The Foreign Affairs department was trying to verify on Friday the citizenship of two men, said to be South Africans, in trouble with the law in Indonesia and Thailand. ”We are awaiting verification of the identities of the two men from our respective South African missions,” a departmental official said.
Reading this collection of short pieces written by journalists based in foreign countries is like living life through their eyes. Largely made up of ”on the road” moments, this is a collection that can truly be appreciated by travellers, or fellow journalists, writes Nicola Mawson.
Woolworths has long been associated with quality. Think Woolworths, and what comes to mind is a third-generation, hand-me-down item of clothing that might just have come back into fashion by then. Now Woolies — bless its Proudly South African heart (and its marketing mind) — is venturing into the realm of local, good quality design and art, writes Mike van Graan.
Healing Destination, a limited-edition release by the afribeat production team — and finally available commercially on Mountain Records — is the debut by the Goema Captains of Cape Town, Mac Mackenzie’s crew of talented jazz and carnival musicians. Julian Jonker contemplates whether the rebirth of goema will sell itself and Cape Town to the world.
Zimbabwe police on Friday arrested Bornwell Chakaodza, editor of the independent weekly Standard newspaper, and one of his reporters, for the second time in three days, his staff said. ”They came to his house at 7am and took him to the police station,” said David Masunda, deputy editor of the Standard.
New legislation restructuring the country’s legal framework dealing with lending, in the form of the Consumer Credit Bill, is expected to be published within the next few weeks and should not encounter many impediments in Parliament, according to Bob Tucker, CEO of the Banking Council of South Africa.
These 12 stories were originally published in Toronto during Rayda Jacobs’s 27-year exile from her own country (<i>The Middle Children</i>, 1994). As she mentions in the acknowledgements, they are "of especial significance because they are ‘fledgling stories’ — stories written while I was living in Canada, longing for home". Shirley Kossick reviews her latest collection of short stories.
OBITUARY: DURANT SIHLALI: "It was with shock and deep sorrow that I learned of the death of Durant Sihlali. I knew this exceptional man and artist well, and enjoyed many hours together with him looking at works and talking art." Colin Richards reflects on the life of the visual artist.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Sarah (Charlotte Rampling) is a rigid and conservative, yet successful English mystery writer. Sarah’s personal life and new novel take a dramatic twist when she meets her publisher’s sexy, free-spirited daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). Matthew Burbidge reviews
The South African government will by July launch the Batho Pele Gateway portal which will provide streamlined government services online, says South African President Thabo Mbeki. In his state of the nation address to the newly elected Parliament on Friday, Mbeki said these would be available through public information terminals in post offices and multi-purpose community centres.