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/ 13 February 2008
Investigations into more than 500 000 social-welfare grants in KwaZulu-Natal have saved the taxpayer close to R520-million that would have been lost to corruption, KwaZulu-Natal Premier S’bu Ndebele said on Wednesday, delivering his State of the Province address in Pietermaritzburg.
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/ 13 February 2008
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) met the South African Liquor Traders’ Association (Salta) in Johannesburg on Wednesday to discuss a proposed liquor ban on Sundays. The league proposed to ban Sunday liquor sales after its annual national executive committee’s lekgotla (meeting) two weeks ago.
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/ 13 February 2008
Security guard Richard Engelbrecht, who on Wednesday pleaded guilty in the Cape High Court to the rape and murder of Cape Flats schoolgirl Annestacia Wiese, alleges that police threatened him with harm if he did not confess to a magistrate. Although he has pleaded guilty, the judge has not yet pronounced him guilty.
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/ 13 February 2008
The management of Port Elizabeth’s Jose Pearson Tuberculosis (TB) Hospital has taken steps to crack down on dagga smoking by patients with drug-resistant strains of TB. Some patients with extensively or multidrug-resistant TB being held in isolation have been using their cellphones to order the drug.
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/ 13 February 2008
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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/ 13 February 2008
South Africa’s consumers will continue to fuel economic growth as their incomes increase, a government minister said on Wednesday. Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa told Parliament on Wednesday the economy had gone through structural changes and consumer spending will be resilient.
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/ 13 February 2008
The African National Congress (ANC) has rejected the call made on Tuesday by the Democratic Alliance for Parliament to be dissolved and new elections held, as well as the call made by the Independent Democrats for the government to resign. A statement issued by the ANC on Wednesday said: ”We believe that such calls have no merit.”
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/ 13 February 2008
Workers at one of the stadiums due to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup have downed tools in the latest pay strike to threaten tight construction deadlines, their union said Wednesday. Work on the Mbombela Stadium outside Nelspruit has been frozen since Monday lunchtime, George Ledwaba of the National Union of Mineworkers said.
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/ 13 February 2008
Attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement between a KwaZulu-Natal ferromanganese factory and its workers over compensation for manganese poisoning foundered on Wednesday. The workers’ trade union and attorney accused the company, Assmang, of negotiating in bad faith.
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/ 13 February 2008
The KwaZulu-Natal doctor who faces a disciplinary hearing for giving dual-therapy drugs to babies at risk of HIV infection should be hailed as a hero, a doctors’ organisation said on Wednesday. ”To discipline him for doing his ethical duty is disgraceful,” the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society said in a statement.
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/ 13 February 2008
Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson will replace Paul Harris in the South African squad to tour Bangladesh, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Wednesday. A CSA statement said Harris would miss the tour because of an abscess that required surgery. ”Robbie has shown excellent form in the SuperSport Series,” selection chief Joubert Strydom said in the statement.
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/ 13 February 2008
At least 284 schools in the greater Durban region owe the eThekwini Water Department over R5-million for unpaid water and electricity. eThekwini water and sanitation head, Neil Macleod, said none of the schools in question had their water or electricity supply disconnected because of the arrears.
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/ 13 February 2008
The Department of Home Affairs expects to introduce the proposed new smart-card identity document (ID) to the general public within two years, it said on Wednesday. The card will replace the old ID, which is prone to fraud. The new ID will be much more difficult to forge.
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/ 13 February 2008
The Presidency said on Wednesday that it would have to consult President Thabo Mbeki before commenting on a report quoting former ambassador to France Barbara Masekela. In the report, Masekela is quoted as saying she had arranged a meeting between Mbeki and an arms company that is the co-accused in Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial.
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/ 13 February 2008
A forensic expert told the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday that some of the accused in the Jeppestown massacre trial — who tested positive for gunshot primer residue — either discharged a firearm or were within two metres from where it had been discharged.
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/ 13 February 2008
Steve Goodwin, the man who has been described as the real founder of Fidentia, has been named repeatedly in a draft indictment against J Arthur Brown. The 38-page document was handed over by prosecutors this week when Brown and the suspended chief executive of the Transport Education Training Authority, Piet Bothma, appeared briefly in court.
