Andrew Worsdale The Siege was the number-one box office hit in South Africa this week and has grossed R1 979 136. But many Muslim organisations would like the movie banned. Director Edward Zwick’s thriller has been causing controversy around the world. The film revolves around an FBI agent attempting to root out an Arab-American “terrorist” […]
Chiara Carter Concern about the National Party’s decline in voter support has led to several senior party members mooting the possibility of unseating their leader, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, before the elections. While no clear contenders have emerged, there are several factions jostling for power in the party and a strong drive for a change in […]
Andy Capostagno Cricket And so it’s 4-0 and pretty soon now, highveld summer weather permitting, it will be 5-0. We have already run out of excuses for the poor performances of the West Indies and gone through adjectives with which to describe them. About the only thing we haven’t done is to take a serious […]
Emma Forrest First Person Among the strangest remakes in recent years is Cruel Intentions, a teen reworking of Dangerous Liaisons. Just what the world needs: a just-17 version of one of the great pieces of Western literature. It seems like a pathetic concept, the point being that you simply don’t play those sort of cynical, […]
Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Most state schools will not have textbooks when they open their gates next week, despite promises from the Department of Education and President Nelson Mandela that delivery would be on track this year. Five provinces approached by the Mail & Guardian said grades one, two and 12 will receive their books […]
Friday night: Alex Sudheim The water in the bath has turned cold, clammy and grey. I’m blissfully asleep when violent explosions rip through the silent night. In an instant I’m on my feet, skidding dangerously in the slimy tub and sending swampy waves slopping over the edge. Clinging to the towel rail, I peer out […]
Angella Johnson: VIEW FROM A BROAD There are many clubs for travellers. There’s the mile-high club, that exclusive group of people who have copulated 10 000m above ground. Then there are numerous frequent-flyer clubs. Well, I’ve just joined what should be called the deportation club. It was not by choice and certainly does not have […]
Guy Preston Right of Reply In your end-of-year assessment of the performance of Cabinet ministers during 1998, you referred to Kader Asmal’s Working for Water programme as being “on track”. However, you add the programme “is criticised for providing short-term, not enduring, solutions”. This comment indicates a fairly common failure to understand the developmental nature […]
Encarta or Britannica?The encyclopaedia giants on CD-Rom go head-to-head. Roger Plant adjudicates Britannica seems a synonym for encyclopaedias, carrying that authority which a market leader can command long after it ceases to be earned. Until a few years ago, many conscientious families might still have considered investing in its 32 volumes. Yet by 1996, sales […]
Cameron Duodu: LETTER FROM THE NORTH In its January 6 issue, The Washington Post reported: “United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has obtained what he regards as convincing evidence that UN arms inspectors helped collect eavesdropping intelligence used in United States efforts to undermine the Iraqi regime, according to confidants who said he is deeply […]