Marianne Merten and Drew Forrest New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk can forget about a Cabinet post in the near future, after the African National Congress signalled this week that key features of its pact with the NNP have been put on the back burner. Senior ANC sources said there was no immediate prospect […]

Kevin Scott More than 500000 subsistence and small-scale farmers stand to benefit from the launch of a magazine that will instruct them on new farming methods and techniques. Farmers’ Monthly will also provide basic orientation in business skills, such as budgeting, marketing, handling of expenses and crop planning. It will become a handy reference book […]

Belinda Beresford The watchdog for doctors in South Africa has refused to state publicly that HIV causes Aids but invited a leading Aids dissident to address a workshop on human rights and HIV this week. Professor Sam Mhlongo, head of the Department of Family Medicine at Medunsa, is one of the most prominent South Africans […]

The government has laid down tough conditions for empowerment partners in South Africa’s proposed second fixed-line telephone company, including requirements that they must advance previously disadvantaged groups, not merely enrich individuals, and they must promote women and youth, writes Barry Streek The conditions for applications for the 19% shareholding by “historically disadvantaged groups”, published in […]

Jaspreet Kindra The KwaZulu-Natal legislature has ruled “unlawful” the lavishing of more than R700 000 in taxpayers’ money on the Ulundi home of Inkatha Freedom Party leader and Minister of Home Affairs Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and has demanded the recovery of the money. This provides further evidence of the activist character of the legislature, which this […]

Drew Forrest Simmering tensions between the national Treasury and local government actors were underscored this week by a judgement in the Pietermaritzburg High Court and fierce objections to a new Bill regulating municipal finances. Acting high court Judge Anton van Zyl ruled “inconsistent with the Constitution and invalid” a provision in last year’s Division of […]

analysis Paula Howell Miners who are suffering from incurable lung diseases, contracted in the course of their employment, are being left to die in poverty and without medical assistance. As miners are not expected to live very long beyond retirement, because of health reasons, the compensation system makes no provision for long-term medical care or […]

Marianne Merten Political facilitator Frederik van Zyl Slabbert named as the head of a multi-party commission to draft a new electoral law has waited almost a year for his letter of appointment. Institute for Democracy in South Africa co-founder Van Zyl Slabbert said this week there had been no formal confirmation of his appointment, and […]

Thebe Mabanga The government is set to introduce a new strategy for black economic empowerment next month, which will extend the principle of empowerment charters to new industries and may lead to the disappearance or merger of state financing agencies like Khula. However, the government will not act on a call by the Black Empowerment […]

Gregory Mthembu-Salter Reports have emerged since South African energy giant Engen sold Engen Petroleum Rwanda in December that it was forced to abandon its operations in Rwanda following death threats against its senior management. Engen sold the company, which it had acquired from BP Fina in 1998, for an undisclosed amount to a Rwandan company, […]