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/ 5 November 2004
It was most inspiring last week to see President Thabo Mbeki dishing out awards and encomia to South Africans who have contributed to this country’s cultural, social and political tapestry. Never mind the 100 greatest South Africans, these were the real thing. As I watched the awards — and despite my wracking sobs of patriotic gratitude — a thought came to me … Let’s widen the scope of the awards to include areas of human endeavour.
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/ 5 November 2004
The boneheads have it. And what is truly frightening is that — in marked contrast with the last United States election — the boneheads have it by a clear majority. Despite the developing disaster in Iraq, the tattered state of trans-Atlantic relations and the perception among 70% of American voters that the US economy is in a mess, George W Bush has the most ringing electoral endorsement since the Reagan years.
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/ 5 November 2004
The proposed R15-billion merger between Sasol, Petronas of Malaysia and Engen may be good for the country, but it has reportedly alarmed other oil majors and fuel retailers. Last week the petrochemical giants released long-awaited details of their proposed merger to create Uhambo Oil, a liquid fuels monolith with operations in 14 sub-Saharan African countries. It is still to be scrutinised by the Competition Commission.
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/ 5 November 2004
The landslide victory for Festus Mogae in last Saturday’s general election hides a veritable cauldron of infighting in his ruling Botswana Democratic Party. On the face of it, Botswana has everything going for it: it is a homogenous country that has become the world’s richest source of uncut diamonds. The peaceful — not to say boring — nature of the elections underlines the country’s political stability.
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/ 5 November 2004
George W Bush’s return to the White House has profound consequences for the world — not all of them as disastrous as they might appear at first glance, especially for progressive forces and governments. The dangerous men and women around him will regard the election result as nothing less than a ringing endorsement of their attitude to the rest of the world.
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/ 5 November 2004
Okay, okay, it’s time to think the unthinkable. Arsenal, those mighty Gunners, might not be quite as good as we thought. And, after grabbing a fortunate point off lowly Southampton at home last week, they travel to equally lowly Crystal Palace on Saturday. Let us pray. Neal Collins looks at upcoming matches.
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/ 5 November 2004
Danny Jordaan is back at the helm of the South African Football Association (Safa) as the chief executive officer tasked with improving both the image of the association and the performance of the national teams. He spoke to Ntuthuko Maphumulo about the challenge ahead.
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/ 5 November 2004
Some in the West have argued, wrongly, that the chaos in Iraq represents a national liberation struggle. They risk perpetuating a historical myth about our country. There is always a risk of cultural imperialism when people speak for others in the name of national liberation. Ordinary Iraqi workers want to build a united democratic nation, not to be used as pawns in a clash of ideological fundamentalisms, argues Abdulla Muhsin.
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/ 5 November 2004
A couple of years ago Britney Spears and her entourage swept through my boss’s office. As she sashayed past, I blushed and stammered and leaned over my desk to shake her hand. She looked right into my eyes and smiled her pageant smile, and I confess, I felt dizzy. Celebrities are fascinating because they live in a parallel universe — one that looks and feels just like ours yet is light years beyond our reach.
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/ 5 November 2004
Persistent fuel shortages, a flourishing foreign-currency black market and empty pharmacy shelves at state hospitals seem to jar with Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono’s portrayal of the economy. During his Monetary Policy Statement for the third quarter last week he described the economy as being in the ”spring season characterised by improvements all round”.