LIBYA on Friday condemned the militant activities of the Philippines Muslim insurgent Abu Sayyaf guerrillas — who last held South African couple Monique and Carel Strydom hostage — and said they must be “crushed.” Salem Adam, Libya’s ambassador to Manila described the Abu Sayyaf as a group of bandits and ruled out any further negotiations […]
KENYAN police said on Friday they are following up clues in the murder of a member of parliament in Nairobi as it emerged that robbery was unlikely to have motivated the killing. Tony Ndilinge, MP for the ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu) party representing Kilome constituency in the southern Makueni district, was killed on […]
STEFAANS BRMMER and MUNGO SOGGOT, Johannesburg | Friday TELKOM pressed criminal charges this week against a controversial security company accused of colluding with Bheki Langa, the former number three at the parastatal who resigned last month — on the same day the Mail & Guardian broke a story on his alleged collusion with Telkom contractors. […]
HUMAN rights deteriorated in Namibia over the past year, the Namibian Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said in its annual report, released on Tuesday, noting slight improvements in two regions. “Widespread and systematic acts and/or statements manifesting or inciting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance were monitored throughout the period under consideration,” it said. […]
PROSTITUTION cannot be criminalised, but a landmark judgment in a South African court to take the profession one step closer to legalisation is unfortunate, the country’s churches said on Friday. Two South African High Court judges upheld an appeal by a self-confessed prostitute Thursday, a landmark ruling which will legalise prostitution if confirmed by the […]
ZIMBABWE will push for an apology and compensation for the dispossession of its land by its former colonial master, Britain, at the upcoming United Nations World Racism Conference, the justice minister said on Wednesday. At the conference in South Africa later this month, Zimbabwe will insist on an “express apology by former colonial masters” and […]
ZAMBIA’S only electricity company, Zesco, is owed about $65-million from consumers who have stopped paying their bills to protest high power tariffs, the company’s managing director said on Wednesday. Although no one has organized a formal boycott, the movement has built up steam through widespread public discontent. Zesco will now offer a 40% discount to […]
ZAMBIAN former deputy finance minister Newton N’guni said on Thursday that he has been arrested and charged with defaming President Frederick Chiluba. “They summoned me to the police sometime in the afternoon, where they recorded a ‘warn and caution’ statement from me. They then charged me with defaming Chiluba,” N’guni said. His arrest came barely […]
FRED ESBEND, Port Elizabeth | Friday THE South African Human Rights Commission has expressed the “gravest concern” at the growing number of racial incidents taking place in South Africa. With the United Nations World Conference against Racism due to kick off in Durban in three weeks, three racial incidents in the Cape made media headlines […]
UGANDAN police on Friday announced that they made the first arrest, of a Ugandan man, in connection with the 1999 murder by suspected Rwandan Hutu extremists in Bwindi National Park of eight western tourists and a Ugandan guide. “He is part of the group that attacked Bwindi and we are still following up some clues […]
Developing countries must use their resources to stimulate growth worm’s eye view Steven Friedman We must take care lest growth plans become Africa’s chief growth industry. President Thabo Mbeki is investing much in the Millennium Africa Recovery Plan (MAP) he authored with Nigerian President Olusegun Obesanjo and Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and which has been […]
Fred Esbend The South African Human Rights Commission has expressed the “gravest concern” at the growing number of racial incidents taking place in South Africa. With the United Nations World Conference against Racism due to kick off in Durban in three weeks, three racial incidents made media headlines this week. In Port Elizabeth on Saturday […]
Niki Moore The KwaDapha camp at Kosi Bay where slain academic David Webster lived while he did his anthropological research a monument to the anti-apartheid martyr is again the focus of controversial activities. Unlawful tourism developments have sprung up next to Webster’s camp, destroying pristine coastal forest. KwaZulu-Natal wildlife officials are powerless to prevent five […]
The second Caine Prize for African Writing has been won by Nigerian Helon Habila, for Love Poems. The result was announced by the writer and chairman of the panel of judges, Dan Jacobson, at a dinner at Oxford University. The award ceremony will take place in Nairobi in September, to coincide with the Kenya Book […]
Roshila Pillay and David Macfarlane If you’re not online, you’re heading for oblivion. For public and private education institutions, whether traditionally contact or distance, this is the clear message. A sampling of recent innovations shows that the formerly distinct categories of contact and distance learning are increasingly merging. And it’s a buyer’s that is, learner’s […]
Last season’s champions might be rudderless but their ship is not in any danger of sinking Ntuthuko Maphumulo Orlando Pirates begin the defence of their BP Top 8 title against Supersport United at their new hunting ground of Johannesburg stadium on Saturday. Pirates are still without a coach but will be hoping that caretaker Augusto […]
