Staff Reporter

The ANC in the Western Cape did not jump. It was pushed. Andy Duffy reports The African National Congress in the Western Cape is struggling to justify a decision that has opened the door to the partys eviction from the provincial Cabinet. Senior party members are putting a positive spin on the ousting, talking about […]

Glenn Adler Cosatus fifth national congress is its most important deliberation since the federation was founded in 1985. It is undertaking a comprehensive, quite critical review of its affairs while debating innovative strategies for achieving its long-standing goals in a new democracy facing the pressures of a global economy. At the centre of the discussion […]

Ann Eveleth Dotted around South Africas exclusive suburbs a string of modern cubic compounds luxurious villas set in flowering gardens house the elite of Mobutu Sese Sekos Zairean kleptocracy. Tucked away with their extended families and domestic entourages behind high walls and electric gates in Sandton, Pretoria and Cape Town, at least 20 of the […]

Maria McCloy Okay, okay. we all know The Shell Road to Fame or The Hell Road To Shame, as some call it is a clever marketing thing from Shell, but the crowd who got in for free to the Sun City Superbowl last saturday had a damn good time. It was packed, and there was […]

In 1982 The Star newspaper published a story exposing the Reverend Allan Boesaks affair with an official of the South African Council of Churches. The story was based upon information fed to it by security police. To justify its decision, the newspaper claimed that it was an expos of the security branchs dirty tricks. Yet […]

Ugandan moral watchdogs are outraged by local girlie magazines but the editors contend they put spice into life, writes Angella Johnson Ugandan publishers have discovered the maxim sex sells. I did it with an old man and liked it … No to condoms! Women want it live … Why virgins are a nightmare, are just […]

The Angella Johnson Interview I am told Alex Mukulu is Ugandas top playwright. He is also an accomplished actor, director, singer, songwriter, guitar player and an incredible pain-in-the-arse especially before hes had lunch. We were supposed to meet in the lobby of the Equatoria Hotel in Kampala, but I was 10 minutes late, thanks to […]

Madeleine Roux : Moveable feast When its clear the ship is about to be wrecked, dash down to the galley and retrieve a few bags of lentils. More than any other foodstuff, the lowly lentil is what you will best survive on when you wash up on the desert island. Plan on cultivating a bit […]

Hadass Segal : Unspoilt places The road from Chipata to Zambias South Luangwa National Park is both a blessing and a curse. Just as you dislodge your stomach from your mouth, another pothole puts it right back for you. But it certainly is worth getting there. The fact that only 4x4s and overland trucks can […]

Holidays in hell: Profits count more than life and limb for some tour operators Ellen Bartlett World Leisure Holidays, the package tour division of Sun International, describes Les Comores as ?magical, mystical … the last of the unspoilt islands?. No doubt they are, or would be, were it not for the minor matter of simmering […]

Promising oil discoveries offer hope for Africas poorest economies but raise the political stakes, writes Richard Cornwell Excitement is growing about the prospects for Africas hydrocarbons industry. Even with the present relatively modest oil price, the growth in African production has been remarkable.What has really caused a stir, however, are the discoveries in the Gulf […]

Nkabinde begins Wonder Hlongwana Richmond residents have high expectations of the trial of alleged warlord Sifiso Nkabinde. They say they want to know who gave him guns, ammunition and money. They also believe the 18 counts of murder he is facing are just a drop in the ocean. Half of the charges Nkabinde faces in […]

Martin McGuinness speaks to Dean Nelson about what he has learnt from the South African peace process Variously described as Sinn Feins chief negotiator, the Irish Republican Armys godfather of godfathers and the personification of its armed struggle, Martin McGuinness appears far too sober to have revelations. But he has had one and its shocking: […]

FRIDAY, 1.00PM THE US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has joined the fray over callback operations in South Africa. The commission says it has “serious concerns” over the manner in which the SA Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Satra) is seeking to ban South African callback operators from offering cheaper international calls to consumers. The FCC is braodly […]

Suzy Bell The only independent radio station that was a breath of fresh air in KwaZulu-Natal with lively, off-the-wall DJs, controversial talk shows and excellent news coverage, was the old Capital Radio station in Durban, which closed last year on November 29. It looks like old Capital will be back if all goes well for […]

Andy Duffy The controversial private deportation camp linked to prominent African National Congress women faces closure. The Ministry of Home Affairs fears it can no longer afford to pay the women?s group, Dyambu Holdings, to continue using its camp, and is expected to end the contract by year- end. Lindela camp, in Randfontein on the […]

Carmen Morris : Cape Town cafs Continental drift is a geographical term that is being redefined by Cape Towns latest influx of imported restaurants. Forget South African cuisine and decor. International and foreign flavours are the way to satisfy Cape Towns more sophisticated palates. The Atlantic Grill at the Table Bay Hotel, Joes Caf and […]

