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/ 23 October 2007
The Green Scorpions have shut down ArcelorMittal operations at its Vaal waste site over its dumping of hazardous waste and air and water pollution, it was announced on Tuesday. The move followed numerous ”futile attempts” at getting the steel company to clean up its act, Gauteng’s department of agriculture, conservation and environment said in a statement.
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/ 23 October 2007
The Gauteng economy is slowing down as several industries experience a drop in business-activity levels, said the Gauteng Business Barometer (GBB). Spokesperson Mike Schüssler said the GBB for September dipped by 7% to 140 index points when compared with the same month last year.
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/ 23 October 2007
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African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota is being one-sided in calling for a clampdown on T-shirts showing support for ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma while defending T-shirts bearing President Thabo Mbeki’s image, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Tuesday.
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/ 23 October 2007
Three men who, as teenagers, beat to death a homeless man sleeping on church premises two years ago, saw vagrants as a threat to their neighbourhood, the Bellville Regional Court heard on Tuesday. Criminologist Dr Irma Labuschagne was testifying on behalf of the men who are to be sentenced on a charge of culpable homicide.
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/ 23 October 2007
Metrorail may suspend its KwaZulu-Natal train services if rampant train vandalism and assaults on staff members continue unchecked, said Metrorail regional manager Sisa Mtwa at a media briefing in Durban on Tuesday. The worst-affected areas are KwaMashu and Umlazi — an area that carries 80% of Metrorail’s passengers.
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/ 23 October 2007
The trial of actuary Fred van der Vyver, accused of murdering his student girlfriend Inge Lotz, appears to be drawing to a close. Prosecutor Carine Theunissen told the Cape High Court on Tuesday she would finish her cross-examination of Van der Vyver on Wednesday morning.
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/ 23 October 2007
South African investors remain confident about one-year returns on the local equity market despite recent increases in interest rates and higher fuel and food prices, a new survey showed on Tuesday. The inaugural investor confidence index showed investors believed Johannesburg stocks would rise steadily in the short term.
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/ 23 October 2007
KwaZulu-Natal police have arrested a fifth suspect for the murder of historian David Rattray. Police spokesperson Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said on Tuesday he could confirm that a fifth suspect had been arrested and was expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.
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/ 23 October 2007
Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday failed to appear before the portfolio committee on home affairs in Parliament to answer allegations of misconduct by her staff. Committee chairperson Patrick Chauke told the committee he received a fax on Monday informing him that she would not be available.
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/ 23 October 2007
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”Awesome”, ”unbelievable” and ”like a fairy tale” is how the Springboks described their homecoming at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Showing cool nerves during interviews that at times resembled a scrum, flanker Schalk Burger said he was still getting used to the idea of being a world champion.
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/ 23 October 2007
Gauteng police are investigating a case of abuse by an employee at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. This followed an internal investigation of ”misconduct” by the dorm parent against girls at the school, located in Henley-on-Klip, Meyerton, south of Johannesburg.
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/ 23 October 2007
The news that the case file for the PetroSA claim against Imvume Management cannot be found is further evidence of a justice system in a state of advanced decay, according to Hendrik Schmidt, who speaks for the Democratic Alliance (DA) on minerals and energy affairs.
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/ 23 October 2007
Under no circumstances should a patient’s medical records be disclosed unless he or she gives personal consent, a seminar hosted by the South African Human Rights Commission was told on Tuesday. Chairperson of the South African Medical Association Dr Kgosi Letlape said medical records should not be disclosed without consent.
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/ 23 October 2007
After the death of South African reggae legend Lucky Dube last week in an apparent hijacking attempt in Johannesburg, much was said about the singer’s worldwide appeal — and a flood of responses to a blog on the <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i>’s <i>Thought Leader</i> website was further proof of his star quality.
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/ 23 October 2007
Partly due to an increased allocation from the government, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has achieved the highest financial turnover, R247,8-million, in its history, the council’s CEO said on Tuesday. Dr Olive Shisana was addressing the launch of the HSRC’s 2006/07 Annual Report in Pretoria.
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/ 23 October 2007
The South African Institute of Race Relations has cautioned against calls to apply quotas and similar measures in order to rapidly transform the Springbok rugby team. The institute said that it was ”encouraging” to see black and white South Africans being united around a common cause.
