Staff Reporter

THE Nigerian government said on Wednesday that it was considering closing down its diplomatic missions in seven countries either because they are unnecessary or because of problems funding them. The plan follows a recommendation of a committee set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo that some of the missions considered either unnecessary or too expensive to […]

A NEW combination of antimalarial drugs, tested in Tanzania, has proven remarkably successful against resistant strains of the disease, according to a study reported in Saturday’s issue of The Lancet. The combination is a mixture of two existing drugs, chlorproguanil and dapsone, the British medical weekly said. A team led by Theonest Mutabingwa from the […]

Mail & Guardian reporter The United Nations is the ultimate stakeholder in World Summit 2002. The UN will use the Sandton Convention Centre to host an expected 110 to 193 heads of state, as well as about 6 000 UN delegates. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked the president of the IUCN-World Conservation Union, […]

For the first time the party has to confront internal dissent on a significant scale, says Drew Forrest Seven years after taking power, the leadership echelons of the African National Congress are showing signs of growing entropy. A senior ANC man speaks of “loss of coherence and focus”, adding that the party has been through […]

Eighteen public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been signed and sealed at municipal level and a further 18 are being negotiated by provinces, despite strong criticism from public-sector trade unions. The treasury’s intergovernmental fiscal review says such partnerships are taking “root” as national and provincial departments seek assistance to enhance their own capacity, and private investors explore […]

Marianne Merten Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel has warned the Western Cape government that he will use the Constitutional Court to stop it transforming the provincial agriculture department into a semi-autonomous public entity, arguing that the move violates legislative requirements and the constitutional principle of cooperative governance. Another clash between central government and the Western […]

We know that David Macfarlane has been told to stop writing about the South African National NGO coalition (Sangoco) because they have complained to the editor of the Mail & Guardian, although they have always been given the chance to respond. Things are getting worse. We only have funds for one more month in the […]

Ngwako Modjadji Although e.tv news has not been broadcasting for long, it has proved that age is not important by winning this year’s Arts & Culture Media of the Year Award in support of the arts. E.tv news beat other hopefuls such as Artslink, D’Arts Magazine and SAfm for the award. Roger Lucey of e.tv […]

Cape Town | Friday TONY Leon goes into battle on Friday with his co-leader of the Democratic Alliance, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, armed with detailed research on Cape voters that does serious damage to the New National Party’s record in the Cape Town council. The full report, leaked to the Mail & Guardian, shows that Cape […]

Labour objects to the government’s ultimatum style of negotiations and want to return to the table Glenda Daniels and David Macfarlane A threat of retrenchments in the public service is at the heart of the dispute that has led to the acrimonious stand-off between labour and the government, unions say. Minister of Public Service and […]

Mail & Guardian reporters and agencies American warplanes were sighted over Kabul on Thursday as the United States launched its first daylight raid on the capital. Anti-aircraft fire rang out on the fifth day of military strikes on Afghanistan, a month on from the attacks on New York and Washington that prompted the “war on […]

Glenda Daniels Against the backdrop of a threatened 2385 job losses at Telkom by year-end and further job cuts in the public works department, the labour movement has slammed the government for not implementing its “social plan”. Union sources say the public works department is expected to shed about 10000 jobs, while another 10000 may […]

The treasury department’s intergovernmental fiscal review was released in Parliament this week. Barry Streek reports Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel was upbeat this week on the government’s effect on development and delivery in South Africa. He said it was “the story of remarkable successes attained in a relatively short period”, but the harsh reality is […]

People with disabilities still face enormous barriers to equality in South Africa Frances Kinghorn More than 200 delegates representing about 150 affiliates of the South African Disabled People’s Organisation will converge on Potgietersrus, Northern Province, over the weekend to review policy relating to the needs of people with physical, hearing, sight and other disabilities. The […]

1. Arts Administrator of the Year: Georgina Thomson 2. Arts and Culture Journalist of the Year: Mike van Graan 3. Media in Support of the Arts : eNews 4. Arts and Culture Publicist of the Year: Juan Els 5. Cultural Development Project of the Year: Dance Factory 6. International Arts Sponsor of the Year: Swedish […]

