Paul Whelan and David Schmidt Across the world, societies wrestle with the problems of how best to govern their metropolitan conurbations, so critical to national economies and the livelihoods of millions of people. Metropolitan governance is a difficult and rather messy affair. Metros are complex, they tend to concentrate major social problems, they outgrow their […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer The Rothmans Cup spin doctors never cease reminding us that the competition is “unbelievable” and the multimillion-rand event certainly has generated more than its fair share of excitement. It has, however, also proved unbelievably predictable with Kaizer Chiefs, Sundowns, Manning Rangers and Orlando Pirates reaching the 1997 semi-finals and only one of […]

Douglas Rushkoff Online Bill Clinton’s impeachment, if and when it comes, will not herald a crisis of Constitution but a crisis of media. Brilliant exploitation of television may have won this president his office, but he must blame his downfall on an inability to resist the impact of another, newer medium: the Internet. Indeed, the […]

Sarah Boseley A revolutionary device that will tell a doctor what is wrong and which drugs to prescribe from the smell of the patient’s breath is being developed by a team of top scientists at one of Britain’s leading universities. Development of the diagnostic breathalyser is being compared to the invention of the thermometer. Within […]

Ferial Haffajee Brussels and Paarl are worlds apart. One is cold and rich. The other poor and hot. Brussels is also the site of trade negotiations between South Africa and the European Union which has 400-million consumers in 15 countries. An agreement could have a huge impact, bringing Paarl and South African industry more firmly […]

Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Student Representative Council (SRC) leaders have boarded the gravy train at South Africa’s universities and technikons. Some are paid “honorary” salaries, while other benefits include free vehicles, cellphones, housing, meals and trips around the country. SRCs also spend tens of thousands of rands each year on student bashes. And at one […]

Mail & Guardian reporter South African executives are notoriously reticent about earnings – something that is likely to change as globalisation exposes companies to business environments demanding more transparency. However, the latest survey by FSA-Contact provided a peek at other aspects of the rarefied world of top South African business. More than 98% of CEOs […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Kampala | Friday 9.30pm. A PROCESS of selection forced by poaching and hunting has resulted in elephants in western Uganda becoming “tuskless”, a scientist with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Eve Lawino Abe, said on Friday. Some 15% of the adult female elephants in the Queen Elizabeth National Park are being born without tusks […]

y So Craig Williamson wishes he was James Bond and a generation of aspirant psychos model themselves on Hannibal Lecter. Maggie Davey listened to American theorist Mark Seltzer on the concept of a `wound culture’ Did Craig Williamson really have to reassure us that spying for the apartheid government was no James Bond fantasy? You […]

Peter Dickson More than R300-million in taxpayers’ money is owed in unauthorised, outstanding loans to senior civil servants in the Eastern Cape. This disclosure comes a week after provincial speaker Gugile Nkwinti suspended two officials who had cashed in more than R300 000 in air tickets for members of the legislature without authorisation. The legislature’s […]