No image available
/ 7 February 2008

It’s the country, stupid

We are past hoping for big moments from President Thabo Mbeki; we have watched him let too many slip by. And this year he suffers from the additional handicap in that, whatever he chooses to say in his state of the nation address on Friday, he will be watching his back. The party he no longer controls, and which wants to control him, will be listening intently.

No image available
/ 7 February 2008

Shutdowns, Geita hit AngloGold earnings

AngloGold Ashanti reported a headline loss of 1 099 United States cents per share in the fourth quarter on Thursday, after safety related shutdowns and ongoing problems at its Geita mine cut production. The world’s third biggest gold producer said production in the quarter to end December fell 5% to 1,37-million ounces.

No image available
/ 6 February 2008

In office, but not in power

The right to reply space encourages readers to feel a co-ownership of the newspaper so that it is a public debating space run by a wider forum, rather than just the reporters and editors who run it. So it pains me to intrude upon readers’ space, but the article last week by a group of leaders at the University of KwaZulu-Natal deserves a second look, writes Ferial Haffajee.

No image available
/ 6 February 2008

Tshwane outlines power-saving plans

All traffic lights at the 788 controlled intersections in Pretoria are to be retrofitted with light-emitting diodes and later backed up to solar power, the Tshwane metropolitan council said on Wednesday. This followed meetings between mayor Gwen Ramokgopa and big business outlining the council’s plans to deal with the electricity crisis.

No image available
/ 6 February 2008

‘The horror film that is life in Kliptown’

The Kliptown Concerned Residents group on Wednesday took the media on a tour of the area to highlight the damage caused by recent heavy rains. Organiser Sipho Jantjie said the settlement in Kliptown had no electricity and used the bucket system. As the media walked around the settlement, raw sewage was seen flowing out of a manhole.

No image available
/ 6 February 2008

Ledger died of prescription drug abuse, say officials

Australian actor Heath Ledger’s death was an accident caused by the abuse of prescription drugs, six of which were found in his body, the New York City medical examiner’s office said on Wednesday. Ledger (28), renowned for his role as a gay cowboy in the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain, was found dead in bed at his Manhattan apartment on January 22.