Staff Reporter

Mail & Guardian reporter Friday, the Mail & Guardian’s arts and culture section, was chosen as Print Publication of the Year in Support of Arts and Culture at the 1999 Arts and Culture Trust Awards held in Cape Town on September 23. The M&G scooped three nominations, making it the undisputed leader in culture reporting. […]

Midi TV, owner of fledgling broadcaster e.tv, is besieged by problems, report Mungo Soggot, Donna Block and Ivor Powell Embattled television company Midi TV has hired one of South Africa’s most respected broadcast managers, Quentin Green, to help save fledgling broadcaster e.tv from the gallows. Midi TV’s chief executive officer, Marcel Golding, confirmed this week […]

Q & A Acclaimed jazz musician Don Laka recently launched his new album Supernova, his second recording as a solo artist. Playing solo allows him to be more experimental on acoustics. The name, Supernova, reflects Laka’s growing interest in cosmology. His first album, Destiny, was released internationally and led him to perform at the premier […]

“They all thoroughly enjoyed their holiday and would be keen to return.” — Ria Mills, spokeswoman for the Mpumalanga Tourism Authority, after speaking to survivors of the horror bus crash in which 26 elderly British tourists and a South African died. “How many of our poor black people have died in the taxis and buses […]

A LOCAL magazine has apologised to Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa, (42) for publishing a photograph of him in the nude. Moosa became the first South African politician to appear naked in a magazine — but not by design according to his office. “The minister considers the matter to be closed,” his office […]

“I thought Percy (Montgomery) was magnificent. He is an outstandingly courageous guy. He made some mistakes against New Zealand, but was under a lot of pressure. I always judge a player on his form in the Super 12, where he was outstanding.” — Springbok coach Nick Mallett on the troubled fullback’s timely return to form […]

THE Vodacom Tour makes its first major foray into Africa this week when the Royal Swazi Sun Classic tees off at the Royal Swazi Sun Country Club on Tuesday. Justin Hobday returns as the defending champion in this R200000 event played at the par-72 Royal Swazi Sun golf course, nestled in the beautiful Ezulwini Valley […]

Rising to the occasion The seventh All Africa Games have been plagued by problems before they have even started, but they still provide the opportunity to see some great athletes in action.

FUGITIVE German billionaire Jurgen Harksen on Wednesday won a stay of extradition, possibly for a year, when the Cape High Court ruled that a fresh magistrate should rule on his suitability for extradition, SABC television reported. Harksen, who is wanted by the German authorities on fraud and tax evasion charges involving more than R1-billion, has […]

THE government on Thursday sacked the chairwoman and three members of the board of the state owned diamond mine Alexkor at Alexander Bay on the border with Namibia in the Northern Cape. A forensic audit into allegations of financial mismanagement will be conducted. Public Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe told reporters in Pretoria the board members […]

ALAN FINLAY, Johannesburg | Wednesday 12.30pm. SPECULATORS preying on a struggling gold price over the past year have been caught with their pants down, with one analyst estimating the over-the-counter market may be as much as 3000 to 4000 tons short. “There’s a scramble to buy back gold,” said Fedsure’s Nick Goodwin, who predicts the […]

RHODES University social science student Likhaye Ngqezana, at the tender age of 23, was elected the youngest mayor in Grahamstown’s 180 year history at Monday night’s monthly city council meeting. Ngqezana, who is in his final year of study and has served on the council for only three months, was the sole nominee for mayor. […]

Afrikaans singer and actor G Korsten died in his Wilderness home in the Western Cape on Wednesday when he shot himself in the right temple. Police spokesman Sergeant David Mosola said Korsten, (70) got up to make his wife a cup of tea. The singer apparently took a 7.65mm pistol, walked into the kitchen and […]

RELIGIOUS leaders will this weekend dedicate their sermons to the subject of HIV/Aids, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang announced on Wednesday. She said mosques, temples, churches, synagogues and other places of worship have agreed to take part in a nine-day campaign to boost awareness of the disease. Religious leaders will from Friday to Sunday base their […]

SIX people were arrested on Tuesday following the murder of a 63-year-old woman at Kampeng Village near Pietersburg at the weekend, Northern Province police reported. Clara Shabangu was stoned and then necklaced after she was accused of poisoning her 14-year old neighbour, Keledi Mziza. Keledi died last Friday after she allegedly ate meat given to […]

THE first exports from the multinational Nigerian liquefied natural gas plant to buyers will commence in two weeks, the company said Wednesday. The shipment was originally scheduled for October 1, but had to be shifted due to local protests by the host communities at Bonny, southeast Nigeria, Nigeria LNG said. “Meanwhile, production has been resumed […]

