Glenda Daniels The Johannesburg High Court this week found in favour of a handyman who worked at the brothel The Ranch, in a civil case brought against the Ministry of Safety and Security. Matthew Palmer claimed R800 000 in damages for brutal assault and unlawful arrest and detention when the police raided The Ranch in […]
Lots still to play for in Soccer City double-header Ntuthuko Maphumulo The South African soccer season will end this weekend with a great double-header. (Of course, boardroom wrangling could force a further match, a replay between Bloemfontein Celtic and Bush Bucks but more of that later.) The two games to be staged at FNB stadium […]
Barry Streek South Africa holds the world record for the recycling of tin cans, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa has disclosed. The “Collect-a-Can” programme recycled as much as 63% of the cans used in the country and provides informal employment for an estimated 30 000 people. “The sterling work being done […]
On Tuesday, exactly 20 years after the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), South Africa’s minister of health announced the government has no plans to make anti-retroviral drugs available in public hospitals. The country’s share of HIV/Aids cases is now approximately 11,5% of the world total Belinda Beresford The government’s persistent reluctance to provide […]
Rock icon Daniel Johnston’s visit to South Africa is a coup for art and grunge Kathryn Smith Where singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston of Texas is concerned, people fall into two categories. Those who know (of) him are always armed with anecdotes ever more extreme, chaotic and hilarious than the last about this figure that has infiltrated […]
Alec Hogg boardroom talk After years of being shielded by a complicated ownership structure and an M-Cell investment that dwarfed its operational earnings, media and entertainment business Johnnic Communications (Johncom) is about to be exposed to the full glare of shareholder attention. It is not a flattering picture. In virtually every area of its operations, […]
Jaspreet Kindra Eskom should be providing electricity on a free lifeline basis where it has jurisdiction, says Wits University political economist Patrick Bond. He cites the Irene Grootboom case last year, which gave force to the constitutional guarantee of dignity in shelter and services as the basis for an argument for a lifeline electricity supply. […]
Debi Diedericks ‘Have you ever driven a car on a flat piece of land as fast as you can blindfolded?” Obie Oberholzer asks. I shake my head. “The longest I’ve lasted was four minutes.” That is the spirit of famous South African photographer Obie Oberholzer whose work work will be on exhibit at the Standard […]
A recent court ruling challenges us to consider how environmental rights should be balanced against socio-economic rights Jenny Hall, Robyn Stein and Claire Tucker At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, poverty “alleviation” was recognised as a key to achieving “sustainable development”. When we host Rio+10 next year, this issue will, no doubt, be an […]
Nicholas Neveling Playwright Reza de Wet isn’t too bothered about the numerous literary prizes she has won or the big city fame she could achieve if she wanted to. “It’s the experience itself. It’s the felt life that’s all important. Some of my best experiences have been in very small productions that no one really […]