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  ANCYL Julius Malema was suspended for five years, meaning he must step down as president of the ANC's youth wing, a party disciplinary committee ruled. The charges against him referred to calling for regime change in neighbouring Botswana, unfavourably comparing president Jacob Zuma to his predecessor Thabo Mbeki and storming into a meeting of top ANC officials. (Werner Beukes, Sapa)
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  Andries Tatane was killed allegedly by a group of policemen during a protest in Ficksburg, Bloemfontein. He had challenged the officers to spray him with a water cannon during the protest march. Six public order policemen have been charged in connection with the death of Tatane. (Willem van der Berg FOTO24)
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  National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into "unlawful" police lease agreements. This came after the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Cele's actions involving the procurement of two building leases for new police headquarters, valued at R1.6bn, were unlawful and amounted to maladministration. (Rodger Bosch, AFP)
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  Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde was axed after the probe of the controversial building lease. Her decision to allow two controversial building leases valued at R1.6bn to go ahead, despite tender procedures not being followed and legal advice to the contrary, amounted to maladministration, according to a finding by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
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  Elizabeth Maweni (58) casts her vote during the 4th local municipal elections in Diepsloot, Joburg. About 23 million voters were registered to vote at 20 000 polling stations across the country. (Denvor de Wee, FOTO24)
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  Sheryl Cwele, the wife of the state security minister, and her Nigerian co-accused Frank Nabolisa were sentenced to 12 years for drug dealing by the Pietermaritzburg High Court. They had pleaded not guilty of dealing or conspiring to deal in drugs, procuring a woman, Charmaine Moss, to collect drugs in Turkey, and procuring another woman, Tessa Beetge, to smuggle cocaine from South America. (The Witness)
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  Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament, Cape Town, in protest of the passing of the Information Bill. (Daniel Calderwood, News24)
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  The Protection of Information Bil was passed and it could see whistle blowers and journalists who publish "classified" information jailed for up to 25 years. (Daniel Calderwood, New24)
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  A South African woman was executed in China by lethal injection for drug smuggling after rejecting last-minute pleas for clemency. Linden, 35, was convicted of trying to sneak three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of methamphetamine into the country in her luggage through the southern city of Guangzhou in 2008.
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  Hundreds of people were left homeless, when a tornado tore through the Duduza township near Nigel, east of Johannesburg. Several people were also injured. (Len Claase, Volksblad)
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  The 17th United Nations Conference of Parties (Cop17) was held in Durban. The conference focused on efforts to move toward a future agreement to legally bind all nations to emissions targets, including China and the United States. (Shayne Robinson, Greenpeace)
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  An amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, decisions regarding life-cycle assessment, the implementation of the Green Climate Fund and the future of the climate change regime were among the resolutions reached. (Alexander Joe, AFP)
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  Protesters gathered outside the JSE in Johannesburg to march against alleged corporate greed. The protests began in Canada and spread to cities across the US, Asia, South Africa and Europe. (Marius Jacobs, News24user)
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  23-year-old Nolubabalo "Babsi" Nobanda, from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, was caught by Thai authorities for trying to smuggle 1,5 kg of cocaine matted in her dreadlocked hair. She is set to appear in court in three months' time.
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  Democratic Alliance member Lindiwe Mazibuko was elected as the leader of the DA group in South African Parliament. At 31, she is the country's fourth youngest parliamentarian. (Rodger Bosch, AFP)
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  Supporters of the Dalai Lama protested outside Parliament in Cape Town, to push for a visa to be granted to the spiritual leader. The visa was never approved and the Dalai Lama couldn't visit the country to celebrate Archbishop Tutu's birthday. (Nardus Engelbrecht, SAPA)
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  Prince Albert II of Monaco married Charlene Whittstock from South Africa. (Patric Kovaik, SAPA)
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  Table Mountain was provisionally named a New 7 Wonder of Nature following a three-year global race to choose the world's seven most wonderful natural sites.

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