Greg Bowes BRENDA FASSIE: Now Is The Time (CCP) THE controversial and incontrovertible Ms Brenda Fassie returns clad as the= ar chetypal “girlie” raver. But don’t let that put you off because this album,= wh ile ironically not as dance-oriented as her last (the Arthur-produced Umunt= u =20 Uyathintsha), is still an accomplished outing. While […]

TENNIS:Jon Swift IT is well, with the weekend’s Davis Cup World Group tie at Durban’s Westr= idg e Park in view, to keep an eye on the quintessential cornerstone of the Rus= sia n psyche – hardship is not a new phenomenon, it is to be both expected and = end ured. The Russians go […]

Matter of life and death: Days after abortion is legalised, an M&G reporter tries to get one and we ask health workers how they feel about performing the procedure Maria McCloy ‘HEY sister! Can you help these ladies find out about abortion?” shouted a nurse at Johannesburg General Hospital. This was after I had been […]

Smoke a mountain-fresh rush HOW does menthol get into menthol cigarettes? – Charlene, Benoni THOSE of you who have suffered head colds or sore throats will be familiar with the mountain-fresh rush of menthol that brings instant relief. In fact, the menthol that is used by the food and pharmaceutical industry is the same as […]

MARIA McCLOY talks to Skeem, a bright new South African group who are mixin= g s tyles and doing their own musical thing SKEEM broke on to the local music scene in September last year with the rel= eas e of their song Waar Was Jy? In terms of both lyrics and style they were […]

Despite Minister Sydney Mufamadi’s best intentions, police lawyers persisted in fighting another losing battle in court, with taxpayers footing the bill. Mungo Soggot reports RESIDENTS of a Cape Town squatter camp awaiting damages after police torched their homes in 1991 may finally see their money, following a last-minute decision by the police to drop their […]

Following the arrest of Dr Wouter Basson, SADF scientists are revealing det= ail s of its covert chemical programme, writes Peta Thornycroft SCIENTISTS involved in the development of chemical weapons by the former So= uth African Defence Force (SADF)have begun talking to authorities, giving deta= ils of the sale of chemical weapons technology to Libya […]

KwaZulu-Natal has decided to close down its 2 000-odd illegal casinos and grant a few licences for big outfits. But the political wrangling is not over yet, reports Ann Eveleth PLAYERS jockeying for position in the highstakes game that is casino gambling in KwaZulu-Natal are finding themselves confronting powerful political and economic interests in the […]

ATHLETICS:Julian Drew ONE of the most forlorn figures in the Centennial Olympic Stadium in Atlant= a l ast year was that of Adri de Jongh. Instead of enjoying the highlight of he= r c areer out on the track the Germiston-based 200 and 400m sprinter watched di= sco nsolately from the stands, her leg in […]

Andrew Culf THE BBC has ordered a rethink of all its news programmes from Newsnight to Radio 4’s Today in a move which could herald significant changes for viewers and listeners. The programme strategy review is the biggest overhaul of the BBC’s news output for 10 years. It could lead to some shows being axed […]