Paul Kirk A week after Zulu chiefs met President Thabo Mbeki to ask for the proposed new changes in municipal demarcations to be put on hold, the King of the Pondos, Justice Mpondombini Sigcau, has called for “no changes” in the municipal demarcations in his area. Pondoland has seen exceptionally bloody faction fighting, and the […]

Barry Streek Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana is to announce details of a major investigation into South Africa’s labour laws after President Thabo Mbeki’s opening speech to Parliament on Friday. The inquiry, to be conducted by legal experts, is unlikely to entail significant changes to the labour legislation adopted by Parliament since 1994. Its main […]

Luvuyo Kakaza Acclaimed actor and director John Kani, recently honoured by the Hiroshima Foundation in Sweden, this week shrugged off a challenge in letters to newspapers by actor Pieter-Dirk Uys to contribute his substantial prize to the cash- strapped Market Theatre, where he is artistic director. Uys said he was delighted that Kani had received […]

M&G Mail & Guardian reporters Financial adviser Magnus Heystek has withdrawn his R2-million defamation action against the Mail & Guardian, and has agreed to pay the newspaper’s costs. Heystek withdrew from the case against the M&G this week as the newspaper went to court to compel him to disclose documents relating to the case. It […]

Edward Helmore The music industry used to refer to music as “product”, implying something tangible, but the time is near when music will be called “content” – intangible, and entirely apt for something that exists only as digital code on the Internet. In two steps, the two most risk-averse and bureaucratic of the big five […]

Shane Watson BODY LANGUAGE First there was Cindy, then there was Kate, now there’s Gisele. Gisele Bundchen, Brazilian model of the moment. Not just Vogue and American Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and W, all of whom featured her on their January covers, but every kind of publication has taken to Gisele like a Carlsberg in […]

Five is now six in Europe’s premier rugby championship, and it’s not before time, writes Eddie Butler It’s all very new millennium, this expansion to Six Nations. But it has to be said: it’s about bloody time. By now we should be up to at least Seven. If Romania had been offered the hand of […]

The Mail & Guardian’s sister newspaper, The Guardian, is launching a campaign to bring education to the world’s millions of illiterate people. Victoria Brittain, Larry Elliot and John Carvel explain why it’s necessary Imagine that all children aged six to 14 in Europe and North America did not go to school. The figure is huge, […]

Telford Vice and Neil ManthorpCricket South Africa’s indifferent form during the current triangular series has lead to understandable criticism. Twice in four matches the top order has batted with an apparent desire to be back in the pavilion as soon as possible, and the bowling has been unreliable. When a team lose their best bowler, […]

Mercedes Sayagues A broken jaw from a beating, hate mail, threatening phone calls and night visits by detectives from the criminal investigation department (CID) have not gagged Zimbabwe’s top stand-up comedian, Edgar Langeveldt. Bouncing back after seven weeks of absence due to a wired jaw, Lange-veldt reappears tonight (February 4) at Harare’s Book Caf with […]