Eddie Koch The Post Office, the institution which once symbolised bureaucratic incompetence, could be converted into a rural bank which will stimulate a thriving small-farm economy in the countryside. The lack of banking services in the platteland — along with soaring levels of rural crime — is fast becoming a major block to the government’s […]
OLYMPIC athletes looking to work off the effects of too many steroids had better watch out: they could run foul of some bizarre laws dating back to the days of Scarlett O’Hara which were designed to keep Southern morality intact. Oral sex carries a possible life prison sentence in the state of Georgia. There are […]
Jacquie Golding-Duffy IN the next five years, the effect of strikes in the clothing industry will be minimal as the clothing sector will have collapsed. South Africa will be forced to embrace imports, argues Econometrix economist Tony Twine. Twine says the economy, while in a transitional phase, will not benefit from a strike in the […]
`I BELIEVE in inner beauty,” says Tarryn Meaker, 17 years old and winner of Cosmopolitan’s Supermodel 1996 competition held at Carfax, at Johannesburg’s Newtown precinct, last week. She’s won a place in the annual search for the International Ford Models Supermodel of the World competition to be held in Los Angeles later this year. The […]
The Media Monitoring Project has charged that the media industry is understaffed, under-resourced, and not critical enough of the government, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy MEDIA coverage of the government is more positive than negative, reports an independent monitoring group. The report, in which the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) considered print and broadcast media between April and […]
Sprinting isn’t called an explosive event for nothing and personality clashes are rife in the 100m ATHLETICS: Duncan Mackay TO SAY that Donovan Bailey hates Linford Christie might be too strong. Dislikes him, probably. Wants to dust him right off the track, without doubt. For proof, just look at his face, frozen on the finish […]
Last week this newspaper reported an event which brought back just what the old South Africa was like. We pictured a 1991 meeting involving the governor of the Reserve Bank, a Cabinet minister and a former chief justice at which the bank’s extraordinary secret decision to hand out money to an ailing bank was discussed […]
Max Mosselson AS a disinterested observer it seems that the recent “acid-burn case”, as it has come to be known, has four important repercussions for the South African legal system, apart from the individual participants in the drama. As any legal practitioner with experience in the field will confirm, there is an almost total blanket […]
Thandi Lewin For the first time in decades, the University of Cape Town is without an elected students representative council (SRC). Less than 25% of students turned out to vote at the last poll, which, according to the constitution, is not enough to form an SRC, and now new elections must be held next month. […]
civil war’ Chris McGreal in Dar es Salaam THE former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere has said that East African troops will, if necessary, invade Burundi in an attempt to pacify the escalating civil war and halt ethnic massacres. Nyerere, the elder statesman mediator between the Tutsi-controlled government and Hutu rebels, said Burundi’s leaders will not […]
Stefaans BrUmmer and Marion Edmunds THE auditor who “exposed” mismanagement of R7,8- million by the former leadership of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) is an old contact of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela — and was embroiled in the controversy surrounding Hazel Crane’s failed “gift” of a luxury Cape Town house to Madikizela-Mandela. ANC spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa this […]
Housing delivery may finally be on the increase, but there is still a long way to go to meet promises made, reports tebello Radebe Pieces in the housing jigsaw puzzle are falling into place. An upbeat Housing Minister Sankie Mahanyele last week announced that housing delivery is on the increase. “Major differences of the past […]
Eddie Koch Dirk Coetzee, the police hitman who first exposed the existence of death squads in the police, will not receive legal assistance from the government when he is arrested on Friday this week for the 1981 murder of human rights lawyer Griffiths Mxenge. The decision not to pay Coetzee’s legal costs, even though he […]
It was business as usual at Brixton Murder and Robbery police unit this week. Despite the loss of its controversial commander Charlie Landman — suspended on corruption charges — the country’s most effective investigative police squad was soldiering on. “But without our chief, it is like taking the engine out of a car and replacing […]
Justin Pearce Tensions between Free State Premier Patrick “Terror” Lekota and provincial ANC members are not over yet. A new storm is brewing which will see provincial MPs’ loyalty to the premier tested in a vote in the Free State legislature. This follows the suspension of five senior officials from the province’s Department of Trade […]
Duncan Mackay discovers a computer link to the tangled web of dope trafficking in sport THE Olympic athlete sat in front of his personal computer and dialled a telephone number on his modem. Within seconds, he was connected to an Internet site that offered him the most sophisticated drugs on the market. “Dear Friend and […]
