Citytv’s Nick Taylor wants to see communities involved in regional stations, writes Neil Beerbaum Nick Taylor has a show in his mind which illustrates what regional television can be about: “There is a man in Guguletu who makes washing powder in his garage over the weekends. He believes it washes faster and whiter than other […]

Gaye Davis WHEN Idasa launched its national survey of parliamentarians, the reaction was immediate — and largely allergic. But, while some MPs and senators fumed and balked, others quietly set about filling in replies to the 161 questions. Those coming up trumps in the transparency stakes so far include such notables as Minister of Posts […]

Marion Edmunds RDP roleplayers in government met this week — without Jay Naidoo — to grapple with the realisation that the RDP is too much “pie-in-the-sky” and needs to be grounded in practical projects that promote economic Senior RDP officials, government leaders and technocrats met for three days in Cape Town to discuss ways to […]

Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris in The Mark Gevisser Profile This week, during Rosh Hashanah, two strange things happened to Rabbi Cyril Harris. They are not unconnected. On Tuesday morning at 6am he received a personal call from Nelson Mandela, wishing the Jewish People a Happy New Year (his awestruck maid had to explain to the […]

An innovative idea for small cinemas will bring the movies to the townships, writes Neil Bierbaum Ster-Moribo’s purchase this month of a 60-percent share in the Maxi Movies franchise operation has provided it with the growth it has been seeking among black audiences. Maxi Movies has a new concept for cinemas: a SuperVHS video system, […]

THEATRE: David Le Page REPRESENTING the agonies of a nation like Cambodia is a considerable challenge. It carries with it great responsibility, owed to the memory of the dead, but mostly to the living who must ensure that the 20th century’s dreadful pattern of mass annihilations does not continue into the next. Regretfully, it’s not […]

Jack Rampou The SABC is competing with new community radio stations by providing regional language services countrywide. But community stations say they are not threatened and can compete effectively. SABC radio has created extra services for specific language groups by using transmitter splits in the different regions. For example, since July 3, both Radio Zulu […]

Justin Pearce MARIA SEKATANE proudly points out the photograph on the wall of her tiny sitting-room in Meadowlands, Soweto. In the picture, her son Montsheng stands next to Chris Hani. Both are in MK camouflage gear, and the tropical vegetation in the background tells that the photo dates to the years of exile. These days, […]

A lack of regulation has allowed some training colleges to charge high fees for worthless qualifications, writes Jack Rampou LOOPHOLES in the training industry allow private colleges to charge high fees for courses that are not recognised as qualifications by most employers or the National Training Board. In the past, there were tax incentives for […]

Karen Harverson The power of advertising on television is uncontested but so far only big business can afford the medium. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is now offering small and medium enterprises the opportunity to buy airtime at reduced rates for six “We believe that the television exposure will boost their businesses sufficiently to […]