Staff Reporter

Nashen Moodley Halfway through my interview with the creators and editors of Sheet, Durban’s newest, funkiest independent publication, I was politely informed that they refused to have their names published in this article. I became suspicious. The creative forces behind Sheet resolutely refuse to sell the publication or accept advertising, so there’s no money to […]

Jack Schofield NETWATCH Fatbrain is offering writers 100% commission for the rest of this year if they upload their works to e-matter, its digital bookstore. You can set your own price, which readers will pay to download secure texts when the service goes live on October 18. Normally Fatbrain will charge $1 a month to […]

Every 20 seconds a child somewhere in the world dies of malaria. Last week the governments of South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland joined forces in an ambitious anti-malaria drive. Mark Honigsbaum reports on the race by scientists to find a vaccine Every six months Dr Stephen Hoffman, a captain in the United States navy, enters […]

LAWRENCE BARTLETT, Harare | Friday 7.30pm EMPLOYERS and workers alike on Friday slammed the Zimbabwean government’s budget for 2000, saying it fails to address the country’s worst economic crisis since independence nearly 20 years ago. The powerful Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) stated that workers “will not accept additional burdens” — a reference to […]

Whatever fund managers may claim, Wall Street is dangerously overvalued. Larry Elliott reports April, said TS Eliot, is the cruellest month. Not as far as the markets are concerned. As Professor Tim Congdon pointed out recently, there seems to be something about October and declining share prices. This week was the 12th anniversary of the […]

AdamSweeting CD of the week The longevity of the Pet Shop Boys is one of pop’s minor miracles, particularly since they’ve managed to sustain themselves for all these years on a diet of disco and hi- NRG. There are signs on their new CD, Nightlife (Parlophone/ EMI) that the Boys are finally outgrowing their clubland […]

Richard Reeves BODY LANGUAGE It is the study which proves the point of a thousand conversations between women every day: they really are better off without men. With the decline of the traditional family, post-2000 is set to be the singles’ century – but while live-alone women are thriving, enjoying a rich social life and […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Washington | Friday 9.15am. SOUTH African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu underwent exploratory cancer surgery on Thursday at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in the southern US state of Georgia. The surgery “was to see where the cancer spread, and determine what kind of future treatments are necessary,” said hospital spokeswoman Michelle Stevenson. […]

David Le Page First stop on a tour of websites dealing with unit trusts in South Africa must be the Association of Unit Trusts, www. aut.org.za. The association is the industry’s promoter and watchdog, and its website, though not properly kept up to date, is a good introduction to the industry. Its “guided tour” explains […]

Shaun de Waal Movie of the week Jack is a truck driver, accustomed to traversing large swathes of the dusty Australian outback. He’s also the author of a romantic novel, A Bird in the Hand, but he doesn’t want anyone to know that, because “blokes aren’t meant to write them”. He has made use of […]

Mark Atkinson The Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded last week to Canadian-born Professor Robert Mundell whose work on the advantages of common currencies gave birth to the euro. He believes sterling is doomed to extinction and predicts United Kingdom membership of the new currency zone will prove irresistible. In a world of volatile and […]

THE chair of the South African Football Association Women’s Football Committee Nastasia Tsichlas has resigned. Safa said on Thursday it has received and “regretfully” accepted the resignation, effective immediately. No reason for the resignation has been given. “Safa is very pleased to reaffirm its confidence in the women’s football committee and shall soon announce the […]

It’s still north versus south in this weekend’s World Cup quarter-finals, writes Andy Capostagno The pecking order of world rugby will be decided this weekend in the four quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup and there is a very clear demarcation line to be drawn. If the three teams that contest the Tri- Nations are […]

provincial budgets Barry Streek South Africa’s nine provinces do not come cheap – their legislatures are budgeted to cost taxpayers R346,9-million during the current financial year, with R42,6- million going to the executive councils and R108,4-million to ordinary members. This means that 43,5% of the costs of the provincial legislatures are allocated to salaries of […]

David Moore A SECOND LOOK As we speed our way to the end of this century one might pause to reflect on the part the Congo played at the close of the last one. Then, as now, the globe was becoming integrated financially, productively and culturally at a frenetic pace. Then, as now, the heart […]

AN exchange of state visits between South Africa and China are being planned, Chinese Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Ji Pei Ding said in Pretoria on Thursday. No date has however been set for the visits. The two deputy ministers said there will be closer bilateral cooperation between their countries in the future, despite the fact […]

