The murder of DayleOrsmond has provided an extremely vivid illustration of poor police work in South Africa, writes Mungo Soggot It is almost a year since Dayle Orsmond, a computer programmer, was beaten and strangled to death in her Johannesburg flat. The 36-year-old woman was found on the floor by her bed, trussed with stockings […]

Mercedes Sayagues During this week’s Heroes’ Day and Defence Forces’ National Day public holidays, Zimbabweans took a break from their harsh daily realities, but the politics did not stop. As they boarded buses to go home, the talk was about the newest challenge to the ruling party, Zanu-PF. Last weekend, trade union leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s […]

At the celebrations marking the changing of the Reserve Bank guard last weekend, there was a fine crop of speeches as the outgoing governor of the Reserve Bank, Chris Stals, handed over to Tito Mboweni. Stals gave a self-effacing, wry speech, listing what he believed were the 12 commandments of central banking, and expressing confidence […]

David Wood swaps his cards for a mouse and takes on the big players in cyberspace `How can you play with crap cards like that?” asks “Aces” from Indian Wells, after witnessing my awful starting hand develop into a big winner. And he was right. If “Aces” were sitting next to me at home or […]

Angie Small’s daughter, Mary, looks and acts like any other toddler. But because of a rare condition, Mary was born with testes in her abdomen rather than ovaries, and without a uterus. Her body, completely insensitive to hormones produced by testes, cannot develop along masculine lines. The hormones turn into oestrogen, which makes her body […]

Changes in local government are the source of renewed intrigue in the Zulu royal house, writes Ivor Powell The latest spat between Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini on one side and the Zulu chiefs under Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi on the other reads like an intrigue from another time – a battle for the […]

interview Ivor Powell Nine Angolan journalists from the Catholic Radio Ecclesia were detained by the security police this week as Angolan authorities clamped down on what they term “a fifth column fighting a rearguard action against the government”. The nine were taken into custody after they rebroadcast a BBC interview with Unita rebel leader Jonas […]

Shaun de Waal Virtual reality movie of the week The great wit Dorothy Parker is reputed to have said: “I know on the surface I’m somewhat dry, but deep inside I’m really rather moist.” It seems to be David Cronenberg’s mission in life to remind us constantly that deep inside we are really rather moist, […]

Gavin Evans investigates the Monday Club’s history of support for apartheid and racism The voice on the line was unmistakably English, but the words were not. “Hoe gaan dit met jou?” it asked. I replied in startled Afrikaans that things were going fine, thanks. A rusty minute followed until my attempt at linguistic conviviality was […]

Mercedes Sayagues Zimbabwe is waking up with a shock to a hidden cost of the Aids pandemic: declining food production. Too many adults are sick or dead. Their surviving relatives are too old or too young or too busy nursing the sick to farm. This week, the Commercial Farmer’s Union put figures to the decline […]