What is more important: restoring land to a dispossessed community or having the third- largest battle school in the world? Nicole Turner reports It is a matter of some pride for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)that the Lohatla Battle School, south of Kuruman in the Northern Cape, is playing host to Operation Blue […]
divider Zimbabwe was once seen as one of the success stories of Africa after colonialism. But there are pictures which still tell a tale of division. In 1999, the issues are black and white, but also about class, writes Andrew Meldrum The Harare Club’s teak-panelled walls speak of years of tradition, privilege and exclusivity, dating […]
… They thrill, move and amaze us, and they get bigger every year. Victoria Coren says it’s time we gave Oscars to the Oscars The Oscar show gets bigger every year. This time around it was a marathon five hours between the start of coverage and the closing credits. At the Oscar-watching party in my […]
Friday night:Randall Abrahams Friday night. Certainly a few darkened hours to prepare for. But in most cases the week has just taken too much out of one and, unless there’s something really special about to go down, it’s a time to relax and refuel. I read in a health magazine that music has a definite […]
THE government has expressed its “grave concern” at the Nato military action against Yugoslavia. In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “This is in violation of the United Nations Charter and accepted norms of international law and it has exacerbated the situation in the Balkans.” The statement stressed the need to […]
The battle for votes among South Africa’s political parties is on. The African National Congress and the Democratic Party launch their election campaigns this weekend. The New National Party set out its stall last weekend. And other major parties are loosening up their tongues and sharpening up their soundbites for 10 weeks of campaigning which […]
THE Breitling Orbiter III balloon, which made aviation history with the first non-stop flight around the world, was plucked out of Egypt’s remote Western desert by helicopter on Thursday. Two Egyptian army choppers took part in the salvage operation, lifting the vast balloon and putting it on trucks heading to Alexandria, ready for a sea […]
ground If record-breaking versatility equals greatness, Paul Tergat has ascended into the stratosphere reserved for distance running’s true immortals. In the space of less than two years, the Kenyan has waltzed to a world record in the 10 000m and won the world cross-country championship for a record fourth consecutive time. Toss in a world […]
The Medical Schemes Act was amended last month to spread medical risks and costs. Kathryn Strachan reports Medical aid schemes are gearing up for a complete overhaul of their operations, with newly introduced legislation opening up new avenues and ending discrimination against the patient. Up to now medical aids have shared risk with the patient, […]
Is small becoming beautiful again? In the United Kingdom equity market, smaller firms have out-performed the FTSE 100 by 10% this year. But on the charts it looks like nothing more than a statistical wonder on a 10-year run of poor performance. EF Schumacher’s seminal economic treatise, Small is Beautiful, was first published in 1973. […]
Allan Boesak has been convicted by a myopic judiciary, argues Farid Esack, but what about its own tainted history? If Allan Boesak ends up in jail, he will be the only significant anti-apartheid political figure of the Eighties behind bars. It’s utterly bewildering. He will, after all, not be behind bars for his political activities. […]
With most of the productions developed by community theatre groups, the FNB Vita Drama Festival is at the right place – the Windybrow Centre for the Arts, writes Bafana Khumalo The house is perched on a hill – a hill that a group of joggers use as a kind of masochistic obstacle course, running backwards […]
The bombing of Belgrade is yet another warning that the USwill stop at nothing to secure world domination, writes John Pilger When the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima after Japan had all but surrendered, the front page of the London Daily Express said: “This is a warning to the world.” When American […]
The universe is not going to continue to expand into infinity, writes Michael Brooks, but only until it falls apart – in about 15- billion years Is there such a thing as eternal life? Of all the questions mankind has wrestled with over the millennia, this one has been a consistent source of concern. Well, […]
Michael Finch If there is an unwritten law in world athletics, it is that a Kenyan will always win the 3 000m steeplechase on the track and always take the gold medal at the World Cross-Country Championships. That’s the way it has been since the events were invented and that’s the way it will stay. […]
Fight judge Eugenia Williams had to deliver in the Holyfield/Lewis bout or knew she would not `work in this town again’, writes Kevin Mitchell According to the billboard over the freeway as you come out of New York through the Lincoln Tunnel, North New Jersey regards itself as “the embroidery capital of the world”. Weird, […]
