Provinces are bracing themselves for the gradual erosion of their powers as the new local government structures come into effect this month Jaspreet Kindra Provincial governments over the next few years will be reduced to performing a policy role with most of their administrative powers having been delegated to the district councils and municipalities. Some […]

But for all the turmoil, the prospects for healthy reform have never been better David Macfarlane Tottering universities, technikon turmoil, widespread academic demotivation and insecurity, resentful distance education institutions, simmering teacher unions, outraged private-education providers, 45% adult illiteracy, crisis in adult basic education and training … To say that the education year 2000 has been […]

Gone are the friendly mom-and-pop porn stores of yesterday. Stiff competition has reduced the terrain to three big names Matthew Burbidge and Matthew Krouse South Africans don’t tend to dump their illicit sex lives in tacky red-light districts. Rather, they take their lusts to upmarket suburbs where, these days, one finds hookers who rival Whitney […]

ITALIAN food and beverage group Cirio said this week it was making a firm cash offer to buy shares in South African food company Del Monte and to dismantle the complex Del Monte pyramid holding structure. The dismantling of the pyramid structure of Del Monte Royal Holdings (Delhold), Del Monte Royal Corp (Delcorp) and Del […]

GRIFFIN SHEA and OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Friday ZIMBABWE President Robert Mugabe has blamed his nation’s unprecedented economic crisis on an international white conspiracy, as he defended his controversial land reform programme at the opening of his Zanu-PF party’s congress. He attacked the IMF, the West, and globalisation, saying reforms to liberalise Zimbabwe’s economy had […]

NIGERIA, Africa’s largest oil producer, will in February launch the bidding for licences to develop a slate of ”marginal” oil fields, a senior official said this week. Development of some 116 fields with reserves of around 1.3bn barrels would boost oil production and help the economy. The full bidding process will last approximately 12 months. […]

UGANDA’S economy is unlikely to meet its growth target of seven percent in 2000/01 in the wake of a depreciating shilling and persistent drought, the head of Uganda Manufacturers’ Association (UMA) said this week. By October the shilling had depreciated 21.1% against the dollar compared with a year ago, to a monthly average of 1,826 […]

SWAZILAND veterinary authorities have destroyed and buried over 100 cattle infected with the highly contagious foot and mouth disease (FMD) as part of a national strategy to contain a possible FMD outbreak. The animals were part of a shipment of live cattle from Kanhym Estate in Mpumalanga, and were meant to be slaughtered for local […]

JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Thursday MPUMALANGA’S cash-strapped provincial administration has grounded all government vehicles, except emergency or other essential services, until March 2001 as part of a package of extraordinary cost curtailment measures. Provincial government official spokeswoman Joy Letlonkane also confirmed that government landline and cellular telephone expenses would be cut dramatically and the use […]