Andy Duffy Nine of the 10 deans at the University of Cape Town (UCT) are to be replaced as part of an aggressive affirmative action drive and management shake-up. The university is also putting all staff through rigorous performance checks, to weed out underachievers and free up posts for new black and female employees. All […]

Jack Schofield Plastic television and computer screens could be printed out by the yard using technology from Cambridge University and its development partner Seiko-Epson, a large Japanese manufacturer of computer printers. And because plastic screens can be flexible, TV sets could be hung on the wall and rolled up afterwards. The new screens are based […]

Robert Kirby: Loose Cannon Our own police administration isn’t the only one coming in for continual and unwarranted media criticism. You should hear what they’ve been saying recently about that paragon of constabular integrity, the British police force. More especially the doings of someone they’ve dubbed “Condon of the Yard” – Sir Paul Condon, metropolitan […]

gangsters Andy Duffy An investigation by the public protector has found that senior Cape Town police effectively shielded members of the notorious Hard Livings gang from the rule of law for years. The probe uncovered more than a dozen cases against the gang’s members that collapsed because police investigators lost witnesses and vital evidence, ignored […]

Michael Brooks At Nasa’s research labs in the heart of Silicon Valley, alchemy is back in fashion. But turning base metals into gold is an old dream; the new alchemists are trying to turn coal into diamond. Re-arranging carbon atoms to build diamond-based materials would release a range of powerful new technologies – from silicon […]

suit Who is . . . Morgan Tvsangirai? Mercedes Sayagues Trade union leader Morgan Tvsangirai, who has captured the hearts of many Zimbabweans, has emerged as President Robert Mugabe’s public enemy number one and a leading figure on Zimbabwe’s political scene. With his simple lifestyle, casual, tie-less attire, easy laugh, straight talk and quick wit, […]

Mungo Soggot and : Andy Duffy A fraud and theft docket has been opened against the financial director of a South African mining company that sat on crucial information about its dismal performance on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The JSE suspended the listing of Amalia Gold on Thursday as details of the company’s woes began […]

Andy Capostagno: Rugby It has been an interesting couple of weeks for the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu). First came the good news; the Super 12 season would begin with four regional teams from South Africa who, at least on the surface, would all be happily putting aside provincial differences to raise the level […]

Investing in listed companies with interests in the gaming sector may be a dangerous gamble, but some are bound to hit the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) jackpot. Legislation passed a year ago legalised casino gaming in South Africa for the first time, setting in place a race between local and international gaming companies for the […]

Adam Haupt The University of Cape Town’s Contemporary African Music and Arts Archive (Cama) got its African Alchemy project started with a workshop, which was facilitated by musician, producer and artist Brian Eno. The obvious connection to be made here is with the forthcoming visit of mega pop group U2’s Popmart tour – Eno produced […]