President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday that the national government will continue to work to strengthen South Africa’s local government system. ”From the point of view of national government, we indeed will pay particular attention to the strengthening of local government,” Mbeki said at a local government conference at Benoni, east of Johannesburg.
The lion murder trial in the Phalaborwa Circuit Court was delayed on Tuesday while a pathologist examined the blood-soaked clothing of the dead man, Nelson Chisale. Dr Leon Wagner, head of the medical faculty at the University of the Free State, was flown up to give evidence in the defence of one of the accused, Mark Scott-Crossley.
Athletics South Africa on Tuesday announced that athletes Isaiah Nkuna (Gauteng North) and Francois Coertze (Free State) have been reinstated for competition after serving a two-year ban for an anti-doping control violation in 2003. Athletics South Africa also announced that Innis Viviers has once again tested positive for a banned substance.
Rik de Voest is only flying into South Africa on Tuesday but his late arrival is good news for captain Kevin Curren. De Voest will join Wayne Ferreira, Wesley Moodie and Jeff Coetzee for this weekend’s Euro/Africa zone group-one Davis Cup tie against Germany, to be played at the Standard Bank Arena.
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/ 28 February 2005
Technology got the better of a burglar who got stuck in an electronically controlled door while trying to break into a Benoni dry-cleaners, East Rand police said on Monday. Superintendent Eugene Opperman said the man tried to break into Alphen Park Dry Cleaners on Sunday. He managed to get the electronic doors partially open when they slammed shut again.
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/ 28 February 2005
The National Party withdrew from the government of national unity (GNU) when the African National Congress refused to establish a consultative council to deal with minority concerns. This is according to former president FW de Klerk, who on Monday addressed the Cape Town Press Club on the role of minorities in post-1994 South Africa.
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/ 28 February 2005
A former patient at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria was arrested on Monday after forcing his way into the facility wielding an axe. ”The man, who was a former patient, came here holding a home-made axe and threatened security guards at the front gate,” said Weskoppies hospital’s chief executive.
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/ 28 February 2005
The massive growth in property prices is now tapering off, leaving the property market at risk of over-trading, property specialists warned on Monday. House prices have risen by 147% since the first quarter in 2000. ”This type of growth is not sustainable,” said a group executive at eQuals, a player in the property market, in a statement.
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/ 28 February 2005
The money set aside to help poor families cope with food price rises has doubled since 2002, Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya said on Monday. He said the money — R400-million, up from R200-million — has been received by the provinces, but ”a lot of problems had since arisen”.
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/ 28 February 2005
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Senior prosecutor Billy Downer on Monday tried to prove to the Durban High Court that Schabir Shaik was a dishonest person flaunting qualifications he did not possess. He was cross-examining Shaik after the fraud and corruption-accused completed a week of testimony in his defence before the lunch break.
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/ 28 February 2005
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Fraud and corruption accused Schabir Shaik completed his testimony in the Durban High Court on Monday. During his testimony, he said he had never tried to mislead the South African Revenue Service, shareholders of his companies, or banks. He has also denied state allegations that he tried to solicit a R500 000-a-year bribe for Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
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/ 28 February 2005
The world-famous Blue Train is back in full operation after one set of carriages was withdrawn in March 2003 because of fire damage, Spoornet said on Monday. ”The fire-detection system on the damaged train set has now been updated and improved with the latest technology,” Dorcas Ledwaba, manager of the Blue Train, said in a statement.
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/ 28 February 2005
A majestic course record 11-under-par 61 from Zimbabwean Marc Cayeux saw him run away with the season-ending Vodacom Tour Championship at the par-72 Country Club layout on Sunday. Going into the final round, a playoff looked the most likely scenario but Cayeux literally floored his opposition to end the tournament on 20-under par 268.
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/ 28 February 2005
Old Mutual, South Africa’s largest insurer, will unveil details of its black economic empowerment (BEE) plans in the "near future", its CEO has confirmed. The group has been working on a transaction involving the sale of a 10% stake in its South African operations, as well as Nedcor and Mutual & Federal, to black empowerment partners.
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/ 27 February 2005
Faced with the almost impossible task of scoring 330 runs for victory, Zimbabwe laboured to 198 for seven off their 50 overs in the second game of the three-match Standard Bank limited-overs cricket series at Kingsmead on Sunday to lose by 131 runs. It leaves them 2-0 down with one to play in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.
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/ 27 February 2005
President Thabo Mbeki and former president Nelson Mandela heaped praise on the late Raymond Mhlaba at his funeral in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. ”Raymond Mhlaba was one of the most committed comrades I had the honour to know and work with in my many years in the liberation struggle,” Mandela told mourners.
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/ 27 February 2005
A former councillor has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a baby at Mpumalanga’s Ermelo hospital exactly 10 days after she was born, the province’s police said on Saturday. The baby was found at Boschfontein near Komatipoort on South Africa’s border with Mozambique, Captain Abie Khoabane said.
