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/ 25 February 2008

Positive world markets buoy JSE

Firmer world markets helped keep the JSE in the black by midday on Monday, offsetting losses in the gold-mining index that were sparked by negative news from Gold Fields. Gold Fields’s share price weakened R2,81, or 2,43%, to R112,75 after it earlier reported that the current electricity crisis puts 6 900 Gold Fields jobs at risk.

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/ 25 February 2008

‘What did Zuma say behind closed doors?’

The in-camera conference African National Congress president Jacob Zuma gave to the Forum of Black Journalists was similar to the off-the-record briefing given to black editors by Bulelani Ngcuka, the former national director of public prosecutions, which Zuma at that time protested as a ”character assassination exercise”, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.

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/ 25 February 2008

Tourist guides tap rich vein in Gauteng

Tourist guides from across Gauteng gathered under a hot marquee for the International Tourist Guides’ Day at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg last week — and, for a change, were on the receiving end of an educational tour. "We are who we are through others," were the words of Lungi Morrison, of the Gauteng Tourism Authority.

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/ 24 February 2008

Stormers squander lead against Sharks

After a pretty routine first half in which the Stormers, so magnificent in defence, had all but stolen a 10-0 lead over the Sharks in their Super 14 rugby match at Durban’s Absa Stadium, they gave away four late penalties to indiscipline and went down 12-10. Earlier the Sharks had missed three kicks at goal.

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/ 24 February 2008

Classy Blues outplay mediocre Lions

It was a lesson in skill, speed and possession when the Blues outplayed the Lions 55-10 in a Super 14 match at Ellis Park on Saturday night. The early perception was that the Lions tried to stretch it just for the sake of stretching, with little structure to their forays. The Blues, on the other hand, looked dangerous every time they took it wide or inter-passed.

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/ 24 February 2008

Pelembe adds to Chiefs’ woes

He may not have scored the most goals in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) this season, but Elias Pelembe can arguably be credited with the most valuable goals — as SuperSport United’s Mozambican midfielder proved once again at a stunned Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night while adding to Kaizer Chiefs’ woes.

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/ 24 February 2008

Chancellor House deals probed by ANC

The African National Congress has ordered an audit of all empowerment deals and tenders that were received by its investment company, Chancellor House, media reports said on Sunday. Earlier this month, the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> reported that Chancellor House would exit two multibillion-rand contracts with Eskom.

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/ 23 February 2008

Cuban doctors in SA rejoice as Castro quits

The doctor was in an operating theatre when the call came through from his wife: ”He’s gone, he’s no longer there.” ”We always call him ‘he’. ‘He who shall not be named.’ Like Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter novels,” Dr Barbaro Monzon-Torres says, grinning across the table in his office at Johannesburg’s South Rand Hospital.

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/ 23 February 2008

Sad homecoming for Bulls

The Crusaders spoilt the Bulls’ homecoming when they thrashed them 54-19 in their Super 14 encounter played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday. The visitors ran in a deluge of seven tries as opposed to the solitary one scored by the Bulls in the dying minutes.

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/ 23 February 2008

Giteau guides Western Force to close win

Matt Giteau scored all his team’s points — including a penalty goal in the fourth minute after the final whistle — to lead the Western Force over the Cheetahs 16-15 on Friday. The Cheetahs could have won with a penalty in the 80th minute, but a miss by replacement flyhalf Conrad Barnard led to a final series of attacks by the Force.

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/ 23 February 2008

Five more SA athletes qualify for Games

Five athletes achieved the ”A” qualifying standard for the Beijing Olympic Games at Germiston on Friday night, and the men’s junior pole-vault record was also broken. Ter de Villiers won the men’s 400m hurdles in a qualifying time of 48,71 seconds, followed by Alwyn Myburgh (48,99) and Ockert Cilliers (49,18).

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/ 23 February 2008

Victorious Eagles earn a bonus point

The Diamond Eagles defeated the Warriors by 91 runs in their MTN domestic championship cricket match played at the De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley, on Friday. They also earned themselves a valuable bonus point. The Warriors were 38 without loss in the 13th over before veteran bowler Roger Telemachus struck.

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/ 23 February 2008

Titans unconvincing but still unbeaten

The Titans maintained their unbeaten record in the MTN domestic championship this season with a four-wicket victory over the Highveld Lions in a rain-shortened match at the Wanderers on Friday. Chasing a modest total of 139 in 38 overs to win, the Titans looked far from convincing as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

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/ 23 February 2008

SA women cricketers qualify for World Cup

South Africa Women have made it to next year’s International Cricket Council Women’s World Cup after hammering Ireland Women by seven wickets in the semifinals of the World Cup qualifier tournament in Stellenbosch. Ireland Women were skittled for 107 in 47.4 overs as the South African bowlers gave them no breathing space.

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/ 22 February 2008

Storm brews over journalists’ forum

”I saw nothing wrong,” said African National Congress president Jacob Zuma when asked whether he approved of the exclusion of white journalists from an address at the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) on Friday. Zuma was addressing journalists after the FBJ re-launch held at the Sandton Sun hotel in Johannesburg.

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/ 22 February 2008

DA dismisses land-invasion allegations

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille on Friday dismissed as ”posturing” Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool’s threat to sue the DA over recent land invasions in Delft. ”A threat to sue the DA for allegedly encouraging land invasions in Delft is just posturing,” she said in a statement.

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/ 22 February 2008

Samancor shuts furnace after explosion

South Africa’s privately owned Samancor Chrome, the world’s second-biggest producer of ferrochrome, said on Friday it had shut a furnace at its plant after a worker was killed in an explosion on Sunday. Sunel Pretorius, a spokesperson at Samancor, said she could not yet say how much output had been affected by the closure of the furnace.

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/ 22 February 2008

Alleged SACP benefactor Modise denied bail

Controversial businessman Charles Modise was denied bail in the Kimberly Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Modise is being investigated by the Scorpions and faces various charges, including fraud, forgery and corruption in the Northern Cape. Magistrate Andre Williams postponed the matter to July 9 for further investigations.