Evidence wa ka Ngobeni The screaming started at about 10am. “Suddenly it looked as if the whole township was at war. I put my money in my cash bag and stumbled outside; that’s when I realised that something was terribly wrong,” said Daniel Mohale, a hawker who trades in Diepkloof, Soweto. “Hundreds of security guards […]

first Paul Kirk The University of Natal’s psychology department has helped produce a guidebook that teaches children how to cope when HIV/Aids wipes out their parents and leaves them in charge. As the Aids pandemic sweeps through South Africa large numbers of households may soon be headed up by children too young to even vote. […]

poachers James Hall Swazis’ cultural antipathy toward snakes has prompted the Swaziland Senate to rally to the defence of three poachers who were arrested for killing a 3m-long python. Senator Simeon Simelane raised a motion last week calling for the minister of justice to release the suspects. Other senators in their submissions depicted the poachers […]

David Le Page AFRICANFRONTIERS The downside is, South Africa is one of the world’s top 20 polluters. At least 93,5% of South African electricity is coal-fired. Eskom is the world’s single largest producer of carbon dioxide. Acid rain created by power stations causes fences near Bethel to disintegrate in just three years. The upside? Southern […]

Marianne Merten Taxi warlord turned local government candidate, Victor Sam, died this week the way he had lived – by the gun. But his death has left many wondering what hat Sam was wearing when he was gunned down in Crossroads in his car. The controversial taxi boss, township businessman and community figure was brought […]

Friday is reviewing the format of its television pages. We’d like to hear from you. Fax (011) 727 7111 or e-mail [email protected] with answers to the following questions and any other comments: n Would you like to see more DStv schedules, or are the current highlights sufficient? n Do you prefer complete schedules for the […]

Local artists are looking to surgery as a means of creation Michelle Matthews It is tempting to use the clich’ “cutting edge”, but surgery as art is at least a decade old. French artist Orlan is its most famous proponent, having undergone 10 cosmetic operations in her expression of carnal art. In her latest she […]

The Gear policy introduced five years ago had implications for growth, but it was aimed more at stabilising the economy, writes Howard Barrell South Africans stand on the cusp of a period of strong economic growth. To propel the economy into sustained high growth, however, the country now needs to make some bold choices and […]

The Egyptian Coptic Church sticks to ancient traditions in spiritual and material service to its congregation and the community, writes Osita Nwajah ‘In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” That is Father Hedra Eshak Bisada’s simple answer to the question on where the Coptic Church stands on homosexuality. That position […]

Unlike the Yugoslavs, the Zimbabweans have yet to develop an effective culture of mass protest Iden Wetherell It has been called “the Milosevic effect”. But comparisons with Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic’s fall from power may be premature. Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, was this week the scene of riots over food prices. Bread has gone up by […]