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/ 15 February 2006
Spending on social services remains the key component of South Africa’s Budget, rising from R229,8-billion in 2005/06 to R262-billion in 2006/07. Education remains the biggest consolidated Budget item at R110,3-billion in the 2008/09 estimates. Education received R83,5-billion in 2005/06.
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/ 15 February 2006
South Africa’s rail commuter system will get R4,5-billion in capital subsidies over the next three years, according to the Budget Review. The review, released on Wednesday together with Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s Budget, notes that the system "faces urgent challenges".
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/ 15 February 2006
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel has unveiled a "good news for all" Budget for the next three years, providing for lower Budget deficits between 2005 and 2009, tax relief of R19,1-billion in 2006-07, and additional spending of R82-billion on priority infrastructure projects.
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/ 15 February 2006
A Transnet strike in the Western Cape and Northern Cape kicked off on Wednesday with rail services in the Cape Town area severely affected. The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union said more than 5 000 employees downed tools to protest ”management’s unilateral decisions about restructuring the company”.
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/ 15 February 2006
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday tabled a conservative Budget, eschewing corporate and individual income tax rate cuts, even though the revenue over-run in the 2005/06 fiscal year is projected at R41-billion. Compared with last year’s Budget, when the fiscal deficit to gross domestic product ratio was forecast to remain near 3% over the medium term, Manuel this year reduced that to the 1,5% level.
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/ 15 February 2006
Thousands of Khutsong residents marched to the local police station on Wednesday to protest the transfer of Merafong municipality from Gauteng into the North West. The group earlier threatened to boycott the March 1 local government election. ”If this is democracy, then we are willing to die for it,” said one protester.
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/ 15 February 2006
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The Durban High Court on Wednesday ordered the Scorpions to return certain documents seized from former deputy president Jacob Zuma and his lawyer, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported. The documents relate to the investigation into Zuma’s ”generally corrupt” relationship with Schabir Shaik.
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/ 15 February 2006
Jockey Shabalala, a member of South Africa’s most famous a cappella ensemble, has died, the group’s record company said on Tuesday. He was 62. Shabalala, whose brother Joseph founded and still leads Ladysmith Black Mambazo, died on Saturday of natural causes surrounded by family at his home in Ladysmith.
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/ 15 February 2006
Mittal Steel SA made its owners R5,08-billion in the 2005 financial year to December, a 12% increase on the previous year. ”The excellent results were driven by higher average sales prices; higher export sales; and the non-recurrence of business assistance agreement payments made during 2004,” the company said on Wednesday.
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/ 15 February 2006
Axed deputy president Jacob Zuma’s attorney would not confirm or deny a report on Wednesday that his client fathered a son with Minah Shongwe, the sister of Transvaal Deputy Judge President Jeremiah Shongwe. ”I would rather not comment,” said Zuma’s attorney, Mike Hulley.
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/ 15 February 2006
Cape Town station was quiet in the morning rush-hour on Wednesday as a strike by three transport unions brought the Metrorail train service to a virtual standstill. Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said only 20 trains were running in the entire system, cutting the usual commuter service to a minimum.
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/ 15 February 2006
Eight men were arrested on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the death of a suspected car thief in Schweizer-Reneke, North West police said. Captain Afjee Bothma said it was believed a man spotted two thieves trying to steal a vehicle outside the Bullet Pub shortly before 11pm on Monday.
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/ 15 February 2006
Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa Simon Khaya Moyo has lodged a complaint with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for ”negative” reporting on his country, the Herald newspaper said on Wednesday. Its website quoted Moyo as saying the South African public broadcaster’s approach was astounding.
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/ 14 February 2006
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The Inkatha Freedom Party does not play the political games of power and patronage that are ”known to be part and parcel of the politics of the Western Cape”, IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi told a campaign meeting in the Cape Town suburb of Hanover Park on Tuesday evening.
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/ 14 February 2006
The Supreme Court of Appeal was expected to hear argument in an appeal by Auditor General Shauket Fakie on Wednesday against a high court ruling that he was in contempt of court in a matter related to the multibillion-rand arms deal. Fakie appealed against a Pretoria High Court judgement that he had failed to comply with a court order to give CCII Systems certain documents pertaining to the government’s arms procurement process.
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/ 14 February 2006
A loan allegedly made by Imvume Management head Sandi Majali to the wife of a Cabinet minister should be probed by the police as it might be a criminal offence, the Public Protector said on Tuesday. He did not have the powers to conduct criminal investigations or prosecute guilty parties, the office of the protector, Lawrence Mushwana, said in a statement.
