THESE are just some of the recent cases reported in the press of policemen who have fallen foul of the law. * Three members of the flying squad at Thabong near Welkom in the Free State goldfields have been arrested in connection with a robbery at a hostel in the township. They allegedly stole R450 […]
laundering Tebello Radebe Justice Minister Dullah Omar is confident that several key laws to curb the easy pickings made by embezzlers, thieves, insider traders, and fraudsters will be in place before year-end. “This will be the culmination of a process we started two years ago to review our legal system because we inherited many laws […]
Rehana Rossouw Shocking information about children in prisons in the Western and Northern Cape emerged this week. Julia Sloth-Nielsen of the Community Law Centre at the University of the Western Cape visited Kimberley Prison and found most of the children there were not being held for serious crimes. In terms of the law, they should […]
Nick Cave takes a break from the horror to duet with Kylie Minogue in London. SAM TAYLOR was there THE moment is so perfect, it might have been choreographed. Nick Cave, rock’s prince of darkness, ambles on stage at London’s Brixton Academy and is suddenly caught in the spotlight’s glare. His knees buckle, he covers […]
closet Ann Eveleth Joseph Mdluli’s death in detention in Durban 20 years ago made international headlines. His son, who was in detention at the time, later told a judge during the trial of the late Harry Gwala he had heard the name “Joseph” being shouted round the prison one night. It was only later he […]
Anthony Egan Portraits of Power: Profiles in a Changing South Africa by Mark Gevisser (David Philip, R59,99) Readers of the Mail & Guardian will need no introduction to Mark Gevisser’s profiles of South Africa’s powerful, famous and infamous. Regular readers of his column may, in fact, wonder whether they deserve a re-reading . The short […]
Julian Drew THE opening ceremonies of both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games used Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech to portray the lofty ideals to which they aspire. But it is the Paralympics and their constant struggle against the stereotyping of disabled people with which King would probably have identified most. […]
time At Stellenbosch, blacks are running for office. And that’s not the only thing that’s different about this year’s student elections, report Joshua Amupadhi and Thandi Lewin In a first for the new South Africa, political parties — the African National Congress, the National Party and the Freedom Front —are taking part in student elections […]
crime wave to fight crime with corruption A policeman is shot while allegedly robbing Eastgate … the head of a car- theft unit is caught in a stolen car … Angella Johnson investigates rife police corruption EVIDENCE is mounting that corrupt police officers are at the heart of the country’s escalating crime-wave, with worrying signs […]
Marion Edmunds The dispute over privatisation has shifted to the Department of Constitutional Development, with labour determined to block the contracting-out of basic municipal services to large multinational companies. Sensitive discussions are taking place between the department, provincial and national politicians, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and representatives of the multinationals. Lyonnaise des […]
Ministers still refuse to set a timetable for privatisation and the lifting of exchange controls, writes Lynda Loxton The government dug in its heels this week in the face of mounting criticism about its economic policies and refused to give firm timetables for the key contentious issues of privatisation and the lifting of exchange controls. […]
Joshua Amupadhi Mining giant Gold Fields has finally admitted its men’s only hostel system may be at the root of violence which left 28 workers dead in the past month on three of its mines. Gold Fields representative Marion Brower said the company has begun setting up forums — a move to integrate workers regardless […]
The latest team to tackle Mount Everest has faced a sponsorship storm, reports Tara Turkington After months of struggling to obtain sponsorship, five mountaineers and a cameraman left for Tibet on Sunday August 16, in South Africa’s second-ever attempt at scaling Mount Everest. The battle for sponsorship followed the recent Sunday Times-sponsored expedition which saw […]
CINEMA: Andrew Worsdale reviews Beautiful Girls EARLIER this year, “women’s movies” were a dime a dozen on circuit. From How to Make an American Quilt to Now and Then, their stories focused on women’s desires and dreams and how men messed them around. By the end of the ride you’d had a couple of chuckles […]
A former Catholic altar boy is conducting a reign of terror in northern Uganda, targeting civilians and specialising in mass abduction, reports Robin Denselow MAJOR-GENERAL Salim Saleh peered through his Ray- Bans and pointed out beyond the army base to the green plains that stretch northwards from the little town of Gulu towards the Sudanese […]
Brennon Marcano Over R100-million in assets is up for grabs as the government decides the fate of funds accumulated by the Wool Board, which is due to merge with the National Wool Growers Association (NWGA). Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture Derek Hanekom has decided to postpone the planned merger until a special two-man investigative […]
