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/ 8 November 2007

Zuma’s future hinges on NPA’s next move

With just more than a month to the African National Congress presidential election, Jacob Zuma will be waiting to see whether the National Prosecuting Authority will recharge him for corruption. Court rulings on Thursday clarified the status of searches and documents related to the investigation against him concerning alleged corruption in the arms deal.

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/ 8 November 2007

Stadium consortium interdicts striking workers

The Group Five-WBHO Consortium on Thursday obtained a Labour Court interdict preventing construction workers from entering the site where Durban’s Moses Mabhida 2010 Soccer World Cup Stadium is being built. The interdict followed an incident in the morning when two security guards were chased off the building site by striking workers.

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/ 8 November 2007

‘Lost’ Chiefs looking for direction

Some of the stands at the curious, if aesthetically shaped, Mmabatho Stadium are facing away from the pitch. It would, therefore, seem an appropriate venue for Kaizer Chiefs to tackle Bloemfontein Celtic in a critical Telkom Knockout semifinal on Saturday, with the direction in which the troubled Amakhosi are heading equally blurred.

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/ 8 November 2007

SA sets high target for TB cures

South Africa’s tuberculosis (TB) cure rate will reach 85% over the next five years, the Department of Health vowed on Thursday. Releasing the final version of its latest TB strategic plan, Director General of Health Thami Mseleku said the plan’s goals were guided by international targets.

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/ 8 November 2007

Nationwide Boeing engine ‘sucked in object’

The engine that dropped off Nationwide flight CE723 had sucked in ”an object” as the plane was taking off, the airline said on Thursday. It was commenting on the drama on Wednesday in which a Johannesburg-bound Boeing 737 lost one of its two engines during take-off from Cape Town airport, yet managed to land safely half-an-hour later.

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/ 8 November 2007

McBride case only in court next year

Ekhurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride has had his drunk-driving trial postponed to March 17 next year, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Thursday. NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said the reason for the postponement was apparently because the defence wanted to get another legal representative on its team.

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/ 8 November 2007

Rainy weather grounds fireworks

Cold, rainy conditions are expected to lessen the number of firework injuries on animals and people during Diwali this year, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said on Thursday. ”It seems the weather is not conducive for setting off fireworks,” said the SPCA’s spokesperson for Pietermaritzburg, Maureen Vida.

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/ 8 November 2007

Boy in hospital after Strand shark attack

A 14-year-old boy was recovering in hospital on Thursday after he was attacked by a shark in Strand, Cape Town, the National Sea Rescue Institute said. Spokesperson Craig Lambinon said Andrew Smith — who lives in the area — was surfing at about 5.30pm on Wednesday when he felt something pulling him by the legs.

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/ 8 November 2007

Defence demands postponement in Motata trial

The drunken-driving case of Judge Nkola Motata was on Thursday postponed to allow magistrate Desmond Nair to rule on whether the defence could submit a request for a high court review of one of his rulings. The ruling allowed the court to listen to recordings of Motata’s alleged drunken diatribes following a car accident earlier this year.

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/ 8 November 2007

Stare into the eyes of Mrs Ples

Like the Mona Lisa, she has a strange allure; the almost sad eyes looking at you across 2,15-million years. A lifelike bust shows what one of South Africa’s most famous fossils, Mrs Ples, probably looked like. The bust, reconstructed by French artist Elisabeth Daynes, goes on display for the first time in Pretoria from Friday.

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/ 8 November 2007

Mvelaphanda to buy stake in Vox Telecom

South African investment group Mvelaphanda Group will buy 12,3% of telecommunications firm Vox Telecom for R292,3-million in cash. Mvelaphanda said that Vox Telecom — which provides voice and data services — is ideally placed to benefit from the development of the South African telecoms industry.

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/ 8 November 2007

Sappi says year basic EPS rises to 89 US cents

Papermaker Sappi on Thursday posted full-year basic earnings per share of 89 United States cents after a loss in the previous comparable period, citing improved margins and higher prices for its products. For the fourth quarter to end in September, the world’s largest producer of fine paper posted a basic EPS of 27 US cents.

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/ 8 November 2007

Zuma to approach Constitutional Court

African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma will approach the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal two of Thursday’s Supreme Court of Appeal judgements, said his lawyer. They would also ”observe with keen interest” whether the rulings emboldened the National Prosecuting Authority to again indict Zuma on any charges.

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/ 8 November 2007

Habana crowned player of the year

Springbok wing Bryan Habana was crowned the 2007 Absa South African rugby player of the year at the SA Rugby awards banquet in Sandton on Wednesday
night. The other nominees in this prestigious category were fellow Springboks Victor Matfield, Percy Montgomery, Fourie du Preez and Juan Smith.

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/ 8 November 2007

Santos hold Sundowns to 1-1 draw

Santos put on their best home performance and were held to a 1-1draw by defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in an Absa Premier League soccer match at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday night. The home side should have held at least a 3-0 lead at the interval. Instead, they went into the break with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a penalty by Erwin Isaacs.

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/ 8 November 2007

Vavi calls for worker-biased ANC

The Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu) interest in the African National Congress’s (ANC) national conference is influenced by the will to retain an ANC bias towards the workers of the country. This is according to Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi, who was speaking at the general council of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union.

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/ 8 November 2007

Pirates steal match from Cosmos

Lucky Lekgwathi scored a controversial goal three minutes before the end of a drab Absa Premier League match to give Orlando Pirates a 1-0 victory against Jomo Cosmos at Loftus on Wednesday. The defender looked offside as Excellent Walaza slipped the ball to him in the big box.