As we enter the third millennium, will the heavens open or will some nutter detonate an explosive device next to you? Charl Blignaut grapples with what the year 2000 means At the start of my research for this article, I eagerly typed the word “millennium” into a standard Internet search engine, hoping that it would […]

“Turning around a ship the size of the SAPS is a little bit like making love to an elephant: first of all … there’s very little pleasure in it, there’s every likelihood you could get crushed, and I know from my house doctor it takes years to see the result.” — Police CEO Meyer Kahn […]

The next generation: those who will be at the forefront of their fields in the years to come. In the first of what will hopefully become an annual Mail & Guardian feature, we have captured a snapshot of 100 people, groups and trends that will be leading the pack as South Africa heads for the […]

MONDAY, 3.30PM: SOUTH Africa drew their four-day Test match against Australia A at the Gabba on Monday. The visitors hit a second innings of 220 for seven declared, while Australia A finished at 122/1 in their second innings when the captains called a halt before the scheduled close. SA skipper Hansie Cronje said playing against […]

If 1997 will be remembered as the year in which broadcasting ruled media’s roost, then radio can crow loudest. Its revolution came in March when the Independent Broadcasting Authority dished out seven licences to the operators of new commercial radio stations: four in Gauteng, three in the Cape and a more recent licence in Durban. […]

TUESDAY, 12.30PM Deputy President Thabo Mbeki’s spokesman, Thami Nthentheni, may face culpable homicide and drunken driving charges after a woman died of burns and three others were critically injured in a highway road accident. Nthentheni’s car, a BMW, appears to have struck a Volkswagen Passat in Midrand, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, on Monday night. The […]

MONDAY, 5.00PM: ANGLO AMERICAN and De Beers announced further restructuring on Monday to make De Beers fully independent of Anglo American management structures, and to concentrate all Anglo-related diamond interests in De Beers. Dealers treated the announcement with some scepticism, saying that the restructuring contained no surprises and had been timed to divert attention from […]

South African music hit some highs and sank to some lows in 1997. Our reviewers do a round-up of the local music scene Maria McCloy Kwaito/D’gong Kwaito/d’gong fans know how to get down and go crazy on dance floors — and there were a few songs that reached national anthem status in clubs and at […]

HOLIDAY ROAD DEATHS TOP 414 The road death toll since the beginning of Christmas holdiays on December 1 had climbed to 414 by Monday morning, according to Arrive Alive. Although the figure is lower than for the corresponding period last year, it is expected to climb further, with most fatalities expected between Christmas and New […]