Pallo Jordan: CROSSFIRE The black (African, Indian and coloured) political movements that pioneered the democratic struggle were initially led by an educated elite who had embraced democracy and modernism as universal visions. “Modernism” has been used in two senses, one technological, the other socio-political. Its technological dimension assumed humanity would incrementally attain mastery over nature […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer Who will wear the black, white, green and gold of Bafana Bafana when they begin their World Cup Group C programme against host nation France in Marseille on June 12? It a question that is much easier to pose than answer, because under fiery French coach Philippe Troussier, no one is certain […]

Mukoni T Ratshitanga The University of Zululand – one of the hardest hit by government subsidy cuts and student debt – spent more than R1,7-million on curtains in three years. However, university representative Carl de Villiers said this week a preliminary report on the linen spending spree “does not show any criminal activity”. The probe […]

Brett Pyper The newmusic@rhodes series does not aim to present a Who’s Who of South African art music. Instead, it focuses on one specific vein within the work of composers from divergent traditions: music that somehow reflects the encounter of African and Western musical values in South Africa. This approach de-emphasises the substantial South African […]

Shaun de Waal Raeford Daniel, who died last week, aged 66, of a heart attack, had a long and distinguished career in the South African press. As a critic he accomplished the greatest of the critic’s tasks: helping to shape our communal artistic consciousness. He started his journalistic career at The Friend in Bloemfontein in […]

The South African Law Commission is reviewing the marriage Act to develop legislation to protect domestic partnerships, whether same- sex relationships or heterosexual cohabitation. While its report will only be out in July, another report looking at the sharing of pension benefits after a relationship has ended is due soon. The pension-benefits discussion paper will […]

Roger Jardine: RIGHT TO REPLY Charl Blignaut accuses the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology of not delivering (Friday, February 27 to March 5). This is based on what he sees as the inability of the department to transform the performing arts councils. This transformation process is, in fact, progressing according to schedule. A […]

David Beresford One of the former stars of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigative team, Piers Pigou, this week delivered a savage critique of the inquiry, charging it with having failed lamentably in its task of uncovering the “truth” about human rights violations during the apartheid era. Pigou, who will long be remembered for his […]

FRIDAY, 5.00PM: THOUSANDS of Rwandans gathered in the capital Kigali to witness the execution of four people convicted of inciting acts of genocide in the 1994 massacre of almost a million Tutsis. Another 18 prisoners were executed by firing squad in four other outlying towns. Preparations for the executions of three men and one women […]

Lynda Gledhill Sitting in a luxury hotel dressed in brightly coloured clothes, Ester Mujawayo does not exude the air of a woman whose life has been destroyed. But this Tutsi from Rwanda is one of the few survivors in her family of the genocide that gripped her country in 1994. For a month, Mujawayo, her […]