Phillip Kakaza Rock In black jeans and fuzzy T-shirts, four- piece band Metal Orizon could easily be mistaken for an Afro-pop band. Yet even before you see them perform, the name Metal Orizon gives you a clue as to what these funky Tswana dudes are up to. Unusually for black people, they are into heavy […]
Wally Mbhele The Mozambican judge handling the case of detained foreign affairs official Robert McBride has been threatened by people he believes to be South African agents who have ordered him to nail McBride or “otherwise you’ll be in trouble”. A reliable source has informed the Mail & Guardian that Judge Carlos Caetano, who has […]
Wonder Hlongwa The Ministry of Defence is facing a lawsuit after matric pupil Sibongiseni Zondi (19) died, allegedly as a result of being tortured by soldiers patrolling the conflict-ridden Dalton area in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Witnesses say Zondi was called by the soldiers to explain a hand gesture he made to a passing army Casspir. […]
Princess Anne had some. So did the pope. And so did the king and queen of Spain. Mate de coca, that is, or coca tea. It is recommended for anyone arriving at the high altitude of La Paz, the capital of Bolivia in South America. The tea is credited with warding off the side effects […]
Adam Habib: CROSSFIRE There have been a number of innovative and controversial contributions in this column and other sections of the Mail & Guardian about our failure to develop a people- centered democratic transition. First we had John Pilger’s analysis indicting the African National Congress government for taking care of the “haves” and forgetting the […]
Andy Duffy Students and workers at the University of the North (Turfloop) have staged a remarkable coup, barring their academics and management from any role in the appointment of the university’s new vice-chancellor. Professor Njabulo Ndebele’s five-year tenure expires at the end of this month. A shortlist was presented as a done deal to the […]
After Jackie Brown and Get Shorty he’s hot in Hollywood and hailed as a literary genius by writers like Amis and Bellow. But few realise that the king of crime fiction thinks most filmed versions of his novels have been junk. Lawrence Donegan reports In the Squad Seven room at 1300 Beaubein beats the dark […]
code Nick Hopkins and Keith Devlin When The Bible Code was published, even the most grudging cynics had to admit something astonishing was afoot. The book claimed to have discovered hidden messages within the scriptures which predicted major events in world history. References to World War II, the Gulf conflict, the assassination of John F […]
Lizeka Mda Luvundu Junior Secondary School looks very familiar. After about 8km of gravel road out of Willowvale, I drive around the bend and there are the two characterless cream- coloured blocks of classrooms, joined by a shorter one for the staff room and principal’s office to make a U-shape. A new block of five […]
Sechaba ka’Nkosi The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has warned there could be more disruptions in education if the ministry does not review some of its policies. This week, barely hours after the union claimed its most important victory since its inception eight years ago, Sadtu officials said there could be further strikes to […]