SOME of the 2.76bn pounds allegedly looted from Nigeria by the late dictator Sani Abacha has been traced to bank offices in London, the Financial Times has reported. According to the newspaper, investigators employed by Nigeria’s president Olusegun Obasanjo believe Abacha used the London offices of the banks to launder the cash. The banks, including […]

Local artists are looking to surgery as a means of creation Michelle Matthews It is tempting to use the clich’ “cutting edge”, but surgery as art is at least a decade old. French artist Orlan is its most famous proponent, having undergone 10 cosmetic operations in her expression of carnal art. In her latest she […]

economy Belinda Beresford South Africans are not good at saving, an unfortunate situation for a developing country, which needs infusions of foreign money to create economic growth. More precisely, South Africa needs foreign direct investment (FDI), the dearth of which is the Achilles heel of the country’s economic recovery. FDI is money that is actually […]

David Le Page The rand was pummelled to fresh lows against the dollar and the pound this week, dropping below R7,70 to the dollar late on Wednesday amid increasing investor concern about Southern Africa and emerging markets in general. Ever since May, when the currency first began to tumble, economists have been overflowing with reassurances […]

lie’ Marten du Plessis crossfire Mail & Guardian reporter Belinda Beresford has had the rash impudence to suggest that noseweek (“a venerable organ”) has “maliciously distorted the facts” about Professor Malegapuru Makgoba’s presentation on Aids mortality to the Presidential Advisory Panel on Aids (“Lies, damned lies and noseweek”, October 6 to 12). Ja well, but […]

South African banking groups are using the Internet to put a new spin on loyalty schemes and encourage online shopping David Le Page Banks want more business. Internet vendors want more business. Both want fewer hassles with online credit card transactions. These are the three major imperatives behind eBucks and bluebean.com, the new Internet initiatives […]

Class will out in the Currie Cup and the top sides have made it through to this weekend’s semifinals Andy Capostagno The rugby season that began on Friday February 25 is almost over. Those players who do not make Harry Viljoen’s Springbok touring squad of 40 can look forward to at least two months that […]

Stuart Jeffries T he surprise winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature sat on the edge of a friend’s bed in Paris and reflected on the journey that had brought him from China to France, from the obscurity of being a playwright and novelist known only to a small number of critics and intellectuals to […]

The Gear policy introduced five years ago had implications for growth, but it was aimed more at stabilising the economy, writes Howard Barrell South Africans stand on the cusp of a period of strong economic growth. To propel the economy into sustained high growth, however, the country now needs to make some bold choices and […]

Rupert Neethling The saying “Where America goes, the rest of the world will follow” is likely to come true yet again thanks to the implementation on October 1 of a United States law that gives the official stamp of approval to e- signatures. Globally, the acceptance of electronic signatures as legal tender can certainly save […]