Karen Harverson. More than 2 000 companies were liquidated in 1994 alone, resulting in thousands of employees not only losing their jobs but also losing out on unpaid salaries, accrued leave and various other benefits. When it comes to protecting the rights of employees of insolvent companies, South Africa’s laws lag far behind international norms. […]

Two new magazines — based on overseas products –are soon to be launched, Itumeleng oa Mahabane reports on their plans THE magazine industry has not only experienced a massive growth in pornography titles in the last few years, but has seen publishers revamping existing products, buying back old titles, introducing new titles or launching local […]

Stephanie Dippenaar NATIONAL Party cabinet ministers Pik Botha and Dawie de Villiers appear to be on a collision course over strip mining in the Northern Province’s environmentally sensitive Madimbo corridor. While the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs, for which Botha is the responsible minister, issued a prospecting permit to a diamond-mining company in May, […]

Best-dressed-man and choral singing competitions bring a glimpse of glamour into the lives of Jeppe’s migrant workers, writes JUSTIN PEARCE THE eastern end of Johannesburg’s central business district — the part between the escort agencies and the car-spares dealers — is not famous for its night life. Yet in the small hours of every Sunday […]

Reg Rumney The shape of new competition policy is becoming clearer. Trade & Industry Minister Trevor Manuel in a speech last week revealed some of the proposals soon to be circulated in a draft Bill. Among the main objectives, said Manuel, were that: * The linkages between firms, be they through vertical integration, horizontal collusion […]

THEATRE: David Le Page The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me represents a medium familiar to South Africans, and one that is oft- reviled: it is protest theatre. The issue is not race, it is gay rights, but the anger and rhetoric are familiar. Frequently the stage becomes a podium, and Robert Finlayson, the sole performer, […]

IT seems that on the question of transparency some MPs want to have their cake and eat it. They claim to be transparent, but want to dictate the terms. The National Party and IFP are opposing a full financial disclosure code for parliamentarians. The ANC and other parties have given notice they intend fighting the […]

THEATRE: David Le Page IN a world where dizzying entertainment media are evolving towards the even more dazzling prospects of on-line virtual reality, it’s tempting to pity the puppeteer. No matter what his or her skill, how, one is forced to wonder, could puppetry compete with the spectacle of such technological visions? The answer, in […]

Meshack Mabogoane When the African Bank went through its first major scam involving forex irregularities in 1988, the Reserve Bank seconded Jack Theron, an experienced banker from Trust Bank, to take over from then-chief executive Moses Maubane. Theron’s brief was to salvage the mess, then hand the reigns back to a black chief executive. Ironically […]