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/ 11 September 2007
South Africa’s biggest mining union said on Monday it may strike to force mining companies to focus on the safety of workers, following a spate of recent deaths at mines. About 200 miners are killed in accidents at South African mines every year, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) general secretary Frans Baleni said.
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/ 11 September 2007
Sections of Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg have been without water for nearly a week, media reports said on Tuesday. This has resulted in theatres being closed, several toilets out of order and, according to one specialist surgeon, the hygiene of patients being compromised.
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/ 10 September 2007
The present vice-chairperson of the University of Pretoria’s student representative council (SRC), Cobus van der Linde, will not be a candidate in Tuesday’s elections for next year’s SRC. Pretoria High Court judge Lettie Malopa on Monday dismissed Van der Linde’s urgent application to remain on the candidates list.
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/ 10 September 2007
The City of Tshwane was considering on Monday evening whether or not to fire companies it had hired to remove refuse. ”We are mulling over it and considering all factors,” said spokesperson Console Tleane. Letters had been handed to Milnex and Capacity over the weekend telling them to get their workers back on the job or have their contracts with the city cancelled.
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/ 10 September 2007
South African President Thabo Mbeki opened an international biotechnology centre on Monday that aims to develop vaccines for HIV/Aids and other diseases that kill thousands of Africans daily. The Cape Town-based branch of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology will focus on infectious diseases including malaria and tuberculosis.
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/ 10 September 2007
The South African National Aids Council is on track with its National Strategic Plan on HIV and Aids, which would see the halving of new infections by 2011, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Monday. She chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted council in Pretoria, which officially brings together the government and civil society in the fight against HIV/Aids.
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/ 10 September 2007
It was ”unacceptable” for government bodies to threaten the withdrawal of advertising from newspapers, the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) said on Monday. It was ”unacceptable” for public bodies to use this as a punitive measure to promote self-censorship, the forum said in a statement.
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/ 10 September 2007
As Africa’s economies grow, the production of alcohol, along with consumption of the substance, will increase, it was said at a seminar on alcohol in Pretoria on Monday. ”Africa will be experiencing a growth market and a lot of activity is still going to happen,” said Isidore Obot from the Centre of Research and Information on Substance Abuse.
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/ 10 September 2007
Views expressed in the media that the African National Congress’s (ANC) upcoming national conference was nothing more than a ”power struggle” also came in part from within the organisation, its secretary general said on Monday. ”We know that the media also speaks to members of the ANC from time to time,” Kgalema Motlanthe said
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/ 10 September 2007
The Democratic Alliance (DA) had a ”lively” exchange of views with National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete on Monday in a meeting held to discuss her suspension of DA MP Mike Waters. The meeting was also aimed at discussing Mbete’s ruling as out of order a question, asked by Waters, about Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s theft conviction.
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/ 10 September 2007
A wine glass with an imprinted logo of the famous painted Soweto power station was handed to me at the door of the Standard Bank Soweto Wine Festival on the weekend. As I walked into the hall, I found that there were a lot of people like me, people who didn’t’ know much about wine and wanted to learn.
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/ 10 September 2007
Cape Town city councillor Badhi Chaaban said on Monday he is a member of both the African Muslim Party (AMP) and the newly formed National People’s Party (NPP), as both allow dual membership. But he has asked the AMP leadership for permission to formally cross to the NPP, taking his council seat with him.
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/ 10 September 2007
More than 50 000 South African vehicle-component workers are set to go on indefinite strike on Wednesday after a breakdown in wage talks, the main metalworkers’ union said on Monday. Mziwakhe Hlangani, spokesperson for the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, said in a statement the strike would affect automotive-component suppliers.
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/ 10 September 2007
Men are five times more likely to commit suicide than women, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group said on Monday, World Suicide Day. The World Health Organisation (WHO), meanwhile, estimates that on average almost 3 000 people commit suicide every day.
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/ 10 September 2007
The JSE continued to hold on to its earlier gains by noon on Monday as miners gained speed after a rally in the gold and platinum price. Shortly before midday, the rand was bid at 7,19 to the United States dollar from 7,25 when the JSE closed on Friday, while gold was quoted at $703,75 a troy ounce from $703 at the JSE’s last close.
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/ 10 September 2007
The situation at the scene of a housing protest at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa, which earlier shut the N2 highway between Cape Town and the airport, is under control, said Captain Elliot Sinyangana of the Cape Town police on Monday. ”Situation is calm at present, but we are monitoring the situation. The roads are clear and people can use the N2,” he said.
