Staff Reporter

MOVEABLE FEAST Barbara Ludman LET’S get this straight at the outset, unapologetically: few of us are beautiful enough for Mea Culpa. Even on an ordinary off-night, by half past eight, unless you’re as stunning as the decor, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb. You can see they’ve gone after the Annabel’s crowd. One doesn’t […]

The country’s captain-in-waiting tells why and how he believes South Africa’s cricketing future must be strengthened CRICKET: Paul Martin HANSIE CRONJE, whom the selectors plan to appoint national cricket captain next month, has pinpointed a lack of all-year-round fitness as a significant factor in South Africa’s failure to win the Test series or either of […]

NATIVE TONGUE Bafana Khumalo SHE stood at the doorway, the night casting shadows on her face. The elements promised to be kind to us tonight — the wind was not less overwhelming than it had been the past couple of days. We were grateful at the Lord’s kindness; he was kinder than our fellow human […]

Getting the right players together, getting them fit and winning is new South African coach Kitch Christie’s aim RUGBY: Jon Swift IN A society, indeed in a game which consumes the interest of a not insignificant portion of that society, the new South African coach Kitch Christie has conducted a klopjag which has shaken not […]

Stalwarts of the Natal Indian Congress, which is celebrating its centenary, say it has served its purpose and should be disbanded. Farouk Chothia reports WHAT was billed as a glorious celebration to mark the Natal Indian Congress’ 100th anniversary turned into an occasion where stalwarts of the Mahatma Gandhi-founded organisation wrote its obituary. The NIC […]

The UCB president says Hansie Cronje will replace Kepler Wessels as cricket captain, writes Paul Martin THE United Cricket Board of South Africa this week confirmed the accuracy of a WM&G report in last week’s issue disclosing plans to replace Kepler Wessels as captain with the present vice-captain Hansie Cronje this year. Commenting for the […]

Sam Shilowa will no doubt keep his job as chief of Cosatu … but not everyone in Cosatu will applaud. Drew Forrest reports UNEASE over Sam Shilowa’s fitness for the post of Cosatu secretary-general continues to bubble to the surface in the federation as it prepares for its first post-election national congress next week. Misgivings […]

Jacque Magliolo reports on the listing of Nthato Motlana’s New Africa Investments THE listing of New Africa Investments Limited (Nail) brought a cheer from JSE dealers. However, sentiment is already waning with speculation bandied around the corridors of the JSE that the share cannot retain the high attained at listing in weeks to come. Stockbrokers […]

Behind this week’s strike by Natal hospital staffers lies a growing gulf between workers and their union, reports Farouk Chothia STRIKING hospital employees at Durban’s King Edward VIII Hospital were warned this week that they risked losing their union membership if they defied calls to return to work. National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union […]

BASKETBALL: Matlhodi Malope BENDING could not reduce seven-foot basketball star Patrick Ewing’s monstrous height enough to be on the same level as his group of young trainees at the Alexandra All Sports Centre this week. He had to squat for proper eye contact. “Now guys,” he said to the group of eager boys and girls […]

The Community Arts Project will be in the middle of things — in more ways than one — when District Six is redeveloped. Justin Pearce reports BEHIND the premises of the Community Arts Project (Cap) in Chapel Street, Cape Town, there’s a high wall. Behind the wall is a highway. And behind the highway is […]

The motor industry strike has highlighted the big weaknesses in the local industry. Reg Rumney reports HALF a percentage point here or there may not seem a great deal over which to wage a prolonged strike. And while a host of political factors has probably had something to do with the stance of the National […]

Paul Stober THE ANC has launched an urgent inquiry into a power struggle between North-West premier Popo Molefe and regional agriculture minister Rocky Malebane-Metsing which has pitched the province into crisis. ANC secretary general Cyril Rama-phosa this week sent a high-powered team to look into a war of allegations and counter-allegations that has erupted between […]

South African musicians are seeking their place in the limelight. Gwen Ansell reports on the players’ growing dissatisfaction with Arts Alive and Guinness Festival arrangements WHAT looked like a bonanza for jazz fans in September — with an influx of international stars for both Arts Alive and the Guinness Festival — threatens, instead, to turn […]

Did the mysterious ‘Steyn report’ ever exist? That depends on who you ask, reports Louise Flanagan WHEN Deputy President FW de Klerk told parliament last week that there was no written “Steyn report” into military intelligence “dirty tricks”, he contradicted what Lieutenant-General Pierre Steyn had himself said about his controversial report. In response to a […]

Stefaans Brummer THE R35-million funding crunch of the national peace structures reaped its first major casualty this week when employees of the Wits-Vaal region, the country’s largest, received two months’ notice. The imminent collapse of Wits-Vaal, which has about 90 paid staff members and runs more than 20 peace committees with volunteer members from communities, […]

