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DA’s Sandra Botha to retire after elections
The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in Parliament, Sandra Botha, will retire after the general elections this year, she said on Wednesday.
Sandra Botha
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Free and fair elections for SA?
South African political parties have spoken out against political intolerance and violence ahead of next year’s general elections.
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Finding their niche
More and more women are taking their rightful places in the top structures of government and business, writes Ilse Ferreira.
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DA: Malema has new words, same intentions
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema in the firing line once again while Zwelinzima Vavi has yet to apologise for ”kill for Zuma” comment.
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Kasrils: NIA hasn’t lost credibility
The National Intelligence Agency has not lost its credibility, Intelligence Services Minister Ronnie Kasrils said in Pretoria on Thursday.
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DA raises concerns over quality of SA’s water
The Democratic Alliance says there is mounting public concern over the quality of tap water in South Africa.
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Debate over Scorpions gathers momentum
Debate on the future of the Scorpions gained new steam on Monday as the government released a report from an inquiry it had commissioned into the elite detective unit. The Scorpions still have a role to play in the country’s crime-fighting efforts, states the report that was submitted to President Thabo Mbeki two years ago.
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DA to present proposals on resolving Zim crisis
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will present a set of proposals to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on how the government can resolve Zimbabwe’s electoral crisis, the party said on Friday. The proposals include the possible suspension of Zimbabwe from the African Union, arms embargoes and the severing of diplomatic ties.
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Scorpions ‘may not be disbanded by June’
It is possible that the crime-fighting Scorpions may not be incorporated into the South African Police Service by June, African National Congress national executive committee Siphiwe Nyanda said on Thursday. He was speaking at a seminar hosted by the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria.
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Free State Four: We didn’t urinate on meat
Two University of the Free State students apologised on Thursday for their involvement in a racist video which has sparked a national outcry. RC Malherbe and Schalk van der Merwe said they acted without malicious intent, and expressed sorrow for the embarrassment they might have caused any individual or group.
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Free State Four: Who’s to blame?
A video made by white students that shows them humiliating black university employees on Thursday continued to draw angry protests as well as criticism that racism remains entrenched in South Africa 14 years after the end of apartheid, with the Democratic Alliance questioning the role of the Freedom Front Plus in the matter.
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DA calls for Ginwala commission to be disbanded
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday urged President Thabo Mbeki to disband the Ginwala Commission of Inquiry into suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli in view of ”disturbing new evidence”.
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Dissolve Parliament and start over, says DA
Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader Sandra Botha tabled a notice of motion in the National Assembly on Tuesday calling for Parliament to be dissolved. Speaking during debate on President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation address, she said in order to tackle the challenges currently facing South Africa, it is necessary to start from a clean slate.
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Call for whites to ‘express outrage’ at Skielik killings
South Africa’s white community should publicly express their concern and outrage at the murder of black people in Swartruggens, the South African Institute of Race Relations said on Friday. The organisation cautioned that the impression should not be made that the broader white community sympathised with the gunman.
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DA rejects allegations of ‘serious rift’
Allegations of a ”serious rift” between Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille and the party’s parliamentary leader, Sandra Botha, have been dismissed by the DA. ”As far as we are concerned, the story … has absolutely no facts or grounds,” DA national media officer Aimee Franklin said on Wednesday.
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No ANC decision on Motlanthe
It has not been decided whether African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe will become South Africa’s deputy president, the party’s secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, said on Sunday at the close of the ANC national executive committee’s meeting in Midrand.
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Abortion amendment Bill passed by Assembly
The National Assembly on Thursday passed the Bill for which it was specially called back from holiday. The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Bill was passed without debate, but with parties giving a three-minute explanation of their vote. The Bill passed by 266 votes to 52, with 12 abstentions.
