The minister of finance is determinedly looking on the bright side of the economy, no matter what the unions say Drew Forrest The gulf between the government and the Congress of South African Trade Unions on the economy is starkly highlighted by an upbeat briefing document presented by Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel to the […]

Analysis Jaspreet Kindra Faced with a high unemployment rate and a president in denial over the causes and effects of HIV/Aids, what would an effective opposition party do in a democratic state? In India, where parties have grown up under the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi’s campaign against the British Raj, opposition leaders would have staged […]

The SANDF denies hiding apartheid-era military files, but former Truth and Reconciliation Commission officials dismiss this as “pure lies” Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota has launched an inquiry into allegations that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) hid key apartheid-era military intelligence information from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). […]

Niki Moore The use of “employment committees”, which accept fees in exchange for guaranteeing jobs, is creating tensions in Zululand between white-owned businesses and traditional leaders. Several businessmen have confirmed they are victims of the committees, but most were loath to speak on the record for fear of reprisals. Employment committees are run by junior […]

Some South Africans are hoping to introduce a new religion during census month, like their British counterparts David Shapshak All it took was one e-mail and a new religion has been born. Jedi Knight is now on the list of religions for the 2001 United Kingdom census. What seemingly started as a prank has made […]

Nancy Sephairi was 14 in 1966 when the bulldozers moved in and destroyed the homes of her community at Metsimatshwe, near Kuruman in the Northern Cape. The police dumped the families on a patch of dry veld near Reveillo with a packet of salt, a bag of mielie meal and a tent each. “We were […]

Evidence wa ka Ngobeni and Jimmy Matyu A distraught Eastern Cape family is suing the provincial blood transfusion service and a doctor at a public hospital after their child was allegedly given a transfusion without their consent – and the blood was contaminated with HIV. The family’s lawyer, Bantu Njamela, claims the one-year-old child was […]

NO blows BARRED Sipho Seepe Had it not been for adverts in the media, the recent International Conference on Indigenous Know-ledge Systems: African Perspectives hosted by the University of Venda would have gone unnoticed. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) refer to intricate knowledge systems acquired over generations by communities as they interact with the environment. It […]

After a week of high tension over the future role of controversial mayor Peter Marais in the Democratic Alliance, matters come to a head at the party’s national management committee meeting on Friday. DA deputy leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk spoke to Marianne Merten Marianne Merten (MM): Is there a war of nerves and words between […]

Too many teens are forced to leave state-run homes when they are not adequately equipped with life skills Ufrieda Ho For most teenagers 18 is the magical year of driver’s licences, legal beers and the right to vote. But for teens in welfare, 18 is also the year they’re officially adults – ready or not. […]