years Kurt Shillinger and Peta Thornycroft The state has had sufficient evidence for nine years to charge Winnie Madikizela- Mandela with kidnapping Soweto youth Lolo Sono. Michael Seakamela, the former driver who took the badly beaten boy in the company of Madikizela-Mandela to his parent’s home, made a statement about the alleged kidnapping shortly after […]

Wally Mbhele The African National Congress Women’s League is headed for a major showdown this weekend, that could split the organisation, over the nomination of their president, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, for the ANC deputy presidency. It appears that a statement issued to the media claiming that the ANC national working committee’s, and the KwaZulu-Natal region of […]

Mungo Soggot The state oil company was hit with two key resignations this week as the saga surrounding Emanuel Shaw II’s R3-million appointment raged on. Finance chief Sarel Cilliers tendered his resignation and was asked to leave the Central Energy Fund’s Sandton headquarters – a day after Gordon Sibiya, director general of the Department of […]

Madeleine Wackernagel : Taking Stock When Alec Erwin presented his document on competition policy to the trade and industry chamber of Nedlac last week, the only surprise was in the timing. After three years of broken promises, one had almost given up on it. As if to make up for its tardiness, the policy is […]

Anton Harber : A Second Look Anyone concerned with the issues of good governance should take note of last week’s departure from office of the Director General of the Department of Welfare, Leila Patel. Patel finished work last Friday with little media attention. But when a director general with a solid reputation departs prematurely from […]

Neil Manthorp : Cricket South Africa’s coach Bob Woolmer is getting closer and closer to achieving his “dream team”. “If I could I would have all the all-rounders in the one-day side. Why not? Ten bowlers and 11 batsmen able to adapt to different requirements. The more options the better. The more bowling depth the […]

Janet Smith No razzmatazz accompanied SABC1’s repositioning this week, and nobody at the channel would say they’d had the decorators in, but new branding has definitely blown away the old Simunye. Gone are the gaudy retro colours of the studio set as glossy imaging spins onto screen. Gone are the cheesy mimes before and after […]

Eze Anaba Since Sani Abacha, head of Nigeria’s military government, dissolved his Cabinet and announced the impending release of some political detainees last month, the mood in his country has changed from elation to anxiety. Instead of releases, there has been a spate of new detentions, among them the wife of a journalist who fled […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer The match of the year in South Africa takes place at Ellis Park on Sunday evening with Bafana Bafana trying to avoid a third consecutive defeat while Brazil seek their 13th success in a row. Both countries are using the friendly as a final warm-up for the Confederations Cup from December 12 […]

Stefaans Brmmer A United States-based human rights organisation claims that South Africans have been deeply involved in the underground supply of arms and military assistance to warring parties in Burundi. It says senior government and African National Congress officials may have given the “green light” to such transactions, without actively participating. The allegations are contained […]