Marion Edmunds A MASSIVE task of re-evaluation and restructuring lies ahead for town, city and rural councils, now that the elections have taken place in most parts of South Africa. While local government has been in a state of flux since the April elections last year, real change in priorities and service delivery can only […]

Rowan Callaghan The informal sector provides jobs for almost two million people, according to research by Unisa’s Bureau of Market Research (BMR). The BMR study found that last year almost 1,6-million, or around 15 percent, of the total South African work force was employed in the informal sector. This sector contributed an estimated R26-billion, or […]

The cinema is considered by many, especially the French, who practically invented it, to be the key art form of the 20th century. Now a century old, its 100th birthday will be celebrated by a special presentation of films beginning at the Seven Arts in Norwood on Wednesday November 8. The season, organised by The […]

Floundering or sinking, which ever way you view it the South African-Iranian oil deal is going nowhere for now, writes Karen Harverson Depending on whom you believe, South Africa’s deal to store and trade Iranian oil has fizzled out — or it has just been suspended pending the outcome of an environmental study on the […]

Filmmaker Adam Louw has been spending his time in a mental home. HAZEL FRIEDMAN reports on an emotional exploration of insanity ‘Why have you brought me here?” The young man stares wildly at the white coats surrounding him. “God will punish you all, I know what His plans are for South Africa.” Tell us, implore […]

Justin Arenstein WHEN election authorities in Mpumalanga announced that they had lost the trucks transporting ballot papers to more than 50 polling stations in the former KwaNdebele, it sounded like one of the more amusing episodes of the local elections. But when the ballot papers had still not arrived 12 hours after polls were supposed […]

Millions of enthusiastic voters turned out for the poll this week, but many were met with errors on the voters’ roll which prevented them from voting, writes Gaye Davis A NEW era of local government dawned for South Africa this week as millions of voters flocked to the polls, defying predictions that apathy would keep […]

Gaye Davis CHRIS Ngcobo’s past experience of local government elections was as a Soweto activist, organising people to boycott them. So it was an historic moment when he cast his vote in Diepkloof this week. But the poll meant more to Ngcobo than making his mark on a ballot paper. As national manager of the […]