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The difficulty of creating a believable country narrative

Truth is not critical to persuasion but any story has to at least be believable, writes Itumeleng Mahabane

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• National

  TOP STORY

  

  Minister confirms SA troops placed in Congo after CAR battle

  President, defence minister in firing line over deployment of soldiers to eastern Congo, allegedly without informing Parliament

  Politics

  • Mkhize says NUM attack meant to weaken ANC
  • Corruption Watch takes Guptas to campus

  Media

  • SABC presenter Mbuli hailed as patriot and ‘zealous newshound’
  • Dawes leaving Mail & Guardian for Indian paper

  Labour

  • Cosatu 'sowing seeds of own destruction,' says NUM’s Baleni
  • Union membership tussle costing jobs, Zuma warns

  Science & environment

  • Society, environment issues ‘should concern miners’
  • Court ruling ends war over tyre recycling

  Law & constitution

  • Magistrates’ raises legal, court rules
  • Black lawyer urges ‘excluded colleagues’ to ‘act against racism’

  Education

  • Parents urged to get more involved in children’s school lives
  • Western Cape takes early-bird approach to procuring textbooks

  Health

  • Setback for state’s AIDS drugs plan as investor pulls out
  • New Discovery body to research lifestyle diseases

  Opinion

  • THE INSIDER: Caring cadres will soon fill the public service
  • EDITORIAL: ANC’s default position is secrecy

  Columnists

  • The difficulty of creating a believable narrative
  • Optimists give us reason to be cheerful
• Africa

  TOP STORY

  

  NEWS ANALYSIS: Despite progress, continent’s democracy record is patchy

  Africa’s association of states, the African Union, turns 50 on Saturday, writes Nicholas Kotch

  African News

  • NEWS ANALYSIS: Despite progress, continent’s democracy record is patchy
  • Swazi activists accuse SA officials of betrayal
  • NEWS ANALYSIS: No golden anniversary for AU
  • Egypt’s cash-strapped rulers woo former regime tycoons
  • Miners Vale, Rio Tinto accused of neglecting displaced Mozambicans

  African Business

  • Developing markets lift SABMiller
  • NamPower MD courts Eskom to avert crisis
  • Water scarcity threatens Namibia mining operations
  • New taxes will harm Namibian mining sector, chamber warns
  • Ghana central bank raises rates on inflation fears

  African Perspectives

  • Organisation of African Unity’s 50th anniversary prompts reflection
  • Why Nigeria and India would make excellent bedfellows
  • IN THE MARKETS: Time for African Bank to consider all its options
  • EDITORIAL: African Union should let the sunshine in
  • Nkrumah’s dream of African unity unfulfilled 50 years later
• World

  TOP STORY

  

  Obama seeks to redefine US war on terror

  US President Barack Obama delivers major policy speech, saying the country must move on from counterterrorism policies deployed after 9/11

  Africa

  • NEWS ANALYSIS: Despite progress, continent’s democracy record is patchy
  • Organisation of African Unity’s 50th anniversary prompts reflection

  Europe

  • Lagarde grilled over France payout to tycoon
  • Rioters torch Sweden’s image of peaceful nation

  Asia-Pacific

  • Rosy China growth forecasts fade on more signs of slowdown
  • China manufacturing data spooks markets

  Middle East

  • Ahmadinejad to challenge aide’s ban from election
  • Hague warns of increased backing for Assad

  Americas

  • Obama seeks to redefine US war on terror
  • Bernanke offers no hint of pullback in Fed stimulus

  Opinion

  • Why Nigeria and India would make excellent bedfellows
  • THE GUARDIAN: An insult to the clumsy loon

  Columnists

  • A country of illusion and deceit
  • Africans march upward to economic purgatory
• Opinion

  TOP STORY

  

  EDITORIAL: ANC’s default position is secrecy

  The powers that be realise their default option of secrecy is incompatible with the constitution, yet they still seek to manipulate the process to their political advantage

  Editorials

  • EDITORIAL: ANC’s default position is secrecy
  • EDITORIAL: A salute to FNB’s Jordaan

  Columnists

  • Auditor’s damning report on SA Express
  • Optimists give us reason to be cheerful

  BD Alpha

  • Barber’s approach is not solving economic malaise

  Letters

  • LETTER: Guptagate is a watershed for SA
  • LETTER: Another VIP vehicle

  Blogs

  • Study supports view of echinacea as cold and flu remedy
  • Toyota’s new promotion: fancy that!

  Polls

  Third Umpire

  Cartoons
• Markets

  TOP STORY

  

  Rand softens on consolidation

  The rand soft against major currencies on Friday as investors seek to consolidate following Thursday’s volatility

  More News

  • Rand softens on consolidation
  • Global shares steady but stimulus concern still haunt markets
  • Oil set for biggest weekly drop since mid-April

  Markets Blog

  • Spanish government between a rock and a hard place
  • Stricter rules needed to support growth of African bourses

  JSE Today

  All Share

  40863.04

  0.02%

  up

  Top 40

  36306.31

  -0.02%

  down

  Financial 15

  11675.21

  -0.12%

  down

  Industrial 25

  46439.35

  0.16%

  up

  Resource 10

  45946.56

  -0.21%

  down

  All data is delayed by 15 min.
  Data supplied by I-Net Bridge

  Commodities

  Gold

  1390.4250

  -0.08%

  down

  Platinum

  1461.0000

  0.34%

  up

  Silver

  22.5500

  -0.10%

  down

  Palladium

  732.0000

  -0.14%

  down

  Brent Crude Oil

  101.730

  -0.69%

  down

  

