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/ 11 October 2007
The Presidency has declined to confirm whether President Thabo Mbeki will hold back on appointing the new South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board as requested by labour and civil society organisations, saying it will address its written response directly to those organisations that had made the call.
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/ 11 October 2007
The 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa has already generated record levels of revenue three years before it kicks off, the head of the local organising committee said on Thursday. Danny Jordaan told the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry that doom merchants had been proved wrong.
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/ 11 October 2007
In Japan, the Japanese run the economy, so in Africa, why aren’t the Africans running the economy? Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena asked on Thursday. He was addressing delegates and corporate representatives at the 40th annual Black Management Forum at the Sandton Convention Centre.
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/ 11 October 2007
Former ambassador to Indonesia Norman Mashabane (51) has died in a car accident outside Polokwane, police confirmed on Thursday. Inspector Lesiba Ramoshaba said a 20-year-old man, believed to be Mashabane’s son, also perished in the accident.
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/ 11 October 2007
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko admitted on Thursday that the authorities were worried about the damage being done to the country’s international image by the ongoing saga surrounding suspended National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli and police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
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/ 11 October 2007
Resource stocks added plenty of extra muscle to the JSE on Thursday, which was underpinned by strength in gold and platinum. Earlier in the session the JSE hit a fresh trading high of 31 628,820 points, but was slightly below that level by midday.
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/ 11 October 2007
There was no need for President Thabo Mbeki to make any statements on the suspension of Vusi Pikoli, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the Cabinet has decided. Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the Cabinet urged the public to be patient.
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/ 11 October 2007
South Africa’s gold companies, already mining at the world’s deepest depths, are looking to plumb even deeper veins in a new gold rush spurred by record prices.
The deeper miners go, the richer the ore being uncovered. The price in dangers, though, includes rockfalls, poisonous gas explosions, flooding and earthquakes.
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/ 11 October 2007
South African petrochemicals and fuels group Sasol has sold 20% of its mining subsidiary to a black women-controlled mining company for R1,9-billion, the company said on Thursday. Sasol said the black women-controlled firm, Ixia Coal, will acquire the stake through the issue of new shares.
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/ 11 October 2007
”Enjoy yourself,” was the parting advice of Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to his 12 locally-based players before leaving OR Tambo Airport on Wednesday night for the challenge against world champions Italy in Siena next Wednesday.
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/ 11 October 2007
Fifa ended its three-day inspection tour of South Africa on Wednesday praising the progress made in building the stadiums that will be used for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. There have been concerns about the country’s high crime rate and poor transport system, as well as the pace of construction.
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/ 11 October 2007
South Africa is confident that a ”critical number” of European and African leaders would be in attendance at the planned European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) summit in Portugal in December to make it worthwhile. Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said: ”Summits depend on a number of people to be there, not just one person.”
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/ 10 October 2007
Controversial Soweto principal Jackie Maarohanye is to testify in the Protea Magistrate’s Court when she returns to the dock on a kidnapping charge next month. Maarohanye (49), Ronnie Nyakale (34) and Mpho Makhate (21) are facing charges of assaulting and kidnapping a former Ithuteng Trust student, Siphiwe Ncugothu, on February 21 2006.
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/ 10 October 2007
The exodus of police officers out of the Northern Cape must be addressed, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in the province said on Wednesday. Popcru provincial secretary Glisson Itebogeng said union members had expressed their dismay and concern over the ”massive transfer of members” who leave the province after being employed or promoted.
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/ 10 October 2007
The Springboks might be used to hordes of female supporters, but usually they are not of the stature of Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sue van der Merwe. In what could be described as a case of all the president’s women, the two politicians would lend ”moral support” to the national side ahead of Sunday’s semifinal.
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/ 10 October 2007
Four miners died in separate, unrelated incidents at Gold Fields mines 10km from each other in Westonaria on Wednesday afternoon. Three of the mine workers were killed when they were hit by a skip loaded with spillage rock in the Four Shaft complex of Kloof Gold Mine near Westonaria on Wednesday, said Gold Fields.
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/ 10 October 2007
A controversial mission by the Pan African Parliament (PAP) to Zimbabwe to assess the situation in that country did not take place because of a lack of funds, PAP president Gertrude Mongella said on Wednesday. The decision on whether the fact-finding mission should still go ahead would be made during the Parliament’s session next week.
