It’s irritating to be accused of stifling debate while debating. “Aids-denial” scientists are like Holocaust-denial historians. Of course they have a constitutional right to be heard – but Holocaust denial didn’t get cranked up until the 1980s, when every thinking person had known for 40 years that the Holocaust actually happened. Here, the government was […]

‘Long ago, in a far, far galaxy …’ So began a 1977 film that spawned a hundred imitators, billions of dollars in profits, two sequels and, now, the first of three planned prequels. What is it about George Lucas’s Star Wars films that has so captured the imagination? By Mark Lawson In 1977, a promising […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 10.00am. MANCHESTER United have appointed Cape Town club FC Fortune as their player development representatives in southern Africa, the English champions announced on Wednesday. FC Fortune will look out for talented young footballers in the region while in return Manchester United will offer advice and technical assistance and take […]

WITH the announcement on Tuesday by Northern Province Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi of his 10-member executive, the full line-up of MECs across the country is now in place. The Northern Province executive includes Thaba Mufamadi (Finance, Trade and industry, Tourism), national treasurer of the SA Communist Party and a relative to Sydney Mufamadi (Minister of Provincial […]

BOB Woolmer, South Africa’s World Cup coach, has agreed a three-year contract to return to Warwickshire as director of coaching from January 2000. He enjoyed a successful spell with the English county side in the early 1990s. The deal appears to rule Woolmer out of the job of England coach until after the next World […]

OLD MUTUAL is to axe some 5000 workers in line with recommendations by an independent audit into its demutualisation programme. Old Mutual spokesman Steven Bowey confirmed that the audit has recommended staff reductions, but refused to name the exact number of employees expected to be affected. Business Report quotes a South African Commercial Catering and […]

DAVID SHAPSHAK, Johannesburg | Thursday 3.00pm. CONTROVERSIAL former Springbok James Small on Thursday announced his retirement from rugby. The fiery winger, who once held the South African record for Test caps (42) and tries (22), became something of a folk hero after closing down his giant All Black opposite number, Jonah Lomu, in the 1995 […]

FORMER England fast bowler Peter Lever has been asked by the Kenyan cricket authorities to mastermind their build-up to the 2003 cricket World Cup. The 58-year-old, who played 22 tests between 1972 and 1974, has already been involved in the development of Kenyan cricket and he acted as their bowling coach in the World Cup, […]

WEDNESDAY, 1.00PM: DELAYS in organising the financial affairs of Transnet have forced Public Enterprises Minister Stella Sigcau to move the sale of 49% of South African Airways from October to the first quarter of 1999. Business Day reports that the delay was caused, among other things, by difficulties in determining the pension requirements held by […]

ALL-ROUNDER Lance Klusener, voted man of the tournament in the World Cup, has turned down an offer to replace injured fellow South African Jacques Kallis at English county side Glamorgan. “No way,” Klusener told a Durban newspaper. “They have Jacques — that’s it. “Right now, I’m longing to get back home. It’s been a long, […]