Johnny Masilela In the remote village of Stinkwater, north of Pretoria, last Sunday, North West Education MEC Zacharia Tolo had a happy experience when he accepted an invitation from the community to talk about their schools. Instead of the usual moans and venom targeted at the government, the citizens of Stinkwater wished to convey to […]

Zimbabweans have come to learn that mass action counts for more than policy. Iden Wetherell reports Zimbabwe’s beleaguered government this week responded to the crisis engulfing it by a familiar mix of bravado and brute force. But the steps it has belatedly taken only serve to expose a pattern of misrule where populist impulses substitute […]

The 100-year-old Pretoria News is still learning new tricks. Janet Smith reports Gauteng Newspapers managing director Deon du Plessis, editor of The Star Peter Sullivan, the late editor of The Sunday Times Tertius Myburgh, Reuters’ Africa desk chief Lesley Wroughton and former press photographer of the year Nicky de Blois all have one thing in […]

Inga Latham : In your ear What fresh aural hell is this? Subjected on Cape Talk to talk show host Sister and comedian Mark Banks’s infantile derision of callers, I began to question my conversion to talk radio. To the best of my knowledge the imperatives of talk radio are to inform and to discuss, […]

Mungo Soggot The Department of Justice is targeting prosecutors and other justice officials who quit for private practice during trials and are then rehired in the same capacity for the same trials at far more expensive private-sector rates. In a nationwide circular, the department has threatened already overstretched attorneys general that they could have to […]

THURSDAY, 4.00PM: SRI Lankan leg spinner Upul Chandana took four wickets in an innings that saw Zimbabwe dismissed for 207 in the first of three one-day internationals in Colombo on Thursday. Guy Whittal was Zimbabwe’s top-scorer, with 52 off 70 balls, doubtless a relief after they had managed just seven runs for the first two […]

THURSDAY, 10.30AM INDEPENDENT Harmony gold mines, formerly in the Randgold stable, posted an R800 000 profit in the final quarter of 1997 from a third-quarter loss of R37,2-million. The company achieved the profit despite large-scale restructuring, retrenchments, strikes and a devastating fire. MD Bernard Swanepoel said the worst is behind the company and that its […]

WEDNESDAY, 5.15PM: WAYNE FERREIRA’s hopes of making it to the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne were dashed on Wednesday when he lost to men’s fourth seed Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden in the second round. Bjorkman was two sets and a break down to Ferreira, but performed a courageous comeback to pull through to […]

WEDNESDAY, 12.15PM: JOHANNESBURG Consolidated Investments’ embattled gold division on Tuesday announced a surprise increase in profits in the final quarter of last year. Gold division head Brett Kebble said the gold team “will not lie down and die”, and added that JCI and its gold division will remain intact. The gold division increased profits last […]

WEDNESDAY, 8.30AM SUSPENDED Transnet executive director Joe Ndhlela was sacked on Tuesday at a board meeting which described him as guilty of acts of “gross misconduct” — including bugging his secretary’s phone. Ndhlela was suspended on full pay in September last year amid allegations that he hired a security firm to spy on other executives, […]