It passed almost unnoticed when it was published in France last year, but L’amande or The Almond, a slim brown volume billed as the ”first erotic account written by an Arab woman”, has now sold rights in 17 countries, including Britain, where it is to be published next month.
Ethiopians like to look spic and span. Whether in western suits or traditional white cotton shawls, their clothing is kept spotless. The same cannot be said for the sprawling slums of Addis Ababa. In just over a century, Ethiopia’s capital has grown from a royal village founded by an African queen to a metropolis of over three million people.
He admires former United States president Ronald Reagan, respects Bill Clinton and bears no grudge against George Bush senior or junior. But he cannot abide Froot Loops. Saddam Hussein can forgive his enemies but not, say some of his US guards, sweet cereal.
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Former deputy president Jacob Zuma has welcomed the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to charge him on two counts of corruption. The ANC’s National Working Committee said it had accepted Zuma’s request to ”withdraw his participation from all ANC structures pending the completion of the legal process.” Zuma will however remain ANC deputy president.
Businessman Cyril Ramaphosa has emerged as the favourite to succeed Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa in a survey. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel emerges as second favourite choice of South Africans and official opposition leader Tony Leon is in third place.
A website dedicated to questioning the motives and credentials of Moneyweb journalist Julius Cobbett has been uploaded by investment group Elan Suisse Capital. The site appears in the form of a letter in which the directors of the investment group focus on the journalist’s age, qualifications and experience.
Dr Frederik van Zyl Slabbert’s position on Afrikaner culture, as influenced and reflected by the Afrikaans press, accords a unique perspective on a country in flux. Kevin Bloom questions the former politician on these matters, and gets his views on contemporary politics, media freedom and Caxton.
"I did not like doing this but the women would come to me crying, some saying that they already had ten children or more, and that they could not care for additional children," says Mariam, an abortion practitioner in Kenya. "One even threatened that if I refused, she would hang herself in my hut." Mariam’s story highlights the shortcomings of reproductive health care in refugee camps.
The residential property market is showing signs of stabilising as activity has dropped marginally. There is, however, robust growth from the middle-income houses, according to the second-quarter FNB Residential Property Barometer. According to Ed Grondel, CEO of FNB Homeloans, the drop in activity can be attributed to seasonality, as winter sets in and fewer houses come to market.
Encompassing subsidiary companies Nedbank and Mutual & Federal, Old Mutual’s black economic empowerment (BEE) deal, announced in April, was among the biggest and broadest-based ever. It also displayed some unusual and innovative features, such as a BEE holding in the London-listed company rather than the local company and the involvement of customers.