Botswana authorities want to arrest South Africa’s Safety and Security deputy minister, charged with stealing R120 000 and jumping bail. Gaye Davis reports DEPUTY minister of Safety and Security Joe Matthews is a fugitive from justice in Botswana where he is wanted to stand trial on charges of skipping bail and stealing funds in the […]

Jan Taljaard EUGENE TERRE’BLANCHE and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging this weekend celebrate 21 years as the undisputed wild bunch of the right. To celebrate, they are returning to Heidelberg, the small town where the organisation was founded. AWB legend has it that the organisation was formed when seven men, among them Jan Groenewald (who would later […]

Jacques Magliolo THE suspension of Penrose could be the opportunity many experts have been waiting for to ask for government intervention and a total restructuring of the educational text book and printing market. That aside, what will happen to Penrose’s assets and how will this affect shareholders? After all, they cannot sell the shares now […]

THE MARKETS Jacques Magliolo CORPORATE raiders are generally a detested lot. They invoke fear in company directors, desperation in owners who lose their organisations to them and drive shareholders into a frenzy of greed as share prices are driven skywards. However, there is one aspect of corporate raiders worth learning: their ability to raise seemingly […]

HANDBALL: Julian Drew IF you mention handball to most South African sports fans it will conjure up images of a partisan soccer crowd baying hopefully at the referee every time the ball ricochets off a defender in the penalty area. To the rest of the world, however, it is a fast and exciting team sport […]

Players on both sides have much to prove in Saturday’s Lion Cup final RUGBY: Jon Swift IT IS not wrong to say that Western Province have not had a great season thus far on paper, but they have always looked a better side in reality than the results would indicate. At Ellis Park tomorrow, they […]

A new language has been created — and with it a new industry — which only a few can interpret. Cosmas Desmond ponders whether ‘development-speak’ actually encourages development MUCH is being made of the difficulties arising from having 11 official languages in South Africa. An even bigger problem, however, is the 12th language: jargonese. The […]

THEATRE: Robert Greig MURDER mystery plays are as addictive as syllogisms. The characters may not make sense, the situations may be predictable and conventional, but one is impelled by the remorseless logic of discovery. Hamlet is probably the best example of this. Murder in Green Meadows, playing at the Richard Haines Theatre in Johannesburg, is […]

Chris Louw reports from Parliament Behind the NP grumbles about unfair treatment lies a belated discovery: the cabinet’s no longer the seat of power PARLIAMENTARY power is shifting inexorably away from the cabinet of national unity to the ANC-dominated standing committees. And since the NP based its negotiating strategy on shared power in the cabinet, […]

Joe Cocker, Sting, Vaya Con Dios… Local bands are having a rough ride in their wake, reports Fred de Vries AS foreign stars flood into South Africa, local bands struggle harder to attract small crowds. Last weekend saw Live Jimi Presley doing two gigs at Tandoor’s in Rockey Street, Yeoville. Friends had been praising LJP […]

The Markets Jaques Magliolo WILL investors never learn that an extra percentage point is not worth the risk of losing all one’s hard earned savings? The problem, say the experts, is that most South African investors do not understand or believe they can protect their investment better than anyone else can. “Stockbrokers, analysts and portfolio […]

Selectors plan to drop Wessels and replace him with Cronje CRICKET: Paul Martin KEPLER WESSELS is to be removed as South Africa’s Test and one-day cricket captain and replaced by Hansie Cronje. This drastic and controversial step has already been decided on even though the selectors only meet officially in mid- September to announce the […]

This is the first in what will be a weekly column by Clive Simpkins focusing on the media and marketing world REG LASCARIS (of Hunt Lascaris TBWA) and Nick Green (of Markinor) have long argued the case for recognising “value bands” in people’s thinking. They stress that it’s not just demographics (where they live, how […]

BUT YOU COULD LOSE YOUR FRIENDS More irksome status symbols than BMWs, cellular phones demand their own set of rules for users. Reg Rumney reports on cell phone etiquette YOU are lying on the beach, soaking up the sun’s pleasant if carcinogenic rays and listening to the soothing susurration of the sea’s waves. But what’s […]

The wheels are back on, but the truckers’ blockade was a costly protest. Farouk Chothia reports DAVE MARTIN (44) has hauled freight for the past 10 years. “I’m not married. I can’t find a girlfriend. I’m treated like a filthy, stinking truck driver,” he said during this week’s unprecedented protest action by thousands of striking […]

Terence Moll begins a monthly column on business issues in the new South Africa THE gearwheel was exquisite. Painted grey and delicately engineered, it was an incredibly precise sculpture the size of a matchbox. The factory manager stroked it fondly as he explained his dilemma. “We export most of these,” he said. “The world price […]