Staff Reporter

Eddie Koch Evidence at the Eugene de Kock trial this week provided insight into the tremendous psychological pressures members of the police death squads at Vlakplaas operated under — and the therapeutic effects offered by their opportunity to tell the truth. “They beat me up to the point of submission, to the point of death […]

Stefaans BrUmmer WERNER VAN GREUNEN — who this week implicated Deputy President Thabo Mbeki when he claimed to have spied on “National Party” and “Broederbond” municipal officials in Gauteng — was a National Intelligence Agency (NIA) “source”. But it appears his brief went no further than to report on threats against last November’s local government […]

were too afraid to ask Fear and loathing and confusion surround the Absa saga. Justin Pearce gives a guide to all the main players in the drama IT’S been a sweaty fortnight for anyone who may have put their fingers into an Absa till in the past five years. The first beads of perspiration would […]

SOCCER: Lungile Madywabe THE legendary Pele once declared that it is better to play well and lose than to play badly and win, but South Africa did not play very well in their 1-0 loss to Egypt on South Africa still ended top of the group, equal on points with Egypt but ahead on goal […]

Bantu Holomisa, deputy minister of tourism and environmental affairs, in The Mark Gevisser ‘My friend,” says Bantu Holomisa with his trademark imp-twinkle when asked about his role as deputy minister and his political ambitions, “you must remember that I have already tasted power. Absolute power. I’ve been there. I’ve had it all. Now I’m just […]

Thabo Mbeki’s media task team has ruffled the feathers of the major newspaper conglomerates, writes Jacquie Golding-Duffy Major newspaper conglomerates are worried that the 10-member media task team appointed late last year by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki will exercise its power to ensure large scale affirmative action at newspapers — up to the level of […]

David Beresford in Luanda Sitting on a hotel balcony, the ambassador recounted with gleaming eyes how a diamond prospector had invited him to grab a random handful of gravel from a river bed, and had then picked three precious gemstones from the palm of his hand. Below, in Luanda’s stinking, garbage-strewn streets, a street-urchin kicked […]

South Africa’s World Cup squad is a blend of experienced players mixed with stars of the CRICKET: Jon Swift THE SELECTION of the tour squad for the World Cup in Pakistan is an intriguing combination; a mixture of those with the experience of abject failure on the Indian sub-continent and those still carrying the aura […]

REASON has triumphed over fantasy in the Palestinian elections. Yasser Arafat’s landslide victory is an overwhelming endorsement of the peace process, and reflects a growing view among the Palestinians that their aspirations for an independent state are more likely to be gained by negotiation than by terrorism. The election result is also a vindication of […]

THEATRE: David Le Page KAFKA Dances is not an attempt at dramatic history. That the character Franz Kafka is obviously based on the well-known writer is no more important than that entirely fictional characters may be born of the real experiences of those who create them. As Australian playwright Timothy Daly writes: “Better to try […]

CABARET: Malu van Leeuwen ‘DOES anyone have a serviette? I’m doing what ladies do — glowing.” A napkin makes its way to the stage; Irit Noble delicately wipes the dewy pearls from her face and neck. “If anyone wants this they can have it for five bucks.” No takers, but a generous round of applause […]

Mail & Guardian Reporter There has been a shake-up at Independent Newspaper’s golden egg, Natal Newspapers. Loss-making Natal Mercury editor John Patten has suddenly taken early retirement. It is due to be announced next week that his place has been taken by David Wightman, editor of the massively profitable Sunday Tribune, which went down-market in […]

THEATRE: Matthew Krouse IF, in some afterworld, the great muralist Diego Riviera were to see Helene Lombard playing his wife in Frida Kahlo’s Eyes, he’d probably fall in love all over again. Her dark, angular features are so similar to Kahlo’s, it makes you wonder whether playwright Harry Kalmer created the role especially for the […]

Too little, too late was the response to the announcement that the Transitional National Development Trust is finally to begin work, Rehana Rossouw reports MILLIONS of rand earmarked for education programmes have been held up by the failure of the Transitional National Development Trust (TNDT) to set up shop. The TNDT was established in October […]

Karen Harverson South Africa’s first national lottery — expected to generate billions-of-rands in turnover a year — should begin operating by Minister for General Services Chris Fismer will appoint consultants before the end of February to advise on the format of the lottery as well as to make changes to the National Lottery Act to […]

The apartheid state’s most efficient killer wants his murder trial put on hold so he can tell all to the truth commission, writes Eddie Eugene de Kock is ready to talk. The former Vlakplaas commander — dubbed “Prime Evil” by former colleagues because he is reputed to be South Africa’s most effective assassin — will […]

