money Chiara Carter Jailed Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock has been approached to provide information about the missing millions squirrelled away in apartheid-era slush funds. An investigation is under way into claims that a unit set up to find the missing money has itself been misusing state funds. The National Intelligence Agency’s (NIA)request to De […]

Nicholas Dawes Live in Cape Town Amampondo leader Dizu Plaatjies is one of the more popular teachers at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music, where he teaches African instruments and dance. The role is not one he sheds easily, and when “Madiba’s favourite band” played at the Drum Cafe in Gardens last Saturday, […]

Martin Thorpe Soccer Arsenal and Manchester United stepped into line last week by agreeing to discontinue talks with the proposed Super League and seek change to Europe’s club competitions through official channels. All 20 Premiership clubs agreed the same rules after meeting to hear Gerhard Aigner, United European Football Association’s (Uefa) general secretary, assure them […]

In terms of human development, South Africa ranks third in sub-Saharan Africa, writes Ann Eveleth South Africa jumped one point on the global development scale in the first year of democracy, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released this week. The UNDP Human Development Report 1998 ranks South Africa 89th out of […]

Peter Makurube Kora awards The All Africa Kora Music Awards have come and gone with as much fanfare as a meeting of tannies sharing koeksisters and a bit of gesels en skinner. Hell, this is supposed to be the best thing on the continent. Expectations are high among the citizens of Africa and each time […]

John Crace First Person Madonna, Michael Jackson and Lenny Henry did it last month. Caroline Quentin, Jennifer Saunders, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sean Bean, Gary Oldman, Sharon Stone and Rik Mayall did it earlier in the year. And come November, Jamie Lee Curtis will be doing it, too. Not so long ago, 40 was old. It was […]

unionists Union investment has achieved success beyond Cosatu’s expectations, writes Ferial Haffajee Faced with the growth of a generation of trade union millionaires, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has moved to rein in its investment companies. Last week Cosatu called the heads of investment companies and union leaders to its Johannesburg head […]

brothel Michael Finch Commonwealth Games Noise curfews, group photo- graphs, airport delays, buses and goodie bags that offer toiletry sets, shower shoes and, wait for it, a doorstop. Glitz and glamour? More like a stint in the army! That’s what awaited the likes of Chester Williams and Shaun Pollock when they arrived in Kuala Lumpur […]

Chris Roper On show in Cape Town Their name makes me think of some kind of League of Super Heroes, and I picture them in tights and colourful costumes, ta-dahing off into the lurid sunset in pursuit of their evil nemesis, Bad Taste Man. A ridiculous fantasy, brought on by the early hour at which […]

Christian Figenschou Old cars are generally more of an emotional investment than a financial one, but the rand’s recent slide has widened the scope for speculation in classic cars as commodities. Sought-after collector’s cars have always lagged in value in South Africa compared to overseas markets, and the crumbling of the rand has opened up […]