Tread carefully or you will find yourself starting a course that doesn’t suit you, says Jeremy Hoad If you are thinking about doing a postgraduate degree there are some basic questions you should ask yourself. Why do I want to do a postgraduate course? What sort of course should I consider? How will the course […]
Braam van Straaten’s kicking was a revelation at Loftus last week Andy Capostagno In the bowels of Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening Harry Viljoen could have been forgiven for starting the press conference by thumbing his nose and saying, “Yah, boo, sucks to the lot of you.” That he did not suggests both that he […]
LONDON CALLING Martin Spring The currency to back now could be the euro. Does that come as a surprise? For the long haul the dollar is a better bet as it reflects the superiority of the United States economy, offering higher risk-adjusted returns and greater breadth of opportunities. The US is better managed than Europe […]
BOXING Deon Potgieter Zolani Petelo, the humble former International Boxing Federation (IBF) mini flyweight champion of the world has been given the opportunity to realise every fighter’s dream. He will be fighting a boxing legend at the Wimbledon of boxing, Madison Square Garden, on September 15. Although Petelo was the first South African boxer to […]
Northern Cape Premier Manne Dipico appeared before the South African Human Rights Commission this week and denied tapping the telephones of his employees, although he had been given a copy of a taped conversation of one staffer, writes Ngwako Modjadji. Dipico had been subpoenaed to appear at the commission, which is investigating whether tapping a […]
Feelings are running high over the decision by local bishops of the Catholic Church to maintain their long-standing objection to the use of condoms. A writer in our Letters section this week has eloquently summed up this anger in one, brutally frank sentence. The bishops have taken their position in opposition to the best scientific […]
Akin Ojumu The Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia has been the subject of numerous tributes after his death, but perhaps the most flattering came last year when he inspired the character of God in the short-lived animated series God, the Devil and Bob. Given tongue by a languid James Garner, God, who seemingly hails from […]
Garth Abraham Jurisprudence: A South African Perspective by David Johnson, Steve Pete and Max du Plessis (Butterworths) Following the inauguration of a chairperson in jurisprudence at the newly constituted University of London in 1826, law students the world over have had, in the estimation of their majority, to suffer within their academic curriculum a course […]
The allegation by Paul Kirk (July 27) that I presented a false driver’s licence to my employer is a blatant lie. The abusive remarks attributed to me are nothing but fabrication. I had already resigned from the companies mentioned in the article before joining the council. Regarding Mr Shange’s appointment as director of community and […]
The South African Catholic bishops’ stance against the use of condoms to curb the spread of HIV is irresponsible. Not only is the debate 15 years too late, but totally out of touch with the suffering of so many people. The assertion that “condoms may even be one of the main reasons for the spread […]
After a decade of market imitation, is it possible to be a radical intellectual? Lynne Segal comments Have you had yours yet? One astonished academic after another has sent me copies of letters asking them to consider a little school teaching on the side. It is unclear if the private company soliciting us imagines, correctly, […]
South Africa’s cricket administration appears to be in disarray Peter Robinson Remember South Africa’s visit to India at the beginning of last year? Right, that was the Match-Fixing tour. And what about South Africa in the West Indies this year? Ah yes, the Dope-Smoking tour. OK, then, the players might have been a little too […]
All times Central African Time Friday August 3 2.45am (Sat): Men marathon 3.00am:Opening ceremony Saturday August 4 (see also late Friday) 5.45pm: Men 400m first round 6.30pm:Men 100m first round 7.40pm:Women 10000m first round 9.50pm:Men 800m first round Midnight: Men shot-put Final 00.05am (Sun): Men 100m second round 1.40am: Women 1500m first round Sunday August […]
This landmark case shows that investor activism is on the rise Belinda Anderson A shareholder in disgraced pharmaceutical company Beige Holdings is suing some of the former directors for his losses incurred, he argues, by investing in a company whose share price was inflated by false profit declarations. Beige was suspended in late 1999 when […]
Belinda Anderson profiles Sizwe Nxasana, the gentle, well-considered boss of this soon-to-be public telecoms utility In his pinstriped suit and with his collected manner, Sizwe Nxasana could be mistaken for an ace merchant banker who has just closed a big deal. Rather, he is the head of Telkom, the parastatal that is preparing for South […]
Struan Douglas is obviously entitled to his opinion when it comes to criticising Selaelo’s debut recording (“No room for compromise”, July 27), but I’m somewhat perplexed by how he is able to make a comment like “became throttled by the label’s accurate economic strategies”. As the person responsible for signing Selaelo and commissioning the recording […]