David Le Page No matter how long you’ve been laying the groundwork for your retirement, there’s always a risk that the government will charge in and deliberately or inadvertently stomp all over it. Fortunately, that’s unlikely to be the case with the budget for fiscal 2000. It does, however, introduce a number of measures which […]

Belinda Beresford The expectations of smokers, drinkers and drivers of large cars were all confirmed again in this year’s budget: yes, the sin taxes are going up again. Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel announced that excise duties on all tobacco products will rise with immediate effect. The government aims to keep the total tax on […]

Robert Kirby LOOSE CANNON The marrow concept of the “African renaissance” will be getting its biggest endorsement later this year when the first Trans-Africa Motorcade Rally gets under way. The Mail & Guardian is privileged to be the first newspaper to publish details of this enterprising event. The founding idea of the Trans-Africa Motorcade Rally […]

Dale T McKinley CROSSFIRE Is it a revolutionary change of course or merely a more overt expression of the predictable (if somewhat uneven) evolution of African National Congress’s socio- economic strategy and policy? President Thabo Mbeki, in his State of the Nation address, finally gave an unapologetic, institutional and public affirmation of the ANC leadership’s […]

Caroline Sullivan NOT CD OFTHEWEEK Tom Jones has spun out his “comeback”, which began with a gut-busting version of It’s Not Unusual on Jonathan Ross’s trendy Last Resort show in early 1987, for years, but has never quite overcome the novelty- oldster tag. People half his age flock to see him at Glastonbury, other artists […]

Polly Pattullo Visitors look at new places with eyes that are loaded with their perceptions about the world and where they come from. Depending on the “view”, we can be fascinated, bored or anguished. It can be unforgettable or mundane. Our hosts, who look at that same view every day, see things differently. Such confusion […]

Many go on to earn hundreds of thousands a week, but Fifa wants to halt the exodus of ‘under-age’ African players – a move that would not be popular with the players’ moms Brian Oliver Somewhere in northern Malaysia there are 12 teenaged footballers living in one large room and hoping to be selected to […]

Neil Manthorp CRICKET The only surprise the South African players have encountered in India so far has been just how predictable everything has been. Knowing what to expect is one thing, but you still expect some surprises in the land of people, chaos, enthusiasm and people. And more people. Preparations for the first Test, which […]

Charles Mangwiro and Justin Arenstein The Mozambican government appears to own 20% of the plastic pipe factory outside Maputo where police last week pulled off Africa’s largest ever Mandrax bust. The raid by a squad of South African and Mozambican police netted over 300kg of methaqualone power meant for the manufacture of at least 30-million […]

Peter Dickson More than 17 000 Bisho government employees are so indebted to loan sharks that they are only being paid 25% of their salaries in the Eastern Cape provincial education and health departments. Eastern Cape MEC for Education Stone Sizani revealed at a press conference this week that at least 1 000 government employees […]