ROB DAVIES, Johannesburg | Thursday 8.30pm. WESTERN Province under Bobby Skinstad will be hoping for a scorcher when they meet a fired-up Blue Bulls side in a vital Currie Cup match on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The Bulls are already assured of a spot in the semifinals, and the defending champs will need […]
Belinda Beresford Soon Christmas decorations will be out in the shopping malls heralding the advance of the festive season – and for many the much-needed end-of-year bonuses. But ignore retailers’ attempts to whip up the annual Christmas spending frenzy. The best present you can buy is for yourself: use any extra money to pay off […]
Chris Barrie The transformation of the television set from humble programme provider to multi- purpose information hub has continued with the announcement that the box will soon be able to make and receive your telephone calls. As if 200 channels of programming combined with interactive services such as shopping and gambling were not enough, development […]
The Congolese war is rehabilitating previously unpopular heads of state, while muddying the reputations of the popular and virtuous, writes Gregory Mthembu-Salter War in the Democratic Republic of Congo is having curious consequences. There are the unholy alliances, like Congolese President Laurent-Desir Kabila’s courting of the same Rwandan Hutu interahamwe militia that his troops helped […]
The `African renaissance’ will be a central pillar of Thabo Mbeki’s presidency, writes Ferial Haffajee `The rich king of Timbuktu … keeps a magnificent and well-furnished court … Here are great store of doctors, judges, priests and other learned men …” This was Moorish writer Leo Africanus writing in the 16th century and quoted by […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maseru | Friday 11.00pm. THE various political players in Lesotho have agreed that new elections will be held in 15 to 18 months, SA Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi said on Friday night. However a sticking point is whether or not Lesotho Prime Minister Pakhalitha Mosisili’s government should remain in power until […]
Alexander Chancellor REMIND ME WHO I AM, AGAIN by Linda Grant (Granta) It is told in this book how Frankie Vaughan, the handsome crooner once thought to be England’s answer to Frank Sinatra, came to acquire his surname. His real name was Francis Abelson, and he lived as a child with his sister, his mother […]
Andrew Muchineripi Soccer It is exactly 100 days since Shaun Bartlett converted a late penalty kick to earn Bafana Bafana a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia before departing the World Cup stage. The wind of Marseille, the heat of Toulouse and the tranquillity of Bordeaux are rapidly fading memories along with controversial French coach Philippe […]
Dan Jellinek Have you ever stayed up all night on the Internet? Do you live to go online? Is your partner threatening divorce? Internet addiction affects around one in 10 regular Internet users, reports what is claimed to be one of the most extensive reviews of the field. The paper, by Janet Morahan-Martin, psychology professor […]
Shaun de Waal THE NOVEL: LANGUAGE AND NARRATIVE FROM CERVANTES TO CALVINO by Andre Brink (UCT Press) Anthony Burgess warns us against anyone who inserts an apostrophe into the title of Finnegans Wake, so it is a bit worrying that this apparent lacuna gets filled no fewer than three times on a single page of […]