GANDHI’S LEGACY: THE NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS, 1894-1994 by Surendra Bhana (University of Natal Press, R64,95) Though not the only Indian political organisation in Natal during the last century or so, the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was by far the most important in terms of commitment to liberation not just for Indians but for the disenfranchised […]

FRIDAY, 6.00PM: THE Johannesburg Stock Exchange ended down on Friday, pressured by futures trade and profit taking. The all gold index wound down 6,4 points to 679,9, the industrial index 51,7 points to 8515,2, and the financial index 122,9 points to 13234,1. The all share index finished down 64,8 points at 7179,7. Around 130,328-million shares […]

Pallo Jordan: CROSSFIRE ‘Twilight,” my friend Karl-Heinz explained, “is the quintessential dialectical concept. It is the transition from light to darkness, from day to night. It tells us also that both day and night are but moments in a continuing cycle during which each day i s transformed into its opposite by the passage of […]

Ann Eveleth A sign outside the Kudube Waste Disposal Site in Temba township near Hammanskraal warns: “No hazardous or toxic materials allowed.” But it also tells visitors: “All persons and vehicles entering this site do so at their own risk.” Both warnings go unnoticed by the dozens of Temba residents picking through the rubbish for […]

with the times People who got themselves classified coloured in the old days are switching back – to black, writes Angella Johnson Once upon a time in the old South Africa it was considered infinitely preferable to be coloured rather than black. At least that was what Frank Makoba’s family thought when they opted to […]

Craig Bishop: National Festival of the Arts The astonishing art of two-tone singing is practised by just three cultures: Tibetans, Mongolians and by a small group of Xhosa-speakers in the Lady Frere district of the Eastern Cape. Lady Frere’s Ngqoko Choir practises a singing art so special that it has been recorded and studied by […]

Emeka Nwandiko With a sharp intake of breath, followed by an oath, Aubrey flicks his left wrist and casts to the concrete floor a pair of dice. A three and four is scored, notching up his winnings to R50. He is all smiles: considering that when he began the game of ama dice he had […]

Marion Edmunds Former Denel chief executive Johan Alberts walked away from the arms parastatal with a whopping R18-million in pension and restraint-of-trade payments, according to a senior government source. Minister of Public Enterprises Stella Sicgau is sitting on an explosive forensic audit that exposes how Alberts and other top managers at Denel paid themselves huge […]

Andy CapostagnoCricket If this is the beginning of a new age, then it’s particularly appropriate that South Africa will go into the Newlands Test against opponents who are, in the best sense of the word, old fashioned. Sri Lanka may be the world champions in one-day cricket, b ut their approach to Test cricket, if […]

Andrew Muchineripi: Soccer His French accent was thicker than coarse-cut breakfast marmalade, but the message spelt out by new Bafana Bafana coach Philippe Troussier at his first media conference this week was crystal clear. The White Witchdoctor believed the national team had great potential and would not provide cannon fodder for Group C opponents France […]