Just outside Johannesburg last weekend, a group of South Africans met with a group of Cubans. It was a non-governmental meeting — civil society, not happy to leave matters to governments, working out the potential for cooperation between the two countries. It was also a rare meeting of international solidarity where South Africans were not […]

Mighty McDonald’s — with some 16 000 restaurants in 84 countries — has been outwitted by a crafty South African who this week won a court battle for the right to use one of the world’s best-known brand names. At the end of the first stage of the hamburger war, there’s ketchup on the floor […]

Neil Bierbaum Delays are expected in the issuing of new commercial radio licences in order to ensure the sale of South African Broadcasting Corporation stations. The Independent Broadcasting Authority has been accused of intending to delay the licensing of new commercial radio stations in order to ensure the sale of the SABC radio stations at […]

To get doctors to use their medicines, companies give them free drugs, which the doctors sell at huge profits. Hazel Friedman reports on the practices which have made our drugs the most expensive in the world MANY of South Africa’s 6 000 dispensing doctors receive free bonus drugs which they sell to consumers at high […]

Sheena Duncan, former president of the Black Sash, responds to allegations in a new book that her organisation compromised liberal principles Jill Wentzel says in her Author’s Note that her book The Liberal Slideaway is a “subjective account of life in the liberal community during the last 14 years.” Of course, it has to be […]

The air force is trying to sell itself in the new South Africa. Jan Taljaard visited the Pretoria air show. Last weekend Top Gun blistered into town on augmented turbo-fans. Tokyo Sexwale briefly ruled Gauteng from the air; the American F16 took top honours in the phallic stakes; and the British Red Arrow aerobatic team […]

The goings-on at the University of Durban-Westville have all the ingredients of a spy novel, reports Philippa Garson The plot twists and turns in a most confusing way, the players are not what they appear to be, and power struggles and mysterious attacks and subterfuge are the order of the day at the University of […]

Gaye Davis DEPUTY President FW de Klerk chaired a routine meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security and Intelligence “as usual” on Thursday as both African National Congress and National Party government sources said ANC attacks on him were simply “electioneering” and discounted any threat to the Government of National Unity. An unfounded rumour that […]

Anti-conglomerate measures are still possible, argues Reg Rumney Anglo American executive director Michael Spicer has arguably made it harder for Trade and Industry Minister Trevor Manuel to avoid taking steps against South Africa’s big conglomerates. Spicer, who has gone to ground now, perhaps fearing further personalisation of the conglomerate debate, went on the offensive after […]