Carolyn Frost South Africa is the world’s 10th-largest exporter and 13th-largest producer of sugar cane, but a group of scientists at the University of Stellenbosch hope their research will help push the country up the rankings. Although South Africa is the third most productive grower of sugar cane, sugar yields have plateaued since the 1960s […]

There are fears that Zimbabwe’s reorganised Supreme Court might rubber-stamp ‘fast-track land reform’ Michael Hartnack Zimbabwean civil society went on trial this week when the country’s new Chief Justice, Godfrey Chidyausiku, branded criticism of himself “racist”. He refused to withdraw from the first constitutional test case brought before the country’s newly reorganised Supreme Court. The […]

Rabat | Friday THE United States and Morocco signed an agreement on Thursday paving the way for the construction of the north African country’s first nuclear reactor. The document completes an earlier 1980 accord and establishes a legal basis for building the reactor, at Morocco’s National Centre of Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology, in Mamora, […]

CRICKET Peter Robinson South Africa need to sort a few things out before they take on Australia. This, I hasten to point out, is Shaun Pollock’s view, although I’m inclined to agree with him. It’s difficult to be critical of a team that has just won a two-Test series by one match to nothing and […]

Comment Charlotte Raven Most people in the world had more than one response to what happened to the United States last week. I think it is safe to say that apart from three or four Palestinians, everyone is sad to see so many of their fellow humans killed in such horrendous circumstances. That goes for […]

Sean O’Connor The ancient art of winemaking is being revolutionised in biotech- nology laboratories around the world and leading the way are a group of scientists and students from Stellenbosch University, the nerve-centre of South Africa’s R3-billion a year wine industry. Although steeped in tradition, wine production is now a hi-tech enterprise. This is largely […]

The national government might take over education in some areas David Macfarlane and Nawaal Deane The national government is seriously contemplating invoking powerful constitutional measures that will allow it for the first time to take over certain provincial government functions. Minister of Education Kader Asmal last week expressed serious dissatisfaction with a number of provincial […]

analysis Ewen MacAskill There could hardly be a worse place for military action. Draw up a list of the world’s most volatile regions and the Pakistan-India-Afghanistan triangle would be at the top or close to it. Add the Middle East and, as Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said, there are the makings of “the […]

Stuart Millar The attacks on New York and Washington will force organisations to rethink their computer security procedures, experts predicted. Society’s growing reliance on computers and communication technology makes it more vulnerable if systems are wiped out. But according to @stake, the world’s biggest independent security consultancy, the majority of organisations do not have adequate […]

Barry Streek The terror attacks in the United States have strengthened the case for controversial provisions in draft e-commerce legislation approved by the South African Cabinet this week. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill contains “Big Brother” provisions empowering the authorities to open cybermail messages and place controls over the use of encrypted services. The […]