Niki Moore ‘Politicians have forgotten what it is like to be hungry.” These are the words of 12-year-old Mbali from a poor KwaZulu-Natal South Coast family. Although Mbali comes from a poor family she does not qualify for a child support grant because she is above the cut-off age of seven. She has four brothers […]
Barry Streek Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya has ordered an immediate inquiry into the delay earlier this week in the payment of about 400 000 of the more than 3,5-million social grants. People receiving grants should have received a minimum 5,6% increase at the beginning of the month, but instead had to wait because […]
Barry Streek The African National Congress has taken a strong stand against its members who regard their positions as a source of material wealth for themselves. It says its elected leaders should not only be free of corruption, but should also actively fight against corruption. This tough position on leadership within the party was taken […]
Congress Mahlangu The ownership of land or property by foreigners comes into the spotlight as the government prepares policy on the issue as part of the land redistribution programme. This follows a meeting between Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs Dr Gilingwe Mayende and his home affairs counterpart, Billy Masetlha. New […]
They’re probably not aphrodisiacs but oysters are still reason to celebrate Jo-Ann Bekker Growing up inland, my idea of seafood was grilled sole. When someone pulled a mussel off a rock, prised it open and gave it to me to eat, I tried to keep an open mind, but it tasted slimy and horrible. So […]
Mango Groove’s Claire Johnston spoke to Adam Haupt about her debut solo album, Fearless W hen I heard that Claire Johnston had released a solo album, Fearless, my response was, “What happened to Mango Groove?” Who could forget their celebration of Sophiatown’s finest hour? Their retro-blend was typically 1980s and early 1990s pop and back […]
Despite pollution and criticism of its human rights record, Beijing looks set to host the 2008 Olympics Steven Mufson Measured against Toronto, Paris and Osaka the other finalists bidding to host the 2008 Olympic Games Beijing leaves some things to be desired. Like clean air. In the mid-1990s the World Bank declared the Chinese capital […]
Valentine Cascarino They’re sour. They’ll get you drunk easily. And they’ll prepare you for your grave sooner than you expected. They’re called mbamba, bitla le ahlame and mqomboti, are made from fermented maize or bread and are drunk mostly by the homeless, sometimes with a bowl of sugar. This is the new stuff provided by […]
REVIEW David Shapshak Rex 6000 personal digital organiser Technology is a wonderful thing, in case you hadn’t noticed. I have in my hand a device the size of a credit card (and the thickness of three) that has nearly as much functionality as my PalmPilot, and it has a touch screen on it. The Rex […]
Turn on, tune in, feel nothing. Has pop culture finally eaten itself? Charles Shaar Murray reports ‘Bloodbath,” whispers the voice on the phone from Manhattan. “It’s a killing field out there. And they’re dropping like flies.” Not junkies, crackheads, gangstas in the projects; not Aids sufferers; not even Ethiopian immigrants who’ve fallen foul of the […]
Ngwako Modjadji and Nawaal Deane Confusion reigns among squatters in Bredel, Kempton Park, with many so-called “land invaders” uncertain of what action to take. Most of the squatters have come in search of “promised land” without a clear idea of who owns it, but determined not to be evicted. Tensions are high and many promise […]
The National Arts Festival is taking place amid uncertainty, but major works show cultural maturity Thebe Mabanga The 27th edition of the Standard Bank National Arts Festival survived its tacky motif and lived to fight another year. The image used to promote the festival in print adverts, that of Ellis Person and Bheki Mkhwane clad […]
The American has overcome testicular cancer to bid for a third consecutive crown Martin Gillingham Robert Hunter is barely a household name in his own household. But on Saturday in Dunkirk, as he rolls up the start ramp for the 8,2km prologue of this year’s Tour de France, he will do so as the first […]
Barry Streek The move towards the payment of a monthly R100 basic income grant gained momentum this week when 12 non-government and religious organisations handed over a memorandum to Vivienne Taylor, the chairperson of the Department of Social Development committee investigating the issue. The principle of a basic income was endorsed in a government White […]
More arms officials admit to getting discounted cars Evidence wa ka Ngobeni Ron Haywood, the head of Armscor and one of the most influential players in the arms deal, is the latest senior figure to appear on the “Yengeni” list senior politicians and civil servants who got discounts on luxury cars from DaimlerChrysler South Africa […]
A SECOND LOOK Howard Barrell Members of Thabo Mbeki’s Cabinet were in respectable company at Sun City last weekend. I refer not to the editors with whom they spent the better part of two days but, instead, to those with whom they shared a common opinion about the media. It was apparent at the outset […]
