I am snowed-in in the United States, and although it is initially quite exciting, the novelty begins to fade as the implications begin to sink in.

Reports and interviews by Cameron Duodo In 1994 Christian Solidarity International officials discovered a booming slave trade in Sudan. Here they tell the stories of some of the slaves for whom they bought freedom Since 1995, an organisation based in Switzerland, called Christian Solidarity International (CSI), has spent $1-million redeeming 20 000 Dinka slaves, captured […]

Howard Barrell A small black economic elite has benefited most from the democratisation of South Africa over the past 10 years. While the black share of wages, salaries and other income in South Africa rose dramatically over the five years to 1996, almost all of this increase occurred among the top 10% of black earners, […]

Director Henion Han’s intimate documentary, A Letter to My Cousin in China, provides insight into life as second-class citizens under apartheid, writes Andrew Worsdale Henion Han’s production company is called Spook-asem, which gives you some indication of the mix of humour and spirituality which imbues his work. To catch part of Han’s intense, self- effacing […]

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 […]

DEMOCRATIC Party Chief Whip Douglas Gibson said on Friday that statements to the effect that the DP will support the draft Firearms Control Bill in its present form are unmandated and factually incorrect. It was reported earlier this week that the party had decided to support the legislation. Gibson said in a statement that the […]

Mail & Guardian reporter Get those stories out of your bottom drawer – or start writing now! The South African Internet literary journal, LitNet, which has been a notable success in Afrikaans and is now expanding into English, is running an online creative writing workshop and is calling for stories. WriteAgain, sponsored by Penguin publishers […]

Sharon Gill Choosing a healthy bottom line and attacting new members has seen medical schemes develop some innovative products in the past few years. “We really changed the rules of the game. We structured a wellness programme called Vitality, because if people lead a healthy lifestyle, it will lead to reduced healthcare costs,” says Neville […]

I read today Of a little girl Whose face was burned away. She cannot see, She cannot speak, Her hands are gone, She cannot eat. Unless someone helps her, She is alone. Her youthful mother Could not rescue the infant >From the flames of a shack fire. The pain, the shock, Was too much for […]

hard Scotch Tagwireyi South African universities are experiencing a dramatic fall in enrolment, with the viability of some campuses threatened by a drop of almost 30% in student intake between 1998 and 1999. Exceptions to this are the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town, both of which claim to have stable enrolment […]