bid R7-billion to buy Johncom

President Thabo Mbeki’s political adviser and a government official are among a group who want to take over Johnnic Communications (Johncom). Koni Media Holdings, a company belonging to Mbeki’s adviser Titus Mafolo, Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa, former chief of state protocol Billy Modise and a businessman, have launched a R7-billion bid.

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/ 2 November 2007

Zille: There will be no cover-up in spy probe

There will be no cover-up in the alleged spy scandal involving the surveillance of Cape Town councillors, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille vowed on Friday. ”Let me be clear. There will be no cover-up in this matter. If anyone in the city or the DA has broken any law, the police must lay a charge and we will deal with it head-on,” she said.

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/ 1 November 2007

Matatiele closer to E Cape incorporation

The district of Matatiele moved a step closer to being permanently incorporated into the Eastern Cape after the KwaZulu-Natal legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday voted by a narrow margin in favour of the controversial Constitution 13th Amendment Bill. Heated debate between opposition parties and the ruling African National Congress preceded the vote.

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/ 31 October 2007

Mbeki willing to lead ANC again

South African President Thabo Mbeki has repeated his willingness to stand for re-election as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) if the party asks him, state radio reported on Wednesday. ANC branches have started the process of nominating candidates for party president ahead of a party conference in December.

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/ 31 October 2007

Masetlha accused of being inconsistent in testifying

Former spy boss Billy Masetlha was on Wednesday accused of not being consistent in testifying in the Hatfield Community Court. Prosecutor Matric Luphondo said Masetlha gave different versions of when a report requested by Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani was compiled. Masetlha is charged with contravening the Intelligence Services Oversight Act.

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/ 31 October 2007

DA: ANC ignores wishes of the people of Matatiele

KwaZulu-Natal opposition parties on Wednesday accused the ruling African National Congress of ignoring the wishes of the residents of Matatiele and forging ahead with the district’s incorporation into the Eastern Cape. The Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the ANC of ”totally ignoring the wishes of the people of Matatiele Maluti”.

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/ 31 October 2007

Ramaphosa keeps mum on nomination

Businessman Cyril Ramaphosa refused to be drawn on his nomination as African National Congress president on Wednesday night at the launch of a fund-raising campaign for the University of Venda. He was hounded for an answer from the minute he set foot through the door of Gallagher Estate, in Midrand.

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/ 30 October 2007

Thousands attend Matatiele demarcation hearings

More than 3 000 people packed the local soccer stadium in Matatiele as the second day of public hearings on the region’s controversial incorporation into the Eastern Cape started on Tuesday. Matatiele was incorporated into the Eastern Cape on February 28, hours before voting started in the local government election of 2006.