Jean Spear ‘Wealthy gentleman living in Beverly Hills is looking for a petite, adventurous, intelligent female travel mate to the exotic islands of Thailand. Must have photos. E-mail now and cruise with me.” Internet travel sites are filled with similar notices from travellers seeking the ideal travel companion to tour the globe with. From the […]
Carolize Jansen There have been 176E069 cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) in the United Kingdom up to the end of last year. The consumption of BSE-infected meat is widely accepted as the cause of a strain of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD), a human brain condition. There have been sporadic outbreaks […]
Rupert Neethling The publication in March of Stephen King’s novella Riding the Bullet marked the first time that writing by someone of King’s commercial stature was released exclusively on the Internet. Riding the Bullet sold half-a-million copies in 48 hours. The advantage of this commercial model is that recently published works are made available on […]
Telford Vice CRICKET A fortnight ago there would have been no shortage of schoolchildren able and willing to reel off a list of their South African cricketing heroes. That is no longer the case, because at least one former hero has been exposed as anything but. And because it is by no means clear how […]
Justin Arenstein A group of international investors is threatening to sue the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)and the South African Secret Service for $14-million after getting ripped off in a complex scam by spies using apartheid-era front companies. The American investors were already granted a US district court judgment for $10,9-million in 1998, but are struggling […]
Brenda Atkinson REVIEW OFTHEWEEK Just three months after finding a home and willing financial midwives, Johannesburg’s inaugural urban culturefest Artichoke got off to an uneven but promising start on Saturday April 8 at the Sandton Civic Gallery. The quarterly cultural event – initiated by dancer/performer Jeannette Ginslov and organised by herself, Kathryn Smith and Bie […]
legitimate [sleazy] behaviour’ Want to make a quick buck, squash a fine, get ahead in your career or get away with murder? The Mail & Guardian offers some tips from past and present pros Ivor Powell, Jubie Matlou, Mungo Soggot, Paul Kirk and Evidence wa ka Ngobeni The reaction to Mail & Guardian revelations last […]
of poor Khadija Magardie Prominent South African researchers and medical ethics specialists are alarmed that proposed amendments to research protocols could open the door for researchers to use patients in poor countries as human guinea pigs in global medical research. In a series of open letters challenging the values of the medical fraternity, the group […]
Khadija Magardie AFRICAN RENAISSANCE edited by Malegapuru William Makgoba (Mafube/Tafelberg) This collection of conference papers makes a surprisingly refreshing departure from the “Timbuktu glory days” rhetoric of the “African renaissance” idea. To its credit, the book does not confine itself to waxing lyrical about the revival of vague categories like moral values and African culture, […]
Sarah Bullen Selling unit trusts and selling chocolate differs only in the product. In both instances there is a product and a company that will make money when the product is purchased. In both instances the product is aggressively marketed to the consumer. And in both instances, buying the product will give the consumer a […]
Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition movement in Zimbabwe, says President Robert Mugabe should be offered an honourable way out. But how? Stubborn, oblivious of the damage he is inflicting on his country and the suffering of the individuals caught up in the dramas he has manufactured, Mugabe has paid attention so far […]
The farm invasions are having a negative effect on the economy of the entire region, exerting pressure on SAto act Howard Barrell, Donna Block and Iden Wetherell President Thabo Mbeki is to jet into Harare on Friday for an urgent meeting with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe. As the situation in Zimbabwe threatens to spin completely […]
David Le Page One of the easiest ways to improve access to investments is to make the whole process of purchasing them far easier. This is the motivation behind Old Mutual’s investment in a “mobile portfolio management system” for its clients. Meanwhile, online stockbroker Tradek has also launched a new product to allow customers to […]
Shaun de Waal THE ABOMINATION by Paul Golding (Picador) ‘High summer in a sweltering London club, and I’m getting into my drunken stride after midnight, rubbing sweat with the shoulders that pass by, and thinking vaguely about another drink, or about cruising the pissoirs, or about peeling off my vest and closing my eyes and […]
Donna Block SHAREWORLD After last week’s blood- letting in the stock markets I didn’t know whether to reach for the phone or some serious mind-altering drugs. But why was I surprised? All of us who take more than passing interest in share prices knew that it had to happen sooner or later – the dreaded […]
Jubie Matlou Lesotho is the focus of intense diplomatic activity as foreign powers search for ways of kickstarting the stalled democratic process in the mountainous kingdom, to beat the expiry of an 18-month deadline for the holding of fresh elections. The agreement was brokered in late 1998 under the auspices of the Southern African Development […]
