THE Swaziland government said this week it would reintroduce a law which allows detention for 60 days without trial to counter labour union plans for a mass anti-monarch strike next week. The law – nicknamed ‘makhundu’ – was first introduced in Swaziland in 1983 between the death of King Sobhuza II and the installation of […]

THE government could soon dig into the balance of the R300m it previously set aside for urgent reparations to victims of apartheid identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Government representative Joel Netshitenzhe hinted that the full R300m – set aside in a previous Budget for interim reparations – might finally be disbursed. Only R50m […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Friday PEOPLE’S Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli, who says his conviction for bank robbery and the illegal possession of a handgrenade was part of a conspiracy against him and that evidence had been “planted”, will know on Friday whether his appeal was successful. Mbuli appealed against his conviction and 13-year prison sentence after […]

TARA TURKINGTON, Johannesburg | Friday THE interim CEO of the cash-strapped South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) has been spending a large part of a fund set up to transform the organisation on fancy hotels and personal travel. New CEO Pumla Madiba, who takes office in January, will have to sort out a difficult inheritance: […]

TWENTY-two people, including six police officers, died and over 100 others were wounded after police in Mozambique used force to break up violent demonstrations staged against the outcome of last December’s general election, President Joachim Chissano said. Speaking on national radio, Chissano described the demonstrations as “illegal and anti-democratic,” and called on people not to […]

THREE ”prominent” Pagad members have been arrested for the 1996 murder of gang leader Rashaad Staggie, Deputy Justice Minister Cheryl Gillwald announced. Replying to debate in the National Council of Provinces on legislation providing a legal framework for the Scorpions, she said she had just been advised of the arrests by National Director of Public […]

BRENDAN BOYLE, Pretoria | Friday ONE of the three black men mauled by South African police dogs in an attack billed by their white handlers as a training exercise has told how his attackers had offered him freedom for R300 – but he didn’t have it. Mozambican labourer Gilbert Ntimane, who now works at a […]

Bongani Diako and Theunis Roux a second look The recent settlement of the Chatha claim has been hailed as “one of the most important moments in the six-year history of the restitution programme” (“Land reform for the poorest”, Mail & Guardian October 13 to 19). In the same article, the resolution of betterment claims through […]

Neal Collins rugby We can safely say South Africa’s Rugby League World Cup campaign was not a resounding triumph. Played three, lost three, 24 points for, 138 points against. They leave the tournament with only Russia (who conceded 224 points in three games, despite their seven Australian-based players) having a worse 10 days in flooded, […]