Once hailed as a hero, former Chiefs star Shane MacGregor will be hoping to hand out a beating to his former team this weekend SOCCER: Andrew Muchineripi SUPERSPORT UNITED player-coach Shane MacGregor, the forward who once starred for Kaizer Chiefs, will plot the downfall of his former club at the weekend. The teams clash in […]
SERJEANT AT THE BAR The Constitutional Court is taken to task for assuming an old-style, chauvinistic attitude to international law South African courts have a long history of hostility towards international human rights law. During the apartheid era this was unsurprising, particularly because it was impossible to reconcile our domestic legal order with international standards […]
The Virgin Group is looking to enter South African media by teaming up with local financiers, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy Voice of Soweto, a local community radio station, has linked up with British billionaire Richard Branson in a bid to obtain a FM licence in Gauteng. The application for a Gauteng radio licence is part of […]
Pagad support appeared to be waning this week, though the organisation strongly denies it. Rehana Rossouw reports PEOPLE Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) called off a march to drug dealers this week, but the organisation said this was not evidence that it has run out of steam. Pagad representative Farouk Jaffer said the decision was […]
If Primus beer runs dry, Burundians will know the economy has collapsed, reports Chris McGreal from Bujumbura Perhaps the safest way to get around Burundi is to hitch a ride on a Primus beer lorry. While other vehicles run the gauntlet of Hutu rebels, and the army moves with trepidation in many rural areas, there […]
The Springboks are losing to the All Blacks and many people believe the black community in South Africa is also on the losing side, writes Nicola Byrne WHEN South Africa take the field on Saturday for their second match in the Test series against New Zealand, once again the only black players on the pitch […]
Tebello Radebe The meandering road leading to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) Midrand headquarters has changed little from the late 1980s. It is possibly the only thing that has remained the same about the bank as it faces the millennium with a new direction and mandate. This year has been characterised by instability, […]
Tebello Radebe Chairman of the Association of Mortgage Lenders, Duncan Reekie, says rising interest rates and growing unemployment are the main reasons why the banks have not financed as many houses as expected. Reekie’s response follows widespread criticism levelled against the government for failing to deliver on its promises for houses. “The view of the […]
South Africa’s feature-film industry may be in a slump, but short films are positively blooming. ANDREW WORSDALE on the latest crop MOVIE myth has it that Wim Wenders broke the display window of a photographic shop and stole a wind-up Bolex to shoot his first film. Stanley Kubrick, asked how to get into the movie […]
Proposals by the Department of Health to curb the dispensing of medicines by doctors will create all kinds of other problems, reports Rehana Rossouw SOME three million patients across South Africa receive medication from their doctors every month. By the end of September, the Department of Health will have changed this. Dispensing doctors have united […]
A former spy chief and transformation consultants Deloitte & Touche are connected. Mungo Soggott reports A controversial army general and former spy chief is at the centre of a row over a R50-million management consultant contract to transform the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Rival consultants have complained about the award of the transformation […]
Ann Eveleth Inkatha Freedom Party national caucus chairman Lionel Mtshali (60) faces an uphill battle as he prepares to take over the national Arts, Culture, Science and Technology portfolio next month. Outgoing minister Ben Ngubane has set the ball rolling on far-reaching legislation in the young ministry and his departure to the KwaZulu-Natal legislature will […]
Eddie Koch THE ANC’s armed struggle never amounted to more than a “sporadic and symbolic endeavour” despite a moderately high cost in terms of deaths and casualties, says an unpublished account of the liberation movement’s military tactics written by a former member of the organisation. The study by Howard Barrell, entitled Conscripts To Their Age: […]
Vivek Chaudhary in London The British Queen, thought to be one of the world’s richest women, could increase her income sixfold under proposals to scrap money given to the royal family by the government, in return for money generated from property owned by the family. The proposal is one of five under consideration that would […]
Martin Walker in Washington President Bill Clinton stepped back from a blanket vow against raising taxes this week, and began the uphill process of trying to discredit the Republican proposal for a huge $550-billion tax cut. “Smoke and mirrors,” said Clinton. “This is irresponsible, playing havoc with America’s future.” But taxes are becoming the most […]
A classic of African cinema gets big-screen release in SA for the first time this week. Director Djibril Diop Mambety speaks to ANDREW WORSDALE THE celebrated rebel of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambety (see pic) says it’s the mission of film to make people think — through laughter. He is an eccentric visionary, a poet […]