Cameron Duodu LETTER FROM THE NORTH In 1992 I was in Abuja, Nigeria, to cover former president FW de Klerk’s first official visit to Nigeria. As I sat down to face De Klerk and his officials at the news conference, I wondered whether they fully realised the historic importance of the visit. Nigeria had played […]

Jubie Matlou The government has adopted a two-pronged policy towards land reform, namely land restitution and land redistribution. This policy is designed to reverse land ownership patterns that took shape following the Land Act of 1913, which saw 87% of the most arable land given to a ruling minority, and the remaining 13% to the […]

Internationally and locally the term ‘the art of shopping’ has been given new meaning Kathryn Smith The Pet Shop Boys spelt it out for us: “S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G. – We’re shopping.” Malls, fleamarkets, boutiques, 24-hour garage shops – it really doesn’t matter. According to CNN, the Chinese government recently declared a seven-day shopping holiday. Wanting to appear […]

Shaun de Waal CDs OFTHEWEEK Compay Segundo will be familiar to lovers of the Cuban music brought to international attention by the Buena Vista Social Club CDs and documentary. In case you’ve forgotten, he’s the nonagenarian who smokes those big fat cigars. The first singer to record a 78 in Cuba (in 1934), he was […]

Shaun de Waal MOVIE OFTHEWEEK The phantasmagoric imagination of Tim Burton seamlessly combines the adult sensibility of the horror tale and the cartoony delights of a children’s story, using a fairytale form to deal with death, destruction and the rest of the darker side of the human psyche. It is this vision that provides Burton’s […]

Communities near state forests are upset about not being consulted about proposed sales Fiona Macleod The government’s multimillion-rand sale of commercial state forests could literally go up in flames if the rights of the rural communities who own the land where the forests are growing continue to be ignored. Critics say threats of the forests […]

Angry residents in the Northern Province are threatening to take action over delays in land claim settlements, reports Jaspreet Kindra Land claimants in the Northern Province are threatening to boycott the local government elections, and have joined other claimants across the country in threatening “Zimbabwe-style” invasions. The disgruntled claimants have found an unlikely ally in […]

The ICC announces swingeing penalties and an anti-corruption investigation Mike Selvey at Lord’s The International Cricket Council (ICC) this week demonstrated, in the strongest terms it can muster, its commitment to cleaning up the sport by announcing a package of measures to counter corruption, including life bans for those found guilty of match-fixing in any […]

Michelle Matthews One of the more recent flyers advertising Soft Serve 2: Art at Play posed a riddle to Capetonians: “Q: What are squares scared of? A: Vicious circles.” The queue outside the National Gallery on Friday will be a long one. While the flock instinct is strong, however, it doesn’t fully explain why an […]

Lack of international experience could thwart Siyabonga Nomvete’s plans to move to Sunderland Neal Collins in London Sunderland’s bid to sign South African striker Siyabonga Nomvete could be derailed by work permit problems. Manager Peter Reid has let it be known that he is “very interested” in the Bafana Bafana goalgetter – but fears the […]