Monarch’s nepotism on chieftaincies boosts pro-democracy groups Sechaba ka’Nkosi Rural communities in the tiny kingdom of Swaziland may – for the first time – join protests against their king’s rule. The country is bracing itself for confrontation between the government and the pro-democracy movement as tensions between the two sparked public protests this week. While […]

Charl Blignaut Thank heavens for soap stars and kwaito kids. It was they who usurped the politicians and beauty queens to put some fizz back into local pop culture. And so it was their night then, when SABC1’s Selimathunzi hired The Pyramid in Johannesburg to dish out the second annual Duku Duku Awards. From the […]

Barry Streek Financier George Soros’s Open Society Foundation (OSF) is to axe the board of its South African arm, which has been wracked by in-fighting. Soros has written to the board, which includes several government officials, informing them of his plans to replace them next month. The move follows several conflicts between board members – […]

Riaan Wolmarans CD OFTHEWEEK It must be really nice to be talented – if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and that’s exactly what Delenta is doing on her new album, simply called Delenta (Renegade). The Sudanese-born singer makes a welcome entry into South Africa’s ranks of solo female singers – an area where looks sometimes […]

Sudden plans by white councillors to privatise profitable municipal services have lifted the lid on racism in Hartebeespoort Thuli Nhlapo The conservative local council of a wealthy holiday town near Pretoria has quietly set up its own private company to take over municipal services ahead of the council’s imminent transfer to black hands. The Hartebeespoort […]

targets Khadija Magardie The thousands of undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers entering South Africa every year often bear the brunt of the police’s predilection towards violence. African migrants, especially, are randomly picked up by local police, and jailed for “being illegal” or on the basis of suspicion that they are involved in crime. The “Roll Back […]

Roshila Pillay A stringent set of new measures to clamp down on kickbacks in the health industry has sent shockwaves through the medical community. The proposals were hatched before the scandal surrounding kickbacks among pathology labs was exposed in May. Some health industry observers have speculated that the recommendations could have been tightened in the […]

With Internet fraud on the increase more measures are being put in place to protect consumers Rupert Jones and Phillip Inman Credit-card companies are privately slapping hefty fines on rogue websites for misusing people’s card details amid a big jump in complaints about Internet fraud. Much of the problem centres on “adult” websites and other […]

Delivering services free is not the best way to achieve sustainable access. Derek Hazelton discusses the requirements for universal access to water In its local government elections manifesto the African National Congress promises to provide all with a free basic amount of water, electricity and other municipal services. Those who use more than the basic […]

Peter Dickson The African National Congress in the Eastern Cape and its former ally, the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco), are now officially locked in a bitter power struggle for control of the new Nelson Mandela metropole. Last weekend, in outright defiance of the ANC, Sanco’s leaders from Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch – […]