Communist youth and leaders appear sharply divided over the South African Communist Party’s weekend decision to establish a commission to inquire into the party’s electoral future. Communist League secretary general Buti Manamela insisted that there was consensus at the SACP’s special conference in Durban that the party would go it alone in elections, in opposition to its ANC ally.
Both the Democratic Alliance and the African National Congress believe they can benefit from the demise of the New National Party (NNP), but the electoral impact may be barely tangible — particularly for the opposition. The NNP decided last weekend to dissolve itself as soon as the results of local government elections are certified.
Ending the ‘haemorrhaging’ of Transnet and South African Airways (SAA) has been achieved, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin told members of Parliament on Friday. Speaking in his Budget vote, Erwin said: "I believe that we have achieved these objectives and are now moving beyond to greater efficiency."
There is, as Dorothy observed, no place like home. For South African rugby teams home means winning close games rather than losing them, enjoying the benefit of those 50/50 refereeing decisions and playing in front of crowds that do not believe you to be humourless, cultureless and clueless automatons. Last Saturday both the Stormers and the Bulls set out on a bold quest to reach the semifinals of the Super 12.
Grintek chief executive officer Shaun Liebenberg will take over from Victor Moche as CEO of Denel, the state-owned military equipment manufacturing company, from "the end of May", Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin announced on Friday.
Trade unions welcomed SA Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni’s announcement of a repo rate cut of 50 basis points on Thursday. ”The action of the MPC [Monetary Policy Committee] must be welcome and the governor congratulated,” National Union of Mineworkers secretary general Gwede Mantashe said in a statement.
A quarter of a century after independence, the Chimurenga — or freedom struggle — is still part of Zimbabwean life. President Robert Mugabe continues to make use of this heroic period in the young country’s history to lend legitimacy to his rule.
"I found myself asking, if I had been called up in the terrible 1980s, what would I have done?" This drew him to write <i>The Persistence of Memory</i>. Tony Eprile’s first novel deals with the experience of war veterans. He spoke to Anthony Egan.
The 11th South African Music Awards (Samas) take place this weekend with a colourful build-up, thanks to sponsor MTN and the usual attendant drama. It wouldn’t be the Samas without a few hiccups, writes Thebe Mabanga.
<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK: </b> The watchable and well-acted biopic, <i>Kinsey</i> refers to the life and times of the 1940s sexologist Alfred Kinsey who transformed the art of love into the science of sexuality. Peter Bradshaw reviews.