Studies estimate that by 2015 more than 10- million South Africans will have died of Aids-related causes Howard Barrell The HIV/Aids pandemic is drastically affecting South Africa’s economic growth and future prospects and will eat into the wealth of those fortunate enough to survive it. The havoc being wrought by HIV/Aids means that in 2010, […]

This is an extract from the debate in Parliament last week where President Thabo Mbeki responded to questions from MPs Malusi Gigaba (African National Congress) asked President Thabo Mbeki whether the government had a strategy for dealing with racism and the continuing racial divides in the country and, if this was the case, “how does […]

Thebe Mabanga Another week of living in hope and eternal optimism has gone by for South Africa. Without fail, our Olympians have raised our hopes only to bring them crashing down. When the games end on Sunday, not only might we have failed to reach our Atlanta medal tally of five medals, we will also […]

David Le Page It’s a bit like having a Nu-Metro in your lap, without people kicking your seat or having to breathe under-airconditioned air. The Panasonic DVD-LV75 was the world’s first portable DVD until a couple of months ago – other manufacturers have now started to follow suit. DVD, for the uninitiated, stands for Digital […]

Greg Bowes CD OFTHEWEEK With their Nu Breed offshoot, the Global Underground camp add to their already substantial line in DJ mixes (from the likes of Paul Oakenfold and Sasha) a platform for less established but equally thrilling deckhands. Danny Howells, who’s here with Renaissance over the weekend (playing at Nexus in Johannesburg and at […]

Braam Kruger’s new book of recipes pays tribute to the exotic communities whose food is sold on the city streets Matthew Krouse Braam Kruger lives in a dream state – in Observatory, Johannesburg. He reminds one of a plaster gnome who dwells under a large mushroom, along with the fairies at the bottom of the […]

Banks blame small volumes and fraud for rising charges – and expect customers to grin and bear the costs David Le Page The apparent neglect of the cheque management system by South African banks is a major reason why consumers pay higher and higher bank charges at a time when automation is reducing costs in […]

fraud A plastics company has approached the Banking Adjudicator over a dispute it has with its bank after the payment of a fraudulent cheque David Le Page A Free State company is battling to recover R116 000 paid out from its account by Standard Bank to First National Bank (FNB), after the latter honoured a […]

members Glenda Daniels The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) resolved at its seventh national congress to take concrete steps to change the gender composition of the federation. The union movement committed itself to an aggressive drive to recruit women workers and to ensure greater women representation in its leadership structures. With most cases […]

A collection of art works currently on sale offers a good opportunity to take another look at the African art debate Yvette Gresl With all the African art works flooding flea markets, roadside stalls and curio shops, regular mortals who’d like to collect such objects often wonder how one begins to distinguish between fakes and […]