After their acrimonious TV debate, legal academic Dennis Davis and Human Rights Commission head Barney Pityana had a rapprochement in the parking lot, reports Justin Pearce Dennis Davis has withdrawn his call for Barney Pityana to resign as head of the Human Rights Commission. This was one outcome of a rapprochement between the two men […]

Philippa Garson LAWYERS are baffled at how Winnie Madikizela- Mandela’s legal team handled the divorce, which ended so suddenly, with her defeated and empty-handed. A successful challenge to the divorce judgment in the Constitutional Court is seen as unlikely. Madikizela-Mandela must now rely on the “goodness of heart” of President Nelson Mandela, who has offered […]

Justin Pearce Among the ornaments crowding every shelf in Johanna Claasens’s living room in Welkom is a mug with the inscription “Harmony Gold Mine – — 5 000 accident-free shifts”. It was given to her by a friend after Harmony’s worst accident ever — the Merriespruit mudslide in February 1994, which killed 17 people, including […]

Julian Drew PAULO GUERRA of Portugal was the second European home in last year’s world 10 000m final in Gothenburg, finishing eighth, one place behind Germany’s Stephane Franke. Ahead of them were the might of Ethiopia, Kenya and Morocco, the untouchables of world middle distance running. But for Guerra the world championships and track racing […]

Last week’s Budget allocated R43-million to the president and his two deputies. Rehana Rossouw examines how it will be spent PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela’s office will spend R21-million this year, Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki R9-million and Deputy President FW de Klerk R12-million. This pays for the smooth running of their offices and households: all three […]

THEATRE: David le Page AT any time, it’s possible to pick out buzzwords pervading public debate and the media’s reporting of it. Words like ”struggle”, ”regime” and ”political correctness”, have now been joined by ”accountability”, ”transparency” and, of course, ”gravy train”. Unfortunately, if one thing remains in one’s mind after seeing Nape’a Motana’s The Honeymoon […]

Julian Drew FOR two-time world cross country champion Zola Pieterse, the chance to finally compete in her favourite event on home turf must be an occasion she has long looked forward to. Although she is not in the best form of her career after giving birth in October, she is unlikely to be spared the […]

FINE ART: Hazel Freidman WAS it a balloon or a bomb? At the opening of Unplugged, at the Market’s Rembrandt Gallery, opinion was divided as to whether the big bang resounding from the gallery rafters approximately 45 minutes into the exhibition was the consequence of faulty wiring or an audio installation by exhibition ”curator” Kendell […]

With javelin star Tom Petranoff helping them, South Africa’s disabled athletes are leading the way in throwing events, writes Julian Drew SOUTH AFRICA’S most successful group of international sportsmen and women will hold their national championships at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria this weekend, and with places in the team for the Paralympics in Atlanta on […]

MUSIC: Gwen Ansell ‘A CONCERT to celebrate being us” is Sibongile Khumalo’s only label for her new national tour programme. The Gwen Paterson lookalikes in the gallery may take that as a cue for self- congratulation — but any ambiguity is purely in the ears of the beholder. For what Khumalo and her musical director, […]