IN BRIEF ILLEGAL ALIENS ‘EASY ARRESTS’ POLICE figures released on Wednesday show that despite the fact that a third of all suspects arrested in Johannesburg in May were illegal aliens, only a tiny proportion of illegals were held on suspicion of committing a crime. Of the illegal immigrants held in Johannesburg, those arrested for armed […]

Howard Barrell Foreign policy experts are cautioning President Thabo Mbeki against committing South African forces to peacekeeping efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo which could result in troops being bogged down there. South Africa has been coming under increasing pressure from other African countries to play a bigger role in Congo peace efforts. The […]

Over the years I have often been a fierce critic of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), its administration and its method of operation. But I have to say that the concept underlying Strate (the acronym from share transactions totally electronic) and the way it is being introduced deserves unflinching support. Properly developed, Strate will ensure […]

In India, dams have displaced at least 33- million people from their homes. Arundhati Roy on the secret history of delusion and disillusion and, now, the fightback I stood on a hill and laughed out loud. I had crossed the Narmada by boat from Jalsindhi and climbed the headland on the opposite bank from where […]

Shaun de Waal Not quite movie of the week British director Stephen Frears has often taken a notable interest in the particularities and peculiarities of human relationships, and his best films explore them from a number of angles and in different milieux. His 1986 feature My Beautiful Laundrette posited a gay love affair between a […]

There’s the pink pound and the pink dollar, but do we have a rose-tinted rand to go with them? Mike Metelits looks into gay buying power Pink money is either common enough to be a stereotype, or stereotypical enough that we think it’s common. It is the perception that gays make, have, invest and spend […]

Our 24-hour Internet news site, the Daily Mail & Guardian, is the largest online news publication in the country – by a substantial margin. Industry figures released this week rate DM&G twice as popular as the Financial Mail, its closest competitor in the publishing category. The Audit Bureau for Internet Statistics (Abis), part of the […]

Old and new, black and white, they all marched to Pretoria to witness the new chief ascending his throne. John Matshikiza was also there Thank goodness the African National Congress, since the Oliver Tambo days, has elevated (or demoted) everyone to the level of “chief”. “Howzit, chief?” “Fine thanks, chief.” “Chief, what time are we […]

FORMER Mpumalanga environment MEC Luckson Mathebula appeared with two co-accused in Bushbuckridge’s Mhala Regional Court on Friday, following his arrest for allegedly masterminding the murder of his estranged wife. Mathebula appeared with his girlfriend and a 34-year-old man. Police say they will oppose any bail application by the accused. Mathebula’s wife Aletta Rose Mnisi was […]

Mail & Guardian reporters Kader Asmal (Education):Had remarkable success as minister of water affairs and forestry, despite the onset of enervating illness. Intelligent and hard working, he was a distinguished legal academic before returning from 27 years in exile. He was placed at number four on the African National Congress’s national election list, showing that […]