A frustrated new minister of water affairs warns his civil servants that he expects attitudes to change, or else reports Paul Stober THE first clear sign of problems between new cabinet ministers and old-guard civil servants has emerged in a scathing speech by Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Kader Asmal to his department. The Weekly […]

Cosatu and the ANC are determined to stem the rising tide of xenophobia, reports Drew Forrest RESISTANCE to hardline Home Affairs Ministry policy on illegal immigration is crystallising in both the ANC and its trade union ally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions. This week Cosatu’s Neil Coleman hit out at “the narrow chauvinism” […]

THIS week’s imprisonment of stockbrokers Greg Blank and Andrew Forbes has been hailed by some experts as a victory against white-collar crime, yet their convictions in fact highlight inadequacies of our legal system. “Rather than demonstrate the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s ability to rid itself of insider traders,” says a corporate lawyer, “the convictions set unwanted […]

The White Paper on the government’s reconstruction and development programme could be a black day for fringe benefits. Reg Rumney reports THE White Paper released this week on the ANC’s grand plan to right the economic wrongs created by apartheid could spell bad news for the few perks employees have left. The White Paper released […]

Krish Mackerdhuj believes that conditions for cricket unity are now worse than three years ago CRICKET: Paul Martin THE President of the United Cricket Board, Krish Mackerdhuj, has made an unprecedented attack on “old regime” attitudes and actions — especially internationally — among senior cricket administrators and officials. He said the united front forged three […]

Undaunted by the crackdown on the truckers’ blockade, Turning Wheel is gearing up for more action. By Sibusiso Nxumalo IN an exclusive interview, the leader of the Turning Wheel International Workers’ Movement has shed the first light on the mysterious organisation behind the Mooi River Plaza truckers’ blockade. Richard Madime is a member of the […]

Moveable Feast Marino Corazza DURING our courting years one of the simple treats my wife and I would indulge in when we had a little spare cash was to have dinner at La Lampara in Norwood. La Lampara is a fishing boat lamp used at night to attract the fish. The eaterie had similar beckoning […]

Vampires loom large at the South African International Film Festival. Stanley Peskin explores their appeal THE vampiric desire expressed in the phrase ”kiss me with those red lips” has exerted a potent hold over audiences for almost a century. Whether there are any traces of vampirism to be found in the history of Vlad Tepes […]

MASSES … The new government faces a real problem in the number of illegal immigrants and refugees in the country. Clearly, an unbridled flow across our borders is a potential source of conflict in a country with massive unemployment and resources to meet the needs of reconstruction and development already stretched beyond their limit. However, […]

Chris Louw STRICTER government control of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is foreseen in the reconstruction and development programme (RDP) white paper, published this week. Support of the NGOs will in future shift towards community and mass organisations. A form of accreditation for NGOs to monitor their accountability is in the pipeline. They will also be expected […]