Mduduzi ka Harvey CRACKS are starting to show in the fragile East Rand peace as tensions grow between Thokoza residents, self-defence unit members and the newly formed Reservist Unit because of allegations that some reservists are undisciplined, trigger happy, out of control and unaccountable to the police. The unit, which was formed before the elections, […]

GOLF: Jon Swift THERE was something like an aura of invincibility about the way Ernie Els strode to victory in the Bell’s Cup at Fancourt last weekend. It is the same invisible — yet recognisable — mantle of power which used to surround Gary Player on the South African circuit. Player, like Els, got his […]

THEATRE: Neville Josie A LARGE, rubbery balloon hovers over the performance space. It could be construed as a safe sex metaphor, if you’re into that kind of thing. Given the repressive times in which he lived, William Shakespeare was circumspect about most things, but not about sex. Take A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Plunging into his […]

TELEVISION: Stanley Peskin ONE thing that every foreigner knows about the English is that Englishwomen write the best detective stories of all. Now it can unequivocally be stated that an Englishwoman called Jennifer Saunders has written and performed in the funniest comedy series that has appeared on television monitors in years. Absolutely Fabulous is just […]

The KwaZulu/Natal government is under severe strain, with tensions between IFP and ANC leaders reflected on the ground in the rising death toll. Farouk Chothia reports THE climbing death toll in kwaZulu/Natal comes against the backdrop of severe tensions in the provincial government between the Inkatha Freedom Party and ANC leaderships. The Human Rights Committee […]

Two community projects received only a fraction of aid money handed to Dr Allan Boesak’s foundation, reports Justin Pearce THE Weekly Mail & Guardian has uncovered two incidents where only a fraction of donor money given to Dr Allan Boesak’s Foundation for Peace and Justice (FPJ) appear to have reached the communities for which they […]

Native tongue Bafana Khumalo IT’S gone. It’s no more. The doors are boarded up and all the windows covered by huge steel shutters. There is silence. This is a sad day for me and I hope that my sadness makes me human in your eyes. The source of my sorrow is the demise of a […]

Critical Comsumer Pat Sidley AN old gag asks why dogs lick themselves. The answer: “So they can get rid of the taste of Epol.” This month, Weekly Mail & Gardian pet lovers may have noticed a lot of dog- licking. Epol Tender Chunks, a product which is cereal-based and beef-flavoured, has appeared in several packets […]

Principals were just as confused as parents and pupils when school started this week. By Pat Sidley and Nombuyiselo Moloyi GAUTENG’S MEC for education, Mary Metcalfe, may find it tougher than her anti-discrimination rules make it look to iron out all the allegations of racism lodged by parents of children starting school this week. Her […]

Mercenaries battling a humble community tied up by someone else’s law Justin Pearce reports A LOCKED chain and two pistol-packing security guards ensure that you can’t drive a car into the Hoek van de Berg private nature reserve near Hawston. Police Casspirs, however, pass freely, stirring up the dune sand and pushing aside the dense […]