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/ 16 November 2007

IFP’s KZN leader apologises to premier

KwaZulu-Natal’s Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader on Friday apologised to the province’s Premier, S’bu Ndebele, over comments he made about the permier’s alleged conflicting business interests. Shortly after the original statement was issued, Ndebele had threatened to sue Mtshali for defamation.

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/ 16 November 2007

Armed gang robs Moyo restaurant

A group of armed robbers held up a staff member and fled with an undisclosed amount of money at the well-known Moyo restaurant at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg, police said on Friday. Police spokesperson Julia Claasen said that on Thursday night, one of the robbers went into the restaurant, sat at the bar and ordered drinks.

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/ 16 November 2007

World finance leaders gather in Kleinmond

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s largest economies gather in Kleinmond in the southern Cape this weekend for a meeting of the Group of 20 countries. The event is described by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as probably the most significant gathering of economic policymakers seen to date in South Africa.

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/ 16 November 2007

Mbeki hits back on poverty claim

Writing in his weekly newsletter on the African National Congress website, President Thabo Mbeki on Friday railed against the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) for making ”the startling claim” that more South Africans are now poorer than they were in 1996. The SAIRR, in turn, defended itself in a statement released later in the day.

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/ 16 November 2007

‘Serious implications’ in banking report

A report on anti-competitive behaviour by South Africa’s four major banks will have ”serious implications” for the sector, says the Competition Commission. ”The sheer volume of information received has enabled us to analyse the anti-competitive outcomes we have noted,” said the head of the inquiry, Thabani Jali.

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/ 16 November 2007

E Cape govt ‘at war with the poor’

The increase in the number of cases where the Eastern Cape provincial government is contesting the right of poor citizens to access social grants suggests that the majority party is at war with the poor, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday, writing in her weekly newsletter.

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/ 16 November 2007

Murder, rape force women out of homes

Murders and rapes are forcing women to abandon their homes in five villages outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reports. The residents of Skhobeni, Xhongora, Sigubudwini, Bozwana and Tabase villages claim that these acts of violence against women have been going on since 2003.

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/ 16 November 2007

It’s hard to visit Shaik, family complains

Schabir Shaik’s wife is allowed to visit her husband once a week in hospital, while other family members need to go through ”red tape” at the Department of Correctional Services to be allowed to visit Shaik, the family said on Friday. Yunus Shaik was speaking after his brother suffered a mild stroke and was admitted to hospital in Durban.

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/ 16 November 2007

Farmworkers to stage mass protest marches

Thousands of farmworkers will hold marches in various rural towns across the country on Saturday, the Food and Allied Workers’ Union said on Friday. The marches are in protest against poor working and living conditions, concerns for workers’ safety, and the negative effects of the huge hike in food prices, the union said.

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/ 16 November 2007

Wanted: A PSL payout agreement

Premier Soccer League CEO Kjetil Siem may not be at the receiving end of the league’s R70-million commission payout controversy, but his wish to see a conclusion to the continuous saga and move on — because it ruins both the sponsor’s and the league’s commercial reputation — will not be granted any time soon.

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/ 16 November 2007

JSE weakened by commodities

The JSE was slightly firmer at midday on Friday than it was during the morning session but it remained negative, as commodity stocks continued to be paralysed on the local bourse. By noon, the JSE’s all-share index declined 0,72%, led by a 2,25% drop in the platinum mining index.

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/ 16 November 2007

Durban wife-killer sentenced to 18-years

A 37-year-old man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife 45 times before driving her into Durban’s harbour in a bid to cover-up the murder was sentenced to 18-years’ imprisonment in the Durban High Court on Friday. Judge Vivienne Niles-DunĂ©r ordered that Dhanendra Heeralall only be eligible for parole after 11 years.

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/ 16 November 2007

Cumming and Vincent stand firm

Craig Cumming and Lou Vincent gave New Zealand a solid start in the second Test against South Africa on Friday. New Zealand, who won the toss and chose to bat, were 84-1 at lunch on the first day. Opener Cumming was 38 not out with Vincent on 33 in an unbroken stand of 58 for the second wicket.

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/ 16 November 2007

Durban construction strike continues

Dozens of 2010 construction workers converged on Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium on Friday to continue industrial action. Talks with their building contractor failed to result in a resolution on Thursday. Talks between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Group Five/WBHO consortium are expected to resume on Friday.

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/ 15 November 2007

Cape Town to challenge Eskom on load shedding

The City of Cape Town says it has asked for a top-level meeting with Eskom over power cuts and their threat to new investments. The request comes in the wake of an announcement by the utility that South Africa faces another five to seven years of electricity failures. Load shedding was to continue around the country on Thursday evening, Eskom said.

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/ 15 November 2007

Who has the R10,9m lottery ticket?

A South African lottery player is sitting with a R10,9-million winning ticket that has not yet been claimed, National Lottery operator Gidani said on Thursday. The ticket was bought in the Eastern Cape and notched up five winning numbers plus the bonus number in the November 3 draw, Gidani’s spokesperson Themi Tulwana said.

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/ 15 November 2007

New presidential pardons to come?

A new process of presidential pardons for people who have committed alleged political offences appears in the offing, it emerged on Thursday. President Thabo Mbeki has asked Parliament’s presiding officers to convene a joint sitting of the two Houses next Wednesday for him to make an announcement in this regard.

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/ 15 November 2007

Work resumes at mine following union violence

Work is to resume at Goldfield’s Beatrix mine in the Free State on Thursday following clashes between workers that saw four people die. ”Employee groups have been in discussions all day and have reached agreement to return to work and deal with the issues they’ve had in an amicable manner,” said a Goldfields spokesperson.

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/ 15 November 2007

Motata on full pay while on trial

Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata, on paid leave while on trial on a drunk-drinking charge, will have received more than R1-million when his case resumes next year. Moneyweb reported on Thursday that Motata is getting a full judge’s salary while on special leave.

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/ 15 November 2007

SA to be ruthless against New Zealand

South Africa will be ruthless in the second Test against New Zealand after securing their biggest win in the first match, cricket coach Mickey Arthur said on Thursday. he hosts won the first Test by 358 runs in Johannesburg on Sunday, which also marked New Zealand’s heaviest loss. The second Test starts on Friday.