SOUTH Africa will play Saudi Arabia in September to decide the long-delayed Afro-Asian Nations Cup, officials said on Friday. The first leg of the Cup, which was to have been played two years ago when both countries were reigning continental champions, will be in Johannesburg on September 19. The return will be in Riyadh on […]
AFRICAN club championship fixtures this weekend (first-leg score in brackets): Champions League: Preliminary round, second leg Kaloum, Guinea v Real Banjul, Gambia (2-0) First round, second leg Al-Ahly, Egypt v Maji Maji, Tanzania (3-0); AFC Leopards, Kenya v Rayon Sport, Rwanda (1-2); Raja Casablanca, Morocco v Ndiambour, Senegal (0-1); Cotonsport Garoua, Cameroon v Djoliba, Mali […]
Oupa Bodibe One of apartheid’s many enduring legacies is the culture of secrecy that pervades public and private sector institutions. Our Constitution recognises a right of access to information, and Parliament has to enact legislation by February 2000 to give full effect to this right. This week, the portfolio committee on justice held hearings on […]
ENGLAND rugby union star Jeremy Guscott has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm after an incident in Bath, police said on Friday. Guscott (33), a centre noted on the field for his bursts of speed and his sidestep, was released on bail late on Thursday to appear before the Bath Magistrate’s Court on April […]
THE woman who has accused national cricketer Makhaya Ntini of raping her last December 2 told the East London Regional Court on Thursday that she was confused when the made a statement on the incident to police on the day of the alleged rape, SABC radio news reports. Under cross-examination the 22-year-old student said she […]
THE body of missing Ventersdorp mayor Philip Mashe was found on Thursday afternoon in a sunflower field 2km from the town, according to police spokesperson Captain Louis Jacobs. Mashe disappeared on Saturday after having withdrawn R4000 from his bank account in the company of one Bota Johannes Monatle (35), who was arrested near Lichtenburg on […]
n Women have two X chromosomes. Each X holds about 5 000 genes. A man has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome which only holds about 30 genes. n The male equivalent of nymphomania is satyriasis. n The vagina has a pH of 3,8 to 4,5. That’s more acidic than black coffee (pH 5), […]
THE Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers recommended on Friday that parliamentarians re-elected to their seats after the June 2 general election should receive 10% salary increases. However, the proposal only applies to those who are re-elected — those elected to Parliament for the first time this year should be paid at […]
THE Southern African Development Community Task Force is poised to establish a command structure to effectively rebuff a rebel onslaught in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We felt that such a unified command structure will co-ordinate our forces and strategically combat fierce fighting in the east of the country,” Brigadier-General Denga […]
The Mail & Guardian’s holding company, M&G Media Limited, has announced the appointment of Govin Reddy as its new CEO. A media executive with national and international experience, Reddy most recently served as the deputy CEO of the SABC. He steps into the shoes of Mike Martin, the M&G’s first CEO. Said Reddy: “There are […]
Tara Turkington Northern Cape MEC for Safety and Security and Public Works Eunice Komane has scorned the high life, choosing to live in the servants’ quarters of a house in one of Kimberley’s downmarket suburbs, rather than in a palatial home she could easily afford. When asked about her home, Komane, who generally avoids publicity, […]
Elias Chitenje The Democratic Republic of Congo security force members who fled into Zambia from the upsurge in fighting have been relocated pending their repatriation. The 650 armed soldiers and 250 policemen were relocated during the week from Kaputa to Chililabombwe near the Zambia/Congo border. They have separated from more than 7 000 civilian refugees. […]
A ZIMBABWEAN warplane has been shot down over the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the official Rwandan news agency said on Wednesday. “A Zimbabwean MiG was shot down on Tuesday by rebel forces while it was carrying out an air raid on rebel positions in the Kabalo region,” Major Wilson Rutayisire said. […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Thursday 1.50pm. BOB WOOLMER, who quit as South Africa’s cricket coach last weekend, says he is tempted by the prospect of taking charge of England in place of David Lloyd. However, Woolmer said on Wednesday he has not been approach by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as they search […]
THE African National Congress has called for a commission of inquiry into Inkatha Freedom Party politician and member of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature Philip Powell, following his alleged interference with a police murder investigation. Powell, often accused of involvement in gun-running and hit squads in the violent province, allegedly tried to interfere with a police […]
THE Australian women’s hockey team beat South Africa 4-1 in the third of five tests in Potchefstroom on Wednesday. The series was locked at 1-1 coming into this match following Australia’s 3-0 victory in the first test and South Africa’s 2-1 win in the second. But any hopes the South Africans had of another upset […]