Staff Reporter

Neil Manthorp Cricket Sometime in the mid-1980s Malta’s football team manager said, after a 9-0 reverse against Italy in a European Championship qualifier, “We need to work on our defence a bit, but there were some good things …” With the same delicious sense of understatement, Zimbabwe’s embattled cricket captain Alistair Campbell admitted a few […]

Timor conflict As tension in East Timor remains high, South Africa is set to get involved in the conflict in the former Indonesian colony, write Paul Kirk and Ivor Powell Within days a team of 40 South African bodyguards will set off for the East Timorese capital of Dili – their mission: to protect Jos […]

Alan Henry Grand Prix World championship leader Eddie Irvine this week turned up the psychological pressure on his rival for the drivers’ title, Mika Hakkinen, effectively warning the Finn not to try any dirty tricks in the deciding Japanese grand prix at Suzuka on Sunday. Just days after Irvine’s Malaysian grand prix victory was restored […]

Alex Dodd spoke to Wayne Barker and Susan Glanville about how to get artists to speak for themselves “Sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner, but we’ve had two babies in the last 24 hours”, breathes Susan Glanville down the phone, sounding frayed and mysterious like Judy Davis in Woody Allen’s Celebrity. Editor Christine […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Bloemfontein | Friday 3.30pm ZIMBABWE are in desperate trouble as South Africa left them at 192 all out after just 75 overs on the opening day of the historic first Test Bloemfontein on Friday. Zimbabwe were reeling on 121/7 at tea. The partnership between Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell, forged before lunch, did […]

Paul Kirk On Monday, the Department of Justice declined to prosecute street trader Goodman Msomi on a string of criminal charges, which were laid when he attempted to uphold the law. Msomi is no ordinary street trader – he is a founding father of Traders against Crime, a group that has helped to stop the […]

Barry Streek speaks to former (and future?)politician Van Zyl Slabbert, whose new book is just out Van Zyl Slabbert, whose book Afrikaner Afrikaan (Tafelberg) was released in Cape Town this week, says he is not involved politically today and that he is not involved in any discussions with President Thabo Mbeki, whom he openly respects. […]

Movie of the week As in all narrative or temporal art, movie endings are very important. “It copped out at the end” is a familiar, negative judgment of a film, though in Hollywood movies especially there is often a mad rush in the final reel to tie up the loose ends strewn about the story. […]

Paul Trueman goes online to chat to like- minded souls about his passions Before free Internet service providers (ISP), Amazon.com, portals, broadband and browser wars, before even the World Wide Web itself, there were newsgroups. A great example of an often overlooked facet of the Internet, newsgroups are an online reminder of when the Internet […]

WESTERN Province slumped to 222 all-out on the first day of their four-day SuperSport Series match against KwaZulu-Natal at Newlands on Thursday. Winning the toss and electing to bat the hosts were reduced to 74 for four by the first over after lunch with experienced campaigners Lloyd Ferreira, Brian McMillan, HD Ackerman and John Commins […]

Chris Gordon Unita troops have moved into the Cuango Valley, threatening diamond mining operations there, as the war moves into a guerrilla phase. Diamond mining company Sociedade Desenvolvimento de Mineiro (SDM) has withdrawn its staff to Luanda, except for security and senior management, who remain to protect equipment and assess the degree of threat from […]

libraries William Pretorius The Greater Johannesburg Library is in a crisis. Display cases in the foyer are full of book covers, ranging from non- fiction to African novels and literacy readers, a piquant selection. But these are not coming attractions. They are books the library wants to buy but can’t afford. There just isn’t any […]

Gavin Foster He stands there, day after day, letting the good guys in and keeping the baddies out. Well, that’s what he’s supposed to do. But the chances are he’s just a pawn in paranoid South Africa’s scam of the century – pseudo-security. It’s difficult to say how many of the 160 000 workers registered […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Thursday 5.15pm. AUSTRALIAN captain John Eales is playing down the threat posed by Springbok fly-half Jannie De Beer ahead of the crunch World Cup semi-final between the Wallabies and the Springboks at Twickenham on Saturday. The Australian squad have spent the past 48 hours studying videos of South Africa’s quarter-final victory […]

Andrew Muchineripi Soccer A glance at the headlines says it all: “Pirates, Chiefs get ultimatum”, “Missing file: Ndhlela accused”, “We’ll expose PSL corruption – Stars”, “Motimele report not Balfour’s baby”. As if that assortment of words was not depressing enough, there was also, “Buccaneers bite the dust”. Where will the gloom and doom end, this […]

