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/ 11 January 2008
The African National Congress (ANC) needs to get back to the business of government, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Friday. He said politicians might all be talking in hushed tones about competing centres of power, but most South Africans ”are fretting about rising food prices and high interest rates”.
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/ 11 January 2008
Patricia de Lille’s Independent Democrats (ID) on Friday called for the government to regulate bread prices. Rising bread prices were hurting the poor and the unemployed the most, according to Rodney Lentit, the ID’s local government liaison officer. Bread prices were deregulated in 1991.
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/ 11 January 2008
South Africa head for Ghana desperate to arrest a slide in African Nations Cup fortunes. Since that amazing day in February 1996 when Nelson Mandela presented the trophy to Neil Tovey, Bafana Bafana have performed worse at each subsequent edition. A second-place finish behind Egypt in the next edition of the biennial tournament was followed by third place in 2000.
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/ 11 January 2008
South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar stormed out of a press conference on Thursday after refusing to answer questions about his late arrival at a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations camp. ”I’m going,” shouted the Everton star after his attempt to set the agenda was rejected by journalists in Durban, where Bafana Bafana are training.
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/ 11 January 2008
A 49-year-old man, who allegedly had been raking in millions of rands by manufacturing fake documents, was arrested in Durban on Thursday night. He had been operating a home affairs ”office” from his home, said police spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge on Friday.
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/ 11 January 2008
Three days into the school year and Gauteng’s teenagers are already hanging around on street corners rather than in class. Bunking classes and smoking outside buildings are a common problem in some high schools, and truancy rates are high in many disadvantaged areas.
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/ 11 January 2008
The infrastructure of the Transkei is collapsing, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has told President Thabo Mbeki in an open letter. ”When Transkeians supported change … they had a legitimate expectation that misery will, for the first time, be a thing of the past,” he said in the letter.
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/ 11 January 2008
”I want to be honest with South Africa and say that the appointment was not entirely made for rugby reasons. We as an organisation have made the appointment and taken into account the issue of transformation very, very seriously when we made it. I don’t think that tarnishes Peter — I’m just being honest with our country.”
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/ 11 January 2008
Renowned political analyst and Rhodes lecturer Walter Felgate died in Johannesburg aged 77, said Felgate’s family on January 11. Friend and adopted daughter of Felgate, Margot Saner, said he died on January 3 2008 in Johannesburg, surrounded by friends and loved ones following a recent bout of ill health.
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/ 10 January 2008
Rookie professional Tyrone Ferreira made a mockery of conditions in the opening round of the Jo’burg Open to share the lead with fellow countryman Mark Murless on Thursday. Both players carded six-under 65s to lead three players — Ross McGowan (England), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) and Sion Bebb (Wales) — by one stroke.
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/ 10 January 2008
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a ”concerted effort” to undermine investigations into Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel and prevent his prosecution, Gauteng police said on Thursday. In a statement, Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said prosecutors had refused to look at evidence presented to them in September, which implicated Nel in criminal activity.
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/ 10 January 2008
Shaun Pollock made a successful return to Test cricket and captain Graeme Smith smashed a century as South Africa dominated the first day of the series-deciding third Test against the West Indies at Kingsmead on Thursday. Pollock took 4-35 as the West Indies were bowled out for 139 after being sent in to bat.
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/ 10 January 2008
Thousands of South African motorists may lose their driver’s licences by the end of 2008 if they fail to adhere to the rules of the road, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department said on Thursday. Bheki Cele, provincial minister of transport, community safety and liaison, said the demerit system will be introduced this year.
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/ 10 January 2008
Growth in South Africa’s manufacturing output volumes eased in the year to November, data showed on Thursday, but this might not sway the central bank’s next decision on interest rates later this month. Statistics South Africa said manufacturing output slowed to 4,4% year-on-year in volume from an upwardly revised 5,7% in October.
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/ 10 January 2008
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang will meet heads of private hospital groups to discuss drastic hospital tariff increases, the Health Department said on Thursday. The meeting would take place on Friday to discuss the tariff increases from 8% to 33%, ”well above the general inflation rate”, said department spokesperson Charity Bhengu.
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/ 10 January 2008
The Western Cape does not have problems with either teacher numbers or places for pupils, provincial education minister Cameron Dugmore said on Thursday. He was speaking following reports of shortages in both areas in some inland provinces where schools opened this week.
