THE ARTS British novelist Kingsley Amis (73) Actor Jeremy Brett, the definitive Sherlock Novelist Bridgid Brophy (66) Science fiction author John Brunner (60), grandfather of cyberpunk, of a stroke Avant-garde jazz trumpeter and composer Don Cherry (58), of liver failure Actor Elisha Cook (91) — the trigger-happy kid in The Maltese Falcon Canadian author Robertson […]

Cabinet members are assessed only on their performance in government — not on their party leadership or conduct outside Parliament (ie barging into live TV studios is not taken into account). They are rated on a scale of one to 10. Ten means they should have the job for life; one means they should be […]

Etienne Mureinik, one of the 13 academics who accused Professor William Makgoba, draws some harsh lessons from the controversy of the year As the year draws to a close, it is perhaps time to step back from the detail of the Makgoba affair, and ask what larger lessons it can teach. Three stand out. The […]

In his profiles of the new South African elite, Mark Gevisser has found that race is still at the core of our national identity William Makgoba and Charles van Onselen. Looking through my profiles of the year, I was struck, over and over again, by their confrontation. Not simply because they are the prime antagonists […]

Chris McGreal The Rwanda war crimes tribunal has issued its first international arrest warrants for eight men accused of genocide and crimes against humanity during the organised extermination of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis last year. The chief prosecutor, South Africa’s Judge Richard Goldstone, declined to name the accused while their arrest is sought in […]

Vuyo Mvoko Tension between labour and the government broke into the open this week, culminating in a wave of wildcat strikes that hit three parastatals up for privatisation — Autonet, South African Airways, and Telkom. The South African Railways and Harbour Workers’ Union (Sarhwu), which organised the nationwide strikes on Wednesday, warned: “If they (the […]

Hazel Friedman “ORWELLIAN state interference,” claims Helen Suzman’s new liberal foundation of draft legislation proposing tighter control of South Africa’s NGO-sector — but many of the organisations who would be affected say the red alert is mostly a red herring. Formed to promote liberal democratic values, the Helen Suzman Foundation — due to be launched […]

Dear Walter, The great debate is upon us. Or at least it is upon me. It descended with great abruptness early in the morning a couple of days ago, when I tottered out of bed and, as is my habit, made my way to the bathroom and the adjoining place to reassure myself as to […]

The man accused of killing a trainee diplomat has been allowed to leave the country, writes David Beresford WEDDING bells were due to ring out for Roslyn Perkins this week. Instead she is nursing her grief in England and fuming at a demonstration of the apparent powerlessness of the powerful where the new South Africa […]

Justin Pearce When the Griqua people call for the return of Saartjie Baartman, they are seeking more than a load of human remains. Baartman’s body, preserved in French museums since she died in 1816, has become a symbol for the marginalisation of the Griquas from colonial times until the present day. The Griqua National Conference […]