Africa Investments Ltd, in THE MARK GEVISSER PROFILE Rhodes, Rupert, Ramaphosa WHEN Nthatho Motlana ann-ounced that Cyril Ramaphosa was to join his New Africa Investments Ltd (Nail) and lead the bid to acquire Johnnic from Anglo American, the Sowetan – wholly owned by Nail – put out a 40-page souvenir edition to commemorate the fact. […]

Connie Masilo-Matsunyane is one of South Africa’s hottest soap opera stars. BAFANA KHUMALO followed her trail and uncovered the real Connie SHE seems thrown by a voice on the other side of the cellular phone requesting, nay demanding with desperation, an interview the following day. But she recovers quite quickly, explaining that she can only […]

Stuart Hess MANY black students believe Professor Johan van Zyl should not lead Pretoria university – because he is white. Whites, according to some black students at the University of Pretoria, should not get the top job at tertiary institutions. Racism underpinned the student protest against the appointment of Professor Johan van Zyl as vice-chancellor […]

Bob Aldworth this week heralded the launch of his book on the Absa saga as an ‘invitation to a public hanging’, reports Mungo Soggot A FRESH broadside has been fired against Amalgamated Banks of Southern Africa (Absa) in a new book by former Absa executive Bob Aldworth. The Infernal Tower: The Damage to People, Careers […]

Gwen Ansell THE recent commemoration of Enoch Sontonga was long overdue. One hopes it isn’t too long before recognition comes to our great living composers – Mzilikazi Khumalo, for example. His Ushaka – on once only at the Durban City Hall on Thursday October 17 – plays with received notions about culture and appropriation. It […]

With Poland an The CzechRepublic as examples, the IMF predicts that Russia has the potential to outstrip European expansion, Alex Brummer in Washington WHEN the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe – including Russia – finally emerge from the transition to capitalism they could achieve growth levels on a par with much […]

MUSLIMS and Hindus are about to find themselves in some highly unusual company as they bid for marital recognition under the new constitution as the gay and lesbian community begins to demand unrestricted marital recognition. The two religious groups – particularly Muslims – have been clamouring for legal recognition of their religious marriages for nearly […]

NATAL academic Francie Lund thought she was bringing good and bad news when she presented a report in Parliament last week, bearing internationally acclaimed proposals for a new system of child welfare. But the headlines have screamed only the bad: “Shock to single mums”; “Plans to slash child grants”. “I am bemused,” Lund said. “I […]

waste Eddie Koch AN African National Congress senator acting as an official observer in the European Parliament (EP) last week persuaded African and Caribbean countries not to support a resolution from the Green Party demanding that large amounts of toxic mercury waste dumped in KwaZulu-Natal be returned to Europe for disposal there. The Green Party […]

The Internet is changing the world’s economy, but does not always benefit those who need it most, writes Victor Keegan in London WE are constantly told how globalisation has shifted the balance of economic power towards multinational corporations at the expense of practically everyone else. Yet in the most exciting area of the world economy […]