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/ 19 December 2007

Mbeki faces lame-duck term

Jacob Zuma, the populist politician, humiliated President Thabo Mbeki with a sweeping victory in the election for leader of the African National Congress on Tuesday night. Zuma, who survived a rape trial and his dismissal as the country’s deputy president by Mbeki over corruption allegations, took 60% of the nearly 4 000 votes at the party’s national conference.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC policy won’t change, says Kgalema

ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe has reiterated that policy would not change under a Zuma-led presidency and fears that the left tripartite alliance partners would force change were unfounded. Motlanthe said spontaneous policy change was not possible given the specific processes the ANC follow in formulating and adopting its policies.

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/ 18 December 2007

Oh, my aching feet of clay …

Sanele ”Shanee” Moroka was a girl trapped in a boy’s body with feet trapped in too tight pumps in the voting queue in Polokwane. She doesn’t believe the ANC should remain a multi-class organisation and is wondering what will happen to her poor calloused palms after having tugged the comrades ”forward towards enlightenment”.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC apologises for media-bashing

The ANC has apologised for the ”unfortunate” way in which members of the media have been treated at its national conference in Polokwane. The apology followed three days of stand-offs between journalists and security marshals — and a Cabinet minister swiping at a reporter with his umbrella on Tuesday.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC plans to expand national executive committee

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>The ANC has resolved to increase its national executive committee from 60 to 86 members to ensure greater representation of the party’s motive forces. The decision came amid concern from some members of the ANC and its alliance partners that the executive no longer represents the party’s core constituency.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC: Zuma issue ‘difficult to deal with’

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>Money, members, veterans and Jacob Zuma: at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon at the African National Congress’s (ANC) national conference in Polokwane, secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe discussed his organisational report, delivered two days before, as well as several other issues concerning the ruling party.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC delegates have voracious appetites

With 1,5 tonnes of meat and 3 500 litres of ice cream consumed daily at the African National Congress’s conference in Limpopo, it came as no surprise that provisions had to be ”imported”. There was not enough meat in Polokwane, so it had to be shipped in from Johannesburg and kept in cold storage near the venue.

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/ 18 December 2007

Search for TB patients continues

Eastern Cape authorities were still searching for 29 tuberculosis (TB) patients who escaped from the Jose Pearson Hospital in the Nelson Mandela municipality, after twenty returned on Tuesday. The patients escaped through holes they had cut through the hospital’s perimeter fences.

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/ 18 December 2007

ANC voting: ‘So far, so good’

A third day of cool, rainy weather in Polokwane did little to quench the fiery support for the front-runners in the ANC presidential race: Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Voting for the party’s top six officials started later than the scheduled time of 6am on Tuesday morning due to computer-related delays.

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/ 18 December 2007

More than 560 die on SA’s roads

More than 560 people have died on South African roads since the beginning of December, the Department of Transport said on Tuesday. At least 119 people were killed in accidents in Gauteng, 86 in KwaZulu-Natal, 58 in the Western Cape, 70 in the Eastern Cape, 52 in the Free State, 74 in Mpumalanga, 51 in Limpopo and seven in the Northern Cape.

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/ 18 December 2007

Who is the ANC?

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>Membership of the African National Congress has grown to 620 000 members from 416 000 members in 2002. A national conference, the most powerful gathering of the party, is a perfect opportunity to assess who makes up the ANC. Who is the typical ANC member and what do they believe in?

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/ 18 December 2007

Zille extends Cape Town spy-saga deadline

Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille has extended by a month the deadline for the independent investigation into various allegations surrounding the city’s so-called spy saga. Zille has appointed Advocate Josie Jordaan of the Cape Bar to lead the investigation into allegations surrounding the George Fivaz and Associates investigation of Councillor Badih Chaaban.

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/ 18 December 2007

Media barred from ANC sessions

Heavy early-morning rain on Monday did nothing to dampen the spirits of supporters of the frontrunners in the ANC leadership race, but journalists were left high and dry while trying to attend proceedings and even had equipment broken by security marshals later in the day.

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/ 18 December 2007

Mbeki team fights back

President Thabo Mbeki’s team fought back after a first day of humiliation at the ANC’s 52nd national conference at Polokwane, holding an unprecedented rally at lunchtime. Jacob Zuma’s people responded with an even bigger rally. The Mbeki rally was part of a package of measures to turn back the voting gains of deputy president Jacob Zuma, who is set to take the top job.

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/ 18 December 2007

JSE dips further into the red

The JSE was lower at midday on Tuesday, playing catch-up after the public holiday on Monday when there was weakness in global equity markets. By 12.04pm, the JSE’s all-share index had pulled back 2,38%. The gold mining index fell 3,31%, resources lost 3,21% and the platinum mining index gave up 3,16%.

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/ 17 December 2007

Sexwale steps out of ANC race

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>African National Congress (ANC) heavyweight Tokyo Sexwale on Monday night declined his nomination to the position of national chairperson as the names of those in the running for the ruling party’s top six positions were announced. As predicted, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma go head to head in the contest for party president.

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/ 17 December 2007

Justice Minister mum on Selebi

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Brigitte Mabandla on Monday declined to be drawn on the National Prosecution Authority’s (NPA) probe into police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. ”No comment. I do not talk about those things,” she told a South African Press Association reporter.

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/ 17 December 2007

Zuma, Mbeki camps rally in Polokwane

<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>President Thabo Mbeki’s team fought back after a first day of humiliation at the African National Congress’s (ANC) 52nd national conference at Polokwane, holding an unprecedented rally at lunchtime on Monday. Jacob Zuma’s people responded with an even bigger rally.

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/ 17 December 2007

ANC hopes to start voting on Monday

The African National Congress’s Polokwane conference may deal with nominations for the party’s presidency late on Monday, according to a senior party official. The nomination process is expected to result in a head-to-head clash for the top post between party president Thabo Mbeki and his deputy, Jacob Zuma.