They wear Orange sashes, they go on Orange marches – and they’re based in Ghana. Chris McGreal meets the Protestants who don’t have a problem with Catholics Divine Fred Gregorio-de Souza – Most Worshipful Brother and former Grand Master – popped the question almost immediately after telling me to call him Fred. “Do you lean […]

radio David Shapshak In a South African Internet first, the United Cricket Board (UCB) is trying to prevent an online sports “radio” from broadcasting commentary of the country’s cricket Tests, even though no one else is currently doing it. The usual broadcaster, the SABC, did not run live commentary of the historic first Test against […]

By Peter Dickson The Eastern Cape Department of Health, its hospital care services threatened with financial collapse within five years by an overload of Aids patients and its budget facing over-expenditure of R225- million this year as it struggles with a near billion-rand shortfall, went public this week on plans to rationalise state hospitals and […]

Howard Barrell WHO IS … EMEKA ANYAOKU? Someone as convinced of his own gravity as he is of his sincerity is probably best suited to leading a pack of boy scouts or to another, similarly worthy cause. We could be forgiven for thinking such a man unlikely to be much good at politics. For, whereas […]

Bill Gates’s embattled Microsoft was highly praised on Thursday by none other than former president Nelson Mandela.

Khadija Magardie BODY LANGUAGE One of the funniest “girlie” scenes in a modern movie was in the 1992 hit comedy My Cousin Vinny. The movie revolves around mechanic-turned-lawyer who has to defend a relative accused of murder. In the now legendary scene, Marisa Tomei’s character, Mona Lisa Vito, is complaining to her boyfriend, Vinny (Joe […]

Much of government is hidden, with many officials inaccessible and unknown except to people within their own ministries and departments. Particularly because of the recent large turnover in the director generals of most departments, it has become even more difficult to establish which officials are influential. Many of these advisers have only been appointed since […]

Howard Barrell OVER A BARREL Are the South African working classes about to get the kind of leadership they need? Yes, if we are not being misled. For the signs are there that the leadership of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) may be giving up on bombast in favour of intelligent engagement […]

The Mail & Guardian apologises to its readers in the Northern Province who did not receive a copy of the November 5 to 11 edition of the newspaper. Unfortunately, the guide and driver of Allied Distibutors were involved in motor vehicle accident en route to Pietersburg, from where the M&G was to be distributed. The […]

Adrian Searle Aaargh! Tracey’s menstrual knickers. Not that I’ve got a problem with Tracey Emin’s undies as such, but it’s such a Tracey thing to put them on show at the Tate Gallery in London. Emin’s Bed is the first thing you see, right there in the centre of the gallery in her Turner prize […]