ORLANDO Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs fans will be ale to flaunt their support in an unusual way when cellular company Vodacom introduces branded cellular packs specially tailored for fans of the two soccer giants. The packs will include a state-of-the-art cellphone with an interchangeable Pirates or Chiefs front panel and a prepaid cellular card and […]

South African soccer desperately needs a memorable encounter between Chiefs and Pirates to rescue its tarnished reputation, writes Andrew Muchineripi A classic league encounter between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on Saturday is not so much a wish as a necessity. South African soccer is ailing and desperately needs a blood transfusion. […]

Sue Williamson Obituary One of South Africa’s best known and most accessible and inventive ceramic artists, Bonnie Ntshalintshali, was lost to Aids this month, at the age of 32. In 1985 when Fee Halsted-Berning started a ceramic studio at Ardmore, a farm in the central Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal, Ntshalintshali became her first pupil, and then […]

Cameron Duodu LETTER FROM THE NORTH I remember an immigration officer at Jan Smuts airport once asking me, “Is Ghana in the Commonwealth?” “Yes,” I said. He waved me through. But a Nigerian, whose country was also in the Commonwealth, was held up for several minutes. When he finally emerged to join me in the […]

Heather Hogan Johannesburg police officer Lourentius Alberts appeared in court this week on charges of indecently assaulting a neighbour’s 11-year-old daughter. The girl’s mother said in her statement to the police: “I had some friends over for the afternoon and my daughter was playing outside. That evening I was standing washing dishes when she came […]

The Land Bank is set to play a more proactive role in the social welfare of farm workers, writes Scotch Tagwireyi The Land Bank, South Africa’s major agricultural financier, is offering rewards and incentives to farmers to encourage them to provide social services and engage in ethical labour practices. The initiative, known as Land Bank […]

THE R7,6-million defamation lawsuit brought against United Cricket Board managing director Ali Bacher by former Pakistani player Younis Ahmed was postponed indefinitely on Wednesday. etv news reported that Ahmed asked the Johannesburg High Court to postpone the case as he is not ready to proceed. He brought the lawsuit after Bacher faxed a document, apparently […]

Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Vista University is facing court action by a student for irregularities and unfair treatment. According to law student Magoshi Mamaila, officials at Vista’s Mamelodi campus unlawfully charge a R30 fee for student cards, although university regulations say students are supposed to be issued with them at no extra cost. Mamaila’s lawyer, […]

Marguerite Poland’s new novel is set in a boys’ school. She spoke to Jane Rosenthal Marguerite Poland looks like any ordinary white South African lift-club mum; elegantly but conservatively dressed, she is obliging and forthcoming and friendly. But those who are familiar with her novels will know that she does not flinch from the hard […]

Shaun Harris TAKING STOCK Well, it seems the niceties are over. Despite what Nedcor says about a “friendly” merger, its bid for control of Standard Bank Investment Corporation (Stanbic) has effectively turned hostile. Up to now, this has been the stuff of boardroom drama, a clash of banking titans that makes good copy in the […]