Statements questioning the cause of Aids have caused dismay among local and international scientists Khadija Magardie and David Le Page Leading international Aids scientists and researchers this week unanimously dismissed the South African government’s suggestion that the link between HIV and Aids be “re- examined”. Head of the Medical Research Council Professor Malegapuru Makgoba also […]

Stefaans Brmmer and Inigo Gilmore South Africa’s failure to come clean on a massacre pulled off by its paratroopers 18 months ago in Lesotho is bedevilling relations between Pretoria and the mountain kingdom’s popular royal family. Little is known about the skirmish at Katse Dam where 17 Lesotho and two South African soldiers died. Paratroopers […]

South African National Parks denies plans to cull elephants despite documented evidence to the contrary Fiona Macleod South African National Parks (SANP) and the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism this week vociferously denied plans to resume culling elephants in the Kruger National Park, despite documentary evidence that the park proposes to cull between 400 […]

There is doubt about who really occupies supposed war graves at Brandfort in the Free State Stefaans Brmmer Leon de Beer, a former MP who was jailed for cheating his way to Parliament, has emerged as a central figure in a controversy undermining three years of planned Anglo-Boer South African War commemorations. The centenary commemorations […]

Matthew Krouse Anyone who was around in the Sixties couldn’t possibly forget the local variety stage show called Wait a Minim that played to packed houses at Johannesburg’s Intimate theatre before touring abroad. It kick- started a trend of self-serving pathos in indigenous white humour. One would be hard-pressed to find a South African over […]

Shaun de Waal The M-Net Book Prize celebrates the 10th year of its existence this year. It has supplanted the CNAPrize, once South Africa’s leading literary award, in English at least (the Herzog Prize led the Afrikaans field), until it was discontinued by its sponsors. There was talk of its being revived in a new […]

Marianne Merten After South Africa’s 2006 World Cup bid received the thumbs-up from the Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) this week, officials now face a gruelling 16 weeks in the politics of international lobbying to bring the global soccer event to Africa. Crucial to strengthening South Africa’s chances is next week’s discussions with Brazilian […]

David Shapshak LIFESTYLE Even if it wasn’t painted bright pink, you’d notice Superbonbon between a garage and a bottle store. It’s in Richmond, that dead-end part of Jo’burg between Melville, Auckland Park and Milpark where international media share office space with a blood lab. Up the road is the Johannesburg Country Club. Superbonbon probably doesn’t […]

There is a poster on the London Underground which depicts three brains. Two of them are the same size. One of them is labelled “white”, the other “black”. The third brain is substantially smaller than the other two. It is labelled “racist”. We have had cause to wonder in recent weeks whether a number of […]

Jane Martinson Warren Buffett, the world’s most famous investor, on Monday declared 1999 the worst blot on his copybook yet, but refused to alter his approach to investment. He continued to warn against stock market excesses as his annual statement to shareholders in Berkshire Hathaway was published on the Internet. Berkshire, the investment vehicle run […]