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/ 27 February 2005
Five men drowned and two were washed out to sea during a baptism on Durban’s Suncoast beach in the early hours of Sunday, police said. Captain Gugu Sabela said the men from a congregation in Inanda were taking part in a baptism ceremony just after midnight when the tragedy happened.
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/ 27 February 2005
The Blue Bulls delivered a neat performance to beat the Lions 28-12 in a friendly warm-up match played as a curtain-raiser to the Cats and Bulls Vodacom Super 12 match at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. Tries by Scott Mathie and Derick Kuun and a conversion and penalty from Morne Steyn gave the visitors a deserved lead at the halfway mark.
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/ 27 February 2005
South Africa’s premier bowlers, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, are to be rested for the last two matches in the three-match Standard Bank limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, South Africa’s cricket authorities said. South Africa easily beat Zimbabwe in the first match on Friday, and are expected to do the same in the second match on Sunday.
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/ 26 February 2005
The Border Bulldogs proved good value for money in their pre-season rugby friendly in East London at the Absa Stadium on Friday night, beating neighbours the Eastern Province Mighty Elephants 48-19. The Bulldogs backline looked good and while they never always got it right, ran in some fine tries to help take a 27-13 half-time lead.
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/ 26 February 2005
More than 100 belly-dancers shimmied their way into the record books on Friday night, watched by appreciative fathers, husbands and boyfriends. The 116 dancers gathered at the Blairgowrie Recreation Centre from all over Johannesburg, hoping to create the largest number of belly-dancers ever seen gyrating under one roof.
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/ 26 February 2005
A police officer was shot dead and another was critically injured when 11 prisoners escaped from northern KwaZulu-Natal’s Eshowe police station on Friday, police said. Captain Musa Khaba said the police officers were feeding the prisoners in their holding cells when they were overpowered, and shot at. All the prisoners escaped.
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/ 26 February 2005
The young male hippo that made headlines last year after escaping from a nature reserve in Cape Town will soon start his own herd, City Parks and Nature Conservation said on Saturday. The hippo escaped from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve and took up residence in Zeekoevlei for several months until he was recaptured in December.
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/ 26 February 2005
The Stormers made easy meat of the Sharks as they notched up a 26-12 victory in their opening Super 12 match at Newlands on Friday night. Neil de Kock’s side should have led by considerably more than an eight-point margin at the interval, but were left to reflect on a number of missed opportunities through unforced errors and over-elaboration.
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/ 26 February 2005
South Africa put on a ruthless and clinical display to beat Zimbabwe by 165 runs in the first Standard Bank match in front of a crowd of about 7 000 at the Wanderers on Friday. South Africa, sent in by Zimbabwe, made a formidable 301 for the loss of seven wickets in their 50 overs, with 104 runs coming off the last 10 overs.
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/ 25 February 2005
Dolly the dolphin has followed Max the gorilla into animal history, after Port Elizabeth’s famous bottlenose died on Thursday, aged 36. The oldest Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin to be born and bred in captivity died at Port Elizabeth’s Bayworld oceanarium late on Thursday afternoon, Bayworld spokesperson Eluise Matthys said.
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/ 25 February 2005
Ninety youths have been arrested in Giyani and one boy is dead after 39 houses were torched in what appeared to be a witch-hunt, Limpopo police said. ”The 39 houses were burnt to ashes,” said Superintendent Moatshe Ngoepe. ”Those people lost everything — food, blankets, their children’s school uniforms and school books — everything,” he said.
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/ 25 February 2005
A retrial for Dr Wouter Basson could begin within three months from permission being granted, the Constitutional Court heard in Johannesburg on Friday. ”The state believes it will be in a position to commence the trial three months after being given the green light to do so by this court,” Wim Trengove, SC, submitted for the state.
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/ 25 February 2005
A 34-year-old Sebokeng handyman was sentenced to 207 years’ imprisonment on Friday for raping 14 women and attempting to rape another, Free State police said. Lekgaba Molamu used to travel to the Zamdela area of Sasolburg in the Free State where he befriended women between the ages of 14 and 21 under the pretext of offering them jobs.
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/ 25 February 2005
President Thabo Mbeki has paid special tribute to African National Congress stalwart Raymond Mhlaba, who died at the age of 85 last Sunday, calling him one of South Africa’s foremost leaders and ”midwife of our democracy”. Mbeki devoted his weekly column on Friday in the ANC’s online publication, ANC Today, to Mhlaba’s memory.
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/ 25 February 2005
A piece of equipment from a weather balloon caused a stir at the Springs Old Age home when it was mistaken for a bomb on Thursday afternoon, police said. Occupants at the home became suspicious when they heard a ticking noise from a parcel that ended up in the parking lot at about 2.30pm, Superintendent Andy Pieke said.