There’s more to India for a South African traveller than just Mahatma Gandhi and cricket Lauren Shantall ‘Hello! What country?” So goes the “getting-to-know-you” mantra in India. You’ll hear it often enough if you decide to slake a Western thirst with the clichd promise of the East. Luckily for the South African tourist, this typical […]
AHM Scholtz published his first novel, Vatmaar, in 1995 at the age of 72. This acclaimed debut won the M-Net Prize, the Eugne Marais Prize and the CNA Literary Award. The panoramic tale of a small town in the Northern Cape has been translated into Dutch and German. Chris van Wyk’s new translation brings A […]
Thebe Mabanga IN YOUR EAR Johannesburg-based adult contemporary station Kaya fm 95.9 is steadily making inroads in winning over a fastidious and habit-driven audience – the black middle class – using retro sounds with a world music slant. Since its August 1997 launch, Kaya has entrenched its distinct sound. Its music selection is astute, yet […]
What took place this week at the Department of Education’s 123 Schoeman Street headquarters, soon to be renamed after Sol T Plaatjie, was profoundly significant. A team of educationists was given the platform to pronounce judgement on one of the government’s most flashy and therefore politically laden flagship projects – Curriculum 2005 – in the […]
Lauren Shantall Making a mini-pilgrimage to see the saffron-robed Sai Baba could easily be classified under the header “The Weird and the Wonderful”. For Baba is the controversial holy man who has been seen belching rings of blue flame from his belly, the venerable Sri who manifests gawdy gold jewellery from the aether, and the […]
Barry Streek The government has released details of its R374-million Community Based Public Works Programme (CBPWP) for the current financial year, including a R50-million programme to involve unemployed young people in making government buildings accessible to disabled people. It has also allocated R6-million for repairs to roads and bridges damaged by the floods earlier this […]
Traditional financial services are no longer confined solely to the ‘big fish’ or the conventional banking sector Alan Finlay With the hostile bid by Nedcor to acquire banking rival Stanbic dominating the headlines a few months ago, one might be forgiven for thinking that the health of the sector is entirely dependent on what the […]
Duncan Campbell Ridley and Tony Scott, two of Britain’s most celebrated film directors, reacted with fury and more than a little embarrassment to an advertisement placed by their company that critics say is offensive to black people and women. They apologised profusely for the advert, in the trade weekly Shoot, which has led to picketing […]
David Beresford ANOTHER COUNTRY Leafing through an old copy of the Penguin Book of Lies (out of which falls a dusty gift card fondly admonishing me not to “take it personally”) I am moved to a confession, not as to a lie, but a resource. Parkinson’s gets one down from time to time – times […]
commission Khadija Magardie The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is investigating possible criminal charges against Minister of Public Enterprises Jeff Radebe. This follows an application by the Mail & Guardian to investigate Radebe, after remarks he made in a submission to the HRC during the racism in the media hearings earlier this year. Radebe accused M&G […]