Marianne Merten The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) wants the government to address the alleged failure of black empowerment companies to help transform the fishing industry. The call was made as part of the strike by 5 000 Fawu members at 10 West Coast fishing and fish processing companies with black empowerment components. “The […]

Charlene Smith Glenn van Wyk, a physical education teacher at Queens High School, was this Wednesday charged with one count of rape and two counts of statutory rape. The charges relate to an allegation of raping three 14-year-old pupils at Queens High in Jeppe, Johannesburg. After a four-hour bail application opposed by the state, Van […]

SPRINGBOK centre Andre Snyman, who missed the World Cup because of an ankle injury, has joined the Natal Sharks from next year. Snyman, one of the stars of the world champion’s team, will head to Durban when his contract with the Blue Bulls ends on December 31. Snyman’s pace and experience has made him one […]

THE Egyptian Football Federation on Thursday announced they had appointed Frenchman Gerard Gili as technical dirctor to the national side on a two- year contract. Gili, former coach of French giants Marseille, is charged with ensuring Egypt qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Egypt’s Anour Salama will assist him, Federation president Harb Al Dahchoury said. […]

A REPORT to the National Assembly on the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has been postponed until the first week of November, when MPs return from a week-long constituency break. Communications committee chairman Nat Kekana said the report had to be translated into Afrikaans and vetted by law advisers. It is expected to be tabled […]

FRANCE have a ready-made excuse if they lose to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the World Cup at Twickenham on Sunday, French agriculture minister Jean Glavany said Thursday. Glavany, tongue firmly in cheek, was responding to reports that the French squad had feasted on British beef earlier in the week at their hotel outside […]

ENGLISH club Sale launched a blistering attack on South African World Cup fly-half Jannie de Beer on Wednesday as they released the Springbok from his contract with the club. De Beer is to repay money that had already been advanced to him by the club, but Sale director of rugby Adrian Hadley said he feels […]

THE Department of Home Affairs on Wednesday reiterated that the four days from December 31 to January 3 will be public holidays. It said in a statement many people still appear to be confused about the matter. The Friday of December 31 and the Sunday of January 2 were declared public holidays in a notice […]

THE United States Navy and SA National Defence Force units are to stage a joint amphibious training exercise off the west coast next week, the SANDF said in Pretoria on Thursday. The operation, the first of its kind between South Africa and the US, will run from Saturday to Friday next week. A visiting US […]

AUSTRALIAN hooker Michael Foley said on Wednesday that the Wallabies will have to put their heads together to counter the Springbok scrum when they play their World Cup semi-final on Saturday. Foley, who has played 27 Tests for Australia, said South Africa’s pack would present a different challenge to that of Wales who the Australians […]

SHAUN Pollock alomost gave the Proteas a nasty surprise when he pulled up with a slight hamstring strain this weekend. The South Africans face neighbours Zimbabwe in a Test on Friday and Gauteng seamer David Terbrugge has been put on standby for the match in Bloemfontein in case Pollock is unable to play. Proteas coach […]

SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallett, the master tactician whose drop goal strategy sank England’s World Cup hopes, has commiserated with his England counterpart Clive Woodward. Mallett said it was unfair that two of rugby’s heavyweights should have clashed in the quarter-finals. “I still believe England should be in the semi-finals,” said Mallett. “I think New Zealand […]

FRANCE on Thursday named influential centre Emile Ntamack, who has been nursing a knee injury, in their team to face New Zealand in Sunday’s World Cup semifinal and brought back lock Fabien Pelous after a ban. The French made just one change from the team that started their quarter-final defeat of Argentina last weekend with […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 4.15pm AN unusually large amount of diamond exports during September is behind an unexpected swing to a R1,37-billion trade surplus for the month, a senior customs official said on Thursday. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that diamond sales worth roughly R1,9-billion has been included in the […]

ISLAMIC Sh aria law was formally declared on Wednesday in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated Zambia State despite opposition. Zambia State Governor Sa ni Aimed has assured opponents to the law that it will be imposed on non-Muslims, but Christians have voiced scepticism. Aimed said that the law aims to eradicate or curb vices such as drunkenness, prostitution, […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Wednesday 6.00pm. SPRINGBOK fly-half hero Jannie de Beer warned on Wednesday that it would be silly to expect a repeat performance of his world record five drop goals when South Africa face Australia in the World Cup semi-finals at Twickenham on Saturday. De Beer kicked a total of 34 points as […]

THE office of former president Nelson Mandela on Wednesday issued a statement denying that Mandela has purchased a house in Cape Town on behalf of Libyan President Moammar Gadaffi. The statement denied that a Libyan delegation had met Mandela or anyone connected to his family to discuss the purchase of the Cape Town home. It […]