As the peace process drags on, the overthrow of Mobutu has handed the government in Luanda an opportunity to move in on Unita’s rich diamond fields, writes Barnaby Phillips from Luanda A FORTNIGHT of fighting in Angola’s diamond-rich, north-eastern province of Lunda Norte has raised renewed doubts about the stability of the peace-keeping process – […]

Yunus Carrim, an ANC MP in the National Assembly, jumps into the debate on Africanism which has recently surfaced again Current debates about “Africanism” in the African National Congress cannot be separated from wider debates about the “national question” in South Africa today. And debates about the “national question” are crucially linked to debates about […]

Stefaans BrUmmer WHEN Nigeria bombarded Freetown this week in an attempt to dislodge Sierra Leone’s new coup leaders, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan applauded. But when signs of trouble became apparent some time before, the world was not so quick off the mark. After then president Ahmed […]

FRIDAY, 11.30AM RANDGOLD Resources, the offshore arm of Randgold & Exploration, is to raise between $120-million and $160-million when it lists on the London Stock Exchange later this month to fund gold expansion projects. Following research on the listing by a consortium of banks, 7-million new shares in Randgold Resources will be offered at a […]

Gwen Ansell THIS year’s Kora All-African Music Awards nominations again raise uncomfortable questions about how the industry in South Africa defines African popular music – and maybe how the world outside sees our scene. At last year’s major glitzfest, South Africa was represented by, among others, Lucky Dube, who was fted by the South African […]

AMERICAN shock-jock Howard Stern will visit South Africa next month to promote his autobiographical film, Private Parts. Stern has a four-and-a-half-hour, five-days-a- week radio show with 18-million listeners, built on his outrageous style of offensive white-trash humour. He has been married for 21 years and has four daughters, but about his radio show, he says, […]

SEXUAL VIOLENCE GUIDELINES NEW guidelines are being drawn up for South African state officials who handle cases of sexual violence against women and children. The Justice department announced the guidelines on Friday, and said they are to protect the fundamental rights of all women and childen to safety, security and protection. Officials who contravene the […]

FRIDAY, 3.00PM NATAL University has announced it is to cut 600 jobs, halve the number of faculties and slash the number of academic departments by three quarters, the senate said on Thursday. According to vice-chancellor Brenda Gourley the radical cost-cutting measures have been forced by a 5% cut in this year’s government subsidy, and the […]

Experts say new bail laws will paper over the cracks, writes Marion Edmunds THE government is promising stricter bail laws – despite little evidence that current laws are at fault. Legal experts argue that the decision will merely paper over failures in the criminal justice system and the bad decisions of inexperienced magistrates. They also […]

Andrew Worsdale JONATHAN PATON, son of the writer Alan Paton, is unhappy with aspects of a television series about his father. The Principal, the story of the author’s years as a warden at Diepkloof Reformatory, is currently airing on SABC. And Paton junior has also received retractions from the Mail & Guardian and the Sunday […]