>From songs to sermons, these new South African poems represent some remarkablework Dan Wylie Some years ago, when I reviewed Adam Schwartzman’s The Good Life, The Dirty Life, I thought that here was a poet to watch out for. Schwartzman’s new (1998, just received!) collection, Merrie Afrika! (Carcanet) doesn’t disappoint, though it’s not a pacific […]

Deon Potgieter BOXING When Musibulele “Hawk” Makepula was awarded the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) junior flyweight world title on Saturday night it was not a controversial decision, but a bad one. Although the likeable Makepula has the potential of developing into a bona fide superstar, he still has much to learn. Watching the bout at […]

For the third year in a row, Trevor Manuel has produced a largely acclaimed budget. What does it mean for individual South Africans? Belinda Beresford The big news of the budget was the restructuring of personal income taxes, and the consequent slashed tax bill for most taxpayers. More measures to encourage savings might have been […]

THE SA Revenue Service plans to recruit about 100 additional full-timeauditors and about 30 forensic auditors in the coming months in order to deliver on its undertaking to collect R210,4billion in taxes in 2000-2001. Business Day reports that this would be 7,2% higher than this year’s achievement. It reports that SARS commissioner Pravin Gordhan said […]

Charles Mangwiro and Justin Arenstein The Mozambican government appears to own 20% of the plastic pipe factory outside Maputo where police last week pulled off Africa’s largest ever Mandrax bust. The raid by a squad of South African and Mozambican police netted over 300kg of methaqualone power meant for the manufacture of at least 30-million […]

New tax concessions to non-profit organisations are close to tax deductibility for all donations Barry Streek The non-profit sector achieved a significant – although still incomplete – victory in this year’s budget with the announcement of tax concessions to non- profit organisations by Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel in his budget speech. His announcement stopped […]

THE Transvaal Agricultural Union has warned that many of the estimated 4000 farm schools in South Africa may be forced to close down because of government negligence. TAU Mpumalanga spokesman, Theo Wassenaar, said many farm schools lack infrastructure like electricity and sewage systems and the department also fails to maintain them. “Farmers and government differ […]

The imprint of apartheid is clearly evident in staff composition at universities and technikons across South Africa Barry Streek The academic staff at South Africa’s 36 public universities and technikons are still overwhelmingly white and male dominated, particularly at the historically white institutions, according to the Council for Higher Education. The council has found 80% […]

Jubie Matlou The thumping and rhythmic beats from a batar drum to the tune of a melodic choral rendition bring a small displaced community together. The place for this spiritual union is Mayfair, and the day and time is Sunday afternoon. The sound created by the batar drum is very special to the Somali refugee […]

NOTICE IN TERMS OF SECTION 9(1)(c) OF ACT 54 OF 1994 Notice to appear before the South African Human Rights Commission, sitting at Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Council Chambers Wing, Metropolitan Centre, 158 Loveday Street, Braamfontein: To:The Editor – Mail & Guardian Media Hill, 7 Quince Road, MILPARK WHEREAS, 1. The South African Human Rights […]