Bryan Rostron Returning home after many years, I have discovered a rudimentary litmus test for gauging how the political land lies. Mention the name Robert McBride. A litmus test, you will recall, produces simple either/or results. In this case: a hero or villain. The reaction seldom has anything to do with McBride. It’s like holding […]

Economists may need a crash rethink of the basic tenets of economic orthodoxy, writes Larry Elliot Another normal week for the global economy. Russia’s on the point of financial meltdown, the Chinese government is battling to stave off devaluation, bankruptcies are up 35% in Japan, stock markets are down almost everywhere, the biggest industrial merger […]

The level of government pension funding may be cause for concern, writes Mike Metelits The level of funding of government employee pensions, along with the method of paying for these obligations, may be distorting how foreign investors look at the level of indebtedness of South Africa, and thus how they rate our future prospects and […]

South Africans are embroiled in both sides of the war in Congo. Khareen Pech, William Boot and Ann Eveleth report South African mercenaries and private military companies swooped into strife-torn Central Africa this week to clinch deals and sharpen the Angolan-led military front in support of the embattled Congolese leader, Laurent Kabila. A Mail & […]

Marlene Burger The alleged plot to assassinate United Nations secretary general Dag Hammarskjld 37 years ago was the brainchild of at least two British security agencies – MI5 and the Special Operations Executive – and the CIA, top-secret documents show. For once, apartheid’s dirty tricks brigade appears to have been falsely accused of involvement in […]

Andy Capostagno Rugby There was a moment when it became clear that South Africa could win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It was the moment that Stephen Hilditch blew his whistle to signal the end of the match between Swansea and the Springboks on Saturday, November 5 1994; bonfire night. The final score was Swansea […]

disarray Howard Barrell Politicians from all major parties and some international relations experts are worried by what they see as disarray in South African foreign policy exposed by the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They believe the impasse is undermining the country’s interests in the region and could mar President Nelson Mandela’s hosting […]

Ferial Haffajee Tensions in the Midi TV consortium have come to a head because major shareholders vetoed an attempt by the board’s chair to secure a highly paid job at the station. Nomazizi Mtshotshisa has lobbied hard to become full-time executive chair, with an annual salary of over R400 000. Her efforts were shot down […]

Gavin Evans Boxing When you combine the words Namibia and sport, the only connection that springs to mind is Frankie Fredericks. There is, however, another young man – a close friend of the track star as it happens – who believes he’s on track to equal the achievements of his brilliant homeboy: Harry Simon. This […]

Ferial Haffajee The SABC board chair, Professor Paulus Zulu, may have acted unilaterally in sacking deputy chief executive Govin Reddy. Some board members sought a negotiated parting of the ways instead of the immediate termination of employment which Zulu penned in his July letter to Reddy. His action has exposed the SABC to a very […]