SWEDISH vehicle manufacturer Volvo AB announced on Wednesday it plans to invest in Southern Africa as part of a globalisation strategy. The company is currently involved in talks with the South African-based Scandinavian Motor Corp, in attempts to increase Volvo’s presence in Southern Africa. Scandinavian Motor Corp said on Wednesday that advanced negotiations are underway […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 12.30pm. PUBLIC Works Minister Jeff Radebe has announced that the government is to sell the abattoir parastatal, Abakor, as well as several non-core businesses of Denel. Speaking after a meeting of the inter-miniterial Cabinet committee on the restructuring of state assets, Radebe said Abakor will be sold “voetstoots”. The decision […]

THE South African Municipal Workers Union on Tuesday declared a dispute with Nelspruit’s transitional local council over its controversial R300-million water privatisation deal. Nelspruit signed the groundbreaking deal with British multinational, Biwater, in October 1998 but has been unable to implement the scheme because of objections by Samwu and other African National Congress-aligned unions. Samwu […]

NIGERIA’S main trades union body on Tuesday issued a two-week notice of a public sector general strike if the government does not resolve the problems of striking teachers. Nigerian public workers will embark on nationwide strike on November 2 if the pay and conditions of teachers on strike since last month are not improved, the […]

AN alliance of Malawi opposition political parties announced on Thursday it willusetop Britishor other foreign lawyers to challengethe country’s June 15 general election results. The alliance, comprised ofthe Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) said on Thursday that they have alreadyheld discussions with foreign lawyers. Malawi’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Peter […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Freetown | Thursday 5.30pm CLASHES between former rebels and their ex-junta allies in a northern Sierra Leonean town have left dozens of civilians dead and caused many residents to flee the area, local media said on Thursday. This comes a day after a symbolic ceremony to mark the start of disarmament in Sierra […]

SIXTEEN Thai sex workers working in the country illegally were deported on Thursday afternoon , SABC television news reported. The prostitutes, who worked in an exclusive hotel in Sandton north of Johannesburg, were deported by the police and the Department of Home Affairs. As many as 5000 Thai sex workers were working in South Africa […]

US Defense Secretary William Cohen held talks on Thursday with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi on sharing missile early-warning data with Gulf and Middle East allies. The talks kicked off a two-day visit by Cohen, who is also scheduled to meet with President Hosni Mubarak on Friday and observe a major wargames exercise involving […]

CANADIAN gold-mining company Barrick Gold, the world’s number two producer, announced on Tuesday plans to invest $280-million in a new site in Tanzania. Production will begin in early 2001 at the Bulyanhulu mine, whose site was acquired by Barrick when it took over Vancouver-based Sutton Resources in March. “We see Bulyanhulu making a strong contribution […]

CABINET on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the introduction of inflation targeting as part of the framework for South African monetary policy. Annoucing the decision, Finance minister Trevor Manuel said the new policy will take effect in the first quarter of next year.

AUSTRALIA’S Tiaan Strauss believes Wales have made a major error in not picking Allan Bateman, his friend and former rugby league teammate, for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against the Wallabies. Argentina’s Agustin Pichot was quoted at the weekend as saying Bateman should be in Wales’ starting line-up. Now Aussie number eight Strauss, who knows the […]

WORLD champions South Africa have made more handling errors than any other team at the Rugby World Cup 99, according to statistics compiled by the tournament organisers. But the data is not as damning as it appears because the Springboks enjoyed such monopoly of possession in their group A games against Spain and Uruguay that […]

THE Gauteng finance and economic affairs department and the Gauteng tender board on Thursday announced that Standard Bank has been recommended as the preferred bidder for the provincial banking tender. The tender award will be confirmed after consultation between the standing committee of the provincial legislature and the MEC for finance and economic affairs, Jabu […]

THE world’s largest gold producer, Anglogold has been approached by the embattled Ashanti Goldfields, Africa’s third-largest gold producer. According to the Business Day Anglogold has been approached by Ashanti’s advisors. Anglogold said the meeting was little more than “fundemental information gathering.” The move officially places Anglogold in the battle arena for Ashanti which is reportedly […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Paris | Thursday 10.00am. SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallett has demanded more ruthlessness from his side in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against England at the Stade de France. Mallett called on back-rower Bobby Skinstad in particular to make a bigger impact as the South Africans seek a fourth straight win in their defence of […]

AIR control watchdog, the Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company, said on Wednesday that its computer systems are now Y2K compliant. “A committee specially constituted to administer the readiness of the company’s systems for Y2K is pleased to report that all the company’s navigation, communications and other systems have been thoroughly tested and upgraded and […]