For very good reasons, diplomacy – at least the effective variety – is seldom conducted in public. Among the best of these reasons is that diplomacy often involves saying unpalatable things, and secrecy often provides the most benevolent circumstances under which to say them. Secrecy allows the parties involved the freedom to exchange views which, […]
Andrew Muchineripi SOCCER Unless I have taken complete leave of my senses, the Olympic Games football tournament is considerably more significant than the Castle Cup Southern Africa championship. The quadrennial Olympic Games is the biggest multi-sport festival, is steeped in history, and the football matches attract crowds bettered only by those at the venue hosting […]
Luvuyo Kakaza Singer Margaret Singana died a pauper on April 22 – a further indication of the plight of South African performing artists. Somehow her death served as a reminder of Simon ”Mahlathini” Nkabinde, who also died penniless last year. Singana (63) was a household name, together with Miriam Makeba and Letta Mbulu, in the […]
Former South African President Nelson Mandela met Burundi’s army chiefs on Friday.
Phillipa Garson CLASS STRUGGLE It will be interesting to see whether Western Cape’s education MEC Helen Zille’s ambitious plan to improve schools’ performance reaps rewards. Zille may speak for the Democratic Party, but her policies are not so far removed from those of the national government, which is also introducing evaluation schemes to turn non- […]
The advancement of black executives still has a long way to go, says a recent report into black empowerment Johnny Masilela A document aimed at triggering renewed debate around the otherwise controversial concept of black economic empowerment (BEE) is about to be taken on a countrywide roadshow. Black Economic Empowerment: Myth or Reality? was originally […]
DANIEL SIMPSON, Berlin | Friday 2.20pm. GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder urged southern African governments on Thursday to accelerate economic reforms to unlock greater private investment from the world’s third biggest economy. Addressing African leaders in Berlin, Schroeder said the region should not be seen as a basket case and offered German companies the potential for […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 7.10pm. PHILIPPINE troops stormed a Muslim rebel stronghold on Friday, where it is thought 27 hostages, including two South African tourists, are being held. Amidst fierce fighting soldiers found shallow graves believed to contain the bodies of about 20 Abu Sayyaf rebels. However the hostages were not found. The stronghold […]
MARIAM ISA, Johannesburg | Friday 5.15pm. THE battered rand could test fresh lows against the dollar as the turmoil in neighbouring Zimbabwe escalates, with the euro’s slide dealing another blow to waning confidence, analysts said on Friday. Few held out much hope of a recovery for the currency near-term, which sank to R6,86 to the […]
A NEW South African speed reading record of 32143 words per minute has been set by Cape Town restaurant manageress Ingrid Veit, 37. The previous record of 15000 words per minute, set in August 1997, was held by Christine Davis. Veit completed a 126-page novel on Albert Einstein in 56 seconds, a reading speed of […]