NUDIST king Beau Brummel made his contribution to the World Conference Against Racism on Tuesday with a open letter blaming racism squarely on religion. The letter, addressed to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, described the conference as a farce ”riddled with denial”. Brummel, who described himself as a ”devout atheist”, said […]

”BANANA, banana!” the Frenchman gestured. It was Friday, only the first day of the World Conference Against Racism in Durban and already the poor delegate was lost. He could not remember the name of his lodgings, only the key word ”banana” — which is of course not all that scarce in place names in KwaZulu-Natal, […]

Johannesburg | Monday ABOUT two-thirds of the country’s state attorneys continued their pay strike on Monday after the Justice Department failed in a bid to have the action declared unlawful. ”About 170 of the 250 state attorneys are now taking part in the strike,” Public Servants’ Association general manager Anton Louwrens said in Pretoria. ”Their […]

United Nations | Sunday UN SECRETARY General Kofi Annan welcomed the last-minute agreement reached Saturday at the world conference on racism in South Africa, saying failure would have ”given comfort to the worst elements in society.” In a statement, Annan said the compromises which enabled UN member states to adopt a final declaration after extending […]

THE United States, which pulled out of a UN conference on racism, ON Saturday criticized the conference’s final document as still flawed, but worth a look. ”We are looking forward to examining the final text when it becomes available and expect that will be a few days before we see the final text,” State Department […]

ANGELA QUINTAL, Durban | Monday AS Israel and others accused Arab and Muslim countries of hijacking the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, its official delegation in Durban said it was considering a walk-out. Meanwhile, it has emerged that Israel has asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to intervene in the Middle East conflict. The […]

Durban | Thursday THE state of Israel was committed to fighting each and every form of racism, Israeli ambassador to South Africa Tova Herzl said on Wednesday. Speaking in Durban, where she honoured a Dutch couple who saved Jews during the Holocaust, she said the state was established partly to give shelter to those persecuted […]

Durban | Friday THE World Conference Against Racism got under way in Durban on Friday with United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan urging delegates to end disagreements and wrangling, and send a signal of hope to victims of racism world-wide. The run-up to the conference has been marked by bitter dissension on such issues as calls […]

MOFFET MOFOKENG, Durban | Thursday OF all the forms of racism humanity has ever known, trans-atlantic slavery was the most horrible, Surinam government adviser Willem Udenhout said on Wednesday. ”It was unique in its scope and in the nature of its damage to the psyche of the victim,” Udenhout told delegates during a plenary session […]

FIVE gunmen shot dead the Sunduzwayo chief and another man at Umbumbulu on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Saturday, police reported on Sunday. Captain Vishnu Naidoo said chief Dingindawo Shange and Boysy Shangase both aged 39, were found dead with bullet wounds at 5am near a river. He said the gunmen abducted both the men […]