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 […]
Robert Kirby CHANNELVISION Here you are one evening, an ordinary husband, chatting with your neighbour’s husband on the pavement outside your house. Suddenly, around the corner comes an SABC television cameraman. He don’t say nuttin’, he don’t plant ‘taters he just keep his camera rolling along. Then he piss off hastily out of sight. A […]
Peta Lee She-Mail Ever dropped a pumpkin from a respectable height and watched it splatter into mushy pieces on concrete? That’s more or less what happens to babies and toddlers who aren’t strapped into car seats during an accident. “They look just like smashed pumpkins,” says Maxine Hall, general manager of Durban’s Amahosp Medical Rescue […]
Mboniso Sigonyela The much-awaited review of the King committee will be out for public comment before the end of July. It could not have come at a better time as more and more listed companies continue to flout the original recommendations, especially the one against joining the position of chairperson of the board and that […]
Cosmas Desmond crossfire The import of luxury cars, such as BMWs, 4x4s and, particularly, Alfa Romeos, should surely be banned by the government, since this country obviously lacks the infrastructure to sustain travel in such cars. There are thousands of square kilometres in South Africa where these vehicles could not travel without damaging their suspension. […]