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Presidency defends Mbeki action on Selebi
The Presidency on Tuesday defended Thabo Mbeki’s handling of police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s case. Addressing reporters at the Union Buildings, Mbeki’s legal adviser, Mojanku Gumbi, said Mbeki acted immediately when he learned that the National Prosecuting Authority was ready to proceed with action against Selebi.
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DA: Mbeki needs to give explanation over Pikoli saga
President Thabo Mbeki should explain to Parliament why he is reluctant to reinstate suspended National Prosecution Authority head Vusi Pikoli, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday. ”President Mbeki needs to clarify his position on the DA’s call for him to brief Parliament on his refusal to review his decision to suspend advocate Vusi Pikoli,” the DA said.
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DA launches website to evaluate Cabinet ministers
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the public to hold government to account by participating in the party’s process of evaluating Cabinet ministers. Briefing the media during the launch of the party’s Cabinet report card website, DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said the process accorded the public a rare opportunity to rate government ministers.
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Piet Koornhof, a man of contradictions
Piet Koornhof, who died in a Stellenbosch frail care centre on Monday at the age of 82, following a stroke, was a man of contradictions. Seen as a ”verligte” in successive apartheid-era Cabinets, the posts he accepted carried responsibility for some of apartheid’s most bizarre and inhumane policies.
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DA accuses Mbeki of disrespecting Parliament
President Thabo Mbeki has ignored all written parliamentary questions addressed to him by the official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday. DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said Mbeki had not responded to all nine questions that the party had addressed to him this year.
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Assembly backs embattled Manto
The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a motion of full confidence in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, thereby rejecting the original motion by the Democratic Alliance, which called for a special committee to probe her fitness to hold public office.
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Lekota defends Pikoli’s suspension
African National Congress chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota in the National Assembly on Tuesday defended the decision to suspend National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli, as well as the police probe into the alleged theft of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s health records.
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DA accuses Chikane of misleading the opposition
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday accused Director General in the Presidency Frank Chikane of concealing information and deliberately trying to mislead opposition parties. On September 25, Chikane had invited opposition party leaders to a briefing on the controversial decision to suspend the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Vusi Pikoli.
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DA vows to get to bottom of Selebi saga
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday vowed it will pursue the controversy surrounding President Thabo Mbeki and police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. Writing in the party’s weekly newsletter, SA Today, parliamentary leader of the DA Sandra Botha said the gravity of the situation was such that it should not be underestimated.
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Opposition wants action on Selebi
As the Democratic Alliance (DA) took steps to obtain copies of the alleged warrants of arrest for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi on Thursday, the Freedom Front Plus renewed its call for the police chief’s suspension. The DA has lodged an application to obtain copies of the warrants allegedly issued for Selebi, DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said.
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ANC dismisses DA call for special Parliament sitting
The African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus has dismissed the Democratic Alliance (DA) call for a special sitting of Parliament to discuss President Thabo Mbeki’s suspension of National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli. ”We reject outright the statement by the DA,” a caucus statement said on Tuesday.
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Government denies allegations over Pikoli
There were a number of instances where a breakdown in the working relationship with Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla was discussed with suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli. This is according to government spokesperson Themba Maseko, who was speaking at a press conference in Pretoria on Monday.
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DA urges Parliament action over Pikoli
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the speaker of the National Assembly to urgently reconvene Parliament so that President Thabo Mbeki can explain his reasons for suspending the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Vusi Pikoli. In a letter to the speaker, DA parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said the National Assembly has an obligation to deal with ”the crisis”.
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Mbeki ‘must break his silence on Pikoli’
The Democratic Alliance is to ask President Thabo Mbeki questions in Parliament relating to National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli’s suspension and the reported warrant of arrest issued for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. The party’s parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said it was "imperative that the president informs the nation".
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DA: SA safety ‘utterly abysmal’
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday said that South Africa being ranked the third least safe place out of 48 countries on the African continent indicates that the country is critically unsafe. ”South Africa’s safety and security performance is utterly abysmal,” said the party’s spokesperson on safety and security, Dianne Kohler-Barnard.