Charlene Smith In a sharp turn from current government policy, the parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women has recommended that anti-retroviral drugs be given to protect rape survivors and to stop mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The African National Congress-dominated committee issued its recommendations after two months of hearings into women and HIV, and found […]

Bongani Majola The desire to heal historic breaches in the Gauteng African National Congress is seen as a key motive for the elevation of Angie Motshekga wife of former Gauteng premier Mathole Motshekga to deputy leader of the provincial party. At the Gauteng ANC conference last weekend she was elected provincial deputy chairperson in a […]

Jaspreet Kindra In a possible step towards a political realignment, the African National Congress’s leader in KwaZulu-Natal, S’bu Ndebele, has attacked the Inkatha Freedom Party for reneging on a post-election promise to give the ANC more provincial cabinet posts. ANC sources view Ndebele’s criticism as a strategic move to put some distance between the two […]

I congratulate you on the advertisement on November 9, “When a nine-month-old baby was recently gang-raped, who were the guilty parties?”. The increase in child abuse from 37 500 (in 1998) to 67 017 (last year) as quoted by Minister Steve Tshwete in Parliament earlier this year is a tragic indictment on our government and […]

The government’s idea of transforming education amounts to little more than privatisation SECONDLOOK Russell Bell Outcomes Based Education (OBE) was introduced as part of a major curriculum change in schools three years ago and has been met with widespread criticism from parents, teachers and academics. OBE should not be seen in isolation but in conjunction […]

Cape councillors told to quit NNP if they want to keep their jobs Marianne Merten In a further twist in the machiavellian manoeuvrings of Cape politics, the Democratic Alliance is forcing its New National Party councillors to resign from the NNP before the end of the year or lose their jobs. The DA is amending […]

Experience will be vital against the Australians Peter Robinson Considering all that is at stake in the pivotal second Test match that starts at St George’s Park on Friday, it might seem a little Irish to ask readers to focus on Kingsmead. But do yourselves a favour on Saturday: try to get hold of a […]

Management meddling was behind e.tv’s attack on the M&G, writes Drew Forrest ‘Excellence in journalism is the best protection for media freedom,” e.tv’s channel director Quraysh Patel told the Human Rights Commission (HRC) last year. Fine-sounding words but entirely hollow, given the channel’s crude attempt to knife the Mail & Guardian last week. Paradoxically, the […]

The United States’s invasion of Afghanistan and the support it enjoys among the (ignorant) US public makes for a classroom example of thought control in democratic society. Without threat of coercion, and at the risk of earning themselves the status of legitimate military targets, US networks (and Hollywood) have pledged their support for the US […]

Bongani Majola Tears of joy overwhelmed Monica Shandu when she accepted the overall award of Grower of the Year in the 2001 Umthombo Agricultural Finance Awards in Mount Edgecombe, Durban, last week. Shandu manages 1,5ha of umoba (Zulu for sugar cane). “Empilweni yami yonke angikaze ngilale ehotela kodwa ngilalile ngenxa yoMthombo [In my whole life […]