We evaluate the peformances of South Africa’s ministers over the past year Keeping score: What the marks mean A –Brilliant. On top of the job, innovative, delivering. Vote yourself a salary increase. B — Very good. Could do better. C — Average. Needs quite a lot of brushing up. D — Mediocre. Not up to […]

Emanuel Shaw II may be the king of sleaze, but South Africa is not without its own homegrown sleazeballs, writes Mungo Soggot While discussing Liberian politician Emanuel Shaw II’s spectacularly corrupt track record in the West African country, a Liberian journalist based in Washington told the Mail & Guardian last month: “You must watch out. […]

The powerful showing of former Mass Democratic Movement activists at last week’s elections for the African National Congress executive demonstrated just how keen the movement’s rank-and-file members were to ensure a balance of forces in their leadership. The “populists” — who dominated the top 10 rankings in Bloemfontein three years ago — suffered a severe […]

The Electronic Mail & Guardian, the daily online sister to the print edition, won a Loerie design award for best Internet news site, beating almost 100 rivals. eM&G editor Irwin Manoim became the first journalist in the history of the Loeries to win the advertising industry’s most prestigious award. Antjie Krog was the joint recipient […]

extinction William Makgoba Comment Eighty-five years of struggle, pain and experience have weaved a solid movement whose traditions, values and culture are unparalleled and rooted within the grassroots. The African National Congress as both a liberation movement and political party has refined its own complexity with African simplicity to produce a transformation machinery whose vision […]

Local kids are into fashion, music — and are as racially divided as ever, writes Maria McCloy The 1999 election is nearly here, and someone had better start figuring out a way to get into the hearts and minds of young South Africans, because it’s estimated that by 2000 the under-25s will form the majority […]

Aladdin’s lamp could solve some things for Trevor Manuel, but economics being what it is, more problems would arise, writes Madeleine Wackernagel Forget the whiskey (in this case, a bottle of Klipdrift would be first choice), socks and ties. What Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel would like in his Christmas stocking is a well-oiled, working […]

Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer South Africa realised the dream of every football nation this year by reaching the World Cup finals for the first time, but a key figure behind the success will not be in France come June 1998. Clive Barker resigned as national coach last weekend following a disastrous showing by Bafana Bafana […]

TUESDAY, 5.30PM: FESTIVE cheer seemed to help recharge the JSE on Tuesday, where the gold index climbed another 19,2 points to 810,9 thanks to the advancing international bullion price. Gold shares have climbed 45,3 points since Friday’s close. The gold price reached $292,55 in London, with some dealers predicting that it could reach $300 before […]

The fat jokes are flying at the moment, but tubby or not Shane Warne remains capable of destroying South Africa’s hopes of a Test series victory in Australia. Robert Winder reports The first thing you notice about Shane Warne, Australia’s celebrated leg-spinner, is that he looks like a bleached koala bear. Chubby, round shouldered and […]