`Stand by to drop. Drop now!” Two tons of water crash on flames. And the Oryx helicopter crew returns to the nearby dam to take on the next load. “You’re in the smoke most of the time. You can’t see most of the time. If there are power lines or telephone wires, it’s a whole […]

Justin Arenstein South Africa’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is set to go on trial later this year when two rogue agents defend themselves on theft and fraud charges totalling R94- million. The agents, linked to the NIA’s strategic projects unit headed by Thabo Khubu, are accused of engaging in illegal money- laundering operations and of […]

Alan Smith Soccer Without wishing to appear disloyal or sound unpatriotic, I have to say that South Africa has a very good case for staging the 2006 World Cup finals. I know we in England are desperate to beat South Africa, Morocco, Brazil and Germany for the right to host the finals. But I doubt […]

If approved by Cabinet, the proposed `dole’ system could be linked to the new Welfare Payment and Information Service, expected to be up and running in 2003. Barry Streek reports The government has been committed to the introduction of a “dole” system in South Africa since 1997 but the estimated price tag of about R7-billion, […]

A recent report has dramatically changed the United Nations tone towards Unita, writes Victoria Brittain Defectors from the Angolan rebel group Unita alleged in a videotape shown to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that Unita’s leader, Jonas Savimbi, personally ordered the downing of two UN airplanes a year ago, killing 23 passengers and […]

`Theme funds’ have emerged to cater to specialised investment needs, writes Fumane Diseko The performance of unit trust funds based on ethics, such as the Oasis Crescent Fund, Southern Pure Specialist Fund and the Community Growth Fund, has overturned the cynical view that limitations on these funds reduce returns. According to Colin Woodin, executive director […]

Hard on the heels of the Booker, won by JM Coetzee for Disgrace, comes the Whitbread, with another South African on the shortlist. Former publisher Robert McCrum looks at prizes and the literary life Fiction, money and prizes are in the air in Britain once again. The Whitbread Prize will be awarded on January 26 […]

Neil Manthorp Cricket Identifying a defining moment in history becomes easier with every year that passes after that moment. Doing so at the time is an altogether different challenge. A much less precise science. But let’s try anyway. On Tuesday January 18 2000, the game of Test cricket was changed forever, for the better, by […]

A shaky local economy last year saw investors taking up all available slack in offshore unit trust funds, writes Sarah Bullen Offshore was the investment buzzword last year. Local markets hit a wobbly patch, international markets were strong, and suddenly every investor and their little sister wanted their investments handled in Guernsey. And the easiest […]

investors Dave Bradfield The market for innovative investment products has grown in the past few years, but innovations in the area of statistical, or quantitative, analysis of these products (and investment funds in general) remain comparatively unknown. With investments, the valuable information is more deeply hidden (it would cease to be valuable if everyone had […]