No image available
/ 6 February 2004

The sacred quest for youth

Is Sting trying to stay forever young? When listening to his latest album, Sacred Love (Universal), one gets the impression that he’s trying to be with it by dashing bits of fashionable genres into his music to win over new (and young) fans while trying to prove to the Sting faithful that he’s still the man, writes Riaan Wolmarans.

No image available
/ 19 January 2004

ANC ‘committed’ to NNP

An African National Congress statement on Monday addressed the party’s relationship of cooperation between itself and the New National Party. In the wake of media reports that the ANC has "turned" on its coalition partner in the Western Cape provincial government, the ANC said it is "committed to working with the NNP".

No image available
/ 18 January 2004

ANC bemoans IFP ‘disinformation plan’

A statement issued by the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday claimed that the ANC had been informed by "reliable sources at Ulundi" that there will be a "stage-managed so-called defection of (bogus) ANC members to the IFP [Inkatha Freedom Party] tomorrow (Sunday) at its (IFP) manifesto launch at Lindelani in Durban".

No image available
/ 24 November 2003

SA scores low on city website survey

A study of the official websites of the world’s major cities has ranked Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York City and Shanghai as the top five municipalities in "digital governance". Twelve African cities were included. In South Africa, Cape Town was selected, and its website was ranked in 31st place.

No image available
/ 24 November 2003

‘Send this joke to 10 people…’

South Africa has topped a list showing the number of companies per country believing that more than one in five e-mails sent by their employees are not work-related. In general, one in four companies believes that more than 20% of its e-mail traffic is non-work related. In South Africa this figure is three out of four.

No image available
/ 19 November 2003

Cabinet approves HIV/Aids plan

A comprehensive HIV and Aids treatment plan was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday. It seeks to provide at least one anti-retroviral service point in every health district within a year. A long-term aim is to give all South Africans requiring treatment access to the programme in their local municipal area within five years.

No image available
/ 14 November 2003

Red bull in a China shop

Riaan Wolmarans attends Red Bull’s DJ school in a refurbished sailor’s club in Cape Town, and it’s no connect-the-dots course for kids messing around with second-hand decks in their bedrooms. The students are masters themselves.

No image available
/ 23 October 2003

Children’s Bill: Be realistic, says minister

Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya on Thursday responded to a report that child rights groups are increasingly alarmed at his attempts to fast-track the Children’s Bill ahead of next year’s election. The Children’s Bill is a holistic approach to the rights of all children.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=22415">Outrage at ‘mutilated’ Children’s Bill</a>

No image available
/ 15 October 2003

RedSheriff is in town

The South African Online Publishers Association (OPA) has announced the selection of RedSheriff for the supply of a state-of-the-art web analysis and metrics infrastructure to its members. This should enable it to get a completely accurate picture of website readership in South Africa.

No image available
/ 8 October 2003

‘Real life is not satire’

The African National Congress reacted sharply on Wednesday to comments made by satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys. According to a newspaper report, Uys called President Thabo Mbeki a liar and called for the president’s resignation over his views on the causes of Aids, but the ANC criticised Uys’s "grandiose posturing".

No image available
/ 26 September 2003

Play those happy blues

<b>CD of the week:</b>

Delta Blue:<i> Inbluestation</i>

South Africans play the blues just as well as grizzled old blind men in smoky Mississippi bars. This is clear on Stellenbosch band Delta Blue’s second studio album, <i>Inbluesstation</i> (Merchant) — a smart collection of tracks delving the depths of the genre, writes Riaan Wolmarans.

No image available
/ 19 September 2003

Swing into the past

<b>CD of the week:</b>

Ashton Nyte:<i> Sinister Swing </i>

One can rely on local singer and songwriter Ashton Nyte to come up with something creative on his albums. He is constantly and subtly altering his sound, though it remains rooted in the dark realm of gothic music that shot his successful first endeavour, <i>The Awakening</i>, to fame, writes Riaan Wolmarans.

No image available
/ 18 September 2003

Mail & Guardian wins again

The <i>Mail & Guardian</i>’s Wisani wa ka Ngobeni has been announced as the northern and southern regional winner in the print news category of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards 2003. The regional winners were announced at a ceremony in Sandton on Wednesday.

No image available
/ 5 September 2003

Back from the past

<b>CD of the week:</b>
Stereophonics:<i>You Gotta Go There to Come Back</i>

On the new Stereophonics album, <i>You Gotta Go There to Come Back</i> there is a retro feel that sits well with a sound that is rougher than one might have expected, writes Riaan Wolmarans.

No image available
/ 8 August 2003

Women have their say

<b>CDs of the week:</b>

Michelle Branch: <i>Hotel Paper</i> and Jewel: <i>0304</i>

Two respected female singer-songwriters have released new albums, and with Women’s Day on August 9, it’s a good time to examine their different approaches, writes Riaan Wolmarans.

No image available
/ 14 February 2003

Tree63’s Christian roots

Reviewers never neglect to mention that Tree63, who are originally from Durban in 1996 and have survived a name change and a break-up, are a Christian rock band — a moniker that doesn’t always bring to mind an internationally successful, mainstream pop-rock act with chart-topping hit singles. But does their religion really matter? On their […]