Belinda Beresford Punching way above its weight, the agricultural sector in South Africa manages to have a disproportionate effect on the country’s growth figures. If it hadn’t been for the near 18% fall in agriculture’s contribution, the gross domestic figures for the first quarter of this year would have been a reasonable 1,9%, instead of […]

Nicky Blumenfeld In attempting to secure a record-company deal, an increasing number of artists in South Africa invest their own time and money, in the hope that their demo will be heard and their efforts acknowledged. Just more than a year ago as a radio presenter I received one of these self- made initiatives, put […]

Robert Kirby CHANNELVISION It would seem that with the arrival in its boardrooms of the Rembrandt group, e.tv has had a welcome injection of hard cash. It would seem also that, like the unexpected benefice of a wealthy relative’s will, all the delicious lolly is being spent like there’s no tomorrow. The first signs of […]

Andy Capostagno RUGBY It is now time to acknowledge that all of us have been guilty of damning the Super 12 champions of the past three years with faint praise. The Crusaders entered all three finals as rank outsiders and then beat the Blues (20-13), the Highlanders (24-19) and now the Brumbies (20-19). By which […]

ETHIOPIA and Eritrea mulled peace proposals before resuming indirect talks in Algiers on Friday, but Addis Ababa reported renewed fighting a day after it declared their two-year-old border war over. The Ethiopian government accused Eritrea of attacking its positions on the eastern front on Thursday, saying Eritrean shellfire has killed two civilians and wounded eight. […]

LEFT FIELD Ebrahim Harvey Long last have I read an article so contradictory and dishonest as that by Dale McKinley last week in Crossfire, “The cheerleaders of capitalism”. He was until recently a political economist of the South African Communist Party, which is, together with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), in an […]

Barry Streek The government has released details of its R374-million Community Based Public Works Programme (CBPWP) for the current financial year, including a R50-million programme to involve unemployed young people in making government buildings accessible to disabled people. It has also allocated R6-million for repairs to roads and bridges damaged by the floods earlier this […]

Luvuyo Kakaza CD OFTHEWEEK Miriam Makeba’s latest release, Homeland (Putumayo), lives up to its epic name. It pays tribute to Makeba – affectionately known as Mama Afrika – a living legend of African music. It also showcases a collaboration of African sounds, cultures and beats. It cannot be compared to any of Makeba’s past albums. […]

There’s more to India for a South African traveller than just Mahatma Gandhi and cricket Lauren Shantall ‘Hello! What country?” So goes the “getting-to-know-you” mantra in India. You’ll hear it often enough if you decide to slake a Western thirst with the clichd promise of the East. Luckily for the South African tourist, this typical […]

Lauren Shantall Making a mini-pilgrimage to see the saffron-robed Sai Baba could easily be classified under the header “The Weird and the Wonderful”. For Baba is the controversial holy man who has been seen belching rings of blue flame from his belly, the venerable Sri who manifests gawdy gold jewellery from the aether, and the […]