Kevin Mitchell Boxing In the movies, the fighters only bleed pretty. Slap in front of the camera means mascara, not knuckle. But not all boxers are squash-nosed pugs and, this Sunday, there are three at work on either side of the Atlantic who manage the rare feet of making both their opponents and young women […]

There’s a school of thought that argues that the provinces should have limited taxation powers, writes Charlene Smith Amid reports of budgetary chaos at provincial level, the Financial and Fiscal Commission is increasing pressure on the government to allow the provinces limited taxation powers. The commission, which advises the minister of finance on provincial budgetary […]

THE South African Insurance Association (SAIA) is to conduct a comprehensive national investigation into the effectiveness of fire services following concerns expressed by the short-term insurance industry that fire services are becoming less efficient, contributing to the severity of fire losses. SAIA chief executive Barry Scott said: “SAIA has contacted the minister of constitutional affairs […]

Peter Conrad Iris Murdoch, the novelist and philosopher, who has died aged 79, was one of the best and most influential writers of the 20th century. Above all, she kept the traditional novel alive, and in so doing changed what it is capable of. She was not the heir – as she early and wrongly […]

A shortage of forensic pathologists and a lack of post-mortem facilities have caused several miscarriages of justice, writes Sue Blaine Statistics show that three in every thousand South Africans will die an unnatural death by murder, suicide or accident – 80 000 a year. A post-mortem must be conducted on every person who dies an […]

THE Ceasefire Campaign on Friday said the government’s planned R29-billion arms purchases will draw scarce resources away from the social sector, while the much-vaunted counter-trade benefits are largely fictional. The campaign’s Rob Thomson said the government has not explained how it calculates the R110-billion figure it has been throwing around. Pointing out that an Economic […]

THE DAVID GLEASON COLUMN When is a loan a gift? Does it matter? Well, yes it does, especially when commerce and banks are involved. And I suspect the story I am about to relate may come to feature prominently as the evidence unravels before a special tribunal over the course of the year. Once upon […]

Emeka Nwandiko Bathed in fluorescent light, Lisa Bornman points a 9mm Taurus pistol at a red bull’s- eye and fires. Despite the debate raging in the country whether handguns should be banned, Bornman takes weapons training to protect herself. She is part of a growing legion of women who believe a gun is the means […]

LEGISLATION to liberalise Mozambique’s telecommunications sector is nearing completion and will be presented to cabinet and parliament for approval soon, the country’s deputy minister of transport and communications, Antonio Fernandes, said on Thursday. The new law will allow Mozambique’s state telecom company, TDM, to commercialise or partially privatise core services by teaming up with foreign […]