American tests show a lethal cocktail of chemicals in the air just south of Johannesburg Paul Kirk The air in South Africa’s industrial heartland is laced with lethal chemicals and fumes that attack the brain, central nervous system, liver, kidneys and lungs. This is the finding of independent testing of the air around Sasolburg, just […]
chaos Paul Kirk For the second time in two weeks a Durban High Court judge has demanded the Deputy Director General of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Welfare and Population Development, Eric Mhlongo, appear in his court to explain the chaos that seemingly reigns within his department. Both judges are threatening to make Mhlongo personally – […]
David Beresford Another Country If there is a touchstone to the long-running controversy over Aids in South Africa, it surely lies with case No GA51345 heard by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), J Hiemstra presiding, in July last year. The case was essentially a labour arbi- tration between the Department of Health […]
This Cape valley is a microcosm of South African society, with its three separate communities, each living in its isolated enclosure, eyeing the others warily, writes Bryan Rostron Hout Bay: a little bit of para-dise, murmur local tourist brochures seductively. And, yes, out of my study window, I see a magnificent panorama; a foam-fringed bay […]
Parents, schools and the government face the serious task of dealing with a crisis that is taking on epidemic proportions Melinda Ferguson The use of illegal substances among schoolchildren and teenagers has increased about fivefold over the past six years. According to the latest figures available from the South African Police Service, more than 60% […]
Neil Sonnekus CATCH ME A KILLER by Micki Pistorius (Penguin) Micki Pistorius is this country’s top profiler and has written a book about her six years’ experience in the South African Police Services. She tells us she has a kind of sixth sense (cryptesthesia) about these things and has apparently helped catch more serial killers […]
Boom Shaka’s best-known vocalist has launched her debut CD single in style Charl Blignaut You can say what you like about Lebo Mathosa – and, heaven knows, much has been said about Lebo Mathosa – but after last week even her most insistent detractors will be hard- pressed to overlook her singular talents and simply […]
Ivor Powell and Belinda Beresford The government has failed to implement the advice of scientists on a panel convened by President Thabo Mbeki himself to advise on HIV/Aids policy and treatment – the latest manifestation of its stubborn reluctance to accept evidence that anti-retrovirals are safe and effective. The Mail & Guardian has learned that […]
Thebe Mabanga in your ear The complaint that local music does not receive sufficient airplay is so old it has moral fatigue. The call has been made at various platforms by everyone in the music industry and an attempt to improve the situation has led to initiatives like South African Music Week (August 28 to […]
The Springboks finally got their game plan right against the All Blacks – now they face the world champion Wallabies Andy Capostagno ‘Is the sword still hanging over your head?” came the question in the media conference. “What sword would that be?” came the answer from Springbok coach Nick Mallett. If Damocles had indeed escaped […]