Gareth Patterson The Mail & Guardian last week published a story about 11 lions in a forgotten Ethiopian zoo that experts believe may be related to either of two extinct African subspecies — the Cape lion of Southern Africa or the Barbary lion of North Africa. The lions are descendants of a group kept by […]
Thabo Mbeki meets monthly with a council of advisers. Marion Edmunds names the members of this exclusive group DEPUTY PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has set up a secretive, 24-strong think-tank called the Consultative Council to give him political advice. All members of the group — which appears to have no constitutional or administrative status despite its […]
Local is lekker for casino operators as they concentrate on making their money in the cities, writes Justin Pearce FORGET the tourists — it’s local money we’re after. That’s the prevailing view among prospective casino operators, with the result that no one is going to try and build another Sun City. A report by consultants […]
South Africa’s involvement in humanitarian assistance in Africa is still under discussion, reports Stefaans BrUmmer THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week gave mixed signals whether South Africa would consider contributing troops to a multi-national peace force for Burundi. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad appeared to contradict President Nelson Mandela this week when he told […]
Angella Johnson He is one of the country’s most wanted criminals. Prime candidate for Police Commissioner George Fivaz’s hit list of serious offenders to be rounded up. A fugitive being sought for extradition to Britain on murder charges. But today Glen Chait (44) is a free man (albeit still on the run) following a remarkable […]
Everybody wants Keanu Reeves. But is it a case of great body, shame about the brain? ADAM SWEETING investigated while Reeves was in London with his rock group, Dogstar NOT even Keanu Reeves’s best friends think his rock group, Dogstar, is much good, but that hasn’t hindered it. It has been the support band for […]
Justin Pearce SUN International is likely to end up with the lion’s share of South African gambling licences despite being forced to cut back operations in some provinces. Southern Sun, a company once closely associated with Sun International, is also expected to be a major player, and a third operator is headed by a former […]
To justify all the plaudits, Ernie Els needs to win a second major — and this week’s British Open would do just fine GOLF: David Davies ERNIE ELS was standing on the practice putting green at the Augusta National Golf Club last April when he heard a familiar, high-pitched voice call over to him. “Hey, […]
Black empowerment and affirmative action in ad agencies have come under fire for being inadequate, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy The R3-billion advertising industry is facing its biggest challenge in the new South Africa — it has to embrace not only affirmative action, but also real black empowerment. Managing director of Lintas ad agency Lew Slade says […]
With Penta Publications under provisional liquidation, the future of its titles is uncertain, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy Perskor has been handed one of the Penta Publication titles as a guarantee for the money owing to it, says Perskor deputy managing director Piet Greyling. De Kat, one of the most successful titles in the Penta stable, has […]
Jacquie Golding-Duffy Capital Radio, a former homeland broadcaster, is up for sale, but no bids have yet been received as the station’s financial books are in disarray. Investec Bank is handling the bidding process, as it did for the sale of the SABC’s six radio stations. According to sources at the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) […]
THERE was a touch of irony about the goal which signalled the end of a long unbeaten run by Orlando Pirates last weekend and effectively handed the Coca-Cola Challenge Cup to arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs. Vaal Professionals are the Wimbledon of South African football, a Route One team who play it long and straight and hard, […]
Charlotte O’Sullivan is gobsmacked by London’s Underground movement YOU’RE in a tube station in London and you see someone chewing gum maniacally, staring at a poster of Liz Hurley. Suddenly, he spins round and slap! There goes the gum, on to the end of Liz’s nose. What have you seen? Not an act of vandalism […]
Penny Heyns will be first out of the starting blocks in the race for a South Arican medal at the Olympics SWIMMING: Julian Drew ON Sunday South African swimmer Penny Heyns will finally know whether all the sacrifices and hard work of the past four years have been worthwhile. The last time she appeared at […]
THEATRE: Matthew Krouse Long ago, when words were powerful, we would wish misfortune on our enemies with the oath: “May the gods shit on you!” This was supposed to remind us of our predestiny; that we are all at the mercy of fate. Life today may have altered, but the question of relinquished responsibility — […]
Ann Eveleth Dr Luis Peraza has seen enough examples of post- revolutionary health care in his 61 years to convince him that South Africa’s current staffing crisis is little more than a “growing pain”. One of 99 Cuban doctors deployed in February to bolster South Africa’s overstretched medical system, the snowy-bearded doctor-revolutionary has worked in […]