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/ 14 February 2006
Former deputy president Jacob Zuma on Monday morning told supporters he would be back in court on March 6. He was addressing a crowd of supporters outside the Johannesburg High Court where Judge Ezra Goldstein had postponed proceedings to give the defence more time to prepare for Zuma’s rape trial.
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/ 14 February 2006
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Voter turnout could be as high as 60% in the March 1 local government elections, a Human Sciences Research Council study has found. There was a 49% poll turnout in the 1995/96 local government election, and a 48% turnout in the 2000 local government election.
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/ 14 February 2006
Former president Nelson Mandela on Tuesday commended South African Football Association Vice-President Irvin Khoza for being honest about the fact that his daughter Zodwa had died of an HIV-related illness. Mandela said he was convinced the family’s disclosing the cause of their daughter’s death would give others the courage to do the same.
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/ 14 February 2006
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel is expected to provide further details in Wednesday’s national Budget about the new form of business tax that will take the place of regional service council levies — including when enabling legislation is likely to be put to Parliament, says Local Government Research Centre head Clive Keegan.
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/ 14 February 2006
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Former deputy president Jacob Zuma’s rape trial has been postponed to March 6. Zuma’s advocate, Kemp J Kemp, SC, said the postponement was at the request of the defence, which needed time to digest documents received from the prosecution on Monday morning.
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/ 14 February 2006
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With 30 minutes to go before the start of African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma’s second day in the dock at the Johannesburg High Court, support was in short supply — with only 20 supporters in attendance. Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe on Monday recused himself from the trial.
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/ 14 February 2006
With six notable players listed as non-starters because of injuries, most soccer managers might be inclined to experience a succession of sleepless nights before a crucial top-of-the-log encounter. Not so Sundowns’ Neil Tovey as he fine-tunes his squad for the battle against Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.
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/ 14 February 2006
The Eagles swooped into the Standard Bank Pro20 final on the wings of a soaring half-century by Loots Bosman in their semifinal against the Lions in Bloemfontein on Monday. Bosman blitzed 75 off 38 balls with two fours and six sixes to bolster the home side’s total of 188 for six.
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/ 14 February 2006
The daughter of Orlando Pirates football club chairperson Irvin Khoza has died of Aids-related complications at a Pretoria hospital, a spokesperson said on Monday. Dominic Ntsele said Zodwa Khoza (30), who was also the club’s brand manager, died of what doctors described as multiple organ failure at the Louis Pasteur hospital.
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/ 14 February 2006
South Africa’s relationship with Britain is strong, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in Soweto on Monday. ”I want to see it even stronger still,” said Blair, who came to South Africa to attend last weekend’s Progressive Governance Summit. Blair paid a courtesy call on former president Nelson Mandela and visited the Apartheid Museum.
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/ 14 February 2006
The bridge on the R26 over the Caledon River near Wepener was under water on Monday due to heavy rainfall in the eastern Free State and Lesotho, police said. Meanwhile, police on Monday called in sniffer dogs in the search for the body of a 55-year-old woman who drowned on a farm near Bethulie at the weekend.
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/ 14 February 2006
The People’s Budget campaign — made up of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Council of Churches and the South African NGO Coalition — called on Monday for this year’s Budget to focus more on service delivery and development.
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/ 13 February 2006
Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana has decided to probe Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka’s holiday trip to the United Arab Emirates last December, despite a public explanation by President Thabo Mbeki. Mlambo-Ngcuka used a South African Air Force plane on her trip, reportedly at a cost of R700 000.
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/ 13 February 2006
The man who slammed into a police vehicle on Monday and was initially believed to be a Blue Bulls player said he does not know where police got the idea that he was a professional rugby player. He was arrested early on Monday morning after the crash at the Petroport, north of Pretoria.
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/ 13 February 2006
The prosecution in the Jordan Leigh Norton murder trial on Monday took the first step in its bid to link a crucial piece of evidence — a waybill — to accused Dina Rodrigues. The state alleges that the waybill was left on the scene of the murder on June 15 last year by the three men and a youth it claims Rodrigues paid to carry out the killing.
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/ 13 February 2006
The Gauteng provincial government is to pump R3-billion into upgrading infrastructure in 20 townships in the next three years, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said on Monday. The premier was addressing delegates at the opening of the Gauteng legislature in Johannesburg.