But health inspectors remain watchful, writes Wonder Hlongwa Durban health authorities are concerned about traditional healers’ hospitals which are springing up in the city and may not conform to health regulations. At the corner of Brand and Moore roads in Durban is a two-storey building belonging to Judas Milazi, a traditional healer who operates a […]

to our cousins Scientist George Schaller wrote of gorillas: “The eyes have a language of their own – being subtle and of emotion that in no other visible way affects the expressions of the animal. I could see hesitation and uneasiness, curiosity and boldness and annoyance.” He believed it was impossible to observe other species, […]

cost housing? Mail & Guardian reporters The first official figures for new housing for the poor show a massive gulf between the government’s boasts to the electorate and the reality for South Africa’s homeless. The information, which the Department of Housing has so far kept under wraps, shows that fewer than 200 000 low-cost houses […]

Wally Mbhele Former minister of law and order Adriaan Vlok will be called to testify before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s amnesty hearing of 10 security policemen who claim they are responsible for the chilling murder of prominent anti-apartheid activist Stanza Bopape. TRC sources this week could not confirm if Judge Louis Harms – who […]

debate Comment The recent media hype around human cloning illustrates, starkly, why South Africa needs a year of science and technology to promote public understanding of the subject. The human cloning reports rival the Virodene “miracle cure” debacle – once again we have a media that fundamentally misunderstands the subject it is reporting on, but, […]

Bongani Siqoko There was a time when all the Letlake twins knew about squash was that it was a flavoured drink mixed with water. Now they have become national stars in the game. James and Jonathan Letlake, from Chiawelo in Soweto, have been playing for more than 10 years, winning many trophies and medals. They […]

Nicholas Fraser: Down the tube Oprah Winfrey is Chicago’s sustaining local deity, a queen of popular consciousness whose every alteration of size or mood is avidly followed. Green signs direct proud bus drivers under the E1 to the Harpo (“it’s her name spelled backwards”) studios. You enter a marble and cream lobby, traverse a human […]

Wally Mbhele There is a distinct sense of urgency in the office of the African National Congress’s “chief executive”, secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe. With less than 15 months before next year’s general election, Motlanthe knows a difficult task lies ahead. He has to ensure the ANC scores a decisive victory at the polls on behalf […]

Anton Harber: Crossfire George Lai Thom was South African open and welterweight judo champion in 1965. The Sunday Times wrote that “Mr Thom is said to have done more to further judo in the republic than any other man.” He had won a title every year since 1962 and, at 24, was described as the […]

Suzy Bell Allegations have surfaced that the newly appointed deputy director general in the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Musa Xulu, has given false testimony and participated in a fraudulent substitution of documents in an attempt to prove a case of misconduct against a former colleague and teacher. Jeff Robinson, who has taught […]