SOCCER: Lungile Madywabe HIS shots at goal probably travel at about 200km an hour, and his team-mates tease him that one of these days he will break the posts if not the goalkeeper’s hands. So one would think that Eric Tinkler has scored many goals, but he is still looking forward to scoring his first […]

KwaZulu-Natal’s embattled monarch finds himself between a rock and a hard place as negotiations for an imbizo gather momentum, writes Ann Eveleth There are few indications that the multi-party imbizo (mass gathering of the Zulu nation) planned for KwaZulu-Natal will achieve its nominal purpose of promoting peace and reconciliation in the blood-soaked province. Strategically planned […]

Racial divisions rocked the latest financial hearing on taxation for the future, reports Lynda Loxton The wide economic divide that still separates blacks and whites in this country was highlighted during this week’s parliamentary joint committee on finance hearings into the Katz Commission’s proposals on taxation. On the one hand, there were the multi-billion rand […]

In any other country hurdler Tony Jarrett would be a star, but in England he has always played second fiddle to champion Colin Jackson ATHLETICS: Julian Drew WHEN Britain’s Tony Jarrett settled into the blocks for the final of the 110m hurdles at last year’s world championships in Gothenburg many people fancied his chances. Having […]

interest rates fall Simon Segal This week saw the launch of a 100-million 10- year Eurosterling bond issue at 9,38%, 190 points above the equivalent British benchmark It is the government of national unity’s third foreign loan. In June government raised Y30- billion in a Japanese samurai bond at 5%. In December 1994, $750-million was […]

development linked to Davis Cup TENNIS: Jon Swift IMPORTANT though next month’s Davis Cup tie against Austria on grass at the Wanderers undoubtedly is to the immediate future of tennis in this country, it is interesting to note that the glitz and glamour are not the only points of focus for the game’s new “Tennis […]

Justin Arenstein As anti-monarchist and labour protests in Swaziland continued this week, a prominent human rights campaigner claimed the country’s ruler, King Mswati III, appears to have been sidelined in a palace coup. Ironically, although the protests are directed against Swaziland’s Tinkhudla traditionalist system of government, the 27-year-old absolute monarch remains popular with the Swaziland […]

Soccer fever has gripped much of South Africa but in Port Elizabeth the sport doesn’t rate that highly SOCCER: Andy Capostagno and Mark Lamport- PORT ELIZABETH has never seen anything like it and has been largely underwhelmed by the dubious honour of hosting Group D of the African Nations Cup. Football has been front and […]

CINEMA: Andrew Worsdale LET’S get one thing straight. Amblin Entertainment, those nice guys who gave the world ET and have now brought us To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, will never, ever, make a good movie about drag queens. They may have enough money to secure the most fabulous outfits in the world, […]

Jacquie Golding-Duffy The task team appointed by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki to look at the media will be reviewing the South African Communications Services (SACS) — government’s current communications model — in a bid to find new and more effective means of disseminating government information to the public. A brief for Friday’s meeting sent by […]

Inspector HT Moodley (50)joined the security police in Durban in early 1981. He was stationed at CR Swart Square. Although he had nothing to do with the planning, it was from here, at this security police office, where the assassination of Griffiths Mxenge was planned and executed. According to his service record in the police, […]

Peta Thornycroft It’s been a long time coming, but Dirk Coetzee has had enough. He now regrets having spoken out in 1989 about killer squads in the South African Police. His confession six years ago about his own role in sanctioned murders and his breathtaking exposure of the rot deep in the South African security […]

Brendan Martin questions who will benefit from privatisation of state assets There would have been no prizes for predicting, a year or two ago, that the fragile unity of the new South Africa would founder on government action to secure “black economic empowerment”. But how many sages foresaw that it would be the ANC’s alliance […]

NIA spying row: Police accuse Dirk Coetzee of being ordered to spy on them — Coetzee denies all and wishes he’d never exposed Police hit Gaye Davis THE stand-off between police and the National Intelligence Agency over allegations that it was spying on senior policemen has sparked fears that co-operation between police and the agency […]

Gaye Davis PARLIAMENT’S watchdog over the intelligence community faces its most crucial test as it prepares to uncover the truth behind the police spying scandal. The Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence thrashed out its terms of reference for its investigation into police claims that top members were being spied on by agents of the National […]

Rehana Rossouw HILLBROW musician Solomon Sithole appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court last week following the fatal stabbing of his wife, women’s abuse campaigner Susan Sithole, last year. The alleged murder occured on November 25, International Day of No Violence Against Women. Susan Sithole had planned to leave her husband and had returned to […]