Lizeka Mda: CITY LIMITS Six o’clock in the evening and there is no parking space left in the Old Edwardian Sports Club in Lower Houghton. Cars overflow outside the club’s gates on to Fourth Street, all the way to 11th Avenue. These are the premises of the Old Edwardian Society, prime real estate in this […]

Robert McBride was allegedly investigating the highway heists when he was arrested in Mozambique this week. Wally Mbhele and Stefaans Br?mmer report Robert McBride, who was arrested in Mozambique this week for alleged gunrunning, was apparently on a special undercover mission to investigate supply routes feeding the highway heists. Senior African National Congress and government […]

Tony Twine A wise woman once told a class of students attending their first lecture on the subject that economics was nothing more than common sense made difficult. With the benefit of 25 years of hindsight, her students can now vouch for this rule, which has turned out to be far more immutable than the […]

Mukoni T Ratshitanga The African National Congress Youth League goes to its 20th national conference in Johannesburg next week amid fears that it is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the youth. Central to the criticisms levelled against the league is that it is only vocal on leadership matters within the ANC […]

Robert Kirby: Loose Cannon Gnaw on this dainty bone if you will. “The unfair labour practice provisions and provisions against dismissal for arbitrary reasons and unfair dismissal for incapacity should provide some protection.” Or what about this plum, in reply to the question: What is sexual harassment? “The imposition of unwanted conduct of a sexual […]

Angella Johnson No road signs mark the way to China Town. Unlike its wealthy neighbours which flaunt thatched-roof mansions to passing motorists, the impoverished township lies concealed behind a curtain of tall leafy trees. Also hidden in this dusty informal settlement – tucked between St Francis Bay and the Cape St Francis resort village in […]

Gwen Ansell: CD of the week Reedman and composer Henry Threadgill is a graduate of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Music, and his work with the bands Air and Very Very Circus married open arrangements and dense textures in a way which often subverted expectations – all-brass ensembles, no-bass ensembles, Jelly Roll Morton-meets-Ornette […]

The community of a mine was the environment for one of the SABC’s most memorable dramas ever, but it’s unlikely The Villagers will provide any reference point – bar its common setting – for the SABC3’s new homegrown, four-day weekly soap. The as-yet unnamed serial, which is pinned for the 6.30pm slot Mondays to Thursdays, […]

Andy Capostagno: Rugby We’ve had two weeks of the Super 12 now and we’ve learnt a few things. We’ve learnt that the Wellington Hurricanes are the best team in the tournament, and the Western Stormers are about the worst. We’ve learnt that rumours of a resurgence of the game in Australia are unfounded, and that […]

Njongonkulu Ndungane: UBUNTU A cardinal value to be cherished by all is the sanctity of life. This entails creating conditions that enable people to enjoy a fully human life. As God’s stewards we are responsible for harnessing the resources of the earth to enhance humanity’s well-being. It is in this light that we must engage […]