Steven Friedman WORM’S EYE VIEW We like politicians who act. We do not seem to like working out whether the actions solve our problems. Take Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete. With his enthusiastic support, police are “sorting out” inner Johannesburg amid gung-ho statements on the success of the operation and the number of […]
There were signs in the week prior to the mass cult suicide that something unusual was going on Anna Borzello in Kanungu, Uganda A mass of tangled bodies lay sprawled on the floor of the makeshift church. The corrugated tin roof had fallen in from the pressure of the flames, and rain spattered down on […]
Thebe Mabanga IN YOUR EAR This is the story of Radio Bop (MW540).The station recently celebrated its 21st birthday, marking a milestone in the station’s chequered history. It was established under homeland rule in the old Bophuthatswana and for the better part of its existence was the pride of black media. To measure the extent […]
We may have lost the African Cup of Nations, but South Africa’s sheep shearers rank among the best in the world David Le Page in Bloemfontein Like spindly insectoid arms, the clattering electric clippers descend from red wall-mounted thoraxes to molest the shuddering sheep. It’s the Bloem agricultural show. Walk past the cult of the […]
Fiona Macleod When tourists in the Letaba rest camp in the northern Kruger National Park saw an animal swimming furiously across the flooded Letaba River last Sunday, they thought it was a hippo. The river had breached the camp’s perimeter fence and the animal headed straight towards them. As it emerged from the water, they […]
Peter Dickson Costa Gazi, the outspoken Eastern Cape state doctor, has offered to personally fund the introduction of Nevirapine, an anti-retroviral drug used to combat Aids, in community clinics if the Department of Health fails to provide the drug. Gazi, the health secretary of the Pan Africanist Congress, said this week he is prepared to […]
Is normal service resumed? Markets surge as the blue chips bite back – and dot.coms dwindle Heather Connon It is a corporate remake of The Empire Strikes Back. Just 10 days ago a clutch of new technology stars soared into the elite of the FTSE 100 index. Since then, the shares of Freeserve, Psion and […]
Barry Streek The South African Human Rights Commission (HRC) has strongly criticised the government for not taking it seriously, accusing some ministers of regarding it as a nuisance and condemning Parliament for not giving its reports meaningful attention. The 1999 HRC report, which has been tabled in Parliament, says the commission believes there is “a […]
Donna Block SHAREWORLD I’ve just returned from holiday in Plettenberg Bay, during which time my family and I decided to take a tour boat. We spotted lots of sea creatures but the waves were throwing us around quite a bit, causing my six-year-old to say, “Mommy looks just like a robot – red, yellow and […]
Rodney Victor Jewish leaders are scrambling to avoid involvement in a row over the food given to Jews in prisons after an awaiting-trial inmate at Pretoria Central Prison complained that Jewish prisoners are offered halaal food prepared for Muslims instead of kosher fare. Rabbi Michael Katz of Chabad House in Johannesburg said he is aware […]