”Stellenbosch stands for an idea.” This was the popular intellectual war cry the old Afrikaner Nationalists used to influence and mobilise (rather, immobilise) Afrikanerdom of yore. But the Stellenbosch University of the 21st century stands for a new idea: of being an agent of change, a transformer in co-creating the country all South Africans deserve to live in. It was almost a case of ”too little, too late”.

This week’s revelation that senior African National Congress members may have bagged the lucrative foreign-owned stake in Telkom could uncork a debate on empowerment which is simmering in the ruling party. The consortium is led by Andile Ngcaba, the former director general of communications and a powerful ANC personality; Smuts Ngonyama, the party spokesperson and national executive committee member; and businesswoman Gloria Serobe.

Telkom has denied allegations that it embarked on a share buy-back programme early this year to artificially boost its share price and secure a cushioned exit for its strategic equity partner, Thintana. This week questions were asked in Parliament about Telkom ”ramping” its share price, following the spectacular surge in the utility’s share value over the year, and allegations in noseweekthat this had resulted from Telkom buying its own shares.

Members of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) were back in court on Wednesday. The 52 activists arrested for demonstrating on polling day are facing charges of contravening a section of the Electoral Act, which states that ”on voting day, no person may hold or take part in any political meeting, march, demonstration … or engage in any political activity, other than casting a vote, in the area within the boundary of a voting station”.

It took about four calls before someone finally told me what Sithengi means. It was research officer Joy Lekgau, who presumed the word had Nguni roots, meaning ”market”. Uncharacteristic of the glamour the movie industry courts, Africa’s fastest growing film gathering has an ordinary name. If it were happening in the Arab world it would simply be ”Souk”. And it’s currently happening in Cape Town.

Students and staff at the University of Stellenbosch have united against a group of alumni, widely described as ”conservative old-timers”, who are opposed to a posthumous honorary doctorate for communist leader and advocate Bram Fischer.
The award has triggered a battle between the university’s council and senate, and the body of graduate students and academic staff, highlighting how deeply divided die volk still is.

Assets belonging to Donovan Moodley, who is accused of murdering Johannesburg student Leigh Matthews, were seized on Thursday, his lawyer said. Jonathan Minnie said Moodley was notified on Thursday morning and the Asset Forfeiture Unit served a court order on him at the Johannesburg prison.

Thousands of child soldiers have been forcibly recruited by Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka despite a ceasefire called in 2002 between the government and the separatists, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The New York-based organisation accused the Tigers of continuing to enlist boys and girls at a rate of more than 100 a month.

To the end, Yasser Arafat kept his subordinates wrangling among themselves for influence and power. The Palestinian leader refused to anoint a successor even as his health declined over recent months. By the time he slipped into a coma, all the Palestinian leadership had to fall back on in deciding how to disperse the many powers that lay in the grip of the one man for 40 years was the law.