Friday night :Xoli Norman There is something unrelentingly inviting about the Newtown art and entertainment scene, especially on Fridays. The sparsely peopled district brings on a dense nostalgia evocative of the good old days of a vibrant Market Theatre precinct. Today the place retains an edgy vibe, but for different reasons. What people fight for […]

Kwaito superstar Oupa Makhendlas Mafokate died in a confusing drama of gunshots. Zwelithini ka Mvelase looks at Makhendlas as a township thesis of his generation – the wasted, young, black and talented A Nile of tears threatens to storm out of my tear sacks – eyes weighed down by grief and too red to hold […]

Peter Makurube It has taken a long time but at last the real heroes of South African jazz are being honoured. The Untold Story, a show held in memory of jazz greats of an era gone by, is part of the ongoing African Renaissance series. Soloists will interpret the works of icons like Dudu Pukwana, […]

Giulio Biccari started out in the movie business tearing tickets. These days he captures some of the most startling images in South African film. Andrew Worsdale reports You saw Zola Maseko’s The Life and Times of Sara Baartman on TV a couple of weeks ago, but do you know who gave you its luscious images? […]

Jonathan Romney on Velvet Goldmine, the film about a time when men were men – who borrowed their sisters’ mascara They’re so swishy in their satin and tat … Somewhere in the crowd there may even be the odd frock coat or bippety-boppety hat that David Bowie referred to. Boys and girls stand around looking […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Friday 1.30pm. THOUSANDS of people from across Africa are streaming to South Africa seeking refugee status, most of them under false pretences, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said in Parliament on Thursday. Speaking during debate on a new Refugees Bill that will bring the country’s laws dealing with refugees […]

Mike Cadman The long, hot and sandy track that runs from Maun to Kasane across some of Botswana’s best wildlife country is rapidly becoming one of Africa’s most popular overland trips. Youngsters from New Jersey, retired couples from Bavaria, backpackers from Holland and a seemingly endless flow of other tourists lured by the twin attractions […]

Maureen Barnes Down the tube One of the advantages of being a TV critic is being able to watch television at odd times and since Oprah left SABC3, I’ve been tuning in at 5pm. I rather liked the Canadian series, Side Effects, set in an urban clinic, but that ended after a couple of weeks […]

the racing world An often dogged and sometimes disheartening slog from the ranks of the Formula One has paid off for 1998 world champion Mika Hakkinen. Alan Henry reports Mika Hakkinen of Finland clinched the 1998 Formula One world championship with a flawless flag-to-flag victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, a success which also gave […]