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/ 10 October 2007
Sasol and a conservation group clashed on Wednesday, with the petrochemical giant denying building in an environmentally sensitive area without permission. Environment and Conservation Association chairperson Nicole Barlow accused Sasol of erecting luxury offices, without authorisation, along the Natalspruit River in Germiston on Gauteng’s East Rand.
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/ 10 October 2007
World number three Jim Furyk will bid for a third successive Nedbank Golf Challenge victory at Sun City from November 29 to December 2. The presence of American Furyk was confirmed when the field of 12 was named in Johannesburg on Wednesday. British Open champion Padraig Harrington will also be in action, as will South African favourites Ernie Els and Rory Sabbatini.
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/ 10 October 2007
Several labour and civil-society organisations have asked President Thabo Mbeki to hold back on appointing the new South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board and return the list of names approved by the National Assembly last month. ”We have asked him not to appoint them,” the organisations said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
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/ 10 October 2007
The Democratic Alliance (DA) got it wrong when criticising Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya for travelling abroad, his department said on Wednesday. The DA overcalculated the number of overseas visits he made, the number of days he was out of the country and the cost, it said in a statement in his defence.
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/ 10 October 2007
Negotiations between the Scorpions and the late Brett Kebble’s security chief, Clinton Nassif, will be finalised in court on Friday. Scorpions prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the Scorpions had not yet completed discussions with Nassif about his arrest for involvement in alleged drug dealing.
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/ 10 October 2007
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has expressed concern about the exposure of its members and staff to crime in South Africa. PAP president Gertrude Mongella said both delegates from other countries and staff had been victims of crime since the Parliament’s inception. ”There is so much insecurity — we had several incidents of robbery” she said on Wednesday.
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/ 10 October 2007
Despite having reasonably flexible labour markets and decent foreign direct investment inflows, South Africa is struggling to attract talent, according to a survey released on Wednesday by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit.
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/ 10 October 2007
Eskom has been caught napping again and has caused massive disruption to the public and the economy, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday. ”Eskom has informed the public too late about load shedding and has caused massive disruptions,” said DA spokesperson on Minerals and Energy Affairs, Hendrik Schmidt.
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/ 10 October 2007
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday expressed shock concerning the Public Protector’s decision to suspend its investigation into allegations of financial misconduct against Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba. ”The DA feels it is far more important that the Public Protector continues his investigation,” DA spokesperson for home affairs Mark Lowe said.
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/ 10 October 2007
Charges against a man accused of participating in the murder of ten KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) women were withdrawn in the Umzinto Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. The state has withdrawn its charges against Zandisile Bhadla Somanikiniki (28), who resides in the Majola, Port St Johns, area but no reasons were given for the withdrawal.
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/ 10 October 2007
The skipper of the Ntini fishing vessel was adamant that his 20-member crew had spotted an iceberg off St Francis Bay on Monday evening, he told Cape Town Radio on Tuesday. The boat’s captain told the station he was certain about the dimensions and location of the iceberg. He had also taken pictures of it.
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/ 10 October 2007
Bottom of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log and booted out of the Telkom Knockout competition in the first round, Orlando Pirates’ woes continued when they were handed an effective R200 000 fine. ”Pirates were fined R150 000 on charges of crowd misbehaviour and bringing the league into disrepute,” PSL general manager Andrew Dipela announced on Tuesday.
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/ 10 October 2007
The JSE remained firm at midday on Wednesday but was off its earlier all time high of 31 291,74. The initial spurt had been prompted by a record close on Wall Street overnight, but European markets are lower and the United States futures are also negative, which brought the JSE back from its record level reached earlier in the session.
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/ 10 October 2007
Harmony Gold could lose about 600kg of gold at its Elandsrand mine after it launched repairs and a probe into an accident that trapped thousands of workers, an official said on Wednesday. The investigations are expected to last a month at a mine that is one of Harmony’s biggest.
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/ 10 October 2007
South African Airways (SAA) is facing two new challenges: One in its regional market and another on its United States routes. United States airline Delta will start a new non-stop service between Cape Town and New York on June 4. Delta reports passenger loads of more than 80%.