BODY LANGUAGE Merle Colborne The difference between men and women is all in the way they approach things. A man will generally approach a thing (other than a woman or an intersection) with great reluctance, very slowly. A woman’s approach is swifter. She’ll look at the situation, access what needs to be done and then […]
David Macfarlane Divisions and infighting in the NGO sector have deepened with the recent break-up of the Non-Profit Partnership (NPP), which was established only three years ago to strengthen non-profit organisations. And the World Conference Against Racism, to be held in August in Durban, has been touched by the fallout. Mismanagement, weak leadership and internal […]
Jessica Farley Right next to the Kyalami Equestrian Centre, on Dahlia Road, lies a sanctuary far from the madness of modern-day technology. Within these walls lives a centuries-old tradition. The performing Lipizzaners of South Africa are housed here. Every Sunday morning at 11am these dancing white horses are geared up in their traditional tack and […]
Belinda Anderson Of the top 10 fallers on the JSE Securities Exchange in the second quarter this year, three have gone bust and most of the other seven are either restructuring or working on a turnaround. Regal Treasury Bank went from hero to zero in a matter of weeks. Although curator Tim Store has been […]
The five best performers on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the second quarter of the year were all relatively small cap stocks Shirley Kemp Major price moves in the June quarter (April to June) illustrate that companies with relatively small market values are the riskiest investments. Figures show that investors with large enough exposure either […]
Legislation drafted in January gives authorities the means to crack down on organised crime Judith February A new Bill to combat money laundering, the Financial Intelligence Centre Bill, is a subject of deliberations in the portfolio committees of finance, justice and constitutional development. The Bill seeks to address administrative and procedural defaults in the The […]
Wimbledon’s newest star has South African connections Neal Collins Somewhere beneath the enveloping Henmania of Brit-biased Wimbledon this week, a star was born. And he holds a South African passport. Actually, Roger Federer was born on August 8 1981, but in tennis, stardom takes a while to gestate, especially in that exclusive area of London […]
The article about Henrietta Mqokomisa and her removal from Alexandra to Diepsloot was one person’s story analysis Chris McGreal The Gauteng Department of Housing spokesperson, Dumisani Zulu, accuses me of “blatant disregard” for good journalism for allegedly putting one side of the story in the account of the destruction of Henrietta Mqokomisa’s home in Alexandra […]
Zambia was host to a crowd of sun worshippers gathered for a celebration of shallow hedonism Joel Pollak As the last slivers of sunlight disappeared behind the dark silhouette of the moon, an ecstatic roar went up from the motley crowd of revellers, more than 7000 strong, who had gathered from around the world on […]
CRICKET Mike Selvey At some time during the last week in August either Steve Waugh or, less likely, Nasser Hussain, will stand on the balcony at the Oval and raise the Ashes urn in measured triumph. The crowd spread out on the grass below will strain to catch a glimpse of one of the most […]
Nawaal Deane Two Mpumalanga farm workers, who were allegedly assaulted by members of a commando unit in 1996, are suing the Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota, for almost R2-million. One of them was blinded in the alleged assault. Three white farmers belonging to the Wakkerstroom Commando, a civilian army unit, allegedly assaulted the two. The […]
Before Night Falls celebrates a rebel Cuban writer. Gaby Wood looks at the man behind the film In 1970, two novelists shared a literary prize. Gabriel Garca Mrquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Hallucinations by Reinaldo Arenas won joint first prize for best foreign novel published in France. The first of these people, a […]
Khadija Magardie The Department of Health has acknowledged that schoolchildren in at least four provinces have been exposed to potentially lethal peanut butter by the government’s school feeding scheme, and some suppliers have been prosecuted. These admissions come nearly two months after the Mail & Guardian revealed that the Eastern Cape Department of Health was […]
whipping boy The merit-rating system has thrown handicaps like the Durban July wide open and any pundit who expresses confidence about the outcome of this year’s premier event is talking through his hat. So closely is the field handicapped that just about every runner has some sort of chance. Ability over the 2 200m distance, […]
Fiona Macleod The Kruger National Park had an operating profit of more than R10-million last year and is performing better than ever before, says its director, David Mabunda. Mabunda released the financial results of the country’s premier game reserve over the past five years to the Mail & Guardian this week to counter hysteria about […]
Stephen Gray Malagasy writer Michle Rakotoson visited South Africa for the Time of the Writer Festival in Durban. She has written plays for her own theatre troupe, a novel and Dadab et Autres Nouvelles (1984), a collection of autobiographical and erotic pieces. You were representing Malagasy literature at the festival in Durban. Yes, and I […]