shock William Keegan According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS): “A general resurgence of inflation seems less likely than further disinflation or even deflation.” This may seem a dry, even unremarkable, assertion until you consider who made it. The BIS is one of the world’s most prestigious financial institutions, the “central bankers’ bank” based […]

THURSDAY, 11.30AM: THE government is scheduled to meet synthetic fuel producer Sasol this week, where it is expected to propose cutting its tariff protection in the synthetic fuel industry. Current low fuel prices have pushed the cost of maintaining the subsidies up to an astronomical R3-million a day. In terms of a formula agreed to […]

Adam Mars-Jones AN EQUAL MUSIC by Vikram Seth (Phoenix House) It was famously observed of Henry James that he sometimes bit off less than he could chew, but the accusation is an unexpected one to be directed at Vikram Seth. His first novel, after all, the monumental A Suitable Boy, was a feat of absorption […]

African skies Satellite systems are becoming increasingly accessible and useful, writes David le Page Satellite telephony is about to hit South Africa, or at least the wallets of those wealthy enough to afford it. Iridium has signed a non-exclusive agreement with MTN. Vodacom will be offering customers access to both the Globalstar and Iridium services, […]

Jonathan Ancer talks to some of the `seditious’ students who were blamed for the 1976 Soweto riots Twenty-three years after the June 16 Soweto uprising, the “seditious” students convicted of inciting the rebellion are influential members of the new South Africa they helped to create. There’s an MP, a Department of Foreign Affairs official, a […]

Charlene Smith President Thabo Mbeki is expected to provide an outline of his new government’s economic policy, and proposals for the implementation of an “African renaissance”, at next weekend’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Durban. The forum, according to briefing papers issued to delegates, is predicting a more flexible stance on inflation under Mbeki, more […]

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 […]

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 […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer Bafana Bafana fly to Luanda on Saturday with about as much relish as turkeys welcome December. I warned last week that the pride of our nation were tired and the evidence was there for all to see at Soccer City in midweek. Perhaps the sole consolation for a squad that will lack […]

George Kimball Golf The mythical designation – “Best Golfer Never to have Won a Major” – is less a title than a lifetime achievement award earned through years of exemplary frustration. It is one of those dubious honours to which nobody exactly aspires and, once won, can be shed in one of two ways, one […]