THEATRE: Alexander Sudheim reviews Durban Poison – WHEN, in the 1950s, Lenny Bruce walked up to the microphone in an LA club and asked, ever so innocently: “Are there any niggers here tonight?” the concept of stand-up comedy was revolutionised. At first there was a deafening silence from the audience. Then Sammy Davis Junior, sitting […]

Marion Edmunds A NUMBER of African National Congress ministers are trying to breathe new life into the Masakhane Campaign by making Deputy President Thabo Mbeki its new figurehead. Mbeki will promote payment of rates and taxes, as part of the drive to create a “new patriotism”. A representative from the Constitutional Development Ministry, Mpho Msmane, […]

THE President of Swaziland’s People’s United Democratic Movement (Puderno) has withdrawn from a committee set up to write the country’s Constitution. Mario Masuku listed seven demands to be met among them the lifting of a 1973 decree which bans political parties from operating in Swaziland before he would rejoin the talks. The existence of Puderno […]

Crash is set to take South Africa by storm. JONATHAN ROMNEY first saw the controversial movie at the Cannes Film Festival – THROUGHOUT the Cannes press screening of Crash, someone in the row behind me muttered a refrain of “Sick … sick …” There was a whiff of scandal in the air a full week […]

Virgin is in town and keen to foster partnerships with local companies, writes Madeleine Wackernagel ‘NOW that we can afford to fly here,” quipped Richard Branson, head of Virgin Atlantic, in an apparent side-swipe at the prevailing duopoly, “many more investments will follow.” First off is a Virgin Megastore; a site has been earmarked and […]

Jane Badham THE travel brochures show you pictures of the big five, stretches of pristine beaches, luxury hotels and smiling faces. The picture of peace and harmony, but allow me to paint the real picture … We have long known that we are living in the most violent country (with the exception of Bosnia) in […]

Marion Edmunds SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION journalists, along with about 250 of their colleagues from around the world, were holed up in a compound in Libya this week, unsure when they would be allowed to leave the country to return to their homes. According to Current Affairs Executive Producer Freek Robinson, a producer, Kotie van […]

Jan Bergman believes he is the best boxer in South Africa. This weekend he has a chance to prove his boast correct BOXING: Gavin Evans THERE’S a kind of prickly arrogance about Jan Bergman which comes across as alternatively endearing or plain irritating, depending on your vantage point. He’s a man who “knows” he’s the […]

Yunus Momoniat CITIZEN AND SUBJECT: CONTEMPORARY AFRICA AND THE LEGACY OF LATE COLONIALISM by Mahmood Mamdani (James Currey/Fountain/David Philip, R79,95) – UGANDAN academic Mahmood Mamdani, who worked in South Africa for a time, has written a wide-ranging and highly theoretical book which attempts to discern a pattern in the process of colonialism in Africa. He […]

The widespread strike in Zimbabwe may be over, but the country’s troubles aren’t, reports Julius Zava ALTHOUGH Zimbabwe’s strike by civil servants has been suspended, the threat of renewed labour unrest continues. The strikers have given the government until September 27 to address problems Plain English which lead to their strike which lasted nearly four […]