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/ 10 January 2008
Three National Lottery winners in November and December have still not claimed their prizes, new operator Gidani said on Thursday. Since the return of the National Lottery in October last year, 15 millionaires have been made and a total of R222-million has been paid out to charity organisations.
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/ 10 January 2008
Ludwe Gxowa, the man suspected of murdering reggae star Lucky Dube, was denied bail when he appeared with six others in the Balfour Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on theft charges, police said. The men were charged with stealing copper cable valued at R150 000 from an Eskom power station.
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/ 10 January 2008
After a night out drinking and dining with friends from the United Kingdom, professional motorcycle racer Lance Anton Isaacs lied to police at the scene of a collision involving his bakkie, the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday. Isaacs was charged with reckless or negligent driving.
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/ 10 January 2008
More than a month after he was suspended for his role in Tony Yengeni’s alleged drunk-driving incident, a senior Western Cape police officer does still not know the date of his disciplinary hearing. ”People from disciplinary management are closer to setting a date,” said Western Cape police spokesperson Director Novela Potelwa.
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/ 10 January 2008
Growth in house prices in the middle segment of the market slowed to a nominal 11,2% year-on-year in December 2007 — the lowest price growth since December 1999, when it was 9,3%, the Absa house-price index showed on Thursday. Nominal price growth of 12,5% year-on-year was recorded in November last year.
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/ 10 January 2008
Diamond giant De Beers, which is 45% owned by global resources giant Anglo American, is to pay a $295-million class-action settlement after it was accused of fixing diamond prices and monopolising the United States diamond market. However, De Beers has not acknowledged that it violated the law or did anything wrong.
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/ 10 January 2008
Talks are under way to explore the possibility of South Africa being invited to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — the so-called "rich man’s club" of nations. The 30 OECD countries have already given the green light for the start of accession talks with five prospective new members.
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/ 10 January 2008
Kagiso Trust announced on Thursday the death of its chairperson, Yunus Mahomed. He was 57. He died on Sunday. Kgotso Schoeman, chief executive of Kagiso Trust, said: "Yunus, or YM as he was affectionately known, was a passionate and consistent leader."
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/ 10 January 2008
Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s bid to stop the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from proceeding with prosecution against him will be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Selebi has brought an urgent application seeking more information about the charges the NPA intends levelling against him.
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/ 10 January 2008
South Africa’s mining sector made a positive contribution to the overall GDP in the third quarter of 2007, but this is not expected to be the case in the fourth quarter, Efficient Group economist Fanie Joubert said on Thursday. "The main stumbling block to the mining sector is the strike action as well as deaths on the mines," said Joubert.
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/ 10 January 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said on Thursday that he did not have any concerns about the direction fiscal policy might take following the victory of Jacob Zuma at the African National Congress’s leadership conference in Polokwane last month. He said fears about fiscal policy were just so much hype.
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/ 10 January 2008
Load shedding resumed nationally on Thursday morning due to technical problems at power stations, said Eskom. ”Load shedding will continue throughout the day and the risk remains high for the rest of the week, but should ease at the weekend,” said the company in a statement.
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/ 10 January 2008
Helen Zille, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance and mayor of Cape Town, has called on President Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, the leader of the African National Congress, to convene an urgent meeting to discuss how they plan to prevent their conflict from paralysing the government.
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/ 10 January 2008
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Jacob Zuma makes his first keynote speech as African National Congress (ANC) leader on Saturday amid forecasts his election as head of South Africa’s ruling party will herald the biggest bout of turbulence since apartheid. All eyes will be on whether Zuma proffers an olive branch towards President Thabo Mbeki or stakes his claim as head of a rival centre of power.
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/ 10 January 2008
The JSE was under pressure by midday on Thursday as investors were uncertain about the outcome for European markets ahead of the European Central Bank and Bank of England interest-rate decisions later in the day. By noon, the broader all-share index had pulled back 0,49%. The gold-mining index gave up 1,12%, while resources were a slight 0,01% in the red.
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/ 10 January 2008
A 20-year-old Newcastle woman has been arrested after she confessed to strangling her three-year old son in a bid to keep her new boyfriend, police said on Wednesday. Police spokesperson Captain Shooz Magudulela said the woman confessed to the murder of her son after being persuaded to do so by a friend.