Weak administration, leadership and service have been cited among the reasons for the party’s decline Howard Barrell and Jaspreet Kindra The South African Communist Party goes into its strategy conference this weekend having lost as many as four out of five of the members it recruited after being unbanned in 1990. The party currently has […]

Belinda Beresford International human rights activists are preparing to launch a boycott campaign on the internet against South African petroleum company Engen. The “boycott Engen” campaign is being directed at Engen’s majority shareholder, national Malaysian petrochemicals company, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas). Engen is 80% owned by Petronas. Petronas is one of several multinational energy companies […]

David Le Page It’s common cause, but Abram “Slang” van Zyl still doesn’t refer directly to the source of his notoriety, the Civil Co- operation Bureau (CCB). Rather, he refers obliquely to the “defence force”, it having spawned the CCB, the “dirty tricks” operation that begat so many dreaded and familiar names: “Staal” Burger, “Joe” […]

Justin Arenstein Suspended Mpumalanga parks chief Alan Gray has made a desperate appeal for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to help him fight 77 theft and fraud charges in return for “offering up” some of the province’s most prominent politicians. Gray and ousted environmental affairs MEC David Mkhwanazi secretly met with NIA director gene-ral Vusi […]

in murder A murderer’s confession has offered an unprecedented insight into the shady dealings of the police elite in Durban Paul Kirk The deputy commander of the Durban murder and robbery unit, Superintendent Alan Alford, has been accused of being part of a drug-related contract killing involving the Hell’s Angels. Alford features in the confession […]

Neal Collins The oldest cricket fixture on the Lord’s calendar got under way on Thursday with a definite South African flavour. A glance through the list of Harrow players to play Eton in the 163rd clash between England’s two major private schools reveals two interesting names: NRD Compton and K Motaung. Sound familiar? They should […]

Barry Streek The government has underspent on its land reform and land restitution budgets by a whopping R1,4-billion over the past four financial years. This disclosure – given by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza in Parliament this week – comes amid widespread concern that the government has been too conservative in applying […]

Shaun de Waal CD OFTHEWEEK On his latest release, blues master Taj Mahal follows in the footsteps of his compadre Ry Cooder, with whom he founded The Rising Sons in the Sixties. In 1993, Cooder made Talking Timbuktu with Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure, weaving blues motifs into a set of Toure’s songs, and coming […]

Luvuyo Kakaza When the African drum telegraphed a mystic rhythm in the Market Theatre’s foyer on May 21, it was time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the annual FNB/Vita Market Theatre Laboratory Community Festival. The two-week long festival gives a platform to over 30 community-theatre groups from across Southern Africa. At the official opening […]

Martina Hingis returns to the French Open next week desperate to atone for last year’s irrational performance Stephen Bierley Martina Hingis is still at a loss to explain exactly what happened and why. ”I think I lost my mind. There was so much pressure and I really wanted to beat her and win the title.” […]