Tangeni Amupadhi and Wonder Hlongwa Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal has grabbed the headlines in recent months, but a cluster of nearby villages in the Umvoti valley may well hold the unenviable title of murder capital of the world. Police estimate that since 1996, more than 600 people have been assassinated in what are described as “faction […]

Loose cannon: Robert Kirby I can’t imagine why such a fuss is being made about the appointment of Mr Ramesh Vassen as consul general to India. Anyone with two eyes in his head could see it coming a mile off. The appointment of one’s political buddies into high office has always been within the purview […]

DEMOCRATIC Party Gauteng leader Peter Leon told the Gauteng legislature on Thursday that he has information that a gambling operator paid R1-million to a Gauteng MEC to secure a casino license. Leon refused repeated requests to name the MEC. Leon subsequently came under fire from leader of the house Firoz Cachalia, who charged that Leon […]

Jamie Doward Online war is set to break out when Christie’s announces later this year that it will hold auctions over the Internet, putting it in direct competition with Sotheby’s. Two weeks ago, Sotheby’s, the world’s oldest international auction house, revealed it was to develop an Internet trading arm for art, antiques, jewellery and collectibles. […]

Sechaba ka’Nkosi Meet the Federal Alliance’s newest recruit and probably Louis Luyt’s most sensational catch. She is streetwise Elizabeth Rapuleng (50) of Zondi, Soweto. Rapuleng dumped the ailing New National Party only three days after party stalwarts such as Sheila Camerer organised a big bash to celebrate her birthday. Rapuleng joined the alliance last week […]

KENYANS living in marginal areas are struggling with a drought currently ravaging some parts of the country, according to a USaid monthly publication. “If the long rains are poor this year, there will be substantial impoverishment of households in the marginal agricultural districts of the country,” it says. Kenya Vulnerability Update also predicts that even […]

David Beresford Judge Willem Heath has been compared with everyone from Batman to Judge Dread. With indefatigable energy true to the comic-book tradition, “Hercules Heath” is at it again: staring down Gauteng’s Mathole Motshekga, preparing to haul half a dozen banks – including the Reserve Bank – before the bar of public inquiry, sparking a […]

NEGOTIATIONS are under way to secure the release of a British oil worker kidnapped on Thursday in the troubled Niger Delta region, a British embassy spokesperson said on Friday.The oil man was seized on Thursday by youths demanding money. His identity, and that of the company he works for, are being withheld at the request […]

LAGOS police have arrested 13 people and banned northern cattle herders from using a 50-year-old market after a clash with oil tanker drivers this week left several people dead. The ban came after oil tanker drivers threatened strike action. The drivers regularly hold Lagos to ransom by strikes, using the chronic fuel shortage — in […]

You don’t have to be paranoid to buy a Pentium, but it helps, writes John Naughton If you thought Microsoft was an aggressively competitive company, then you’ve never heard of Intel, the outfit which makes the processor chips inside most of the world’s computers. Andy Grove, until recently Intel’s head honcho, was famous for his […]