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/ 1 November 2006
With a host of seasoned campaigners remaining at home, Springbok coach Jake White will be hoping to unearth new talent when his side takes on Ireland and England in Europe over the next month. The World Cup in France is just a year away, and White will experiment with four new caps and a number of new combinations on tour.
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/ 1 November 2006
Some will tell you he’ll burn out, others will say he was born to play Test rugby. But all that matters right now, and for the next 12 months ahead of the World Cup in France, is that Pierre Spies stays fit and gains as much experience as he can. The Boks are going to need him at the World Cup.
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/ 1 November 2006
The Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy) telecommunications cable running down the west side of Africa was "at full capacity" and the planned eastern cable linking East African and Southern African states was key to providing affordable broadband to ordinary South Africans, South African Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said on Tuesday.
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/ 1 November 2006
South African politicians paid tribute on Wednesday to former president PW Botha, who died on Tuesday night at his home in the Western Cape. Messages were received from President Thabo Mbeki, former presidents FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, former parliamentarian Helen Suzman and many others.
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/ 1 November 2006
Two competitors of South African Airways’ new low-cost airline are reducing their
fares in reaction to Mango’s cheap offers. ”We’re obviously going to play their game during the launch,” said 1Time airline’s marketing director, Rodney James, on Tuesday.
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/ 1 November 2006
Identity documents, birth certificates and asylum seekers’ permits could be easily purchased, an South African Broadcasting Corporation documentary aired on Tuesday revealed. An investigator for Special Assignment managed to buy five IDs, temporary IDs, birth certificates and temporary asylum seekers’ permits — 11 documents in total — for R10Â 000.
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/ 1 November 2006
By the early 21st century, Pieter Willem (PW) Botha’s name had become a byword for unaccountable government and the autocratic exercise of power. Botha, who died on Tuesday night at his home Die Anker near the Wilderness in the Western Cape, aged 90, was the archetype ”kragdadige” Afrikaner and a worthy successor to John Vorster, whom he replaced as prime minister.
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/ 31 October 2006
President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday joined other world leaders in congratulating Brazil’s President Lula da Silva on his re-election. ”I have the honour to convey on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of South Africa, sincere congratulations on your re-election as president of the Federative Republic of Brazil,” Mbeki said in a message to Da Silva.
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/ 31 October 2006
Provincial environment and planning authorities have given the go-ahead for Cape Town’s R2,5-billion 2010 soccer stadium to be built on the site of the golf course at Green Point. However, they have set tough conditions to limit noise and light pollution, and reduce its visual impact.
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/ 31 October 2006
Judgement in Durban businessman Schabir Shaik’s appeal hearings will be delivered next Monday, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has announced. ”Only the order will be read by the president of the court, Judge [Craig] Howie, and not the judgement itself,” Henry Snyman, an SCA spokesperson, said on Tuesday.
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/ 31 October 2006
Police warned the public on Tuesday to beware of a so-called ”SA 2010 World Cup Bid Lottery” letter and e-mail fraud. ”Of late, perpetrators are purporting to be from the Local Organising Committee for 2010, when luring and or enticing their potential victims,” said Commissioner Johan de Beer in a statement.
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/ 31 October 2006
A price war has erupted between South Africa’s two low-fare airlines, with private air carrier kulula.com announcing on Tuesday that it will undercut the fares of South African Airways’ newly launched low-cost airline, Mango. However, it pointed out that only a handful of seats on each flight will be available at these rates.
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/ 31 October 2006
A child-trafficking racket involving Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa is under investigation, said Mpumalanga police on Tuesday. Inspector Eddie Ngobeni said the investigation arose after a report from the Amazing Grace children’s home in Malelane, near Nelspruit.
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/ 31 October 2006
Drug smugglers unsuccessfully used courier companies to try to get heroin into South Africa twice this week, said officials on Tuesday. In the first incident, drug smugglers in Pakistan tried to use a South African High Commission official envelope to courier high-grade heroin to Johannesburg through Federal Express, said the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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/ 31 October 2006
Springbok coach Jake White on Tuesday declared that it would not be a train smash if his team left for their four-match European tour on Saturday without a manager. The Springboks have been without a manager for the past five months since Athrob Pietersen vacated the position earlier this year.
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/ 31 October 2006
The South African National Aids Council is to be restructured to give it more decision-making powers, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The council, chaired by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, met in Midrand to look at ways to restructure itself. It was agreed that governmental and non-governmental organisations would in future send their heads to meetings.
