Paul Kirk Car manufacturers, environmentalists and the oil giant Sasol look set to clash over a controversial petrol additive that is dangerous, destructive and a poisonous menace to people and cars. Sasol says, however, that the manganese- based additive MMT is a safe and cheap substitute for lead in petrol. The company is preparing to […]

Studies estimate that by 2015 more than 10- million South Africans will have died of Aids-related causes Howard Barrell The HIV/Aids pandemic is drastically affecting South Africa’s economic growth and future prospects and will eat into the wealth of those fortunate enough to survive it. The havoc being wrought by HIV/Aids means that in 2010, […]

Gavin Evans Hezekiel Sepeng comes fourth: the rolling picture says it all. Disorganisation, bad timing, leaving it too late – the fate of South Africa’s sole black medal prospect on the track was set well before the losing line. And as with Sepeng so with South Africa’s entire Olympic bid. Eight years ago in Barcelona […]

‘illegal’ Thuli Nhlapo Ignoring the Congress of South African Trade Unions’s (Cosatu) campaign to create and sustain jobs in the textile industry, the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) promotional clothing is imported and believed to have entered the country illegally. Shereno Printers, which won a contract to print 100E000 T-shirts for IEC staffers to wear in […]

Sechaba ka’Nkosi The SABC is to axe its controversial acting head of news, Snuki Zikalala, next month. It announced this week the appointment of veteran journalist Barney Mthombothi. Senior editors have handed to SABC board chair Vincent Maphai a list of grievances against Zikalala. The board meets on Wednesday, when his fate is expected to […]

members Glenda Daniels The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) resolved at its seventh national congress to take concrete steps to change the gender composition of the federation. The union movement committed itself to an aggressive drive to recruit women workers and to ensure greater women representation in its leadership structures. With most cases […]

cass abrahams cooks cape malay: food from Africa by Cass Abrahams (Metz Press) This is an updated edition of the previous hardback The Culture and Cuisine of the Cape Malays. Abrahams has single-handedly managed to lift Cape Malay cooking to more glamorous heights by distributing her oh-so-well-packaged spices and condiments to snooty Cape whole food […]

This is an extract from the debate in Parliament last week where President Thabo Mbeki responded to questions from MPs Malusi Gigaba (African National Congress) asked President Thabo Mbeki whether the government had a strategy for dealing with racism and the continuing racial divides in the country and, if this was the case, “how does […]