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/ 31 December 2007

SA editor’s escape from apartheid, 30 years on

Disguised as an Irish priest and taking advantage of the New Year festivities, Donald Woods launched a dramatic escape 30 years ago to expose one of South Africa’s most notorious apartheid crimes. As the country prepared to ring in the new year, the white liberal editor managed to evade house arrest and cross over into the tiny kingdom of Lesotho.

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/ 30 December 2007

SA will bounce back, says Smith

When South Africa went into the first Test match against the West Indies at St George’s Park on Wednesday, they were ranked second in the world. ”We don’t take much notice of rankings, but we want to keep on winning Tests and challenge for the top spot when we tour Australia at the end of next year,” said Proteas captain Graeme Smith.

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/ 30 December 2007

Actor dies in motorcycle accident

South African actor Antonio Summerton was killed in a motorcycle accident in Roodepoort on Saturday night, metro police said on Sunday. Chief Superintendent Wayne Minaar said Summerton, who played a role in popular Afrikaans soap opera 7de Laan, was killed in an accident in Constantia Road in Roodepoort.

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/ 30 December 2007

NPA: Mbeki not behind Zuma charges

South Africa’s prosecuting chief on Sunday denied claims that President Thabo Mbeki was behind the filing of a string of charges against Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress. Mokeketedi Mpshe, acting National Prosecuting Authority head, told a newspaper that the decision to formally charge Zuma was made independently.

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/ 30 December 2007

Eighty arrested in East London roadblock

Eighty people were arrested for drunken driving and other criminal offences at a roadblock in East London, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday. Superintendent Mtati Tana said the arrests were made in a joint operation between police and traffic officers as part of the festive season crackdown on serious crimes and drunken driving.

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/ 29 December 2007

Windies claim historic victory

The West Indies made history at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Saturday when they beat South Africa in the first Test by 128 runs with a day to spare. It was their first Test victory in South Africa, and their first away win against a team ranked above them since they beat England in 2000. They outplayed the home side in all departments.

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/ 29 December 2007

Zuma supporters decry new charges

Supporters of Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress, protested on Saturday that new corruption charges against him were part of a politically inspired vendetta. Zuma’s supporters have cried foul over the timing of the charges, a little over a week since he was elected leader of the ANC.

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/ 29 December 2007

Cosatu condemns Zuma indictment

An indictment served on African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was a continued violation of his human rights, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Saturday. The timing of the indictment had the ”hallmarks of vengeance, deep-seated anger and frustration by the National Prosecuting Authority and whoever else is behind this”.

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/ 29 December 2007

SA teams face tricky Super 14 build-up

The early stages of the 2008 Super 14 competition could be especially challenging for the five South African franchises — three of the teams have new coaches, and the training of all five has been affected to various degrees by the resting of their Springboks after the United Kingdom tour.

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/ 29 December 2007

Tanzania ambassador to SA attacked during robbery

Tanzania’s ambassador to South Africa was beaten unconscious and several of his guests were assaulted and robbed at his farewell dinner in Pretoria on Friday night. About five armed men pushed aside the barbed wire and jumped over the wall of a diplomatic residence in Pretoria at about 10pm, a government official at the function said.

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/ 28 December 2007

Zuma charged with corruption, fraud

Jacob Zuma, the new leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, was on Friday served with papers to appear in court to face corruption charges, his lawyer said. ”Today, December 28 2007, the Directorate of Special Operations [Scorpions] served on Mr Jacob Zuma an indictment to stand trial in the high court.”

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/ 28 December 2007

Proteas fight back against Windies

South Africa salvaged some pride by taking six wickets for 26 runs in the last session on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies on Friday. At close of play, the West Indies were 146-8 for an overall lead of 359 runs. South Africa resumed play on 122-6, with all hopes of achieving some respectability resting on veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and the young AB de Villiers.