JOHN Eales has been confirmed as captain of the Australian team to face Romania in their opening World Cup match in Belfast on Sunday. Eales has fully recovered from a shoulder injury, and finds himself back in the Wallaby starting line-up for the first time this year. Eales will be partnered in the second row […]

THE Dutch parliament has cancelled its annual 15 million dollar aid programme for Zimbabwe because of human rights violations and other factors. The alleged torture of journalists, a lack of good governance and Zimbabwe’s military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo are among issues which led to aid being cut, said embassy spokesman Emiel […]

INTERNATIONAL credit rating agency, Duff & Phelps (DCR), has placed the domestic ratings of Nedcor Bank and Standard Bank on positive rating watch, following the recent announcement that the banks are investigating a merger. FitchIBCA expressed concerns about industry and risk concentration when evaluating the firms’ ratings. According to DCR analyst, Charles Nel, if the […]

THE Namibian squad for their Castle Cup final match against Angola in Windhoek on Saturday has been announced. The Squad: Goalkeepers: Fillemon Kanalelo (Sundowns, Rsa), Tiro Thlabanello (Black Africa) Defenders: Hanga Hamukoto, Peter Mokwena (Tigers), Rodney Doeseb (Chief Santos), Mohammed Ouseb (Kaizer Chiefs, Rsa), Oscar Tjikurunda (Life Fighters) Midfielders: Patrick Kontwane, Nico Nicodemus (Civics), Paul […]

JOHANNESBURG soccer giants Kaizer Chiefs were found not guilty by a Premier Soccer League disciplinary comittee after failing to turn up for a Castle Premier League fixture against Hellenic at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg last Tuesday. Chiefs refused to play the match, saying that the fixture, which was initially scheduled to be played on […]

CHRISTIAN Cullen is likely to play at centre for the New Zealand All Blacks in their World Cup campaign starting against Tonga on Sunday allowing winger Jonah Lomu to return to the starting line-up. Early indications from the All Black camp suggest that Cullen will join Alama Ieremia in the centres with Lomu and the […]

CAPE Empowerment Trust (CET) has emerged successfully from its maiden year of operations despite delays in the release of its first annual report. According to its results released on Wednesday, turnover for the Western Cape-based empowerment initiative reached R18849-million for the period ended 28 February. Net income consolidated at R14264-million and earnings per share were […]

FORMER Orlando Pirates defender Meshack Tshepo Zwane died on Sunday in a motor vehicle accident in Zimbabwe. He was the driver of the car and the only one who died when the car overturned. They were on their way back home from Zimbabwe. Three other occupants of the car survived with serious injuries. Zwane also […]

THE branding and tattooing of small stock will be compulsory throughout South Africa from October 1, Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said on Thursday. She said the Livestock Brands Act will be brought into force in the only areas that have so far been exempt — KwaZulu-Natal and 27 magisterial districts of Northern Province. Owners in […]

TWO West African men who dreamed of a new life in Europe, in exchange for helping load a cargo vessel with timber in the Ivory Coast, ended up on a raft in raging shark-infested seas off the Eastern Cape coast before miraculously paddling to shore — and an Alexandria police cell — over the weekend. […]

WORLD BANK President James Wolfensohn is due in Nigeria next week for an official visit, the bank office in Nigeria said Thursday. Wolfensohn will arrive Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Wednesday accompanied by his wife, Elaine, said spokesman Obadiah Tohomdet in an official statement. The statement said that the World Bank chief would hold talks with […]

BRETT Liddle has taken a three shot lead in the first round of the Royal Swazi Sun Classic. Liddle shot a brilliant nine-under par 63 on a wet first day. “I’ve never been so calm on a golf course in all my life,” said Liddle, who is hunting his second Vodacom Tour victory this year […]

THE Border Cricket Board has adopted a new identity. The union, based at Buffalo Park in East London, will in future be known as the Border Bears. “Strong names for sports teams are proving a great marketing success in South Africa,” said Border Cricket CEO Reunert Bauser at the launch of the new identity at […]

THE lucrative summer portion of the Vodacom Tour was announced on Thursday with one significant change to last year’s schedule, which will ensure that the local golfing public are treated to more of the biggest names in world golf. The six-tournament schedule, the prize money for which will be announced later, features the Vodacom Players’ […]

LIBYA on Wednesday warned that unfettered economic globalisation will subject developing nations to corporate control and turn them into mere consumer markets for rich countries. Mohammad Bait Elmal, secretary of the Libyan general people’s committee for finance, told the annual assembly of the World Bank and IMF in Washington that the free flow of goods, […]

African National Congress MP Duma Nkosi was shot and seriously injured during what police suspect to be an attempted hijacking in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. Nkosi, the chairman of Parliament’s minerals and energy portfolio committee, and his wife were sitting in their car outside a house in Senoaone at 6.10pm when four gunmen approached them […]