Nawaal Deane SOCCER Bafana Bafana jetted off from Europe to the United States for the Four Nations Nike Cup Tournament starting in Washington on Saturday. The four countries competing will be South Africa, the United States, Mexico and the Republic of Ireland. South Africa will open their US tour against the US on June 2 […]

Heather Hogan A Dutch Reformed minister’s son was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Johannesburg High Court this week for the hijack and murder of the bodyguard of Joe Nhlanhla, the former minister of intelligence. Pule Mokoena (26) appeared in court along with three other men, all of whom were facing charges of murder, robbery […]

debutants Liam Botham (22, just signed to play on the wing for Newcastle): After a lengthy debate with his cricketing legend dad Ian over whether to play for England or Wales (where, until last month, he was turning out for champions Cardiff), he turned out for England A during the Six Nations and scored tries […]

Jaspreet Kindra The African National Congress has spoken out against the building of a “black bourgeoisie” – contradicting the stance taken by President Thabo Mbeki on the issue. The shift in the party’s stance is spelled out in one of its discussion documents for the ANC general council in Port Elizabeth next month. The party […]

Chris Louw I read a book, I wrote a letter, and a floodgate opened. That would be the simplistic way of looking at an episode that has dominated the Afrikaans dailies’ letters pages for the past month. Because the overwhelming reaction to my open letter to Dr Willem de Klerk after reading his book Afrikaners: […]

Paul Kirk The ease with which a child molester can escape prosecution came into sharp focus this week when a lowly suspected car thief was caught red-handed with a sensitive and stolen police investigation docket into the rape of a teenage girl. Had the docket not been recovered the rapist may well have escaped scot-free […]

bitter past Andrew Feinstein On January 22 1943 my mother and her parents received, at their home in Nazi- occupied Vienna, a letter from her 84- year-old grandfather. It read in part: “My dearest children. I have received your letter and thank you for your best wishes on my journey, to which I am not […]

Can Tolkien’s classic be read as an allegory about the dark forces of globalisation? Larry Elliot It’s what a generation of superannuated hippies have been waiting for – the big- screen version of The Lord of the Rings. With Sir Ian McKellen as the wizard Gandalf, JRR Tolkien’s epic is being filmed in some of […]

The third annual Pietersburg-Polokwane Book and Film Fair was a sell-out Stephen Gray The recent Pietersburg-Polokwane Book and Film Fair was enjoyable beyond the sheer pleasure of its buzz of success. Crocodiles of children scuttling for seats … crowds bursting through glass doors … elbows at the lavish catering … book sales being made. Peaceful […]

The major world city of Amsterdam offers visitors more than just its renowned red- light district, it also the home of jenever and the tulip Angus Begg St Annen Straat, Amsterdam. A moment’s eye contact with the dark, flabby and scantily-clad woman in the window makes me feel like the small boy who was caught […]