An indaba held by the parks board to discuss the problem of elephants in the Kruger Park ended up being dominated by the needs of neighbouring communities, writes Eddie Koch THE sky on the night of President Nelson Mandela’s inauguration back in May 1994 was moonless and, after watching the song and dance at the […]

GOLF: Jon Swift THERE is nothing like the words World Cup to boost the expectations of this nation. South Africa’s success at Ellis Park last year elevated the rugby side to the status of national heroes. The lacklustre 1-0 victory over a jetlagged Zaire in the qualifier for soccer`s premier competition evoked countrywide anger fuelled […]

Low costs have attracted investors to Britain, but at the price of quality growth, argues Larry Elliott ONE of comedy’s finest moments is the scene in Fawlty Towers in which Basil flails his broken-down car with the branch from a tree. The year was 1975, the car was British and the moment seemed to sum […]

Palaeontologists have found an 18-million- year-old tooth in Namaqualand, writes Lesley Cowling. Is this proof that Eden extended as far as South Africa? FEW people taking a stroll along a beach would notice this small, white, pebble-like object. A dentist should recognise it as a tooth, says French palaeontologist Dr Brigitte Senut. “And if he […]

Playwright JONATHAN HARVEY also wrote the screenplay for Beautiful Thing. It’s been called a fantasy, but here he argues that it could be true … PEOPLE think of Beautiful Thing as my first play, when in fact it’s my seventh. But though they’re technically wrong, they are right in a way – it was the […]

body Mail & Guardian reporter SEVERAL senior military men, including former Civilian Co-operation Bureau (CCB) operatives, will receive subpoenas in the next three weeks ordering them to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While most former policemen implicated in “dirty tricks” operations are busy preparing submissions in pursuit of indemnity from prosecution, few members […]

The investigation into playboy Paul Ekon’s alleged gold scam deepens. He is also said to have offered the ANC `tiny little guns’, reports Stefaans Brmmer NEW details have emerged of gold syndicate suspect Paul Ekon’s association with African National Congress leaders – including his alleged loan of a handgun to Thabo Mbeki – but ANC […]

Graham Hopwood in Windhoek THE Namibian government’s failure to release the whole of a report on official corruption has underlined concerns that the authorities here are unwilling to tackle graft within their own ranks. Prime Minister Hage Geingob tabled the final part of the report of the Frank Commission probe into governnment irregularities in Parliament […]

Newcomer Facts & Fiction is taking on the industry giant with a formal application to the Competition Board over claims of unfair practices, writes Max Gebhardt THE on-going row between book giant CNA Gallo and the newcomer to the industry, Facts & Fiction, is set to flare up again, with the news that Facts & […]