Service providers, it appears, are taking management of our finances into their own hands by assuming that we are unable to make provisions for regular debit orders. This month two debit orders ran off our household account early. I noticed because they went off before pay day and as a result bounced.

Eskom’s countdown to catastrophe began in 2000 when it had enough coal stockpiled to last 61 days. Last month, when it shut down the country’s mines, the stockpiles were down to less than three days’ supply. A deliberate policy began in 2000 to reduce the coal stockpile to better manage operating costs.

I’ve never really been taken in by the whole “men in dresses, beard and Kalashnikov” combo. The same goes for the awe and fear the image inspires in certain quarters. Then again, I’m no Salman Rushdie. I’ve been known to don the occasional burqa — but only for festive purposes, and not on pain of death.

The debate about a proposed media appeal tribunal should not be reduced to a love and hate relationship between the media and politicians. Instead, it should continue to focus on the role of different societal actors, including the media, in defending their own and each others’ rights, writes Robert Nkuna.

As is customary on such nights, the main candidates vying for votes on Super Tuesday strode to their podiums in hotel ballrooms across the United States to interpret the night’s results for their adoring crowds. Such speeches are invariably billed as ”victory” speeches, despite the fact that only one candidate is truly entitled to the phrase.