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/ 29 November 2007
The Cape High Court on Thursday found former Old Mutual actuary Fred van der Vyver not guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Inge Lotz. The acquittal brought to an end a dramatic trial that had lasted nine months, which Judge Deon van Zyl described as ”long and emotion-packed”.
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/ 29 November 2007
Almost 80% of South African pupils do not develop basic reading skills by the time they reach grade five, a new international study released on Thursday shows. The Progress in International Reading Literacy study was conducted in 40 countries and carried out locally by the University of Pretoria.
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/ 29 November 2007
There is a stark difference of opinion as to how Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns view their status in South African soccer: Chiefs claim the Brazilians are attempting to usurp their role of pre-eminence while Sundowns, for their part, insist they have already achieved this objective.
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/ 29 November 2007
In a rare public-health success story on the world’s most beleaguered continent, Africa has slashed deaths from measles by 91% since 2000 thanks to an immunisation drive. Worldwide measles deaths fell to 242 000 between 2000 and 2006, a reduction of 68% made possible by the remarkable gains in Africa.
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/ 29 November 2007
An extra R87-million has been allocated to help people living in extreme poverty, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Thursday. The money was in addition to funds already given to provinces for relief, he told reporters after meeting provincial ministers of social development in Durban.
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/ 29 November 2007
Witnesses in the attempted-murder trial of former bouncer Gary Beuthin fear for their lives, the Randburg Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday. Lead investigator Piet Byleveld was testifying during the bail applications of Beuthin’s co-accused, Melanie van Niekerk (31) and Warren Schertel (34).
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/ 29 November 2007
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A ”final briefing” on whether African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma would have to face new corruption charges would be given to the acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) on Thursday. The National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement that the prosecution team was due to brief Mokotedi Mpshe on the case.
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/ 29 November 2007
Government ministers have failed to provide written answers to 343 questions posed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), said DA deputy chief whip Mike Ellis on Thursday. "Next Friday, December 7, is the deadline for the submission of replies to all parliamentary questions posed to government departments during 2007," he said.
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/ 29 November 2007
Standard Bank’s position as one of the world’s leading emerging markets banks was endorsed on Wednesday night with the company winning eight awards, including the prestigious Emerging Markets Bank of the Year, at <i>The Banker</i> awards of 2007.
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/ 29 November 2007
The continued strong rises in credit extension provided little counter to the shocking inflation figures released on Wednesday and the chances of an interest-rate hike next week now seemed an almost assured fact, the Efficient Group said on Thursday. This comes after the South African Reserve Bank released both the October monetary aggregates and credit extension figures.
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/ 29 November 2007
South Africa’s factory-gate inflation ticked up to 9,5% year-on-year in October, data showed on Thursday, beating forecasts and reinforcing expectations for an interest-rate rise next week. Producer price inflation accelerated from 9,4% year-on-year in September, and outstripped forecasts of a 9,1% rise, Statistics South Africa said.
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/ 29 November 2007
The total number of travellers who visited South Africa through all its ports of entry during September was up 5,2% year-on-year (y/y) to 2,183-million from the 10,5% y/y growth recorded in August 2007, according to Statistics South Africa data released on Thursday.
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/ 29 November 2007
Most of the babies who died following a klebsiella outbreak at a Durban hospital were underweight and born to teenage mothers, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday. Tshabalala-Msimang was speaking at the opening of a public hospital management conference in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.
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/ 29 November 2007
Former Springbok centre Japie Mulder has admitted that over an extended period he indecently assaulted a young girl and tried to rape her, Beeld reported on Thursday. Mulder was fined R120Â 000 or three years in prison in terms of a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to charges of indecent assault and soliciting a minor. The girl is in grade 12 this year.
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/ 29 November 2007
The KwaZulu-Natal derby between Thanda Royal Zulu and Lamontville Golden Arrows petered out to a 1-1 draw in their Premier Soccer League clash at Absa Stadium in Durban on Wednesday night. Arrows led 1-0 at half-time. Arrows took the lead when Siyabonga Sangweni blasted a low shot that beat Royal keeper Aime Kitenge in the 26th minute.
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/ 29 November 2007
Tourism officials said this week it is ”business as usual” after severe floods hit the South Africa’s southern coast. ”Although the damage to property has been significant, the fact that the floods took place before the official start of the holiday season could prevent huge economic losses for the tourism sector,” said a tourism spokesperson.
