Staff Reporter

It’s simple: increases in productivity must come before higher increases in wages, argues Reg Rumney JAPANESE productivity expert Professor Anatole Goshi tells a wry story to emphasise the importance of productivity growth. An American and a Japanese tourist were on a walking safari in one of our game parks when they spotted a lion in […]

Right now, improvisations what defines jazz, says Jeroen van Vliet, who kicks off Arts Alives Jazz Piano Series tonight. He spoke to Gwen Ansell SO here I am, drinking herbal tea and listening to two jazz pianists at once. The one talking is Dutch visitor Jeroen van Vliet. The one playing — on the tape […]

# A PERSPECTIVE THAT WORKS DAENS Directed by Stijn Coninx DAENS, set at the turn of the century in the small Belgian town of Aalst, is full of intrigue — not the melodramatic clash of ambitious egos as in your average soapie, but political manipulation in high places, with the Vatican and rich factory owners […]

Despite his wanting to speak off the record there wasnt much to record from Tito Mbowenis speech in parliament this week, writes Chris Louw LABOUR Minister Tito Mboweni surprised journalists this week when he insisted that his address to the parliamentary labour select committee was off the record. All parliamentary committees were opened to the […]

Best Fiction Film, Best Documentary — even Most Courageous Film … Prizes are up for grabs in this years Short Film Competition, writes Trevor Steele-Taylor THE annual Mail & Guardian/ Fawo Short Film Competition, which accompanies the Mail & Guardian Film Festival (now the South African International Film Festival), is entering its sixth, bumper year. […]

ATHLETICS: Julian Drew BUOYED by the success of 1992, Africa has sent an even stronger team to this weekend’s Athletics World Cup in London in the hope that it can retain the trophy it won in such rousing style in Havana. On the final day of competition in Cuba two years ago, Africa led the […]

NATIVE TONGUE Bafana Khumalo I HAVE a confession to make. I lately have not been feeling hip and with it for I lack the latest status symbol of the black trendoid circles. No, not a cellular phone. Those stopped being hot when the Independent Electoral Commission wound up its operation and repossessed all its toys […]

IF it is the job of a newspaper such as this to draw the attention of opinion-makers to warning signals flashing in one region of the country, then it is time to do so. It is Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezis modus operandi carefully to choose an apparently small issue and blow it up to the kind […]

Tokyo Sexwale, PWV premier, replies to criticism of his attack on the press YOU strike a journalist, you strike a rock. Journalists are understandably touchy about their freedom to express themselves. Politicians, too, are touchy about attempts at character assassination and dissemination of disinformation. Lets put a few things on record: * A democratic media […]

An upcoming conference may be the South African feature film industrys last chance to deal with its inner fragmentation, writes William Pretorius THE South African feature film industry is not quite dead. The corpse still twitches: Willie Estherhuisen of Orkney Snork Nie fame is busy with Lipstick, Dipstick, and Dirk de Villiers with Kalahari Harry […]

Sibusiso Nxumalo NAMIBIAN police are investigating whether a full- page advertisement in a Windhoek-based newspaper last month contravened the countrys Racial Discrimination Prohibition Act. A docket would be ready soon, according to Namibias attorney general, Hatmut Ruppel. The advert — run on August 17, the anniversary of the birth of Nazi leader Rudolf Hess — […]

Jan Taljaard reports on this weeks bizarre Pretoria murder trial of two young white supremacists IT had all the ingredients of a larger-than-life suspense thriller: a gang of youthful revolutionaries; a two-month crime spree which veered between arms thefts from military bases and cold-blooded murders in which people were slaughtered like sheep; a car chase […]

Playing as a local here and in England, Matthew Vandrau will have to decide which local is lekker CRICKET: Luke Alfred THE County circuit hasn’t always been kind to South African cricketers. For every Rice, Cook or Kirsten there’s at least one Bryson, Van Zyl or Page. One of those attempting to enter the Rice/Cook […]

ROCK: Fred de Vries Men in their 50s cant play rocknroll! True. But the sad thing is The Rolling Stones still do it much better than the new crop of fellow British bands like Suede, Blur and The Charlatans. And in the light of the unstoppable renaissance of horrible old groups like Yes, Jethro Tull […]

BRITAINS Royal National Threatre Studio — patron HM the Queen — is due to visit South Africa to hold workshops and classes at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. The visit, led by NT head Sue Higginson, will take place from September 26 to October 7. A group of about 30 people from the NT — […]

Inkatha officials are refusing to co-operate with an official probe into alleged kwaZulu Police hit squads, report Chris Louw, Farouk Chothia and Ann Eveleth NATIONAL Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi faces a showdown with the Inkatha Freedom Party in his bid to root out suspected hit squad policemen from the kwaZulu Police (KZP) […]

