FRIDAY, 8.30AM ZAMBIAN president Frederick Chiluba returned from a visit to South-East Asia, to show little regret at the shooting of his chief rival, Kenneth Kaunda, by a police sniper. “If some people want to provoke a government elected by the people, it is our duty to show them we are in charge. That incident […]

Robert Kirby: Loose cannon One of the first things they teach you at=20 the Newspaper Columnists School is how to=20 be two-faced. I remember one of our=20 lecturers – some frostbitten old geezer=20 calling himself Ken someone-or-other -=20 telling our class that, when it comes to=20 writing a regular newspaper column, there=20 is no greater […]

Peta Thornycroft While Ma and Pa are out on the town=20 boogying on Friday nights, their sons and=20 heirs are making whoopee back at home. At least 70 000 pre-pubescent and teenage=20 boys, between the ages of seven and 15, are=20 watching M-Net’s soft porn slot, Love=20 Street. In an analysis of TV audiences=20 between […]

Design of the week: Swapna Prabhakaran Dedicated dancers at ESP, Doornfontein’s=20 roofless rave venue, have been waiting for=20 a month to see what’s behind the heavy=20 material curtains. Big signs have warned:=20 “Don’t look behind here!” But all was revealed at the Garden of Eden=20 party last Sunday. Despite a badly-timed=20 raid by the police, […]

Andrew Muchineripi: Soccer By early next week the upgrading of Clive=20 Barker from part-time to fulltime national=20 coach will hopefully be finalised and the=20 first, vital steps on the road to France=20 and the 1998 World Cup finals can be=20 walked. It is never too soon to prepare and one=20 trusts that the South African […]

Stephen Gray: Unspoilt places Thomas Pynchon’s new novel about those=20 geologists, Mason and Dixon, reminds us:=20 lines conquer. And where they conquered=20 most was in the Cape. Compasses and=20 theodolites, as much as the force of arms,=20 subdue nature, demarcate control. Once the=20 horizon has shifted in from the glassy=20 yonder where springbok migrated, and […]

Janet Smith The debate raging over the V-chip (violence=20 chip) in the United States has resulted in=20 compelling academic and social research=20 into American children’s viewing habits -=20 and a powerful condemnation of many of=20 their favourite shows. The V-chip – introduced in the=20 Telecommunications Act of 1996 – allows=20 American parents to block TV […]

Janet Smith South African children watch very little=20 children’s TV, and one of the most=20 important reasons for this could be that=20 most South African children are not home=20 and free to watch television until after=20 supper. When superb productions like the specially- packaged import Open Sesame (now broadcast=20 in Zulu and Sesotho) and the […]

Beeld journalists are strongly in favour of=20 testifying before the truth commission, but=20 management does not want to know, writes=20 Hazel Friedman With only 17 days to go before the media=20 are called before the truth commission,=20 journalists at Beeld – South Africa’s=20 largest Afrikaans-speaking daily newspaper=20 – have urged editor Johan de Wet to […]

Sechaba ka’Nkosi The National African Federated Chamber of=20 Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) has called=20 for a national stakeholders conference=20 between the government, established=20 business and small enterprises before the=20 year-end. Nafcoc wants the summit to=20 formulate a programme that will ensure full=20 participation of emerging business in=20 economic reform.=20 The call forms the core of […]