Jacquie Golding-Duffy THE impression created of South Africa in foreign countries is not as flattering as it should be because missions based abroad are being “seriously hampered” in their attempts to promote the country, said a Task Group on Government Communications (Comtask) report handed this week to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki. South Africa needs to […]

ROGER TREDRE discusses an explosive new biography of Yves Saint Laurent YVES SAINT LAURENT, acknowledged as the greatest fashion designer of the century, was almost destroyed by the pressures of his job, according to a biography just published. Design writer and journalist Alice Rawsthorn outlines Saint Laurent’s life as a round of drug and alcohol […]

This week’s British Budget is one of the most cautious in electioneering history as the Tories bank on strong economic growth to keep them in power, writes Alex Brummer THE central assertion of Kenneth Clarke’s Budget strategy – that his tight fiscal stand removes the need for higher interest rates – does not stand up […]

Ann Eveleth A SNAP Mail & Guardian survey of 40 Durban households this week turned up a 10% household error in last month’s national census, and revealed wide schisms between black and white views on the project. White Durban residents polled were only half as likely as blacks to say they understood the reason for […]

South African companies are tightening security measures as the incidence of white- collar crime increases, reports Madeleine Wackernagel SOUTH AFRICAN businesses have the highest expectation of fraud in the world, according to a new survey by the international consultancy, KPMG. In the second survey of its kind to be conducted in this country, KPMG found […]

THEATRE:Adam Haupt STELLENBOSCH’S HB Thom Theatre seems like the very last place you would expect to find the Russian Consulate’s Sasha Mukhin. In fact, he was the guest of honour at the opening night of Anton Chekhov’s Die Seemeeu (The Seagull) and took on a performance of his own by addressing his audience in Russian. […]

More international music stars are heading our way. Our reporters preview the Def Leppard and Tevin Campbell tours MUSIC: Hazel Friedman and David Goldberg. THE trouble with interviewing rock stars who have lived the success-excess myth in extremis is that you tend to want to accompany them all the way down the same drain, time […]

Kader Asmal is quietly performing the miracle of regaining control of the country’s water while keeping happy the farmers whom this will affect most, writes Eddie Koch BOET VAN RENSBURG, the owner of a vast Highveld mielie estate that is irrigated with some of the cheapest water in the world, is quite proud of the […]

Two great names in African soccer – who have clashed with some great names in South African soccer – will meet in the final of the African Champions Cup SOCCER: Andrew Muchineripi SHOOTING STARS of Nigeria and Zamalek of Egypt, the clubs who will contest the biggest club event on the African soccer calendar, need […]

Madeleine Wackernagel GROSS domestic product (GDP) figures for the third quarter were in line with expectations at an annualised rate of 3,2% growth. This relative decline, after the unexpectedly strong growth in the second quarter of 3,5%, was only to be expected, says Bernie de Jager, head of the Reserve Bank’s economics unit. “Growth in […]