Chris McGreal in Mombasa A week before his holiday on the Kenyan coast, David Galpin eyed the British Foreign Office warnings and decided he did not want to risk it. But his tour company assured him the reports of rampant killings and ethnic cleansing were overblown. Besides, they said, he would lose more than R15 […]

Wally Mbhele The number of African National Congress branches in Gauteng has risen dramatically from 400 to about 500 in recent weeks, a development interpreted by some members as a bid to load the dice against their favourite contender for the position of a new provincial chair, advocate Mathole Motshekga. This startling growth came as […]

Mukoni T Ratshitanga and Bongani Siqoko Apartheid?s architect, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, would be turning in his grave. The hospital named after him is now headed by a black woman. Dr Zola Njongwe is chief medical superintendent of Pretoria Academic Hospital ? renamed in April after being HF Verwoed Hospital since the death of the former […]

THURSDAY, 1.15PM: US OPEN champion Ernie Els, US PGA champion Davis Love and British Open champion Justin Leonard are the three major winners among the 10 players who have accepted the invitations so far to play in the 12-man Nedbank Million Dollar golf challenge at the Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City, from […]

THURSDAY, 1.30PM THE Chamber of Mines and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) signed a landmark deal on Wednesday linking wages to productivity after most mining houses had reached agreement with union members to raise gold production. The deals vary from mine to mine, ensuring in some cases that up to 26 additional shifts will be […]

THURSDAY, 4.00PM The tuberculosis epidemic in South Africa is among the world’s worst, according to Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma, and unless TB sufferers are educated to take their treatment in full, the disease will not be controlled. “Everyone should know that TB can be completely cured in almost all cases by taking a complete course […]

THURSDAY, 1.30PM SHIPPING, hotel, gaming and travel group Safren has raised attributable profit 21% to R547,7-million in the year to June 30, the company has announced. It said the performance was mainly derived from a buoyant Safmarine, its mainstay division. Safren chairman Buddy Hawton said Safmarine increased earnings by 39% to R238-million, seeing good performances […]

THURSDAY, 1.15PM: SPRINGBOKS Andre Joubert, Bary Teichmann, Henry Honniball and Mark Andrews have been included in the Natal rugby squad to face Eastern Province in the Bankfin Currie Cup match in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. Andrews and Honiball have recovered from injury and will replace John Slade and David Knox respectively. Springbok centre FA Meiring, […]

THURSDAY, 1.30PM TELKOM stands to lose more than a bilion rand in telecommunications infrastructure and equipment if doubts about its choice of wireless network technology for under-serviced areas are correct, industry experts say. Analysts estimate the telecoms parastatal could lose R1,4-billion if it chooses digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) over code division multiple access technology […]

THURSDAY, 10.30AM MPUMALANGA Premier Mathews Phosa has reacted swiftly to auditor-general Henri Kluever’s call for a commission of inqiry into the Motheo Rural Housing Scheme, announcing on Wednesday the appointment of a commission to be chaired by Deloitte & Touche MD Hugh Dreyer. Dreyer will assemble a team to investigate any possible misrepresentation made during […]

THURSDAY, 1.15PM: US Open champion and South Africa’s Ernie Els is likely to win the World Matchplay title for the fourth time next month after three of this year’s major winners did not accept invitations to play in the 12-player field in England. Masters Champion Tiger Woods of America, British Open winner Justin Leonard and […]

THURSDAY, 1.30PM THE South African taxman is set to target rogue businesses not registered for tax in a wide-ranging crackdown on thousands of firms. Tax commissioner Trevor van Heerden has told the parliamentary public accounts committee that more staff will be assigned to visit businesses individually, starting next month, to check whether they are registered […]

THURSDAY, 1.15PM: NATIONAL soccer coach Clive Barker has reached a compromise with the South African Football Association (Safa) over his wage demands and has signed a R50 000-a-month contract to take Bafana Bafana through the World Cup finals in France next June. After the meeting with Safa on Wednesday, Barker said he is happy that […]

THURSDAY, 1.15PM: JOMO Cosmos boss Jomo Sono said he wil not put unnecessary pressure on his players to beat Al-Mansoura of Egypt when the two sides meet in a Caf Cup Winners Cup match at PAM Brink on Saturday. He said it is the experience of playing in Africa that means a lot to them. […]

THURSDAY, 1.30PM THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has put a question mark next to South Africa’s economic growth prospects in its latest World Economic Outlook report. The IMF is sticking to its May projection that SA’s gross domestic product growth will fall to 2,2% this financial year. The latest report was released at the opening […]