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/ 23 October 2007
The JSE remained firm at noon on Tuesday, spurred by Wall Street’s overnight rebound and firmer European markets as risk aversion eased. Miners lifted the main index, buoyed by a recovery in commodities prices as metals investors chased after bargains following Monday’s sharp losses, while a slight weakness in the dollar added to the upbeat mood in the metals complex.
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/ 23 October 2007
Cricket South Africa have announced details under which Zimbabwe will put a representative side in all three professional franchise competitions in South Africa this summer. Zimbabwe have undertaken to field their strongest team in all matches.
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/ 23 October 2007
South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that Bafana Bafana is not a fitting name for a national team. ”What kind of a name is it? I don’t think it is fit for a senior national team or for the hosts of the 2010 Fifa World Cup,” he told Metro FM on Monday.
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/ 23 October 2007
The government was acting according to provisions laid out in the law following the suspension of Vusi Pikoli, the department of Justice and Constitutional Development said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Zolile Nqayi said the department had taken note of last week’s comments by the Johannesburg Bar Council.
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/ 23 October 2007
A Durban motorist was shot on Tuesday while a second bullet narrowly missed another driver, paramedics said. ER24 spokesperson Derrick Banks said the motorists came under fire on the N2/N3 split, near the so-called Spaghetti Junction, after a car accident just after midnight.
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/ 23 October 2007
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Springbok captain John Smit said he was ”overwhelmed” by the reception the national team received at the OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday. ”What we walked into was far beyond what we ever imagined,” Smit said. The Boks struggled to wade through the throngs of exuberant supporters, many of whom were singing Shosholoza.
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/ 23 October 2007
The docket on the theft of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s medical records was returned to the police on Monday, said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). ”It became necessary for us to do so because there are certain areas of investigation which still need to receive attention,” said NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.
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/ 23 October 2007
Responsible mining is capable of creating general economic welfare for its host communities in Africa which could long survive the mines themselves, Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow said on Monday. Bristow said the utilisation of natural resources was often the best and sometimes the only way of alleviating the pressing problem of poverty.
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/ 22 October 2007
Stock theft in South Africa has amounted to R327 676 500 in the past year, the National Stock Theft Forum said on Monday. ”At the moment, stock theft is hampering the profitability of the stock farmers and it is also interfering with the government’s land-reform process, as well as the empowering of the emerging farmers,” the forum said in a statement.
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/ 22 October 2007
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South Africans came together on Monday to bask in the glow of the country’s victory at the Rugby World Cup, hoping the triumph would help heal the racial divisions of the post-apartheid era. But behind the jubilation over the 15-6 win against England on Saturday was the realisation that the racial unity could be as fleeting as it was in 1995.
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/ 22 October 2007
An international campaign to stop the beating of children has urged South African MPs not to bow to pressure against a Bill that bans spanking. Hitting children was ”plainly unconstitutional”, the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children said on Monday.
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/ 22 October 2007
The funeral of slain reggae singer Lucky Dube will be a private affair, family spokesperson Arnold Mabunda said on Monday. ”The family requested that the funeral be a private matter due to Lucky’s beliefs and the church’s request. ”They have requested that it not be turned into a circus, so media will not be allowed,” he said.
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/ 22 October 2007
The Department of Health is recalling a second consignment of defective condoms, this time from Kohrs Medical, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said in Pretoria on Monday. ”At least five batches belonging to Kohrs Medical were sampled and failed an air-burst test,” Tshabalala-Msimang said.
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/ 22 October 2007
Murder accused Fred van der Vyver and his girlfriend, Inge Lotz, were deeply in love at the time she died, the young man told the Cape High Court on Monday. On the morning of her death on March 16 2005, they parted with hugs and kisses as he left to attend a class at the University of Stellenbosch, he said. ”I was very much in love with her,” he said.
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/ 22 October 2007
Embattled KwaZulu-Natal health boss Dr Busi Nyembezi received notice of her suspension on Monday, nearly a week after learning of it through media reports. Nyembezi’s suspension was announced last week Wednesday by KwaZulu-Natal provincial director general Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa in a brief statement.
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/ 22 October 2007
President Thabo Mbeki’s domestic approval rating in September fell to 40%, its lowest point in four years, TNS Research Surveys said on Monday. The fall was evident across all race groups but slightly less so among black respondents, the global market insight and information group said in a statement. Large drops occurred in Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Soweto.