THEATRE: Peter Frost THE Truth Fairy’s in town. A sharper-than-ever Pieter-Dirk Uys, not content with the abolition of the apartheid system, is now targeting the forgetful South African public with its recent past, using the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as gunpowder. The result is big, entertaining bangs. Truth Omissions (at the Baxter in Cape Town) […]

THEATRE: Shaun de Waal PERHAPS one of the good things about the reshuffling of the arts councils will be that each province gets to see more of the others’ work — such as the two Capab productions directed by Marthinus Basson now showing in Johannesburg. (And let’s hope that one day he restages his much-lauded […]

Jacquie Golding-Duffy The Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications has submitted the names of four nominees for the IBA councillors’ posts to President Nelson Mandela for approval. Mandela has to rubber stamp the nominations which are: Lyndall Shope- Mafole, currently an IBA councillor; Pietie Lotriet, former head of SABC commercial radio; Raymond Louw, a media task […]

With Dance Umbrella under way, HAZEL FRIEDMAN speaks to the grande dame of choreography, Sylvia Glasser CHOREOGRAPHERS, dancers and audiences at this year’s FNB Vita Dance Umbrella have all been asking: where is Sylvia Glasser? Though the veteran choreographer has not presented an individual performance under her Moving into Dance rubric, she has been visible […]

Dennis Davis criticised the Human Rights Committee; the chairman responded by calling him a racist. Now Davis asks why a man in this position uses hate speech SPEECH characterises our humanity. It is fundamental to the development of a community. But speech can be employed to exclude targeted individuals or groups from participation, or even […]

Agricultural output could account for a quarter of this year’s economic growth, reports Simon Segal THE most recent estimates from South African Agriculture Union economist Koos du Toit are that the good rains should see a 20% rise in the gross value of farm output this year to R35- billion (R28,9-billion was realised in 1995). […]

IT is with great relief that the country learns of the clean bill of health given to President Nelson Mandela by Johannesburg’s Park Lane clinic. Rarely can a people — indeed the world — have wished for the good health and long life of an individual with as much fervour as in the case of […]

Politics The ANC’s united front over Sarafina II begins to crack Jacquie Golding-Duffy and Justin Pearce The scandal over the Sarafina II Aids play is threatening to escalate yet further with indications that the production may not have been financed by the European Union, but by the Ministry of Health. The development comes amid signs […]

Up for investigation is M-Net’s legal right to two channels, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) will conduct an investigation into M-Net’s possession of two channels later this year. Together with SABC’s three channels, M-Net channels have limited the ability of the IBA to open up the airwaves. The pay channel’s open time […]

TELVISION: Hazel Friedman IF the SABC archives contained a special section filed under MO for Missed Opportunities, Rhythms and Rights would probably occupy pride of place. Commissioned by the SABC as part of its local-content drive, this made-for-the-RDP dramatised documentary series is brimming with potential. Yet less than five weeks into this 13-part television series, […]