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/ 27 November 2007

Move to expedite Pikoli inquiry

The commission appointed to investigate whether National Prosecution Authority head Vusi Pikoli was fit to hold office on Monday held a meeting with Department of Justice and Constitutional Development officials and Pikoli in a bid to expedite the investigation, the commission said on Tuesday.

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/ 27 November 2007

Union gets go-ahead for mine-safety strike

South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday it had been given the go-ahead by authorities to stage a one-day nationwide strike on December 4 to highlight the issue of safety at mines. ”Yes, we are going on strike on December 4, we have been given the go-ahead,” NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said.

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/ 27 November 2007

Els eyes record fourth win at Sun City

Three of the world’s top 10 golfers and eight of the top 20 will contest the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge over the Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City, beginning on Thursday. South Africa’s world number five, Ernie Els, who is chasing a record four victories in the 27th edition of the tournament, is the highest ranked player in the 12-man line-up.

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/ 27 November 2007

SA GDP growth increases in third quarter

South African third-quarter growth rose to an annualised 4,7%, beating forecasts and backing the case for another interest-rate hike. Statistics South Africa on Tuesday said the annualised quarter-on-quarter growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) has increased to 4,7%, compared with a downwardly revised 4,4% in the second quarter of 2007.

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/ 27 November 2007

DA highlights problem of stock theft

More than 28 000 animals were stolen from farms around the country over the past 18 months, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday. Less than 40% of the stock — including game, cattle, sheep and goats — was recovered, DA rural safety spokesperson Ryno King said in a statement.

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/ 27 November 2007

Richtersvelders to celebrate return of land

After a decade-long struggle in the courts, Richtersvelders will on Saturday celebrate the return of their land in a handing over ceremony in Alexander Bay. Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin and Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Lulu Xingwana will hand over to the community the deeds to 194 600ha of land.

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/ 27 November 2007

JSE flat after weak opening

A weaker rand offset the JSE’s earlier losses on Tuesday and the bourse was flat by midday. The JSE initially opened weaker following an overnight drop on Wall Street. At noon, the JSE’s all-share index was barely changed (+0,02%). The gold mining index climbed 0,62%, and resources lifted 0,24%.

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/ 27 November 2007

Naspers says core headline earnings up 32%

Africa’s biggest media group Naspers’ half year core headline earnings rose 32% to R1,75-billion. Naspers said core headline earnings per share came in at 506 cents, compared to 455 cents in the previous period. The firm warned that consumer spending would continue to slow, placing pressure on advertising and circulation revenues.

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/ 27 November 2007

SABC gets sole rights to Polokwane conference

The South African Broadcasting Corporation has been awarded exclusive rights to provide the feed at the African National Congress conference in Polokwane in December to all other broadcasters. Five SABC cameras would be allowed in the plenary hall during open sessions and would be providing ”clean feeds” and unedited material.

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/ 26 November 2007

Govt declares Highveld regions air-pollution hot spots

The Highveld regions of eastern Gauteng and western Mpumalanga, including towns such as Witbank, Standerton and Boksburg, have been declared air-pollution hot spots. ”There is little doubt that people living and working in these areas do not enjoy air quality that is not harmful to their health and well-being,” the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said on Monday.

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/ 26 November 2007

James Dalton, wife reach interim settlement

Former Springbok hooker James Dalton and his wife, Andrea, who are involved in a bitter divorce battle, reached an interim settlement on Monday. The couple made headlines when Andrea Dalton (49) launched an urgent court application for a protection order against James (35), who she claimed physically and mentally abused her.

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/ 26 November 2007

Yengeni arrested for drunken driving

The possible breach of the parole conditions of former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni was under investigation after he was arrested for drunken driving, the Correctional Services Ministry said on Monday. Yengeni was arrested in Cape Town on Sunday evening on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.

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/ 26 November 2007

Cops defend Selebi’s assurances

Police have defended National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s undertaking that crime would not mar the past weekend’s World Cup qualifying draw in Durban. ”The commissioner was 100% correct in that he was talking about what the police could be responsible for,” said national police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo on Monday.

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/ 26 November 2007

East Rand home affairs hit by phone problems

Phone lines have been cut at East Rand offices of the Department of Home Affairs — allegedly due to unpaid phone bills, a home affairs official said on Monday. Regional home affairs manager for Springs Themba Ndebele said the lines had been out of order since last week. ”This is crisis point,” said Ndebele. ”We can’t function.”

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/ 26 November 2007

Absa injects money to cut housing backlog

Absa and the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to speed up the provision of housing in several provinces. Absa has committed R2,6-billion for the building of 100 000 units by 2010. The bank has also committed an additional R150-million for project preparations.

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/ 26 November 2007

Najwa back in court for bail application

Exchanges on Monday between Najwa Petersen’s senior counsel and Najwa’s sister-in-law, Tagmieda Johnson, during cross-examination in Najwa’s bail application provided lively scenes in the Wynberg Regional Court. Najwa is in custody, awaiting trial, for the alleged murder of her entertainer husband, Taliep.

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/ 26 November 2007

Good, bad and ugly of SA’s police stations

Manenberg police station in Cape Town is one of the best-run in the country, while those at Verena in Mpumalanga, KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal, and Inyibiba and Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape are among the worst. These are the findings of a Democratic Alliance study highlighting South Africa’s police stations and the service they offer.

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/ 26 November 2007

Denel chief executive bows out

Denel group chief executive Shaun Liebenberg will not renew his contract when it expires on May 31 next year, the company said on Monday. Liebenberg was appointed in 2005 to manage Denel’s turnaround. While the company posted a loss of R549,1-million for the financial year ended March 31 2007, gross profit rose to R754-million.

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/ 26 November 2007

Women’s League to ‘speak for itself’

The African National Congress Women’s League is to finalise its nominations for the party’s leadership on Monday. Earlier, it was reported that the women’s league favoured Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. The league, however, refuted this saying it would ”speak for itself” once it had consolidated the provincial nominations.

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/ 26 November 2007

Illegal miners shoot Mpumalanga cops

Illegal miners wielding AK-47 assault rifles have wounded two police constables underground at Barberton’s Sheba gold mine, Mpumalanga police said on Monday. Superintendent Abie Khoabane said the constables were among a group of 12 national intervention-unit officers sent underground on Thursday to find illegal miners working a closed shaft.

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/ 26 November 2007

Gold keeps JSE firm, banks down

The JSE was forced to give up some of its earlier gains but the gold mining index was keeping it in the black at midday on Monday. Shortly after its open, the JSE was up over 1%, but by midday, the all-share index had given up almost half of its gains as bank and financial stocks weighed.

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/ 26 November 2007

SA floods kill two, cause millions in damage

Severe floods along South Africa’s southern coast killed two people and caused millions of rand in damage near one of the country’s top tourist attractions, officials said on Monday. Police said a 62-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy drowned as rivers burst their banks and roads were washed away in Eden District municipality.

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/ 26 November 2007

R1-billion to be spent on smart cards

Banks are set to spend over R1-billion to introduce smart cards in order to curb fraud, Absa said on Monday. The bank said the cost of the cards were dependent on the type of card issued by the various banks. Smart cards, said Absa’s Walter Volker, would significantly reduce fraud losses through ”skimming”.

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/ 26 November 2007

SA passes test to get Cup running

South Africa passed the first big test of its ability to stage the continent’s first World Cup finals with a successful preliminary draw that gets the campaign to reach the 2010 finals off in earnest. South Africa will be thankful they do not have to qualify as hosts. The African part of the draw doubles as a qualifying competition for the 2010 African Nations Cup.