William Boot The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF)top three officials and the vice-president of the World Bank flew to Gabon last week to introduce 20 African leaders to a new initiative to make it easier for countries to escape the bonds of debt and grow their way out of want. Arriving in private jets at Libreville’s […]

Movie of the week It is rather strange to see Brad Pitt, who has a body immaculately toned down to the last sinew, scoffing at the male models in Gucci ads. Is the irony deliberate? In Fight Club it is often hard to tell. This is a film that derides consumerism, but it is made […]

We can only estimate, but we think the slaves may number 100E000. We have freed 20E000 so far. Some slave masters have hundreds of slaves – chattel slaves. They are kept like cattle. Others are kept in what the government euphemistically calls peace camps. International aid organisations are aware of these camps. They send food […]

The public protector’s report into former minerals and energy minister Penuell Maduna’s claim that the auditor general covered up the theft of R170-million of oil could turn into a classic text of how conspiracy theory is arrived at: find some “facts”, develop a thesis and then ignore anything that contradicts it. It is worth reminding […]

Steven Friedman Worm’s Eye View Politicians can – and should – pass laws extending our rights. But only citizens can – and should – ensure that we use them. For some, the four Bills struggling their way through Parliament signal an ambitious government attempt to create a new society. They deal with core issues such […]

Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt, is one of the most violent films ever made. It has shocked audiences, but director David Fincher feels misunderstood, writes Damon Wise There’s a scene in Fight Club where Tyler Durden, the evil genius played by Brad Pitt, is working as a projectionist in a downtown multiplex. He’s working frantically, […]

A NEW drug combination developed in London offers hope to chronic malaria sufferers who have built up immunity to existing treatments, researchers said. It may also prove an effective initial treatment for the mosquito-borne disease that kills up to three million people each year.

guard Paul Kirk KwaZulu-Natal women’s groups reacted with outrage this week when the wife of one of the premier’s bodyguards could not find a police officer willing to arrest her husband for violating a domestic violence interdict. Inspector Kenneth Ndlovu, one of Premier Lionel Mtshali’s bodyguards, appeared in court this week on charges of contravening […]

Matthew Krouse The fake stones that built Sun City, its intentionally haphazard forestry and its pretentious pools that look like ruins are part of the general lie it lives. Here, in the sad old North-West province – we’re supposed to pretend – a playful, lost African civilisation put down roots that can now be explored […]

Jack Schofield Science has finally solved the problem of the old shoebox in the cupboard under the stairs stuffed with half-forgotten photographs. Now you can put your prize snaps on the Web where friends and family will be able to look at them immediately, no matter where in the world they are. There are already […]