Thebe Mabanga The Department of Trade and Industry is experiencing simmering discontent over its restructuring process, with its Director General, Alistair Ruiters, and two other officials accused of centralising power and sidelining senior colleagues. Sources said that those who have been pushed to the margins include the chief economist Dave Kaplan, whose office is said […]

WITH THE LID OFF John Matshikiza The Belgian government has set an extraordinary precedent in its recent admission of guilt in the slaying of Patrice Lumumba, first and last elected leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The killing of the charismatic Lumumba early in 1961 has always been shrouded in mystery. It was an […]

Is United States jingoism tarnishing the Olympic ideal? Duncan Mackay The wave of American jingoism and intense security that has marked the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City has led to senior officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) privately expressing concerns about whether the United States should ever stage another Olympic event. The games […]

Two major Afrikaans entertainers will rock expatriates in London over the next two months. Singer and food aficionado Lochner de Kock will perform and do a food demonstration at the Springbok Bar in Shepard’s Bush on March 9. Comedian Casper de Vries is booked to play at Friend’s House on Euston Road on April 3 […]

Justin Arenstein The Israeli mastermind behind Mpumalanga’s R1,3-billion promissory note scandal has been sentenced in Switzerland to three years in jail and a R1-million fine on multiple theft and fraud charges. Moshe Regev, also known as Regenstreich, was arrested by United States marshals during a dawn raid on his luxury Las Vegas hideout two years […]

Fist fights, headbutts, drunken brawls, attacks on feminism: Norman Mailer’s reputation as a bruiser has overshadowed his life and fuelled his writing. Oliver Burkeman meets the hard man of American letters ‘Would you like a drink?” asks Norman Mailer. There was a time when the way that you answered the question might have determined whether […]

BODY LANGUAGE Mercedes Sayagues There is only one good reason to attend an international mega-conference these days and that is the superb chance of getting laid. It is a dream recipe for a quickie romance. A city teeming with thousands of men and women removed from spouses, children, daily routine and life commitments, all pursuing […]

Dan Milmo German media group Kirch has put Formula One up for sale and offered Rupert Murdoch a “substantial” stake in its TV business in a bid to stave off bankruptcy. Leo Kirch, the 73-year-old owner, has conceded that his media empire must be broken up in order to settle debts reaching more than 5-billion. […]

The range of services offered by banks on the Net has made this increasingly attractive to customers David Shapshak Internet banking is a hit in South Africa that much is clear from the strong support for virtual bank 20twenty and the massive subscription to Absa’s free Internet service and appears to be taking the lead […]

Former liberation army members say they are being treated unfairly by the defence force Wisani wa ka Ngobeni The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been accused of discriminating against former members of the liberation movements during the force’s supplementary integration process last year. The exercise, in Kimberley last December, was the SANDF’s second […]