Andrew Muchineripi: Soccer His French accent was thicker than coarse-cut breakfast marmalade, but the message spelt out by new Bafana Bafana coach Philippe Troussier at his first media conference this week was crystal clear. The White Witchdoctor believed the national team had great potential and would not provide cannon fodder for Group C opponents France […]
Michael Nurok For top Kenyan runners the real competition is not international – it occurs at national level, where local runners are forced to compete against arguably the best distance runners in the world. A quick look at the International Amateur Athletics Federation World Cross Country Championship records shows Kenyan junior and senior men placing […]
Lynda Gledhill A recent study published in a medical journal suggests that DMF, the main chemical constituent of Virodene, may activate the HIV virus. South African medical experts who reviewed the article said it raises serious questions about Virodene and its potential affect on Aids patients. The study showed that several industrial solvents, including DMF […]
Richard Williams: Movie of the week When Wim Wenders points to the change in the nature of violence in the mainstream cinema, he is stating the obvious. He says he made The End of Violence to get us thinking about how explicitly gruesome sights that would have been unthinkable 10 years ago appear to be […]
In less than 14 days the IBA will award the coveted free-to-air TV licence, writes Ferial Haffajee Most of the seven television bid companies were on tenterhooks this week. Many have invested millions of rands in the bid that will attract millions more in foreign investment. No matter who wins, the spin-off from the new […]
Marion Edmunds Former Denel chief executive Johan Alberts walked away from the arms parastatal with a whopping R18-million in pension and restraint-of-trade payments, according to a senior government source. Minister of Public Enterprises Stella Sicgau is sitting on an explosive forensic audit that exposes how Alberts and other top managers at Denel paid themselves huge […]
Craig Bishop: National Festival of the Arts The astonishing art of two-tone singing is practised by just three cultures: Tibetans, Mongolians and by a small group of Xhosa-speakers in the Lady Frere district of the Eastern Cape. Lady Frere’s Ngqoko Choir practises a singing art so special that it has been recorded and studied by […]
Lower interest rates and a consumer-friendly budget are sure to put extra money into the pockets of consumers – which should bring smiles to the country’s retailers and value to their shares. While some of the bigger South African stores have had a difficult time in the last year with low levels of consumer spending […]
Krisjan Lemmer The management at the Dorsbult Bar had to send out for fresh supplies of sickbags this week, what with all the heaving going on among patrons over the Robert McBride story. Our old friend “Suiker” Britz rushed to Maputo and announced it was his considere d and unbiased opinion that the young diplomat […]
Andy CapostagnoCricket If this is the beginning of a new age, then it’s particularly appropriate that South Africa will go into the Newlands Test against opponents who are, in the best sense of the word, old fashioned. Sri Lanka may be the world champions in one-day cricket, b ut their approach to Test cricket, if […]