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/ 22 February 2008
The government’s R60-billion capital injection for Eskom will come with strings for the parastatal’s management, and added pressure on the regulator to raise prices sharply. Director General in the National Treasury Lesetja Kganyago says the final package will probably combine an ordinary loan, a subordinated loan, a loan guarantee and cash.
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/ 22 February 2008
Analysts say that Transport Minister Jeff Radebe has made all the right noises about public transport being the legacy of the 2010 World Cup and, if the budget is anything to go on, the Cabinet fully endorses his view. Trevor Manuel has allocated R6-billion to building public transport infrastructure over the next three years.
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/ 21 February 2008
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has dropped a misconduct charge against rural doctor Colin Pfaff, following a storm of protest, the doctor confirmed on Thursday. Pfaff faced the charge for administering dual therapy — two antiretroviral drugs — to prevent the infection of babies born to HIV-positive mothers.
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/ 21 February 2008
The dance establishment is benefiting from some new recruits. Matthew Krouse reports on the FNB Dance Umbrella’s 20th birthday bash.
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/ 21 February 2008
A 23-year-old man convicted of raping an elderly woman was sent to jail for 18 years by the Grahamstown High Court on Thursday. Judge Andre Erasmus, who sat with two assessors, told Sicelo Tyatyeka, of Lingelihle, Cradock, that he would have imposed a life sentence had the victim suffered more serious injuries.
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/ 21 February 2008
Moving South African television broadcasting from analogue to digital signal is on track and ahead of most countries in the world, the Communications Department said on Thursday. Spokesperson Albi Modise said the digital signal will be activated on November 1 this year.
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/ 21 February 2008
DRDGold said on Thursday that it will push ahead with South African gold mining as well as dump-retreatment projects despite power concerns. The government, Eskom and key consumers should cooperate to find workable solutions to the power dilemma, said chief executive John Sayers in announcing the company’s latest financial results.
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/ 21 February 2008
A 20-year-old man accused of raping a two-year-old girl and charged with three counts of assault was found guilty of all charges in the Grahamstown High Court on Thursday. Judge Johan Froneman rejected the evidence of Thulani Jafta (20), of Madukeni Sada, Cathcart, as ”inherently improbable and contrived”.
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/ 21 February 2008
Financial misconduct in the 2006/07 financial year has cost the country more than R130-million, the Public Service Commission (PSC) announced on Thursday. The total loss stood at R130 615 994,82. National departments accounted for 370 cases and provincial departments reported 672 cases.
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/ 21 February 2008
Though the country’s focus was firmly on Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s national budget this week, another important event should not go unnoticed.
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/ 21 February 2008
Ten students were arrested on various charges at the Bloemfontein campus of the University of the Free State after a group took part in a ”disruptive march”, Free State police said on Thursday. Captain Chaka Marope said police had ”a hard time” on Wednesday night, until early on Thursday morning, containing the situation.
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/ 21 February 2008
A man who allegedly murdered his wife with an axe and buried her in another person’s grave in Soshanguve did not appear in the Pretoria North District Court on Thursday, as he had been sent to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital earlier this month. Godfrey Macheke (37) was arrested in January last year.
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/ 21 February 2008
In order to generate electricity efficiently, Eskom will need to buy 45-million tonnes of coal over the next two years, the power utility said on Thursday. Eskom’s financial director, Bongani Nqwababa, said 30-million to 34-million tonnes have already been contracted and only South African suppliers will be used.
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/ 21 February 2008
The Gauteng National Taxi Alliance tendered an apology on Thursday to the woman who was assaulted at the Noord street taxi rank, allegedly by taxi drivers, and called on all taxi associations to investigate and suspend drivers implicated in the attack. It condemned the incident ”in the strongest possible terms”.
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/ 21 February 2008
Scores of schoolchildren, their teachers and parents marched silently in Johannesburg on Thursday in a moving protest against crime. The protest, sparked by the killing of Emily Williams (12) during a robbery in Fairland last week, took place on Beyers Naude Drive in north-western Johannesburg.
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/ 21 February 2008
In an unusual show of unity, the two secretary generals of the two factions of Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have described the dialogue that was meant to resolve the country’s meltdown as ”dead”, painting a dire scenario for Zimbabwe after its upcoming elections.