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/ 13 February 2008
The MD of Standard and Poor’s (S&P) South Africa, Konrad Reuss, said on Wednesday that some of the recent pessimism in South Africa is completely overdone and that he does not feel the country is going to dip into a recession. South Africa currently has a "stable" foreign-currency rating by S&P.
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/ 13 February 2008
A resolution to open up the arms deal to further discussion was shot down by the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday. Democratic Alliance MP Eddie Trent, who brought the proposal, finally withdrew it and agreed to the suggestion that the committee merely look into what progress has been made in implementing Scopa’s recommendations.
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/ 13 February 2008
The railway police have arrested 7 487 people during the last 10 weeks, the National Rail-Crime Combating Forum said in a statement on Wednesday. ”The presence of policemen and policewomen within the rail environment is certainly having a huge impact on crime prevention as well as the safety of commuters,” the forum said.
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/ 13 February 2008
South African stocks were slightly lower at midday on Wednesday as heavily weighted miners continue to falter on falling metal prices, while other investors refrained from making any large moves ahead of Wall Street opening. At midday, the broader all-share index had was off 0,18% at 28 533,810.
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/ 13 February 2008
Top seed Ivan Ljubicic had to survive a second-set scare before putting away qualifier Lamine Ouahab of Algeria in the first round of the SAA Tennis Open at Selborne Park on Tuesday. After one hour and 40 minutes, the Croatian finally won through 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and set up a second round encounter against Laurent Recourderc of France.
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/ 13 February 2008
Pupils at the Trinity House Preparatory School will remember their slain classmate Emily Williams (12) with a memorial service in the school hall on Monday. Williams died when she was hit by a bullet fired in a stand-off between robbers and security guards at a house in Kessel Street, Fairlands, on Tuesday morning.
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/ 13 February 2008
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday declared he would work with anyone who opposed the dictatorship of President Robert Mugabe while denouncing former ruling party presidential candidate Simba Makoni as tainted goods.
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/ 13 February 2008
Golden Arrows jumped from ninth to fifth position on the log with 23 points after beating Platinum Stars 2-0 in their second Absa Premier League encounter at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg on Tuesday night. The visitors were leading 1-0 at the break.
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/ 13 February 2008
A second wicket partnership of 117 off 122 balls between Gulam Bodi and Francois ”Faf” du Plessis guided the Titans to a comfortable seven wicket victory over Zimbabwe in their MTN domestic championship match at Supersport Park on Tuesday.
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/ 13 February 2008
The government has not yet decided whether it will be compulsory for school children to recite a pledge each morning. Lunga Ngqengelele, Education Minister Naledi Pandor’s spokesperson, said: ”From the department’s point of view, we would want each and every school to recite it.”
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/ 13 February 2008
Former leader of the Democratic Alliance Tony Leon, who now speaks for the party on foreign affairs, has launched a scathing attack on South Africa’s plan to host a second World Conference against Racism in Durban next year. "Quite what good will come of this exercise remains open to serious question," he said.
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/ 13 February 2008
A 29-year-old man is accused of breaking into a Rhodes University residence and raping a woman — while he was out on bail on a previous rape charge. The man appeared in the Grahamstown High Court on Tuesday.
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/ 13 February 2008
South Africa has been plunged into a fresh debate over the racial make-up of its sports teams 14 years after the country emerged from apartheid. As the cricket squad prepared on Wednesday to fly to Bangladesh after a furious row over the dearth of black players in its line-up, white rugby legends protested against government pressure on selectors to put colour ahead of ability
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/ 13 February 2008
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was robbed at his Johannesburg offices on Tuesday evening. Police spokesperson Thembi Nkhwasu said Tsvangirai and two of his officials were in their offices in Homestead Avenue in Bryanston at about 6pm when they were confronted by three men armed with pistols.
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/ 13 February 2008
South Africa’s five Super 14 teams will have to produce some of their best rugby yet if they are to retain the title they so famously won, for the first time, last year. After years of being denied the title by the Australian and New Zealand teams, South Africa’s Northern Bulls finally went all the way in 2007.
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/ 13 February 2008
Manufacturing slowed in December and mining output also fell, official data showed, fanning concern the economy’s two main power consumers will suffer from electricity constraints this year. At the same time, the Bureau for Economic Research warned that power shortages may trim the pace of economic growth to 3,4% this year.