John Grobler The South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo) leadership is expected to propose amending the Namibian Constitution this month to give President Sam Nujoma a third term of office. The Constitution restricts the president to two terms, but at the Swapo extraordinary congress, set to take place at the end of August, party stalwarts […]

Looking at Ralph Steadman’s caustic caricatures you’d be forgiven for thinking that he is one of the world’s angriest men But, deep down, he tells Sally Vincent, that’s all because he’s only really angry with one thing: himself. Something terrible has happened. The air is full of inaudible squeaks of post-holocaust bats’ ghosts. I had […]

Ferial Haffajee Membership of The Network is coveted. It’s the hottest club in town and counts the country’s leading business, intellectual and political talents in its midst. The Network has reportedly come out of the closet, partying last week to celebrate the appointment of Tito Mboweni as Reserve Bank governor-designate. It was as much a […]

Richmond There tends to be a false assumption that firm or tough government is conservative government and, as such, inimical to the liberal principles enshrined in our Bill of Rights. For that reason, perhaps, those who take pride in the foundations of the new South Africa contained in our Constitution would see a declaration of […]

Richard Hall Joseph Conrad described one of his villains as a “papier-mch Mephistopheles”. That was the image of Tiny Rowland, who has died aged 80. His secretive nature and mocking smile seemed to fit perfectly with Edward Heath’s descriptive tag: “An unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism”. Despite his Old Etonian airs, Rowland was born […]

Geoffrey V Davis The death of Matsemela Manaka last Saturday deprives the South African theatre community of one of its foremost practitioners at a tragically early age. His many friends and collaborators overseas will join in mourning the loss of an artist whose remarkable career was distinguished by a delight in experimentation and innovation fuelled […]

Chris Gordon in Luanda and Howard Barrell in Cape Town Angola’s return to arms, which appeared inevitable this week, could spill into neighbouring territories and destabilise the entire Southern African region. In the line of fire are Zambia, which the Unita rebel movement continues to use as a rear supply base and which is bracing […]

Anne Holmes went on an unusual trip to get books to deprived rural schools in KwaZulu- Natal Red mud churned madly on a remote hillside in KwaZulu-Natal. Men shouted instructions at each other, and passing schoolgirls shrieked and giggled at the unusual spectacle. It was certainly not your typical rural scenario. A dilapidated minibus bogged […]

Jeremy Dowson : Venues in Cape Town On paper, the Drum Caf certainly has a whole lot going for it. Established six months ago as a bar-cum-caf that provides a forum for percussion lessons and performances, the venue would seem to be riding the storm of the pre-millennial cultural zeitgeist – the one which dictates […]