David Macfarlane and Glenda Daniels A massive drive to address the endemic poverty, chronic unemployment, dire skills shortage and shockingly poor education levels in South Africa received an urgent kickstart from the education and labour ministries last week. The government has taken almost seven years to come up with its integrated human resources development strategy. […]
Tim Wood American Notes AngloGold CEO Bobby Godsell made pointed remarks about the industry schism caused by gold hedging this week: “There are theological hedgers and theological anti-hedgers. We find ourselves in the middle. We are simply using it as a business instrument, which has served our shareholders pretty well.” At risk of oversimplification, hedging […]
Matthew Krouse theatre Moments of tedium caused by a slightly overladen script barely detract from the wholesale intrigue of The Great Outdoors. In his most recent play, first performed at the National Arts Festival last year, Neil McCarthy treats the day-to-day issues of white South Africa with playful disdain. Like the people it depicts, The […]
Robert Kirby CHANNELVISION Blessed are the meek and mild for they shall inherit the presidential television interview. Thabo Mbeki must have been well pleased e.tv sent along a pair of such vapid bojos with a set of such predictable questions. San Reddy and Debora Patta were a sort of clown duo doing a routine as […]
Evidence wa ka Ngobeni A senior member of the Zulu royal family and KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Welfare, Prince Gideon Zulu, has been accused of using a truck belonging to a centre for the handicapped for his personal business. Employees at the Osizweni Handicraft Centre in Newcastle claim Zulu has been ordering his provincial staff to […]
Evidence wa ka Ngobeni The Gauteng Department of Housing is going ahead with a development project despite attempts by environmental groups to block the low-cost housing scheme on the grounds that it poses a threat to a rare butterfly species. The Heidelberg Town Council’s low-cost housing project, which will house more than 14 000 people, […]
A second-place finish in Spain last weekend proved Juan Pablo Montoya has the cold-eyed confidence to trouble Michael Schumacher Richard Williams When he climbed from his broken car at Interlagos in Brazil last month, Juan Pablo Montoya displayed no outward sign of emotion. No tantrum. No tears. No march back to the pits to confront […]
Glenda Daniels Black empowerment has fared dismally in the past year, but its prospects could improve in 18 months’ time if certain conditions are met, according to a report released by BusinessMap this week. Deals have dropped dramatically, says the report, Empowerment 2001, and most sectors have performed abysmally. Reported new investments in established black-controlled […]
Jaspreet Kindra The investigation ordered into two of three senior African National Congress members named by Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete as part of larger drive to uncover a plot to overthrow President Thabo Mbeki appears to be based on hearsay. Former ANC Youth League leader James Nkambule, whose testimony prompted Tshwete to […]
The darling of the stands is back and set to get tongues wagging again Martin Gillingham Bob Skinstad, the glamour boy of South African rugby, has called on the sport’s top brass to drop their ban on overseas-based players representing the Springbok team. “I’m of the opinion that you should be able to play Super […]