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/ 28 December 2007

Matric pass rate has minister concerned

The decline in the matric pass rate is worrying, Minister of Education Naledi Pandor said in Pretoria on Friday. The country needed to increase the number of candidates for entry to higher education levels, she said. Pandor said several reasons were responsible for the decline in the matric pass rate.

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/ 28 December 2007

Report describes tantrum thrown by ‘The Cousin’

Comedian Barry Hilton threw a tantrum inside a Port Elizabeth art gallery before allegedly making off with paintings worth more than R10 000 to settle an unclaimed debt, it was reported on Friday. According to the report, this information emerged when Hilton appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of robbery and crimen injuria.

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/ 28 December 2007

Lower matric pass rate no surprise, says DA

The disappointing South African matric pass rate came as no surprise, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday. MP George Boinamo said it was, however, disappointing that the pass rate had deteriorated. ”During the past year our country’s education system, and more importantly, its learners, faced many challenges.”

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/ 28 December 2007

Search continues for missing aircraft

Rescue services are still searching for the Cessna 210 light aircraft that went missing on Wednesday, said South African Search and Rescue Organisation head Charles Norval on Friday. ”We haven’t had success, but are still searching. The rescue team is following all the leads,” Norval said.

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/ 28 December 2007

JSE down, but off earlier lows

The JSE had recovered some of its earlier losses by midday on Friday, but was still over half a percent in the red. It had been down as much as 0,93% for the day. By noon on the JSE, the all-share index was 0,55% lower. The gold- and platinum-mining indices pulled back 2,42% and 1,17% respectively, while resources lost 0,46%.

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/ 27 December 2007

SA crumble against Windies attack

Fast bowlers Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor struck hard at the South African top order as the tourists took control on the second day of the first Test at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Thursday. South Africa crashed to 122-5 at close of play in reply to a West Indian total of 408 in which Shivnarine Chanderpaul made a patient century.

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/ 27 December 2007

HNP leader Willie Marais dies

Leader and co-founder of the right-wing Herstigte Nasionale Party (HNP) Willie Marais has died of a heart attack at the age of 79, the party said on Thursday. Party chief secretary Louis van der Schyff said Marais was on holiday at Klein Brakrivier when he had a heart attack and died in hospital at Mossel Bay on Wednesday.

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/ 27 December 2007

Comedian Barry Hilton appears in court

Well-known comedian Barry Hilton appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on charges of robbery and crimen injuria on Thursday, state prosecutor Advocate Tania Zwiegelaar said. Hilton was arrested on Monday by Walmer police following a complaint by the owner of an arts and craft shop.

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/ 27 December 2007

No change in petrol price

The retail price of all grades of petrol will remain unchanged on Wednesday January 2 from a previous increase of 43 cents a litre, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Thursday. The retail price of a litre of 95 octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng remains at R7,47, and R7,23 at the coast — new highs set in December.

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/ 27 December 2007

Prosecutors hold off on Zuma, Selebi

South African prosecutors are likely to wait at least two weeks before deciding whether to file charges against the new African National Congress president and the country’s police chief, a newspaper said on Thursday. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) recently said it had enough evidence to re-charge ANC president Jacob Zuma.

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/ 27 December 2007

Over 200 arrested in inner city

About 234 people have been arrested over a 48-hour period in the inner city, Johannesburg police said on Thursday. ”All these people were arrested in Hillbrow, Berea and Joubert Park as part of our accelerated crime combat operations, to maintain a safe environment as we are preparing for the new year celebrations,” said police spokesperson Captain Bhekizizwe Mavundla.

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/ 27 December 2007

SA ‘caught on the back foot’

A century partnership between Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and a whirlwind 66 by Chris Gayle, put the West Indies in a commanding position on 281 for four at the end of the first day of the first Castle Lager Test against South Africa at St George’s Park on Wednesday.

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/ 26 December 2007

West Indies put up a fight

A century partnership between Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and a whirlwind 66 by Chris Gayle, put the West Indies in a commanding position on 281 for four at the end of the first day of the first Test against South Africa at St George’s Park on Wednesday.