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/ 29 November 2007
After being sharply firmer earlier in Thursday, weaker local producer price index (PPI) data forced the JSE to pull back at midday, even though world markets were firm. The JSE had been up as much as 533 points during the day, but by midday, it was only 337 points in the black.
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/ 29 November 2007
Growth in demand for credit from South Africa’s private sector eased marginally to 22,27% year-on-year in October, but remained high, keeping up pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates again. Central bank data showed on Thursday credit growth slowed from 22,46% in September, while annualised M3 money supply was down at 23,39% from 24,94%.
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/ 29 November 2007
African gold producer Randgold Resources priced its offering of six million shares at ,25 per share on Thursday, resulting in gross proceeds of ,5-million. The offering price represents a 3,2% discount to the closing price of Randgold’s United States listed shares on Wednesday of ,42.
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/ 29 November 2007
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Jacob Zuma and his lawyer Michael Hulley are claiming in papers filed with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday that search-and-seizure raids by the Scorpions invaded their constitutional right to privacy, and dignity.
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/ 29 November 2007
Two men are expected to appear in the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in connection with the murder of a former Austrian footballer on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. Police spokesperson Superintendent Zandra Hechter said three men had been taken into custody — one of whom was arrested on Saturday for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
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/ 28 November 2007
A ferry boat carrying more than 70 people capsized on Roodeplaat Dam, north of Pretoria, on Wednesday afternoon, Tshwane emergency services said. Spokesperson Johan Pieterse said one passenger suffered a serious leg laceration and was taken to hospital. However, there were conflicting reports on the number of injured.
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/ 28 November 2007
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Wednesday that further investigation into the outbreak of klebsiella at a Durban hospital, where five babies died, was needed. In a statement, the minister said she had been briefed by the management of the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital on the outbreak.
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/ 28 November 2007
A ferry boat carrying 74 people capsized on Roodeplaat Dam on Wednesday afternoon, Tshwane emergency services (EMS) said. EMS spokesperson Johan Pieterse said one passenger suffered a serious leg laceration and was taken to hospital. He said the Pisces capsized and overturned at about 2.45pm.
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/ 28 November 2007
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African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma on Wednesday applied to the Constitutional Court for permission to challenge aspects of the investigation against him by the national director of public prosecution (NDPP). Zuma plans to challenge the issuing of a letter of request secured by the NDPP to get documents from Mauritius.
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/ 28 November 2007
Despite police warnings that he had no obligation to say anything about a fire he had allegedly started on the slopes of Table Mountain, British national Anthony Cooper told the flying squad it had been an accident, the Cape Town Regional Court heard on Wednesday.
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/ 28 November 2007
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The names of all the candidates for the African National Congress’s (ANC) national executive committee will be released in a week, the party’s electoral commission said on Wednesday. ”A final list of candidates will be released in about one week,” the electoral commission said in statement.
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/ 28 November 2007
New Zealand coach John Bracewell believes his team can take heart from the way they pushed South Africa until the last over in the Pro20 match last Friday and the first MTN one-day international (ODI) in Durban on Sunday. South Africa won the Pro20 with a ball to spare and the ODI off the last ball of the match.
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/ 28 November 2007
A plant found only in the Eastern Cape has been hailed as a new miracle cure for diabetes, the Herald Online reported on Wednesday. Researchers said ”astounding results” had been obtained from the effect of extracts of the Karoo plant Sutherlandia Frutescens in stabilising blood sugar in diabetes one and two.
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/ 28 November 2007
The R98,7-million penalty imposed on Tiger Brands was too lenient, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Wednesday at a Competition Tribunal hearing in Pretoria. ”Bread in particular is a diet of the poorest and it is appalling that people should enrich themselves by robbing the poor,” it said.
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/ 28 November 2007
Makhaya Ntini remains the undisputed champion of the people after he was voted South Africa’s most popular sportsman for 2007. In a poll undertaken by BMI Sport Info, Ntini emerged at the top of the list, ahead of Bafana Bafana and Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy and world Cup-winning Springbok wing Bryan Habana.
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/ 28 November 2007
Hip-hop MC and TV presenter Ashley Titus (36) — better known as Mr Fat — died on Wednesday morning in Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital of natural causes, the pay-TV music channel MK said. In the 1990s, Titus shot to fame as MC with Cape Flats hip-hop sensation Brasse vannie Kaap.