Marion Edmunds Amnesty International is battling to get a foothold in the new South Africa. It does not have enough members locally to finance an office or staff, or enough political support to make an impact on government policy. This is despite the fact that the organisation supported the African National Congress tirelessly during the […]

Has Reserve Bank Governor Chris Stals given contradictory accounts of two similar rescue packages? DETAILS of an extraordinary secret hearing presided over by a former chief justice have thrown fresh light on the Reserve Bank’s controversial rescue of two struggling banks over the past five years. The hearing was an arbitration of a dispute arising […]

Marion Edmunds A South African-born doctor — a specialist anaethetist — has had his citizenship cancelled by the Home Affairs Department while he was out of the country. The anaethetist, who has been living and working in Canada for the last six years and does not want to be named, said he discovered he and […]

Justin Pearce Tensions between Free State Premier Patrick “Terror” Lekota and provincial ANC members are not over yet. A new storm is brewing which will see provincial MPs’ loyalty to the premier tested in a vote in the Free State legislature. This follows the suspension of five senior officials from the province’s Department of Trade […]

Housing delivery may finally be on the increase, but there is still a long way to go to meet promises made, reports tebello Radebe Pieces in the housing jigsaw puzzle are falling into place. An upbeat Housing Minister Sankie Mahanyele last week announced that housing delivery is on the increase. “Major differences of the past […]

Justin Pearce SUN International is likely to end up with the lion’s share of South African gambling licences despite being forced to cut back operations in some provinces. Southern Sun, a company once closely associated with Sun International, is also expected to be a major player, and a third operator is headed by a former […]

With Penta Publications under provisional liquidation, the future of its titles is uncertain, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy Perskor has been handed one of the Penta Publication titles as a guarantee for the money owing to it, says Perskor deputy managing director Piet Greyling. De Kat, one of the most successful titles in the Penta stable, has […]

Charlotte O’Sullivan is gobsmacked by London’s Underground movement YOU’RE in a tube station in London and you see someone chewing gum maniacally, staring at a poster of Liz Hurley. Suddenly, he spins round and slap! There goes the gum, on to the end of Liz’s nose. What have you seen? Not an act of vandalism […]

Ann Eveleth Dr Luis Peraza has seen enough examples of post- revolutionary health care in his 61 years to convince him that South Africa’s current staffing crisis is little more than a “growing pain”. One of 99 Cuban doctors deployed in February to bolster South Africa’s overstretched medical system, the snowy-bearded doctor-revolutionary has worked in […]

Blanket RUGBY: Jon Swift TO ANY thinking follower of rugby, the margin between South Africa and the All Blacks at Christchurch this Saturday must be at least two tries. It is an interesting hypothesis if weighed against the perspective of national coach Andre Markgraaff, who has pinpointed a lack of success from the Springbok goalkickers […]