Stewart Bailey Lonmin, the world’s number three platinum producer, is feverishly researching alternatives to the labour-intensive mining methodologies used in its South African operations before the HIV/Aids scourge rips deep into its productivity. Most mining groups in South Africa long dependent on the country’s cheap and abundant labour force are starting to feel the pinch […]
Stephen Bierley tennis Should Pete Sampras reach his eighth Wimbledon final next month, he would do well to make sure Bill Clinton is nowhere in the vicinity of SW19. When his country’s former president took his seat at Roland Garros on Wednesday Andre Agassi had just won the opening set of his quarterfinal against France’s […]
The new MINI is destined to take its place in the pantheon of the greats James Siddall In the months and years to come I may well God willing get to indulge in all manner of motoring clichs, like booming from Los Angeles to New York in a porno-red Corvette with Springsteen’s Born To Run […]
Tim Wood in New York Hedge funds run the world. They command mighty balance sheets that can ruin a currency in hours or shape investment fashions for months. They also unwind spectacularly when things go wrong, but generally they are an investor’s dream with a safety net for the down times. The problem is that […]
Thebe Mabanga The legacy of South Africa’s literary icon Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda, known internationally as Zakes, is about to be further entrenched when his first adult novel Ways of Dying takes to the stage as a musical called Love and Green Onions. The novel has already been successfully dramatised by Lara Foot Newton in […]
ZIMBABWEAN Finance Minister Simba Makoni has pledged that his country would repay its international debt, but said it could not happen without the help of the international community. “We are seeking to normalise our relationships with the international community, and one aspect will be to fulfil our obligation to our international creditors,” Makoni told a […]
Thebe Mabanga TELEVISION The sport-orientated e.tv doccie-soap The Summit this week began a second, 13-week season with swagger and grace as the spotlight fell on dance sport. The previous season focused on boxing and kept 420 000 viewers glued to their screens each week. “In this series, we look at dance sports as a popular […]
Shirley Kossick new fiction Anita Brookner habitually limits her fictional cast and her 20th novel, The Bay of Angels (Viking), is no exception. The narrative centres on Zo Cunningham whose widowed mother’s second husband takes her to live outside Nice and buys Zo a flat in London. With her wonderful gift for precise description, Brookner […]
Paul Kirk Petrol dealers in the coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal are gearing up to give the cold shoulder to hot petrol. At the end of this month the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) will convene a meeting to discuss what is to be done about hot, warm and cold petrol. As petrol heats it […]
Steven Friedman worm’s eye view For a while the African National Congress leadership has been eager to use its majority in Parliament to impose its will. In the public accounts and safety and security committees, the ANC has used its votes to ensure that the will of its leaders is served. Outside the house, groups […]