Matthew de Wet The recent attacks in the United States have placed stock markets under significant pressure. This has opened up a number of opportunities for investors and capital is flowing from the equity markets into the perceived safe havens of money market deposits and bonds. The fact is, however, that interest rates in the […]

The Afghanistan squad saw no reason to cancel their Pakistan tour Luke Harding in Peshawar In a scruffy cricket ground in the frontier town of Peshawar, a group of young men with beards are playing cricket. Things are not going well in their homeland: there is drought, famine and American bombardment. On the cricket pitch […]

Yet again the management peremptorily issues the edict: “This is the final publication of Doonesbury in the Mail & Guardian.” That’s it, no bargaining, no discussion, no explanation, nada. What is it with you guys? Don’t you know that we liberal leftist leftovers who supported you from when you first put this rag on the […]

Khadija Magardie A newly released study on attitudes towards foreigners, particularly refugees, shows that public awareness on the human rights of asylum-seekers has still to take root on South African soil. Earlier this year, the World Conference against Racism attempted to raise the issue of xenophobia, or anti-foreigner sentiment in many parts of the world, […]

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. […]

Jaspreet Kindra The head of the African National Congress’s religious desk, Cedric Mayson, has attacked other South African church leaders for using the HIV/Aids epidemic to make “political attacks” on President Thabo Mbeki, describing them as “a disgusting ploy”. Church leaders, including the Archbishop of Cape Town, Njongonkulu Ndungane, who also chairs the Aids Commission […]

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 […]