The battle for a free Namibia has been won, but the Herero people still suffer from a defeat at German hands in 1904, writes John Grobler In the small, dusty graveyard of Usakos, Adelheid Tjijorokisa-Ndjavera points to headstones marking the graves of her family. The impressive headstone of Karl-Heinrich Knaeble, born in Oberndorf, Bavaria, and […]
Andy Capostagno: Rugby We’ve had two weeks of the Super 12 now and we’ve learnt a few things. We’ve learnt that the Wellington Hurricanes are the best team in the tournament, and the Western Stormers are about the worst. We’ve learnt that rumours of a resurgence of the game in Australia are unfounded, and that […]
Krisjan Lemmer Great excitement in the Dorsbult Bar when word circulated that the California multi-millionaire, Deepak Chopra, was in town. Deepak, as everyone knows, is guru to California and all its hangers-on, including Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Liz Taylor and Demi Moore – the latter of whom announced, after consulting him, that she […]
Njongonkulu Ndungane: UBUNTU A cardinal value to be cherished by all is the sanctity of life. This entails creating conditions that enable people to enjoy a fully human life. As God’s stewards we are responsible for harnessing the resources of the earth to enhance humanity’s well-being. It is in this light that we must engage […]
Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele: RIGHT TO REPLY Your article, “Whatever happened to the dream of low-cost housing”, February 20 to 26, was sensational and alarmist. My office has been co-operating with the media in making sure that their information needs are met on time. There is nothing sinister about verifying statistics and maintaining their integrity before releasing […]
William Makgoba advocates streamlining government operations by slashing the number of ministries The proposed increase in the executive powers of the presidency, the stripping of two ministries and the assimilation of some functions of 10 other ministries awaiting restructuring (as reported in the Financial Mail, March 6), are welcome small steps in transforming the government […]
Gwen Ansell: CD of the week Reedman and composer Henry Threadgill is a graduate of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Music, and his work with the bands Air and Very Very Circus married open arrangements and dense textures in a way which often subverted expectations – all-brass ensembles, no-bass ensembles, Jelly Roll Morton-meets-Ornette […]
Mukoni T Ratshitanga Unique learning centres established in 1995 by Unisa attempted to offer distance-education students some of the advantages of classroom teaching. But three years later, enrolment at one of the primary centres in downtown Johannesburg is on the decline. Students blame rising fees, fear of the city centre and the formal way their […]
Chris Opperman Former foreign affairs minister Pik Botha and several senior retired Armscor officials will be among the key witnesses in a sensational case due to resume in a Paris court later this year. It is expected to expose details about South Africa’s top-secret international weapons transactions during the days of the arms embargo. A […]
South Africa’s street-activist-turned-minister-of-finance effortlessly cruised through his second budget this week, delivering the bad news with wit and the good news with his trademark Cheshire-cat grin. It was a virtuoso performance by Trevor Manuel – except for the blaps at the end when he thanked President Nelson Mandela “in his absence” for his support. Mandela […]