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/ 14 January 2008
Three Department of Home Affairs officials arrested on 39 counts of fraud appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday, the department said. Two senior male immigration officials were arrested on Friday in Mahamaba in Mpumalanga and one female official was arrested in Pretoria.
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/ 14 January 2008
With 24 hours to go before deadline, the Ginwala Commission of Inquiry into suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli has yet to receive the government’s submission on the matter. According to the commission rules and timeframes, Pikoli has until January 31 to make his submission.
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/ 14 January 2008
The Democratic Alliance on Monday asked the Independent Complaints Directorate to investigate the arrest of Gauteng Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel. This came after charges of corruption and defeating the administration of justice against Nel were withdrawn in the Pretoria Regional Court.
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/ 14 January 2008
Lesser flamingos have started breeding on a specially constructed artificial island at the Kamfers Dam, the Northern Cape department of tourism, environment and conservation said on Monday. The birds at Kamfers Dam are of historic significance because it is only the sixth breeding locality in the world for the near-threatened species.
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/ 14 January 2008
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed ”great concern” over the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe at the outset of a visit to South Africa on Monday.
”I would like to thank President [Thabo] Mbeki for his work as the SADC [Southern African Development Community] mediator in Zimbabwe,” Ahern said.
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/ 14 January 2008
Former Springbok coach Jake White and his World Cup-winning side have been named Newsmaker of the Year for 2007, the National Press Club said on Monday. ”This award is made on the grounds of impact, news value and media attention, both print and electronic,” the club’s chairperson, Patrick Hlahla, said.
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/ 14 January 2008
Tiger Brands began charging 40 cents more for a loaf of Albany bread on Monday, with Pioneer Foods and Premier Foods in the process of considering their increases. In response, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) suggested the increases were linked to last year’s bread price-fixing scandal.
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/ 14 January 2008
South Africa’s embattled police force on Monday sought to reassure the crime-ridden country after a weekend that saw its police chief placed on extended leave in a widening corruption scandal. The South African Police Service was under intense public scrutiny before it was disclosed last week that Jackie Selebi would face charges of corruption and defeating the course of justice.
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/ 14 January 2008
Eleven people who were allegedly carrying out illegal abortions were arrested in central Johannesburg, the city said on Monday. City officials and metro police came upon a makeshift hospital of horrors on Friday when they were trying to clean central Johannesburg of ”poster pollution”.
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/ 14 January 2008
The timetable for hearings into the City of Cape Town’s spy-allegation controversy will be released to the public on Tuesday, the Erasmus Commission of Inquiry said. Commission spokesperson Zithulele Twala on Monday said the commission had already finalised the timetable.
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/ 14 January 2008
Power cuts resumed on Monday and would continue nationally for the rest of the week, Eskom said. Eskom’s media desk said some areas might experience power cuts up to twice a day, for up to two-and-a-half hours at a time. Eskom needed to reduce demand for electricity in order to stabilise the electricity system nationally, the power utility’s statement said.
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/ 14 January 2008
The Irish government has approved a €5-million grant (about R50-million) for building township houses in South Africa. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced details of the grant in Cape Town on Monday during an official visit aimed at, among other things, monitoring projects funded by Irish Aid, a government development agency.
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/ 14 January 2008
Charges against Gerrie Nel, the head of the Directorate of Special Operations, or the Scorpions, in Gauteng, were withdrawn in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday. ”After careful consideration of the evidence in the docket, the decision was made to withdraw the charges,” chief prosecutor Matric Lupondo said during Nel’s brief appearance.
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/ 14 January 2008
South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique have reported an upsurge in the number of Zimbabweans crossing the borders for Christmas shopping, as basic commodities remain in short supply in most shops, the state-controlled Zimbabwe Herald reported on Monday.
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/ 14 January 2008
Eskom has asked two international nuclear giants to submit bids to build South Africa’s next nuclear power station, a media report said on Monday. The new plant, twice as powerful as Koeberg, would be the first of five or six more nuclear plants that Eskom is planning to help solve the country’s energy shortage.
