Staff Reporter

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) […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Lesley Cowling STRIP the five Cover Boys down to their bare essentials, take away their G-strings, animal skins and ripped jeans, and underneath you will find your regular nice South African guy. But on stage, they offer themselves to their all- women audiences in fast-paced dance routines, stripping down to G-strings from a variety of […]

Louise Flanagan THE Ministry of Defence has still not been briefed on the controversial Steyn report, deputy minister of defence Ronnie Kasrils admitted to parliament this week. I have been contextually briefed by General (Pierre) Steyn … I have, however, not been briefed on the contents of any report. This will be done shortly, Kasrils […]

THE absence of a national accountant for a seven to eight-month period last year had led to considerable disarray in Cosatus finances, according to an inside source. As a result, the auditing of the federations accounts had taken much longer and cost more than it should have done, being finalised just before the national congress. […]

Weekly Mail Reporter MILL and bakery owner Sam Molope is the first beneficiary of the United States trade drive into South Africa. The US Trade & Development Agency is providing a $40 000 grant to finance a feasibility study by Ga- Rankuwa Milling into the building of a flour mill in North-West province. Ga-Rankuwa Milling […]

Rumours of the demise of the financial rand system are greatly exaggerated, reports Duma Gqubule A RESERVE BANK masterplan has caused currency speculators to burn their fingers and lose billions of rands betting against the rand over the past couple of months. Governor Chris Stals this week laughed at speculators who had put wagers on […]

Feathers may defy the laws of gravity but theyre good business if youre into extravagant head-gear. Sean Badal reports THERE are more feathers surrounding Andre Kemp and Nikki Swift than a pouting Prince in Paisley Park. But before you rush out and invest in Seventies retro gear and risk becoming a casualty of fashion, take […]

Edelweiss is a strange mixture of Alpine architecture, boere fare and first-rate cabaret entertainment. Guy Willoughby discovered it in that other country — Pretoria IF you come from somewhere else, our Executive Capital is an endless source of fascination: all that the locals take for granted has a curious air of mystery for the outsider. […]

Weekly Mail Reporter POLICE say they are planning more raids on vice clubs after they swooped on a Johannesburg hotel last week, but acknowledge that they are more tolerant than in the past. Club Caligula at Hillbrows Dorchester Hotel was raided by the Narcotics Bureau and other police units last Thursday. Three Zambian and three […]

Mondli waka Makhanya THE Pan Africanist Congress appears headed for a showdown with the government over demands for amnesty for its political prisoners. The organisation this week threatened the mother of all mass action inside and outside prisons if the goverment does not release the 90-odd PAC members convicted of politically motivated offences or awaiting […]

CRICKET: Luke Alfred UP AND down Blighty recently could be heard the waffle of the chattering classes: “Will Gatting go?” they asked; “What about Robin Smith?” someone mused; “Is Angus Fraser really up to it?” Everyone, of course, was referring to the composition of the England cricket side to tour Australia later in the year. […]

Regional premiers have come to imagine they have powers the constitution never gave them, writes Mark Swilling PROVINCIAL governments are not what they think they are. Members of the executive councils (MECs) call themselves cabinet ministers with departments — but the constitution gives them different titles and powers. And it is this confusion that underlies […]

HANDBALL: Julian Drew SOUTH AFRICA’S first international handball competition, and reputedly the biggest women’s international club handball tournament ever staged, reached a thrilling climax last weekend when Djordje Petrov from Macedonia met surprise finalists Douka from Greece in Johannesburg. With the mere mention of the word Macedonia currently inducing a severe case of the jitters […]

CRITICAL CONSUMER Pat Sidley THE medical profession is likely soon to have one of its long-standing restrictive practices curtailed. Doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council presently may not co-operate with any of the alternative medicine professions, such as chiropractic, osteopathy or homeopathy. This restriction has over the years engendered distrust, ignorance and protectionism. […]

Big capital projects are set to boost the economy, reports Simon Segal AN estimated extra R65-billion in the pipeline for big capital projects could boost economic growth by an extra three percent a year, adjusted for inflation, over the next three years. That R65-billion, identified by stockbroking firm Frankel Pollak Vinderine’s economist Mike Brown, does […]

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 […]

Jacques Magliolo THE Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s tougher attitude in cleaning up our bourse is becoming more evident in the number of companies being delisted and suspended from trading. Between June 1993 and June this year 30 companies were taken off the JSE boards and a host of others could face a similar fate. In addition […]

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 […]