Bongani Siqoko When Makhaya Ntini led the South African national cricket team on to the pitch in New Zealand recently, black South Africans were filled with pride. People who could hardly tell the difference between a goalpost and a wicket were glued to their television sets to witness the lad from KwaMdingi near King William’s […]

Madeleine Wackernagel Taking Stock Funny how mere mention of the arms industry has the power to stop a conversation. It’s a classic case of guns versus butter (Economics One), and the divisions run deep. Should we be selling weapons at all? And who decides which country qualifies and on what criteria? So it was with […]

Neve Gordon in Indiana We had just left the headquarters of Arthur Andersen, a consulting and accounting firm that employs more than 50 000 people, as I said to my friend: “The proof is in the cubicle.” In 1996, short of space, Arthur Andersen had relocated to a nicer building in downtown Chicago. Many of […]

Belinda Beresford Banks want to train you to use virtual cash – electronic payments and cards – rather than banknotes and cheques. The carrots waved under customers’ noses include greater security and theoretical ease of use. The sticks include higher charges for those who insist on using the more traditional ways of paying. Cash-based transactions […]

images Henri Cartier-Bresson’s quick eye has made him the photographer of the century, writes Liz Jobey The slender figure loping between the shadows of the trees in the Tuileries Gardens is moving so rapidly – despite the stick – that he passes through them almost invisibly, just one more vertical black line flickering among the […]

Whichever way you look at it, the Africa Caf’s print ads are destined to get into people’s nose hairs.Art director Ivan Johnson and copywriter Kyle Cockerane had designs on the “politically incorrect and cheeky” with their series of ads. The ad which has raised the most hackles is one which reads: “We still serve white […]

John Aglionby in Jakarta The future of the Indonesian economy hung in the balance this week as President Suharto refused to adhere to conditions laid down by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Suharto is risking the termination of the IMF lending programme as he continues to draw fire from the institution for establishing a currency […]

Mukoni T Ratshitanga While political parties are busy grappling with programmes on racial equity, authorities in the NorthWest appear blissfully ignorant of the damage that could be caused by their failure to change the names of places. On the N14 highway outside the town of Coligny, a sign points the way to Kafferskraal, 12km away. […]

Njongonkulu Ndungane: Ubuntu We stand on the threshold of opportunities which range from building on the economic strength of a country that arguably has one of the most developed infrastructures in Africa, to the challenge of ensuring that our fledgling democracy works. But we also face many other hurdles. All the good intentions and wise […]

Mukoni T Ratshitanga and Wally Mbhele Former Brixton murder and robbery squad head Charlie Landman blew up his official vehicle in 1993 to create the false impression that he was being intimidated, the Pretoria High Court heard this week. But former Civil Co-operation Bureau operative Ferdi Barnard is facing the music alone for the blast, […]