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/ 14 January 2008
South African Richard Sterne won the Jo’burg Open on Sunday at the Royal Johannesburg and Kengsington Golf Club after a dramatic three-way sudden death play-off against countryman Garth Mulroy and Swede Magnus Carlsson. The threesome who were tied at minus-13 after regulation play could still not be separated after they all birdied the par-five 18th.
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/ 14 January 2008
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s legal team were on Monday waiting for a date for a hearing for his application to stop the investigation against him, after last week’s attempt to have it heard urgently failed. ”The judge president must provide a date for a full bench,” said Selebi’s advocate Jaap Cilliers.
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/ 14 January 2008
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will meet this week to discuss how to proceed with their case against police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, a spokesperson said. On Friday Selebi failed to secure an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to stop the investigation against him.
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/ 14 January 2008
Bafana Bafana earned a pass mark from their 2-0 warm-up win against Mozambique at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday afternoon and demonstrated sufficient potential to view the coming African Cup of Nations with a degree of optimism.
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/ 14 January 2008
The JSE was in the red at midday on Monday, taking its cue from lower overseas equity markets. By noon, the broader all-share index had shed 0,13% to 27 474,230 points. Industrials were down 0,56%, while banks lost 0,43% and financials were off 0,29%.
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/ 13 January 2008
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has been granted an extended leave of absence, President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday. Speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Mbeki said Selebi had requested the leave himself. This follows Friday’s revelations by the National Prosecuting Authority that it was ready to charge Selebi with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.
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/ 12 January 2008
Unity was the order of the day when African National Congress president Jacob Zuma delivered his January 8 statement at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. Zuma told the crowd of thousands that the unity of the party was ”paramount”, and warned those who threatened it.
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/ 12 January 2008
Judicial autonomy in South Africa’s young democracy will be put to the test as politicians and judges eye each other with growing distrust ahead of the graft trial of African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma. His backers say there is no chance of Zuma getting a fair trial from a judiciary which is still largely male and white.
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/ 12 January 2008
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has quit as head of international crime-fighting body Interpol, the organisation said on Sunday. The news follows President Thabo Mbeki’s announcement on Saturday that Selebi, who faces allegations of corruption, fraud, racketeering and defeating the ends of justice, was going on extended leave of absence.
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/ 12 January 2008
Despite beating the West Indies by an innings and 100 runs with two days in hand to win the Castle Lager series two-one, South Africa will go down one place on the international rankings, dropping below Sri Lanka to third place, but Proteas captain Graeme Smith is not too concerned.
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/ 12 January 2008
New African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma will make his first keynote speech on Saturday, since taking over the party leadership from President Thabo Mbeki. His speech will form part of celebrations for the 96th anniversary of the party. The anniversary rally will take place at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.
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/ 12 January 2008
Opposition parties have called for the immediate suspension of police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, in light of his failure to prevent the National Prosecuting Authority from prosecuting him. Selebi’s urgent application was denied in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday. Judge Nico Coetzee said the application bore no merit and it was struck off the roll.
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/ 11 January 2008
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi is to be charged with corruption and defeating the course of justice after his application to prevent the National Prosecuting Authority from prosecuting him was denied in the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Judge Nico Coetzee said Selebi’s application bore no merit.
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/ 11 January 2008
South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock announced his retirement from international cricket following the second day’s play of the third Test against the West Indies in Durban on Friday. Pollock (34) only returned to the South Africa line-up for the current Test after having been overlooked by selectors for Test duty in recent months.
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/ 11 January 2008
South Africa stamped their authority on the third and deciding Test on Friday, declaring on 556-4 to set the injury-plagued West Indies a mammoth target of 418 to make the Proteas bat again. At close of play on the second day, the West Indies were 23 without loss, still trailing by 394 runs.
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/ 11 January 2008
Mpumalanga is considering name changes to major towns, including provincial capital Nelspruit, the city said on Friday. City spokesperson Gordon Nkgathi said: ”The proposed geographical name changes, including the renaming of Nelspruit to Mbombela, have been considered and recommended by the Mpumalanga provincial geographical names committee.”
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/ 11 January 2008
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is ready to charge police National Commissioner and Interpol chief Jackie Selebi, it said in court papers at the Pretoria High Court on Friday. The NPA said it would charge Selebi with corruption and defeating the course of justice.