for fun’ Bob Woolmer FROM THE PAVILLION Hansie Cronje is a driven man. In my experience as coach of his wonderful team for five years, one motivation and one motivation alone drove him. His desire was to take on to the pitch the best South African team regardless of skin colour and win the game […]
Many of Timbavati’s famous white lions may have ended up as prize trophies on neighbouring game farms Fiona Macleod Lions are being stolen from the Timbavati Nature Reserve by suspected canned-lion hunting operators. An employee on a small neighbouring game farm was convicted and sentenced late last month after he was caught red-handed trying to […]
SOUTH African Breweries and Germany’s Holsten-Brauerei AG, seeking to establish a presence in a fast-growing market, have launched licensed production of Holsten beer in Russia. “We have signed an initial agreement for five years”, Alan Richards, managing director of SAB Europe division, said. A SAB-owned brewery in Kaluga, about 200km south-west of Moscow, is expected […]
Over the next fortnight, the countryside will rock to South Africa’s best musicians when cultural nomads migrate to Splashy Fen and Oppikoppi Alex Sudheim Though initiated as a pure celebration of folk music in 1990, the Splashy Fen festival’s popularity grew so rapidly its identity morphed yearly to reflect the changing audience profile. With rock […]
David Gough in Mutitu, Kenya Mwangi Githendu might not know much about politics but drumming his fist on the table to emphasise his point, he insists: “I know when I’m being cheated.” It’s hard to imagine this kindly old man with his wispy grey beard and permanent smile as a leader of a violent peasants’ […]
The second-leg match against Lesotho gives coach Trott Moloto a rare chance to experiment with his squad Andrew Muchineripi It might seem odd to suggest Bafana Bafana coach Trott Moloto faces a difficult mission on Saturday, given that South Africa are two goals ahead of Lesotho and have home advantage entering the second leg of […]
TRADE and Industry Minister Alec Erwin said that SA has attracted foreign direct investment of R91,9-billion. Speaking in Parliament, Erwin said SA ranks just after China and Brazil among the most popular emerging investment destinations. He said SA’s move up four notches in the world competitiveness rankings has not gone unnoticed by foreign investors. However, […]
Thebe Mabanga IN YOUR EAR Tim Modise’s PM Live (SAfm 104 to 107 fm: weekdays 4pm to 6pm) has just celebrated its first anniversary. Modise must feel smug when he listens to talk radio. He must recall his days at Metro fm when he was host of Jungle Fever. Every Monday he would have an […]
Paul Kagame has been elected leader of Rwanda by an overwhelming majority in Parliament Gregory Mthembu-Salter Major-General Paul Kagame was elected president of Rwanda on Monday by 86 people. Kagame received 81 votes and his rival, secretary general of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) Charles Murigande, the remaining five. The electorate was the Cabinet […]
Isabel Hilton COMMENT Zimbabwe celebrated the 20th anniversary of her independence yesterday with the murder of a second white farmer. This was another government-inspired outrage on the way to what threatens to be a deliberate descent into a more general, armed conflict over Zimbabwe’s colonial legacy. Two decades ago, Robert Mugabe subscribed to a different […]
THE country’s 1999/00 has been estimated at 9,19-million tons, up from last month’s figure of 9,18-million tons, the national crops body said in its third estimate. The white maize crop — due to be harvested from May — was put at 5,51-million tons and yellow maize production was seen at 3,68-million tons, the National Crop […]
Gregory Mthembu-Salter While tensions flared in neighbouring Zimbabwe last weekend, the Zambian government reassured its predominantly white commercial farmers and the international community that there would be no farm invasions in Zambia. Agriculture Minister Suresh Desai said instead, “Zambia has plenty of land that needs to be developed to enhance economic development.” Desai’s remarks characterised […]
Larry Elliott The timing could not have been better. Everybody, but everybody, from the global financial community was in town for the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and what happens? Shares go crashing on Wall Street. For someone who has long argued that the United States has been […]
Mikkel Beck was a fan of the chef, so he invested in the restaurant Jim White Traditionally, the only contact footballers had with the catering trade was buying a pub the moment they stopped playing. Which, to be fair, was merely falling in line with expert opinion that it is always enriching during retirement to […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Sydney | Wednesday 3.00pm AUSTRALIAN batsman Mark Waugh, fined for taking money from bookmakers five years ago, refused on Wednesday to talk about the Hansie Cronje scandal. “I’m going home, the season’s over,” said Waugh, who declined to answer questions when he returned from South Africa where Australia’s three-match limited overs series was […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Wednesday 5.00pm. THE International Olympic Committee will review the appeal of the South African men’s hockey side after the team was barred from competing in the Sydney Olympics by the National Olympic Committee of South Africa because of racial inequality. The team was told by Nocsa that it cannot compete […]