David Coldwell It may be little consolation if you lose your job, but those at the top argue that downsizing is a management tool, to be distinguished from redundancy. Redundancy occurs as a result of sudden large-scale economic crises, or when large industries are no longer able to compete, for example, the decline in the […]
Angella Johnson VIEW FROM A BROAD Let me establish one fact from the outset: I am not an animal-loving person. I possess two beautiful mink coats, adore wearing ivory and my dietary maxim is: if it moves, kill it, cook it and eat it. So why, you might ask, have I opted to partake in […]
Andrew Worsdale Movie of the week In 1947 Vladimir Nabokov started writing what he dubbed “a short novel about a man who liked little girls”. Seven years later he finished it but it was rejected as pornography by American publishers and was finally published in Paris by Olympia Press. After a rash of glowing reviews […]
totters The Asian Tiger’s once seemingly unstoppable roar is now a meow. The economic meltdown that started a year ago with the devaluation of the Indonesian baht has had a devastating effect on the economies caught in its wake. Stock markets in the region were decimated. The trouble was that few saw it coming. During […]
Wally Mbhele The head of a KwaZulu-Natal prison who was recently suspended after his alleged involvement in the death of a prisoner is back at work. Minister of Correctional Services Sipho Mzimela promised an inquiry into the actions of Sipho Dlamini, head of the Ingwavuma prison. Prisoners claim they were not informed that the inquiry […]
For the new ANC chair in KwaZulu-Natal, peace is a priority, writes Swapna Prabhakaran The newly elected African National Congress chair in KwaZulu-Natal has vowed that next year’s elections will happen on non-violent terms – or not at all. S’bu Ndebele, who took over the reins from outgoing provincial party chair Jacob Zuma this week, […]
Marianne Thamm There are those who are of the opinion that art is a sacred calling and that the artist, like the young Catholic nun or Buddhist monk, should relinquish the pursuit of material gain to meet the rigours and demands of the vocation. Alone and poverty-stricken (well, at least some of the time) in […]
Andrew Muchineripi Soccer Sometimes fact seems stranger than fiction. The 1997/98 South African season ends at FNB Stadium on Sunday, seven days after the 1998/99 season began at the same venue. How come? Even 30 minutes of extra time could not separate Orlando Pirates and Sundowns, who drew 1-1 in the Bob Save Super Bowl […]
out of a tree? Books were a symbol of oppression in Peru from the days of the conquistadors. Not any more. Sarah Dunant joined the farmer- librarians who trek the sierra collecting and delivering books Whichever way you look at it, the Rural Libraries of the Cajamarca valley in northern Peru is one of the […]
Is Donovan Nel, a spy accused of threatening to blow up the president, a blackmailer or the victim of an elaborate conspiracy? Mungo Soggot and David Beresford report A bizarre story about a senior intelligence analyst who allegedly threatened to blow up President Nelson Mandela in an attempt to extort R10- million from the state […]