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/ 21 February 2008
Hundreds of mourners arrived at the Johannesburg Country Club on Thursday morning to say goodbye to actress Ashley Callie, who died on Friday last week. Callie, who was known for her role as Leone Haines in the soap opera Isidingo, was involved in a car accident on the corner of 4th Avenue and Tana Road in Emmarentia.
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/ 21 February 2008
The Legal Resources Centre, a public-interest law firm working on land issues, expressed scepticism on Thursday at the claim in Wednesday’s national budget that the land-restitution process is nearing completion. An extra R1-billion will be set aside over the next three years to settle outstanding land-restitution claims.
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/ 21 February 2008
The 2008 national budget took a "business as usual" approach in failing to carry through President Thabo Mbeki’s commitment to change all South Africans’ lives for the better, the People’s Budget Coalition said on Thursday, adding that the government will not be doing anything fundamentally different from what it has done in the past.
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/ 21 February 2008
A spokesperson for about 1 800 people evicted from unfinished homes in Delft on Thursday appealed for water and food for the group, now living on a site adjacent to the land. "It’s like a state of emergency," said Ashraf Cassim, a spokesperson for the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign.
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/ 21 February 2008
Platinum Stars put Black Leopards deep into the relegation zone when they beat them 2-0 in their Absa Premier League game played at Olympia Park Stadium on Wednesday night. The team from North West led 1-0 at the break in front of a small crowd of diehard supporters.
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/ 21 February 2008
A career-best 68 by Jaco Booysen helped the Titans to maintain their unbeaten record as they stuttered to a one wicket victory over the Warriors in their MTN domestic championship match at Supersport Park on Wednesday. It was an unconvincing performance by the log leaders, but Booysen had the kind of match schoolboys dream of.
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/ 21 February 2008
Kaizer Chiefs were let off the hook by Wits University at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday night while gaining only their third Premier League win in 17 games this season to vault four places into a flattering eighth position in the log. But, it must be concluded, the Wits side played distinctly dumb soccer and were their own worst enemies while going down 2-0.
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/ 21 February 2008
Orlando Pirates celebrated their 70th birthday in style when they beat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in an Absa Premiership match at the Johannesburg Stadium on Wednesday evening. Bennet Chenene headed in from close range in the ninth minute and Bucs lead doubled two minutes later when Excellent Walaza also headed in.
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/ 21 February 2008
AmaZulu suffered their third straight defeat in the Absa Premier League when they lost 0-1 to Golden Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. AmaZulu were put to the test as early as the fourth minute when Thanduyise Khuboni’s header forced a brilliant save from AmaZulu goalkeeper Kalilio Kakonje.
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/ 21 February 2008
There would be some very ”tough negotiations” with Eskom over the repayment of its R60-billion loan, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in Cape Town on Thursday. ”The terms will have to be worked out, it’s not in our interests to try to squeeze a short-term return,” he told a breakfast meeting.
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/ 21 February 2008
Floor-crossing will finally be scrapped, a media report said on Thursday. Following on a decision by the African National Congress’s Polokwane conference, Parliament’s committee on private members’ legislative proposals on Wednesday agreed to a draft Bill that will lead to the scrapping of the practice.
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/ 21 February 2008
Education Minister Naledi Pandor wore the broadest smile among her counterparts on Wednesday as Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was once again in a generous mood towards her department. But some education analysts are sceptical about provinces’ capacity to deliver on disbursing the billions allocated to general education.
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/ 20 February 2008
The raising of the age ceiling for child-support grants to 15 — announced by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel in his national budget on Wednesday — leaves many children between the ages of 15 and 18 vulnerable, the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society said.
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/ 20 February 2008
About 10 students from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) were arrested on Wednesday following a protest that turned violent, said Pretoria police. Captain Dumisani Ndlazi said the 10, who were part of a protesting group, were arrested at the university’s main campus in Pretoria West.
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/ 20 February 2008
The government has sent an official delegation to the United Kingdom to discuss the electricity crisis. The delegation is led by Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi, government communications head Themba Maseko said after Wednesday’s fortnightly Cabinet meeting.
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/ 20 February 2008
A damages claim of almost R1,4-million, instituted by Gaye Derby-Lewis against Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula for her alleged unlawful arrest more than five years ago, was postponed indefinitely in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday.