"We are living in a plastic world, everything is artificial, people wear a mask. We will always have plastic but we need to realise it can be a beautiful thing," Plastics artist Mbongeni Richmond Buthelezi spoke to Lisa Johnston about the value of rubbish.
While on the 2004 election campaign trail, President Thabo Mbeki was reportedly stunned to hear from residents about the chaotic practices of the Johannesburg council. He might have known about the problem beforehand had he simply consulted officials within his party. Papers before the Johannesburg High Court reveal that the African National Congress has fallen victim to the council, which it controls.
Some MPs are having sleepless nights waiting to discover whether they are included on a list from which they would definitely want to be omitted. A list of parliamentarians implicated in the R13-million "Travelgate" travel voucher scam is expected to be placed before Parliament by the Scorpion investigators next week.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of homes in a new settlement near Jerusalem, ignoring its undertaking in the road map to freeze settlement activity. The proposed settlement, on 1 518ha of West Bank land, would be sited between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim and provide a bridge between them.
The Wall, Pink Floyd’s dark rock opera, looks likely to brave the glittering lights of Broadway. There are plans for a stage version of the album, 25 years after it was released. Roger Waters, the main creative force behind the 1970s band, has teamed up with Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax films and the music mogul Tommy Mottola. Waters will write the play and arrange and orchestrate the music for the show, with the aim of raising the curtain in a year to 18 months.
Every year the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> publishes its annual "report card", which assesses the performance of each of the members of the Cabinet and awards them a symbol. The 1998 report card included an assessment of Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, in her capacity as then-minister of housing, to which she strongly objected.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=119926">State funds ex-minister’s court battle</a>
Ten years into our democracy, in reflecting the state of transformation in the arts and culture sector, the old apartheid-originating term "black on black" has made a mental comeback. Mike van Graan comments.
The authors of a new analysis of the Bush regime show how the character and personality of Bush feeds into what they suggest will be a disastrous new US imperialism. Anthony Egan reviews.
Renowned and controversial financier, philanthropist and active supporter of the "open society" George Soros has vowed to do his best to see that US President George Bush does not get re-elected. Anthony Egan reviews his best effort to do so.
Can a moment ever really be "captured in time"? Winner of this year’s Sasol New Signatures Richard Penn talks to Lisa Johnston about the "physical manifestation of genes articulated through gesture.