V Roger Prabasarkar : Cricket Despite two wonderful victories against Pakistan and the West Indies on Monday and Tuesday, South Africa still had not made certain of a place in the final of the quadrangular one-day tournament, Hansie Cronje’s assertion to the contrary at the post-match prize giving function notwithstanding. With so many accidents befalling […]

Matthew Engel reports on the troubled heart of Kenya, once Africa’s greatest hope, now with its social fabric crumbling and an election due before the end of the year It is half way through the equatorial afternoon. In the wood-panelled parliamentary chamber, a grey-haired African in a dark suit gets to his feet on the […]

David Beresford The adage that it is possible to lead a horse to water, but difficult to make it drink is proving well-founded where the business community is concerned as it approaches its “moment of truth” before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Corporate South Africa faces three days of hearings before the commission next week, […]

Johnny Masilela Chief Lucas Mangope’s political comeback has been smacked by a stream of high-profile defections from his United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP) – among them his own sister. It has also emerged that Roelf Meyer’s and Bantu Holomisa’s United Democratic Movement (UDM) is the main beneficiary of Mangope’s losses. Celia Ditsetelo, Mangope’s younger sister […]

Marion Edmunds The Department of Defence wants to cut the army’s crucial crime-fighting activities, claiming its thinning resources should be concentrated on reshaping the defence force. Officials say the military cannot sustain its support for the police – which costs it around R1,2-billion a year – and its funds should be spent instead on strengthening […]

Andrew Tylecote The developing countries of East Asia, led by China, have been the locomotive of the world economy this decade. An enormous inflow of capital has allowed them to run large current account deficits. This has done a great deal to boost demand in the West. Any such capital inflow depends on confidence that […]

Bongani Siqoko : Boxing The Beast will be back to his best. That’s the promise as Vuyani Bungu prepares to defend his International Boxing Federation junior featherweight title against Arnel Barotillo at the Carousel on November 15. Golden Gloves Boxing Promotions publicist Terry Pettifer said fans can expect a different Bungu. “People have been complaining […]

THURSDAY, 9.00PM: THE National Assembly has approved the controversial employment Bill after almost a year of controversy, by 228 votes to 78. Inkatha and the Pan Africanist Congress joined the ANC in supporting the bill, opposed by the other parties. Cosatu has raised objections that its 49 proposed amendments to the bill, agreed to with […]

Robert Kirby : Loose Cannon I adopt as the subject for my sermon this week the recent decision by the Western Cape’s leading prophet, Hernus Kriel. Kriel has announced that as far as he’s concerned, the democratically imbued people of the Western Cape have every right to express their opinions on whether or not the […]