A celebrity system does exist in South Africa and was very much in evidence at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees Kathryn Smith When Giovanni de Medici (Frans Marx) took Alfonsina de Medici (Sandra Prinsloo) from behind in Deon Opperman’s Magspel, and with each thrust itemised the various parts of Florence she will own after their […]

THE Auckland Blues shrugged off their recent indifferent form to upset the previously unbeaten Wellington Hurricanes 22-14 in their Super 12 match in Wellington on Friday. The Blues outscored the Hurricanes three tries to one and were pushing for a fourth and a bonus point at the final whistle. The same two teams kicked off […]

John Matshikiza ‘We go anywhere in South Africa where there is a railway line,” says Lynette Coetzee, senior manager of Transnet’s Phelophepa health-care train project. “In fact, we sometimes even go where there is no railway line. One time, when we were going to Qamata [in the Eastern Cape] it turned out that the line […]

Jaspreet Kindra and Sapa Afrikaner Weerstands- beweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre’Blanche arrived at the Potchefstroom Regional Court on Thursday, dressed in black denim pants, a black shirt and a khaki hat. He sat in front of the court building on the horse, waving at the crowd. He shook hands with black people in the crowd. […]

STANDARD Bank said on Thursday the appeals court will hand down its judgment on Friday in a ruling crucial to the bank’s battle to thwart a hostile takeover from smaller rival Nedcor. Stanbic wants the appeals court to overturn an earlier decision which made the Reserve Bank and finance ministry the final authorities on whether […]

Ivor Powell The controversial third cellular licensing process was thrown into jeopardy this week as embattled councillors from the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Satra)failed to reach a consensus to rubber-stamp its earlier decision to recommend the Cell C consortium. In this week’s meetings, two of the five councillors who earlier reached a “unanimous” decision […]

Andy Capostagno RUGBY The Super 12 reaches the halfway point this weekend with all four South African teams occupying the bottom half of the log. Thus far the thrilling rugby has come from the Hurricanes, Highlanders and Brumbies, while the Crusaders, champions of the past two years, have been ultra-professional and, at this distance at […]

POLICE said on Thursday they have arrested more than 1000 people over the past two days in a nationwide crime crackdown. Most of those arrested are illegal immigrants. Suspected attempted hijackers and fugitives are among those taken into custody. Offenders of less serious crimes were also arrested to deter them from turning to more serious […]

Paul Kirk and Jaspreet Kindra The National Intelligence Agency official responsible for recruiting Sifiso Nkabinde’s killer, Bruce Mhlongo, into the intelligence fold is Andre Pruis, a senior operative who works from the agency’s offices in Pietermaritzburg. This is one of several details of Mhlongo’s relationship with NIA that the Mail & Guardian established this week […]

Fiachra Gibbons Hours after picking up the last of five Oscars for his first film, American Beauty – and being declared a “bright shining star” by none other than Steven Spielberg – Sam Mendes was keeping his legendary cool. Even as Hollywood’s most powerful players queued to schmooze him at the post-Oscar parties, Mendes’s mind […]