Andrew Muchineripi Soccer In a compact, white-walled room with a yellow door, a well-worn greyish carpet and small windows covered by rattling venetian blinds, Bafana Bafana coach Trott Moloto laid bare his soul this week. It was Tuesday, the temperature had climbed to 30C by midday at the Esselenpark complex north-east of Johannesburg and the […]

Mpumalanga’s premier introduced Dolphin president Ketan Somaia to Minister of Defence Joe Modise in connection with an arms deal with Kenya, writes Justin Arenstein The Dubai-based Dolphin Group wasn’t just gunning for Mpumalanga’s game reserves when it nailed a secret R25- billion contract with the province’s parks board in 1996 – it also tried to […]

Writer Ashraf Jamal has never shied away from epic and dangerous themes. Andr Wiesner finds that happiness hasn’t removed his sting Playwright Ashraf Jamal is flipping through a pad of photographs, and the portraits they reveal look cindered, burnt black and grey by the intensity of their subjects. In one image, a blood-streaked Billy Idol-lookalike […]

the ball game The US media is obsessed with impeachment. But the people believe life has rarely been so sweet, says Ed Vulliamy During the week that the first impeachment trial of a United States president this century began in earnest, another record bit the dust. This one concerned the proverbial diamond-in-the-dust, as it happens: […]

Evidence wa ka Ngobeni It’s a hot Saturday morning in the rural village of Stinkwater, North-West province. Hundreds of residents and government officials have gathered to honour a group of youngsters committed to cleaning up their village. Stinkwater, near Hammanskraal, is among the 50% of South Africa’s townships, villages and informal settlements which do not […]

economy, stupid Beneath the triumphalism and euphoria, a deep unease pervades Middle America, argues Robert Kuttner Yes, in many respects life in the United States has never been better. But there are four notable soft spots in the American utopia: insecurity, holes in the welfare state, inequality and stress. First, insecurity: social critic Richard Sennett […]

evict soldiers Peter Dickson Armed with brooms and a letter of demand, 30 residents of Mandela Park informal squatter camp in Umtata last week marched through the gates of the OR Tambo complex, which houses police and defence force units, and told officers they were trespassers who had until January 31 to clear out. The […]

Chiara Carter Northern Cape Premier Manne Dipico is convinced the African National Congress is positioned to wrest coloured votes from the New National Party and win the province outright in the coming elections. The province’s election race is likely to be closely watched because it is one of few where the government could change hands […]

Mungo Soggot The world’s most famous pop star exchanged his trademark white glove for a yarmulke last weekend when he attended a bar mitzvah at the Sandton synagogue and nearby Capri hotel in Johannesburg. Michael Jackson jetted in from the United States especially for the event, stunning guests with his enthusiastic participation in the festivities. […]