Loose cannon : Robert Kirby In a quick-draw response to an opinion expressed in this column some four weeks ago, Anita Kleinsmidt of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies – hereinafter referred to as “Cals” – dances intrepidly to the defence of the rights of nannies – hereinafter referred to as “childminders”. In the column […]
THE former Rwandan army major freed by a United Nations court on charges of murdering 10 Belgian peacekeepers during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide remained in custody on Friday as Belgium and Rwanda sought his re-arrest. The UN tribunal freed Bernard Ntuyahaga on Thursday when the prosecution dropped charges against him but Belgium wants him for trial […]
SOUTH Africa will next month host the continent’s largest-ever peacekeeping exercise. South African National Defence Force spokesperson Brigadier-General Brand Haasbroek said in Pretoria on Thursday that the exercise, called Operation Blue Crane, will involve some 4500 personnel from 26 countries, and will cost R20-million. Foreign affairs deputy director Betsie Smith said: “It is the largest […]
Mail & Guardian reporter The future of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) occult-related crime unit hangs in the balance. Its supporters say senior police officers at national headquarters are blocking attempts by the unit to investigate satanic-related crimes and want to disband it. This is despite mounting concerns that there will be an increase […]
The head of the TRC hopes to hold on to his post, despite his recent appointment as rector of the University of the North, writes Ann Eveleth Truth and Reconciliation Commission CEO Biki Minyuku is bidding to keep his current post after he takes on new responsibilities – and a R1-million salary package – as […]
Emeka Nwandiko There is something strange about the cars parked outside the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides building at Delta Park. Its occupants dressed in shirt and ties get out and look around furtively before they start walking. Some just sit in their flashy cars and wait. Equally strange are the large black capital letters […]
A FOUR-DAY Durban conference on Malaria, which ended on Thursday, has concluded that the best technology for dealing with the disease is an insecticide soaked mosquito net. The malaria parasite has developed strains resistant to established drugs like Chloroquine and a vaccine may be decades away. In Tanzania, where 42-million nets have been distributed, there […]
THE police have proposed that a special court be set up to hear cases involving crimes against tourists, a spokesperson for the police crime prevention unit said on Thursday. Unit director Piet van Rensburg said perpetrators often get off free because victims are back in their own countries by the time the assailants appear in […]
THE DAVID GLEASON COLUMN Believe me when I tell you that, for small businesspeople, the thing that counts most is the interest rate. I wrote about this last week, but it is such an important matter it needs to be addressed again. Interest rates determine how consumers behave; they set the pattern of spending. If […]
David Shapshak Hydrogen, the world’s most plentiful substance, may be the energy source of future motor cars. With natural fuel resources diminishing, the need for alternative energy sources has been growing, and scientists have been looking for as efficient an option as petroleum. While part of the concern is environmental (fuel combustion engines damage the […]