fallout from Vryburg Bongani Siqoko The ongoing racial clashes at Vryburg High School in North West province have put a strain on many Afrikaans schools around the country – some of them battling to overcome the perception that they are all racist. The principal of Elandspoort High School in Pretoria, Sarel du Toit, said Afrikaans […]

Charl Blignaut: On stage in Johannesburg It is no doubt extremely uncool of me to not to gush about Ben Elton’s Popcorn. I mean, I ask you, how can a ”Generation-X West End smash hit” that uses terms like ”Tarantino-esque” in its publicity material possibly be anything but deadly hip? Actually, the answer is simple; […]

Tracy MurinikOn show in Cape Town Like a leaf skeleton, or a scrutinised microdot, or a highly convoluted mapping of space, Paul Edmunds’s assemblages inveigle themselves along the foundations of the Mark Coetzee Fine Art Cabinet in an installation entitled Once, Again. Hundreds of small plastic cable ties and bottle tops, all meticulously joined and […]

Marthali Brand The Internet is set to be the next advertising goldmine, if the number of online South African newspapers is anything to go by. A search for newspapers on the South Africa Online search engine gives more than 30 hits, including obscure publications like Die Padda and Colin’s Family Focus. But the really serious […]

THURSDAY, 11.30AM: MAMELODI Sundowns have a clear lead in the Professional Soccer League championships after beating Moroka Swallows 1-0 at the Odi Stadium on Wednesday. Kenny Niemach scored the Brazilians’ only goal in the 55th minute after linking well with Oumar Barro. Barro, who is Sundowns’ new Burkinabe international, had the Birds’ defence in all […]

THURSDAY, 12.30PM: AIDS infection rates in South Africa are growing, with a 13% increase since 1996, Health Minister Dr Nkosazana Zuma said on Wednesday. Speaking at a conference announcing the results of the 1997 HIV/Aids survey, Zuma said that an estimated 16,1% of women attending ante-natal clinics in South Africa register HIV positive. The results, […]

THURSDAY, 3.00PM: GOVERNMENT research indicates that the Atomic Energy Corporation should be split into two sections, one of which should be privatised. The Cabinet-mandated research says there is no further need for the AEC’s original nuclear research mandate, which should now be scrapped. A new public company, AEC Technology, should be established to develop and […]

WEDNESDAY, 2.30PM: THE Western Cape and Gauteng are envisaging drastically reducing the number of public servant’s posts in an attempt to cut down on spending. The Western Cape wants to cut 10 000 jobs by the end of the year, leaving it with 70 000 public servants, said provincial Director-General Niel Barnard in Parliament on […]

WEDNESDAY, 4.15PM: FINANCE Minster Trevor Manuel on Wednesday confirmed reports that the Strategic Fuel Fund sold off “the bulk” of South Africa’s strategic oil reserves on government instruction, but denied that the money was sneaked into the Budget to boost revenue. “It is important to put to bed any notion that we [sold off the […]