Vuyo Mvoko STORMY petrel of the North-West, Rocky Malebane-Metsing, still expects to be reinstated as the regional government’s MEC for agriculture — despite premier Popo Molefe’s pledges to the contrary. Molefe, who fired Metsing two weeks ago, has insisted that the latter cannot be accommodated in the provincial cabinet but may be given a lesser […]

Eric Naki THE yet-to-be-established House of Traditional Leaders in the Eastern Cape looks set to be a thorn in the flesh of premier Raymond Mhlaba. Rhetoric from traditional leaders in the province indicates that the government may face a drawn-out battle. The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa), which represents a majority of […]

The release this week of Natural Born Killers raises the question of whether violent films encourage violence in real life and should be censored. They don’t and they shouldn’t, argues Shaun de Waal (also see film review below) OLIVER STONE’S film about a pair of casual serial murderers, Natural Born Killers, opens in South Africa […]

Vuyo Mvoko THE story of the annual Old Mutual National Choir Festival can be summed up in the words: a tale of love fulfilled through years of suffering. “It’s like a miracle every year,” says Wits School of Music head Carl van Wyk, patron of the festival. “It’s definitely the premier event in the choral […]

Native tongue Bafana Khumalo I HAVE cut my hair. “Who cares?” you say. Please, can’t you be kind to me just this once? I really do need a shoulder to cry on and yours looks as if it was meant to be a weeping post, it’s all creased and damp from the tears of all […]

Intersite is showing the way in profitable, socially responsible use of state land, reports Reg Rumney A LITTLE-KNOWN property company managing R2,3-billion worth of assets mainly in the major metropolitan areas — and getting a good return — claims also to be achieving this in a socially responsible way. It’s the done thing now to […]

FINE ART: Ivor Powell THE season is upon us when art galleries put on their festive end-of-year theme exhibitions. Such shows traditionally strive to be “fun” on the one hand — and emporia of upmarket Christmas gifts on the other. Somewhere they usually include in their conception a vague message of goodwill. The Thompson Gallery […]

Farouk Chothia THREATS that disgruntled Umkhonto weSizwe cadres will disrupt the ANC’s national conference in Bloemfontein later this month were made this week by Patrick Hlongwane of the Returned Exiles Committee. Speaking from Ulundi, Hlongwane said he had suggested to MK deserters from the Wallmannstal army base that they visit the conference to present their […]

Their adrenalin flows, they move in fast cars and are envied by other policemen. But, reports Mduduzi ka Harvey, flying squad cops are ill-rewarded for their hazardous work IT is 7pm in a small office at the Brixton police station. Two men in their twenties carry out a final inspection of their instruments of war; […]