THIRTY five elephant in the Kruger Park have been darted from the air with sedatives, checked with an ultra-sound machine to ensure they are not pregnant, and given a hefty dose of the pachyderm pill in a novel experiment designed to test whether animal contraception can minimise the need for culling the Kruger National Park’s […]

The Caprivi commander who exposed Inkatha hit squads is angry he wasn’t called as a witness in the trial of Magnus Malan, report Mehlo Mvelase and Ann Eveleth THE man who lifted the veil of secrecy once shrouding Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned hit- squads in KwaZulu-Natal launched a scathing attack this week on the prosecuting team […]

Joshua Amupadhi SECONDARY schools in KwaThema, east of Johannesburg, came to a standstill this week when a small group of pupils stopped 10 000 others from writing exams. Pupils were later bused to secret venues to complete their examinations. The police and army presence at schools, there since August, has also been beefed up. The […]

Hazel Friedman YUCK. Urgh. Gross. The Pits! These are some of the four-letter responses usually evoked by the following question: “What is your opinion of the giant statue of gold miner George Harrison towering over the Bruma- Eastgate intersection?” And these responses were elicited prior to the sudden appearance (outgrowth might be a better term) […]

Marion Edmunds and Andy Duffy WHILE Minister of Health Nkosazana Zuma is inviting Cuban and German doctors to South Africa to heal the nation, the Department of Home Affairs is refusing to give foreign doctors already in the country permanent residence status. And while Zuma welcomes Cuban doctors with open arms and cigars, other foreign […]

Former Sunday Times editor Ken Owen disputes Kathy O’Dowd’s version of her trip to the top of Everest CATHY O’DOWD’S account of what happened on the sorry expedition to Everest, insofar as it deals with matters within my knowledge, is untrue. She would have done much good for her reputation as a journalist, and a […]

THREE weeks ago the Mail & Guardian attempted to provoke public debate with a front page editorial advocating the introduction of something along the lines of the United States primary elections to choose a successor to Nelson Mandela as leader of the African National Congress and – by implication – president of South Africa. The […]

M&G Reporter A fuss this week over a personal secretary to Nelson Mandela who posed for Hustler magazine offers an alternative explanation for the decline of South Africa’s porn industry: that the smut merchants don’t recognise a golden opportunity. Lilian Arrison, a secretary at the president’s official Cape Town residence, submitted her portrait to the […]

For many in Goma, Zaire, the arrival of Rwandan rebels means a better life than before, reports Chris McGreal THE first rebel recruiting table was set up outside Goma post office, a building which ceased to serve its original function several years ago when the Zairean government stopped delivering the mail. There were no volunteers […]