Steuart Wright THREE young elephants recently relocated to the Knysna forest are restless and somewhat aggressive in their new home — particularly since theyve been moved to a new, larger enclosure. District forest officer Theo Stehle said the behaviour of the young cows had raised some concern that they were not yet ready to be […]

Mondli waka Makhanya ALLEGATIONS of intimidation in the Amy Biehl murder case in Cape Town have exposed the states inability to protect witnesses. Witnesses in the case are reluctant to testify before an open court for fear of their lives. Initially sensational in every respect, the trial has now developed a tedium that has visibly […]

SOUTH AFRICA’S gold and foreign reserves rose 3,7 percent in August, according to the South African Reserve Bank. Total gold and foreign assets amounted to R7,850-billion on August 31 compared to R7,567-billion a month earlier. A decrease of R688,8-million in gold reserves detracted from a R971,9-increase in foreign assets, but the overall figure remained positive. […]

THE MARKETS Jacques Magliolo THERE is a saying at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange that there is no skill in buying or selling shares during strong bull or bear markets, but that it takes unprecedented courage to go against mass hysteria and buy when others are selling. Portfolio managers are being made aware of this daily. […]

TWO years after demonstrators were mown down by Ciskei troops in what became known as the Bisho massacre, a decision has yet to be taken on whether to prosecute 69 soldiers allegedly responsible for the killings. Ciskei attorney general Willem Jurgens said this week nothing had changed since his statement in January, when he announced […]

More and more foreign coaches and players are plying their trade in South Africa, and this can only be good for the game RUGBY: Barney Spender THERE was a Welshman, a Frenchman, a Kiwi and a Pom … It’s an old tale and usually the prelude to a particularly dreary shaggy dog story but, with […]

The growing popularity of live-sex shows is more a matter of male demand than by public demand, writes Stefaans Brummer SECRETARY by day, live-sex stripper by night. Sometimes her boyfriend is in the audience. Says Jenny (25): It stimulates our sex life. Jenny had little interest in the business a year ago. Then the owner […]

Louise Flanagan ANYONE can make it in the new South Africa. The East London Small Business Development Corporation and the Institute of Marketing Management yesterday presented its Emergent Entrepreneur award to former Military Intelligence agent Basie Oosthuysen, who currently runs a sewing school for unemployed people. Oosthuysens previous business experience was in running an educational […]

You can get just about anything you want from sex entertainment these days — but satisfaction is not guaranteed. Stefaans Brummer reports IT was a rather casual affair. They had met all of 10 minutes earlier, and no pleasantries were exchanged. Now, between vigorous manual and oral efforts to resuscitate Johans limp member, she was […]

A document leaked to the Mail, alleging misuse of funds, caused a stir at the Cosatu congress, reports Drew Forrest FURIOUS Cosatu leaders are alleging a disinformation campaign aimed at smearing them and influencing the Cosatu congress after the leak of a confidential financial report to the Mail. The report points to misuse of money […]

Five tight forwards to drive the rest of the team to victory — that’s what Kitch Christie is looking for RUGBY: Jon Swift FEW would dispute the fact that most test matches are won from the physical presence of the front five. The boiler room must breathe fire into the moving parts of any rugby […]

CHIEF Mangosuthu Buthelezi is desperately trying to cling on to traditional power. For the first time ever, he has issued invitations to ANC-aligned traditional leaders to attend Shaka Day celebrations, to be held in Stanger in two weeks time. He issued the invitations in his capacity as traditional prime minister. Buthelezi is also seeking a […]

Farouk Chothia A SENIOR Inkatha Freedom Party leader has been charged with the murder of two IFP members who were shot dead after organising a joint IFP and ANC peace rally in the Bhambayi squatter settlement, near Durban, last weekend. A police spokesman said this week that Bhambayis IFP chairman, Victor Shawe (49), and two […]

The alleged Station Strangler has already been tried and convicted by the NP, the media and the public, writes Justin Pearce THE man outside the magistrates court wasnt going to wait for a verdict. With the words Ek sal jou vrek doodmaak (Ill kill you dead), he pronounced his own sentence on Norman Afzal Simons, […]

Sir Ian McKellen, one of Britains leading actors, is also an activist. Robert Greig spoke to him on the eve of his visit to South Africa IN Ian McKellens experience there is a clear connection between activism and acting. They involve similar performance skills, he told the Weekly Mail & Guardian in a telephone interview […]

Weekly Mail Reporter FORMER security policeman Michael Bellingan has been charged with the murder of his first wife, Janine Bellingan, acting Transvaal attorney general Chris Human said on Thursday. He said extradition proceedings would be launched against Bellingan if he failed to return to South Africa of his own accord. It was also possible Bellingan […]