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/ 10 September 2007
Blue Bulls inside centre Wayne Julies will join the Springbok World Cup squad in France after Jean de Villiers tore a bicep muscle in the match against Samoa on Sunday. This was announced by the Blue Bulls on Monday, ending speculation that either Waylon Murray or Marius Joubert would be called up to bolster the Boks backline.
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/ 10 September 2007
Sasol, the world’s top maker of oil from coal, posted a 10% rise in annual headline earnings per share, lifted by an increase in the price of oil and weakening of the rand, it said on Monday. In the biggest affirmative action deal in South Africa yet, South Africa’s Sasol said will sell a 10% stake for a total of R17,9-billion.
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/ 10 September 2007
Namibia and Zambia both pulled off shock wins in the African Nations Cup qualifiers at the weekend to book their places at the 2008 finals in Ghana. They were joined by fellow group winners Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal while 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa sneaked in the back door.
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/ 10 September 2007
A festival touting wines to Sowetans drew record numbers over the weekend, organisers said on Sunday. Participants tasted wines from more than 800 labels on display at the show at Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg. ”I tasted wine for the first time at the show and I love the experience,” said a 20-year-old university undergraduate.
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/ 10 September 2007
Police arrested Democratic Alliance (DA) leader and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille on Sunday in connection with a protest she led against drug lords wreaking havoc in Cape Town’s poor districts. DA councillor Grant Pascoe said Zille was arrested after she went to a police station to inquire about the arrest of a religious leader who had participated in the protest.
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/ 9 September 2007
African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma questioned the ”Americanisation” of culture in South Africa, criticising television images of sex and violence during a speech in Johannesburg on Sunday. ”There’s more violence on the TV … there’s more open sex on TV. What education are you giving to us? Is that part of our culture?”
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/ 9 September 2007
Hardly a week seem to go by without some fresh controversy involving African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma.
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/ 9 September 2007
Crime Line manager Yusuf Abramjee was awarded the security personality of the year award by the Security Association of South Africa (Sasa), Primedia said in a statement on Saturday. Crime Line is Primedia’s anonymous SMS tip-off service, endorsed by the South African Police Service.
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/ 9 September 2007
Cricket’s undisputed leaders Australia are favourites to win the inaugural Twenty20 world championships starting on Tuesday, but rivals are geared to spring surprises. The shortest version of the game promises to underline the belief that limited-overs cricket is an unpredictable sport.
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/ 9 September 2007
Congress of South African Trade Unions secretary general Zwelenzima Vavi on Saturday warned that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was ”showing clear signs” of becoming a broadcaster of the state. ”Increasingly our government and the SABC talk about controlling and limiting what the public broadcaster can or should convey to our people,” he said.
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/ 9 September 2007
Namibia snatched a surprise berth at next year’s African Nations Cup finals in Ghana, scoring a stoppage time winner in a 3-2 victory at Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on Saturday. Manu Katupose netted the decisive goal after Namibia, missing several of their regulars and given little chance of advancing, had twice come from behind in the second half.
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/ 9 September 2007
An armed gang of about 15 men shot and wounded several people in the Carnival City casino on Johannesburg’s East Rand shortly after midnight on Sunday, police said. Police confronted them at the exit as they tried to make their getaway in several cars and a shoot-out ensued.
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/ 9 September 2007
Western Province at last recorded a win over Absa Currie Cup rugby frontrunners when they beat the Sharks in a hard fought match at Newlands on Saturday. The first half belonged to the men in the hooped jerseys and the home team led 16-6 at halftime with the WP looseforwards dominating at the breakdown.
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/ 9 September 2007
The Border Bulldogs broke their winless drought when they upset the Griffons 34-26 in their Absa Currie Cup first division match at East London’s Absa Stadium on Saturday. It was the best Bulldogs display of guts and passion the entire season and although they faced a massive onslaught from the Griffons pack after leading 27-13 at the break, their will to win saw them through.
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/ 8 September 2007
A bungling South Africa lost 3-1 to a majestic Ghana team in an Olympic soccer qualifier at the Olen Park Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday. Ghana striker Prince Tagoe scored twice and midfielder Obed Ansah netted a splendid goal to join Nigeria at the top of the three-team group competing for a place at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
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/ 8 September 2007
Leading 14-3 at halftime, the Free State Cheetahs made heavy weather of retaining their unbeaten record when defeating Griquas 21-17 in an error-riddled Absa Currie Cup match played in warm, conditions at Absa Park, Kimberley, on Saturday afternoon.