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/ 31 October 2006
Members of Solidarity were ”disappointed” by reports of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) to the effect that the ANC will disregard the minority of people who question name changes, Solidarity said on Tuesday. Solidarity chairperson Ernst Roets said a report in Beeld mentioned the ”important role” of the ANCYL, which was ”to protect the country’s democracy”.
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/ 31 October 2006
The South African Football Association (Safa) placed a gag at Tuesday’s media briefing on discussing the controversial issue of South Africa playing Egypt in next month’s Nelson Mandela Challenge game in London. The silence was equally deafening when Benni McCarthy’s continued absence from the Bafana Bafana squad was revealed.
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/ 31 October 2006
South Africa recorded another huge budget surplus in September of R14,8-billion and the government is therefore well on track to meet its revenue targets, with revenue collected halfway through the fiscal year at 50,1% of the budgeted target. However, a more pressing concern lies on the expenditure side.
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/ 31 October 2006
Sunday’s run-off election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was democratic, peaceful, credible and transparent, the South African election observer team in the country said on Tuesday. Head of the South African observers, Deputy Defence Minister Mluleki George, said the Congolese were able to freely bring out their vote.
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/ 31 October 2006
Visitors to South Africa’s trendy Cape Town waterfront this summer can get iced drinks, served in glasses made of ice, while they relax on ice amid ice sculptures. The city is the latest worldwide to play host to an ”ice lounge”, which saw local organisers import 45 tons of structural ice from Canada and manufacture a further 10 tons locally for the construction.
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/ 31 October 2006
Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica on Tuesday welcomed Cabinet’s decision to approve the restructuring of the R25-billion electricity distribution industry. ”Cabinet took a major and indeed historic decision on the 25th October,” said Sonjica, who was briefing industry and government stakeholders, as well as the media, in Johannesburg.
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/ 31 October 2006
Sir Nicholas Stern, the man whose recent report on the grim economic realities of climate change has rung alarm bells around the world, is to brief the South African government on his findings early next year. ”[He] has accepted an invitation … to present the findings of his review … in January 2007,” the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said in a statement on Tuesday.
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/ 31 October 2006
Drug smugglers in Pakistan tried to use a South African High Commission official envelope to courier high-grade heroin to Johannesburg, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the High Commission in Islamabad was alerted to the failed attempt by the Pakistani Anti-Narcotic Force and a courier company.
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/ 31 October 2006
The impact of the second national operator, Neotel, was likely to be felt by Christmas, said South African Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. Answering a question from African National Congress MP Elliott Sibiya in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday afternoon, she noted that it had already been launched at the end of August.
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/ 31 October 2006
Cape Town mayor Helen Zille and provincial local government and housing minister Richard Dyantyi have reached a compromise over the future of the city government in the Mother City, it was announced at a press conference called by national Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi on Tuesday.
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/ 31 October 2006
African leaders must ensure that countries dealing with conflict resolution do not slip back into conflict, President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday. ”In many instances, as we deal with matters of peace and stability on the continent, we don’t go all the way in ensuring that countries in conflict don’t revert back to conflict,” Mbeki said.
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/ 31 October 2006
Fifty-two Zimbabweans were arrested in the last two weeks in connection with armed robberies in Gauteng, police said on Tuesday. Superintendent Fanie Molapo of the special investigations unit said most of the robbers targeted Pick ‘n Pay and Spar supermarkets. On Saturday, a Zimbabwean was killed and two of his countrymen were wounded in an exchange of fire with police.
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/ 31 October 2006
An appeal to uphold sexual harassment findings against former ambassador Norman Mashabane was again delayed in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday. Mashabane was to have appeared in the court but the case was put down for December 1.
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/ 31 October 2006
Gauteng concession company Bombela has not allocated any work on the Gautrain project to companies linked to Schabir Shaik, according to a statement issued on Monday. The statement said Nkobi Holdings and Kobitech Transport Systems were among the companies listed on the Gautrain prospective supplier database.
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/ 31 October 2006
The widespread use of prepaid services by South African households has thrown up lucrative business opportunities for banks to bring previously un-banked people into the financial services loop. Prepaid electricity and Telkom airtime — introduced in April 2006 this year — is increasingly becoming a key cellphone banking volume transaction driver.
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/ 30 October 2006
The African National Congress (ANC) on Monday urged retailers to reconsider court action against the restriction of textile imports from China. ”The ANC urges these retailers to reconsider their court action, and to instead work together with government and manufacturers to address their concerns in the interest of all South Africans,” said ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama.