Ferial Haffajee:TAKING STOCK Walking up the stairs to the infamous 10th floor of the Johannesburg Central police station, one realises it will take much more than a change of name to cleanse the tortured space that was John Vorster Square. The monolithic building hulks over the southern verges of the city, its police-blue exterior an […]
Ferial Haffajee The government will spend just over R310- million on the arts this year. The amount budgeted for arts is about R7-million more than last year’s arts vote. But in real terms, state support for the arts will be cut. Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology Director General Roger Jardine said the cut […]
Mungo Soggot A labour relations arbitrator has ordered Minister of Minerals and Energy Penuell Maduna to pay his former special advisor R170 000 in compensation for his unfair dismissal. Maduna axed his advisor, Thulani Gcabashe, without a hearing last March in the midst of the scandal surrounding the appointment of Liberian Emanuel Shaw II as […]
Andrew Worsdale Movie of the week The opening scene of Todd Solondz’s Happiness, which deservedly won the International Critics Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, is just an indication of what’s to come in this devastatingly brilliant, unsettlingly mordant mix of comedy and tragedy. In a simple shot that lasts about three minutes, the […]
When Dr Ron Clarke, formerly of Wits University, made his discovery of Little Foot at Sterkfontein last year, the find was hailed as yet further proof that humans are descended from an ape-like ancestor. But although evolution is the keystone of our modern world-view, the theory propounded by Charles Darwin and his followers still remains […]
WESTERN Province captain Craig Matthews and Border’s Makhaya Ntini have bowed out with injuries from the five-day Supersport Series cricket final which starts in East London on Thursday. Matthews has been suffering from an ankle injury while Ntini, who failed a fitness test on Thursday morning, has a hip strain. Ryan Joffe comes in for […]
Keith Henderson Prodigy will soon be in South Africa. Possibly one of the world’s most successful electronic/rock cross-over outfits, they will be taking to the stage and blasting their unique sound out in an audio and visual performance many South Africans have been itching to see for some time. Their manic, beat-invested brand of electronica […]
If words are cheap for politicians, they are cheaper for journalists. We are free to criticise most decisions while seldom having to live with the consequences of what we might have advocated. Unlike politicians, we can afford to have poor foresight. But we always have excellent hindsight. This difference between politicians and journalists seldom seems […]
The organisation which selects and monitors members of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE)index is to consider rewriting the rule book governing the proportion of a company’s shares that must be available to outside investors. The Equity Indices Committee of FTSE International is expected to decide on a wide- ranging review of the whole “free-float” […]
reality Philippa Garson:CLASS STRUGGLE When a country’s legislative and policy framework is totally at odds with the reality on the ground, sober mutterings about anarchy and “meltdown” begin. Compared with the mayhem in some of the disintegrating, war-ravaged countries to the north, it would appear South Africa has nothing to worry about in this regard. […]
THE Zambian government denied on Thursday allegations that it was responsible for the weekend bombings in Lusaka, to divert attention from gunrunning claims by the Angolan government. Denouncing the claims, Information Minister and chief government spokesperson, Newstead Zimba, said agents of confusion were deliberately twisting the facts about the bombings. He added that the water […]
Howard Barrell South Africans are headed for their most expensive election ever on June 2, costing the taxpayer and political parties a total of R2-billion. Voters will be saturated with media coverage extolling the virtues of parties, as politicians draw on the latest campaigning methods developed in Europe and the United States. By the time […]
Magnus Heystek appears to have created an eyebrow-raising conflict of interest in a property deal involving a family trust of which he is a trustee. Mungo Soggot and Belinda Beresford report High-profile financial adviser Magnus Heystek engineered a questionable R1,5-million property deal in which a family trust he oversees bought into land used for his […]
Andrew Muchineripi Soccer The analysis of a soccer match usually centres around the skill, strength and speed of the footballers and the tactics of the coach. Luck is a word rarely mentioned. Yet luck often plays a significant role and the African Nations Cup qualifying tie between South Africa and Gabon at Odi Stadium last […]
SOUTH African Breweries Namibian interest, the Namibian National Beverage Company (NAB), has changed its name to Castle Brewing Namibia. NAB said the decision to change to Castle Brewing was taken to clear up the public confusion with other companies in Namibia with similar names. It will also link the company clearly with its flagship brand […]
THE number of Namibian refugees from the Caprivi region who have poured into Botswana seeking asylum now stands at 2501. Principal officer in the Office of the President in Botswana, Ross Sanoto, said that although the Refugee Advisory Council has determined the refugee status of more than 2000 Namibians, it has not yet forwarded its […]
GOLDEN Cats coach Andre Markgraaff is expected to make only one enforced change to the side for the Super 12 clash against the New South Wales Waratahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Left wing Chester Williams pulled a hamstring after a half-hour in last Friday’s 33-22 victory over ACT Brumbies at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. He […]
THE total number of liquidations continued to climb in the three months to January, rising a massive 59,1% compared with the corresponding period last year. Announcing the increase, Statistics South Africa said that the period shows an increase of 12,8% (from 988 to 1114) compared with the previous three months. The 12,8% increase in the […]
CABINET decided on Wednesday that the government should appeal against a Cape High Court judgment that a non-South African citizen who is the partner of a South African citizen of the same sex should be entitled to permanent residence. Government communications and information service head Joel Netshitenzhe said the government believes this amounts to discrimination […]
THE Skills Development Levy Bill — which proposes a compulsory levy on employers to fund programmes to boost workers’ skills — was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. Introduction of the levy will be staggered, with employers paying 0,5% of their monthly payrolls to the fund from April 1, 2000. By April 2001 this will kick […]
RONNIE ELLIOTT and AFP, Cape Town | Wednesday 2.50pm. PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela announced on Wednesday that the second democratic elections will be held on June 2. Announcing the long-awaited date in Parliament, Mandela said that while he would have preferred a date in the second half of May, “consideration of the Independent Electoral Commission’s arguments, […]
THE Mozambican government has launched an emergency appeal for $12,4-million to assist victims of flooding and to repair damage to the country’s infrastructure by this year’s heavy rains. The appeal covers flooded areas in Inhambane in the south and in the central provinces of Sofala, Tete and Zambezia. In the usually semi-arid Inhambane province a […]
CAMBODIA said on Wednesday it favours a truth commission similar to South Africa’s. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said rather than put Khmer Rouge leaders on trial and risk jeopardising a shaky peace, he preferred a South African-style truth commission. In a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan, Hun Sen warned that trials might “panic” […]
WHITE maize futures rose at the start of trade on Wednesday continuing a drought-inspired rally. However, contracts soon ran out of steam as investors settled back to analyse the impact on the crop. Traders said that although there were few signs of a change in the scorching heat and dry weather experienced over the maize […]
RETAIL trade sales figures for December and for the fourth quarter of 1998 show that real retail trade sales have kept up the declining trend that set in at the beginning of 1998. According to figures released on Wednesday by Statistics South Africa, real retail trade sales (at constant 1995 prices) for 1998 decreased by […]
GERMANY has approved the sale of three submarines to South Africa, the daily Frankfurter Rundschau reported on Wednesday. The paper said the government’s security council, chaired by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, has given the green light for the contract, which has been approved by the foreign and defence ministries. Because the contract is for the sale […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 5.30pm. JUSTICE Minister Dullah Omar appealed on Thursday for greater community participation in apprehending criminals but was careful to steer away from a sanction of vigilantism. He said community anti-crime actions should take place within the law. Addressing a conference of the Community Dispute Resolution Trust in Cape Town, […]
THE African Development Bank has approved a loan and grant package for Lesotho worth $6,6-million aimed at rejuvenating the country’s agricultural sector. The financial assistance comes from ADB’s special African Development Fund, set up to provide funding to poorer countries. The agricultural programme is expected to diversify crop production, increase productivity, boost farming revenues and […]
THE National Assembly on Wednesday approved amendments to the tobacco bill raised by President Nelson Mandela concerning the bill’s constitutionality. The amendments exclude private homes from the definition of workplace, where smoking is to be banned.
SOUTH Africa will give disaster aid to Mozambique, where torrential rains have caused flooding and severe damage near the coastal town of Vilankulo, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. A task team from the South African National Defence Force left for Mozambique on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the rains, foreign ministry spokesman […]
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) has banned top referee Petrus Mathabela from officiating any matches it runs. PSL boss Joe Ndhlela said the Board of Governors agreed to implement the recommendations of the Motimele Commission, which investigated bribery and match-fixing in the last PSL season. Mathabela fell afoul of the decision at the PSl which […]
WALLABY fullback Matthew Burke ruled himself out of rugby on Wednesday for another six weeks. This leaves New South Wales without two senior Test backs for possibly the rest of the Super 12 tournament. Burke had shoulder reconstruction surgery after he was injured while scoring a try in Australia’s Bledisloe Cup Test win over New […]