Paul Kirk Prince Gideon Zulu, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for welfare, is apparently allowing a close friend to sell state pensioners private funeral policies at pension pay points across the province. The private insurance scheme does not make a provision for policyholders to designate a beneficiary, entitling its operators to pay out their takings to whomever […]

John Matshikiza WITH THE LID OFF Is the Reverend Jesse Jackson an opportunist, or someone who simply knows how to turn any opportunity to a greater advantage? Is there a difference between the two concepts, anyway? From that fateful day in 1968, when he was one of the first people to arrive on the balcony […]

Donna Block It’s boom time in Rustenburg as metal madness takes over the commodities markets. Speculators, mutual funds and hedge funds are seeing metals as safe investments amid fears of rising inflation and higher interest rates in the United States and Europe. A year ago most precious metals were on the junk heap. Now they’re […]

Mercedes Sayagues Judging from President Robert Mugabe’s body language during his State of the Nation address on Tuesday, he was in shock. Stiff and aloof, albeit in a father-of-the-nation magnanimous style, he conceded defeat in the referendum over his draft Constitution. It was a far cry from the fist-waving, cocky Mugabe of earlier weeks. At […]

Ivor Powell The South African government appears to be soft-pedalling on an investigation into a list of Unita sanctions busters that was given to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad by visiting Africa Minister Peter Hain on his visit last month. Hain passed on the names – which are sourced to British intelligence reports […]

policy Marianne Merten The new land reform policy unveiled this week by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza after eight months of stony silence, has raised serious concerns about the lack of public debate and consultation in the formulation of a new policy framework. The introduction of several controversial changes in the new […]

Residents of a remote rural area hope a state-of-the-art school will be the first step in the region’s developent Barry Streek The construction of a R3,7-million high school, donated by Shell at the request of former president Nelson Mandela, in an area that could not even be reached by car this week – unless it’s […]

David Beresford ANOTHER COUNTRY In view of the rivalry between the old Transvaal and the Cape, the fact that they hosted competing disasters in a matter of days – the Cape burning and now the Transvaal almost washed away in floods – offers further grounds for suspicion that You-Know-Who is playing silly buggers upstairs again. […]

Between Madagascar and the African mainland lie several small islands that time forgot Jacqui Pile ‘Slap ze seat before you sit down,” shouted Freddie, the mad German who picked us up at Nosy B airport. We vigorously hit the seats before we climbed into his convertible Kombi. A cloud of mosquitoes rose up and buzzed […]

Howard Barrell OVER A BARREL You are not alone if you, too, are beginning to think that Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe is a few marbles short of a full bag. It is not a question on which we should expect our own Thabo Mbeki or his officials to comment. They are currently engaged in manoeuvres to […]