Lucy Hannan in Nairobi Surrounded by filth and terrorised by crime, residents of the suburb of Korogocho routinely refer to themselves as the “forgotten ones”. But even their misery could be ignored when a cholera epidemic took grip in Nairobi’s slums as a nurses’ strike entered its third week. Government hospitals have remained deserted since […]

Africa Marcellus Chuene writes a cautionary message to Pallo Jordan and the new elite I am responding to an article by Pallo Jordan that appeared in the Mail & Guardian of November 28 to December 4 1997 entitled “ANC must cultivate the new elite”. I am not opposed to the views of the minister about […]

Police display South Africa’s crime history in a museum that is brought to life by actors, writes Donald GMcNeil “Yaaaaaaaaa!” Bursting out of the darkness at the end of the corridor, the screaming man charged right into the crowd, his razor-sharp machete flashing above his head. People slammed back against the walls, screaming too. Captain […]

The Johannesburg mortuary is preparing for the holiday bodies of evidence, writes Emeka Nwandiko Dr Vernon Kemp has a face you would never forget. But chances are if you were to come into contact with him you would not see him because, most likely, you would be dead. The face of the director of the […]

Nicky Barker The government has unveiled an ambitious plan to develop the Lake St Lucia area on the northern KwaZulu-Natal coast as a major international tourist attraction. Minister of Environment Affairs and Tourism Pallo Jordan describes the project as “one of the biggest tourism investment initiatives the country has ever seen”. The announcement is a […]

Max Gebhardt It’s hard to believe Brian Gilbertson was once of the opinion that unbundling wasn’t in the best interests of Gencor. Especially if you consider that he has taken Gencor by the scruff of the neck and given it a well- deserved shake. The once massive industrial conglomerate is now nothing more than a […]

Stephen Gray : Unspoilt places `Madikwe!” said Oom Schalk Lourens, “yes, I know it. That’s what the Tswanas call our Marico River, because of its rusty colour – the River of Blood. But now with all this new community involvement, we don’t talk of all the bloodshed in those forgotten wars. It’s peace time now, […]

Janet Smith The hairiest fun lots of Johannesburg theatregoers had a couple of years ago was Doo Bee Boobies, the soft-core drag show with beautiful ankles that forced them to stand up and warble or be singled out for a one-liner slap in the face. Janice Honeyman says she still adores the show, would dig […]

Ruaridh Nicoll The Himba chief stared at the anthropologist who had just asked him to describe what he did. A moment passed before he answered: “I attend meetings and I make love to my three wives.” The Himba wander the vastness of Namibia’s skeleton coast. They drink milk, wear calf- skins, and style their hair […]