Glenda Daniels The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) this week threatened strike action if the Anglo American corporation does not reverse its policy against providing anti-retroviral drugs to its workers. The multinational corporation earlier this year made headline-grabbing news when it announced that it would provide anti-retroviral treatment for its HIV-positive workers. Now the union […]

Converting a petrol engine to run on LPG isn’t much of a big deal and there are few cons to the system Gavin Foster You use it to cook your bacon and eggs on Sunday morning. You use it to keep the beers cool in your caravan fridge and you use it to attract moths […]

Jaspreet Kindra The Constitutional Court has torpedoed Mpumalanga Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu’s legal challenge to his provincial legislature over an anti-corruption Bill. Believing the Mpumalanga Petitions Bill was inconsistent with the Constitution, Mahlangu took it to the court “to seek clarity”. The Bill vests the power of promulgation in William Lubisi, speaker of the provincial assembly, […]

Mungo Soggot Tony Leon goes into battle today with his co-leader of the Democratic Alliance, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, armed with detailed research on Cape voters that does serious damage to the New National Party’s record in the Cape Town council. The full report, leaked to the Mail & Guardian, shows that Cape Town mayor Peter […]

comment Henry Porter in New York The cops have been down here nearly a month and have become used to it, but when people see the ruins of the World Trade Centre for the first time they are shaken. As the van carrying me and six other volunteers approached the ruins, everyone fell silent. You […]

SOCCER Ntuthuko Maphumulo The never-ending story of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) failing to put its house in order has reared its ugly head again. Just as the PSL’s disciplinary committee members were getting back to their daily jobs, they have to deal with another case: the Coca-Cola Cup game between Santos and Golden Arrows […]

Aforementioned: Should be banned outside legal use. Albeit: Use “but” or “though”. At this moment in time: Puffed-up “now”. Communicate: Use “say”, “tell” or “talk”. Empowerment: Could mean something in pretentiousese it never does. Epicentre: Only seismologists need the “epi”. Exponential: Maths term, not “fast” as the pretentious think. Feedback: Usually used for no reason. […]

The South African History Archive swung into action to test the Act giving South Africans access to government information Verne Harris When South Africa’s freedom of information legislation came into operation in March the South African History Archive (Saha) was at the front of the queue submitting requests for access to hitherto secret files. The […]

Charlene Smith In a small, dirty room a man rolls over. His eyes are huge in a gaunt face. Next to him is a jug of water and a packet of creamy powder. He puts some into the cup and slowly stirs it. This revolutionary porridge LifeForce porridge was developed in South Africa by SMA […]

Inexperience in running farms has meant some farm workers have lost land they regained through redistribution Sizwe samaYende Thousands of rural poor who were promised a new life through South Africa’s land-reform programme are being robbed of their land for a second time by incompetent and uncaring officials. At least 613 farm-worker families in the […]

BOXING John Rawling There are few people who have trust in the life of Mike Tyson. One is “Crocodile”, and he lowered his dark glasses to look his questioner in the eye, facing down the impertinence of a fellow late-night drinker who dared inquire if the former world heavyweight champion was still a genuine fighter, […]

The truth commission has been horrified to discover that the SANDF hid thousands of military files crucial to its investigations Evidence wa ka Ngobeni The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) hid key apartheid-era military intelligence information from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The commission had investigated the wholesale disposal of apartheid- era information […]

Poverty and unequal development are seen not only as the greatest threats to the environment and the quality of the lives of people in the developing world, but also as a real threat to the long-term security of the developed world. In September last year President Thabo Mbeki told the Millennium Summit at the United […]

Congress Mahlangu The food shortage and food security crisis in South Africa has received immediate attention following a government initiative to declare October the month of food security. To complement this, the Department of Agriculture hosted a workshop entitled Regulatory Services: Towards an Effective Agriculture Environment in South Africa in Johannesburg last weekend. Despite mixed […]

Monday. Be as brief as possible. The editor reserves the right to edit letters and to withhold from publication any letter which he believes contains factual inaccuracies, oris based on misrepresentation.

Ngwako Modjadji Anna Kournikova, one of the most famous female athletes in the world, will lock horns with South African number one Amanda Coetzer in the MTN Challenge sponsored by Spar next month. The exhibition matches will be played on November 8 at Westridge Park in Durban, November 10 at Spier Wine Estate in Cape […]