Khadija Magardie CROSSFIRE The lead article in the Mail & Guardian (January 28 to February 3) on “Africa’s new slaves” demonstrated a one-sided view of the civil war in Sudan. The three crucial flaws in the article were Cameron Duodu’s failure to probe the role of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) in the alleged “slave trade” […]

Paul Kirk A week after Zulu chiefs met President Thabo Mbeki to ask for the proposed new changes in municipal demarcations to be put on hold, the King of the Pondos, Justice Mpondombini Sigcau, has called for “no changes” in the municipal demarcations in his area. Pondoland has seen exceptionally bloody faction fighting, and the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lagos | Thursday 9.00pm. NIGERIA confirmed their status as favourites to win the African Nations Cup with an impressive 2-0 triumph over Morocco on Thursday that sealed first place in Group D. Defeat proved particularly costly for Morocco as they were pipped for the second place in the knockout stages by Tunisia, who […]

One moment the African National Congress says it wants open and transparent government; the next it seems intent on preventing it. No sooner has the ruling party ushered constitutional Bills through Parliament designed to improve public access to information on government, than the ANC comes up with proposals for parliamentary question time whose effect would […]

Robert Kirby LOOSE CANNON For the next few hundred words I wish to dilate on the subject of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s new lavatory in the Union Buildings. It’s not that I have anything against Dlamini-Zuma having her own lavatory, it’s just the seemingly excessive cost of the whole exercise that begs a question or two. According […]

Mark Milner and Charlotte Denny Britain may be sceptical about the virtues of signing up for the euro but others, from Latin America to the Balkans, are falling over themselves to adopt someone else’s currency. Ecuador announced this week that it plans to replace the sucre with the dollar as the country’s legal tender. Australian […]

Philippa Garson CLASS STRUGGLE The decision by Minister of Education Kader Asmal to appoint an independent panel of educationists to review Curriculum 2005 is welcome news indeed. After so much speculation, confusion and controversy about the new curriculum and its bumpy implementation, a cool, collected look by a group of people who do not have […]

Barry Streek Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana is to announce details of a major investigation into South Africa’s labour laws after President Thabo Mbeki’s opening speech to Parliament on Friday. The inquiry, to be conducted by legal experts, is unlikely to entail significant changes to the labour legislation adopted by Parliament since 1994. Its main […]

THE Eastern Cape farmer who was positively diagnosed with the deadly and contagious Congo Fever died on Thursday night. The 51-year-old farmer, Francois Retief of Murraysburg in the Karoo, was described as very fit but in Port Elizabeth’s Provincial Hospital. Health authorities quarantined anyone, especially relatives, who had contact with Retief and they are monitored […]