Drew Forrest
Drew Forrest is a former deputy editor of the M&G
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/ 11 November 2002

Less boot and more loot, Mr Balfour

Last week, with the Cricket World Cup three months away, South Africa discovered the rather disturbing fact that its sports minister does not give ”a shit” about three-quarters of the national squad. This while his counterparts in other cricketing countries are geeing up their troops.

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/ 29 October 2002

Knives out for Morkel

The Democratic Alliance has delayed to next March a Western Cape party conference that is widely expected to oust Gerald Morkel as the party’s provincial leader. The conference, scheduled for November 2, was postponed by unanimous decision of the management committee.

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/ 5 October 2002

Now Durban chamber ditches Sacob

The Durban Chamber of Commerce has suspended its membership of the South African Chamber of Business, in a move commentators said could deal a death blow to the embattled business organisation. Durban’s move follows hard on the heels of the withdrawal of the Cape Regional Chamber.

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/ 5 October 2002

A killing animal that cannot kill

In Edwin Muir’s mythical poem The Combat, a ”crested animal in its pride” eternally savages ”a soft round beast as soft as clay” — but cannot finish it off. This is an apt metaphor for elements in the ANC who would like to oust or silence left-wing critics in the ruling alliance.

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/ 29 August 2002

Zim: Fiji calls for action

Fiji has emerged as an unlikely source of pressure on President Robert Mugabe’s regime. Fiji was among the Commonwealth states to voice ”deep concern over the deteriorating situation” in Zimbabwe, noting Mugabe’s ”failure to respond to the calls of the international community…”

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/ 17 August 2002

Tryst by the Vaal

Herman Charles Bosman has produced another surprise from the grave. It is a hitherto unpublished murder mystery that was uncovered in archives held by the University of Texas. It appears in a new edition of Unto Dust, edited by Craig MacKenzie and published by Human & Rousseau this week.

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/ 7 August 2002

Pension reform delayed

The Western Cape government this week scuppered a court application that would have transferred responsibility for paying social grants from provinces to the central government. Millions of people receive social grants, which include pensions, disability grants and child support.