A murder suspect who threatened to kill the two witnesses to his alleged crime has been freed on bail of R500, and nobody involved in the case can explain why. Heather Hogan reports ‘It must have been a mistake,” shrugged a clerk at Botshabelo Magistrate’s Court, of the alleged murderer’s release on R500 bail. And […]

Cameron Duodu LETTER FROM THE NORTH Because I knew my Sudan piece would be controversial, I sent it to a friend of mine who works for a large international news agency for her comments before publication. She wrote back: “It is a heart-breaking situation and you, too, will come in for abuse, of course. Off […]

Durban’s drowned and Cape Town’s still smouldering, but you’re all right – you’re well insured. Or are you? Gavin Foster looks at some disputes between insurers and their clients ‘One of the problems is that people today often buy their insurance directly from the companies rather than use a broker,” says Michael Bennett, the South […]

Being the kind of person who doesn’t walk under ladders with a whole stack of ease, I’ve got a big problem with the outcomes- based extremity of chain letters. To me they’re generally just an unwanted dose of bad ju-ju. By deleting or ripping the thing into tiny shreds on receipt, I always preclude myself […]

Thebe Mabanga In your ear Just over a year and a week ago today, Metro fm embarked on a series of changes designed to reposition the once premier English black commercial radio station to help it focus on a slightly younger audience. The station unveiled its Manhattan skyline logo and “it’s where you’re at” slogan. […]

One of the world’s most influential directors talks to Brian Logan about a theatrical epiphany Peter Brook’s influence on modern theatre is so pervasive that when he says a production influenced him, you can’t help but take notice. The renowned director – whose 1970 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is considered a milestone in […]

Khadija Magardie WHO IS … SALIM OULDSALEK? In the week President Thabo Mbeki limbered up for his State of the Nation address, he found time to meet an emissary from one of Africa’s more arcane conflicts. Salim Ouldsalek, foreign minister of the would-be Saharawi Arab Republic, is in South Africa to revive the long-standing ties […]

There was a programme the other night about men and their penises. The previous week, there was one about women and their clitorises, which featured liberated dames spreading their legs before mirrors, solemnly admiring the “beauty of their vaginas” for the benefit of assembled academia and TV cameras. It was a bit strange watching that […]

Hawkers who recently moved to the Rockey Street Market complain that the rental is too high, writes Jubie Matlou It’s a rare sight in South Africa to spot a white hawker selling his wares side by side with a black woman grilling mielies on a brazier. Andy McKay is one of the few white hawkers […]