CRITICAL CONSUMER Pat Sidley CONSUMERS are being endangered by lights which should not be installed near water, but are being sold to them as bathroom fittings. The manufacturer believes it is not his problem. And some specialist retailers, who ought to know better, are selling the equipment as safe for bathroom use. The South African […]

SENIOR National Union of Metalworkers members are to meet on Saturday to investigate claims of “serious sexual harassment” by two of its delegates during the Cosatu national congress. Numsa general secretary Peter Dantjie said national office- bearers would meet to weigh the allegations. Cosatu’s press officer, Neil Coleman, would not comment on the alleged incident. […]

A blitz on gay-bashing in the South African Police Services is under way. Behind it are Gay Pride marchers — and the police force itself. Mark Gevisser reports POLICE recruits will soon go through a “diversity” programme to train them in sexual orientation awareness. The South African Police Services career-planning department is currently developing a […]

Currie Cup final: Vital roles for Herbert and Le Roux, two pivots with contrasting styles RUGBY: Jon Swift IN THIS weekend’s final throw of the Currie Cup dice in an intriguing season where they have not always fallen in a predictable fashion, one of the oldest arguments in the game of rugby comes under the […]

Mapula Sibanda PIETER MAYISELA was starting to lose hope of ever finding his younger sister, Fikile, who left their rural home in 1991 at the age of 19 to seek her fortune in the cities. “We are a family of 12 and our ageing parents do not work any more,” says Mayisela. “It is customary […]

The defence ministry is investigating Armscor’s mysterious shipment of AK47s to Yemen — which may originally have been intended for Unita. By Eddie Koch, Paul Stober and Stefaans Brummer A CLANDESTINE consignment of AK47 assault rifles sent to Yemen by Armscor officials has opened new tensions between Defence Minister Joe Modise and conservative elements in […]

Elana Meyer has just completed the most successful four weeks of her career ATHLETICS: Julian Drew ELANA MEYER, South Africa’s most successful athlete, finally struck gold last weekend to put the cherry on the top of a highly rewarding season. Her victory in Oslo in the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) world half-marathon championships provided […]

The reconstruction and development programme White Paper may have doused some hopes. By Reg Rumney ‘NO cornucopia of new money for social upliftment programmes” is the hidden message of the White Paper on the reconstruction and development programme, the ANC’s grand plan to put right the economic wrongs created by apartheid, released last week. The […]

CHILDREN’S THEATRE: Di Mannie ‘MOM, must we close our eyes?” asked a little boy in the audience as the show began and the theatre became a time machine with loud noises and flashing lights. When it was all over, it was the same voice that sighed: “Mom, that was so nice.” Director Jill Gerard believes […]