  All data is delayed by 15 min.
  Data supplied by I-Net Bridge
• Economy

  TOP STORY

  

  Marcus signals interest rate cuts could be on cards

  Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus gives surprisingly frank insight into thinking of the Bank’s monetary policy committee

  More News

  • Hands off rates at Reserve Bank as inflation bites
  • Union membership tussle costing jobs, Zuma warns
  • Ravaged rand continues its downward trajectory for 11th straight session
  • Bright-eyed graduates start year on positive note

  Economic Indicators

  Petrol price (95)

  R12.47

  -73c/l

  same

  Repo rate

  5%

  0.0pp

  same

  Prime rate

  8.5%

  0.0pp

  same

  GDP (Q4 12)

  2.1%

  0.9pp

  same

  CPI (April)

  5.9%

  0pp

  same

  PPI (Mar)

  5.7%

  0.3pp

  same

  Last updated on May 22

  Opinion

  • Embrace the biotech in your shopping basket
  • EDITORIAL: A salute to FNB’s Jordaan

  Columnists

  • Weak rand may benefit some, but poor will suffer
  • Auditor’s damning report on SA Express
• Business

  TOP STORY

  

  Court ruling ends war over tyre recycling

  Motorists have been paying the R2.30/kg levy on new tyres since February

  Trade & Industry

  • Meat imports from India, Brazil raise eyebrows
  • Court ruling ends war over tyre recycling
  • Poultry group denies tariff would cause steep price rises

  Management

  • Celliers’ appointment ‘will not affect transformation’
  • Jordaan ‘likely to be missed on Twitter’
  • Phaswana appointed as co-chairman at Mondi

  Sectors

  • Energy
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Industrials
  • Land & Agriculture
  • Media & Advertising

  Green Business

  • Is greener company travel still stuck in the slow lane?
  • ASK THE EXPERT: Independent eco-ratings for products in SA
  • SA’s green jobs: how are they growing?

   

  • Mining
  • Property
  • Retail & Consumer
  • Telecoms & Technology
  • Transport & Tourism

  Business Education

  • Course Directory
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• Companies

  TOP STORY

  

  Developing markets lift SABMiller

  Brewer SABMiller, increasingly reliant on developing markets, reports 10% increase in group revenue to $34.5bn for year to March,

  More News

  • Google in talks to buy sat-nav start-up Waze for $1bn
  • Tongaat Hulett earnings rise along with higher sugar production
  • Identity card project on track for July launch

  Sectors

  • Energy
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare
  • Industrials
  • Land & Agriculture
  • Media & Advertising

  Business Education

  • Course Directory
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  • Virtual Books
  • Online Courses

   

  • Mining
  • Property
  • Retail & Consumer
  • Telecoms & Technology
  • Transport & Tourism
• Personal Finance

  TOP STORY

  

  Absa says miscalculated interest on car loan was ‘isolated error’

  South Africa’s largest retail bank overcharges customer for almost two years, by mistake

  More News

  • Retirement dream need not be a nightmare

  Columnists

  • Fame & Fortune: Oh Schucks ... all those rugby bucks
  • Taxes done with a click of a mouse

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  In Depth

  • Medium-term budget 2012
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• Life

  TOP STORY

  

  Cambodia’s not-so-secret paradise

  The ocean at Koh Rong is so pristine that even hardened seaman Jack Sparrow would gasp in delight, writes Sebastiaan de Vos

  Arts & Entertainment

  • Disrupting the cosy conceptions of art
  • FILM: The Sapphires; 360; Fast and Furious 6

  Travel & Food

  • A new paradise found — and with tea

  Business Education

  Gadgets & Gear

  • TECHNOLOGY: New gadgets not required at the Google jamboree
  • The antisocial network is not good for the soul

  Books

  • Putting a much-needed smile into S&M
  • BOOK REVIEW: The Stuff You Can’t Bottle

  Health

  • Star microbiologist sets sights on next superbug enemy
  • Cancer immunotherapy medicines could rake in $35bn a year

  Motoring
• Sport

  TOP STORY

  

  Amakhosi aim to fortify renewed glory

  The balance of power in Soweto has shifted in Kaizer Chiefs’ direction as the Amakhosi eye adding the Nedbank Cup to the PSL title in their pursuit of glory

  Rugby

  • Catrakilis in spotlight as newest Bok team member
  • Cheetahs trio called up for Bok camp

  soccer

  • Amakhosi aim to fortify renewed glory
  • German powerhouses to make history in league final

  Cricket

  • Cook expects hard work in second Test
  • Underdog Australians upbeat ahead of Ashes series

  Other Sport

  • Nadal, Williams considered French Open favourites
  • Woods finds Garcia’s ‘joke’ unpalatable

   Top Stories

  • Cup final rivals share a rich history
  • The Sharks are braced for an aerial Bulls game
  • Alex Ferguson's £2m Manchester United gig
  • Nadal could get Djokovic in French Open semis
  • Rebels upset Waratahs to claim another big scalp
  • Chiefs stay top with bruising victory over Crusaders

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