The president should concentrate less on what the media has to say, writes Anthony Holiday In the ancient Greek myth the beautiful youth, Narcissus, stares fascinated at his image reflected in a deep pool of water, until he tumbles in and drowns. It would, perhaps, be an exaggeration to allege that President Thabo Mbeki is […]
South African and African nine-ball champion Dino Nair “Dino-mite” to his friends will compete against 127 of the world’s best pool players for $300 000 in Cardiff later this month at the world nine-ball championships, writes Ntuthuko Maphumulo. Nair said: “I intend to win in Wales as it will be my first nine-ball international tournament […]
Fiona Macleod’s article entitled “Zulus take up spears for wildlife” (June 22 to 28) is a welcome look at some of the issues surrounding the growing involvement of rural people in wildlife conservation and tourism. The article contains a basic flaw, along with omissions and inaccuracies that need to be noted. It argues that the […]
Agnes Phiri (24) dreams of becoming an Olympic champion in showjumping, writes Ntuthuko Maphumulo. She has made the leap into the professional ranks of the elite sport thanks to a sponsorship that will allow her to focus full-time on riding. Phiri’s love for horses began after she moved from Alexandra township to live with her […]
channel vision Robert Kirby With the Wimbledon finals upon us it is interesting to reflect on what might be called the hidden statistics of professional tennis. Two Dutch academics from Tilburg University have been doing this, basing their results on the analysis of some phenomenal number of points played at Wimbledon 88 883, to be […]
A challenge for the medical profession over Mhlongo’s stance on Aids crossfire Janet Giddy Professor Sam Mhlongo, Aids dissident, is surprised that he is the only doctor among 30 000 South African doctors who questions the belief that HIV causes Aids or that Aids exists. His explanation is that he had the benefit of a […]
As more recipients of luxury cars from arms contractors are being exposed, a corruption-busting ANC MP writes about his experience on Parliament’s public accounts committee comment Andrew Feinstein In late 1998 the South African government concluded the procurement of armaments from a variety of European arms manufacturers to the value of just more than R30-billion. […]
Shirley Kemp Traditionally the retail sector has reacted strongly to changes in the interest rate. Driven by a combination of factors, in the past when interest rates went up, retail shares fell and when interest rates came down, retail came back into favour. The declines in the prime interest rate after its high of 25,5% […]
CD of the week Herbert:Bodily Functions Matthew Krouse Matthew Herbert’s genius is of a low key. As a bunch of love songs, Bodily Functions (Studio K7) talks for everyone. It says all the things one would want to say to one’s crush, the things one is too shy to articulate. Beneath its quiet and melodic […]
Harry Viljoen and his henchmen need to do a thorough rethink of South African rugby comment Neil Sonnekus Back in the Sixties a rand could buy you a pound and a player like flyhalf Keith Oxlee was a legend. He was part of the Springbok rugby team, whose two main characteristics were that they had […]
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 […]
Worm’s Eye view Steven Friedman Is it possible that our representative democracy will one day allow people to be represented? The possibility was raised by an unexpected remark from President Thabo Mbeki in Parliament a few weeks ago. In response to a question, he suggested that the current system for choosing MPs and provincial legislators […]
SOCCER Ntuthuko Maphumulo The sought-after kudu-horn trophy will be at stake in the Vodacom Challenge this weekend in Durban. The final will be between defending champions Kaizer Chiefs and Asante Kotoko, who have twice been African champions and have won a record 19 Ghanaian championships. The war of words began this week. Chiefs owner Kaizer […]
Christina Scott It’s money. No, it’s art. Wait it’s pint-sized propaganda! And you used to think a postage stamp was just something that made envelopes fly to their destination, didn’t you? Welcome to Washington’s latest exhibition of ephemera: Stamp Collecting Imaging South Africa. Here every picture tells more than one story. Appropriately enough, 8000 stamps […]
A 14-year-old was told her alleged rapists would go free because she drank a can of cider one of the men gave her Charlene Smith The Welkom Magistrate’s Court is ignoring legislation that states alleged child rapists should be denied bail because “lots of these children are liars, some of them make up stories, drink […]
THE Zimbabwe government on Tuesday sacked the governing body of the country’s Grain Marketing Board (GMB) in a bid to ensure food security, Lands and Agricultural Minister Joseph Made said on Tuesday. Made said the move was to allow the government to be directly involved in the operations of the parastatal which is responsible for […]
AT least 10_250 workers in the timber industry will lose their jobs if the government goes ahead with its planned compulsory acquisition of forest plantations for its land resettlement programme, the Zimbabwe Standard reported on Tuesday. The Zimbabwe Timber Producers’ Federation (ZTPF), which contributed significantly to Zimbabwe’s industrial output last year, has registered its displeasure […]
THE Nigerian government Tuesday announced the names of 16 prospective bidders for a majority stake in its state-run telecoms company, Nitel, drawing an instant denial from France Telecom. The government privatisation agency, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), in a formal statement given to reporters, named France Telecom and firms from Egypt, Korea, Malaysia and […]
NIGERIAN police on Tuesday shot dead a suspected armed robber, and a mob set ablaze and killed five of his colleagues after they failed in their attempt to rob a bank, Lagos police boss said. The six were a part of a 14-man gang which had attempted to rob a bank at noon in central […]
PRESIDENT Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arrived in Dar Es Salaam on Tuesday for unprecedented talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, who has troops backing rebels in the DRC. On Wednesday, he is due to have his first meeting as head of state with Museveni. – AFP
PRESIDENT George W. Bush on Tuesday announced he had picked career diplomats Robert Geers Loftis and Michael Malinowski as US ambassadors to Lesotho and Nepal, respectively. Both nominations require US Senate confirmation. Loftis has held the post of deputy chief of mission in Maputo since 1999, while Malinowski has served as Deputy Chief of Mission […]
SWAZILAND sugar tycoon Dumisa Dlamini has filed papers with the Pretoria High Court to sue Absa Bank Limited for over R120-million for the collapse of his hotel empire in South Africa. In court papers filed on June 27, Dlamini claims that Absa debited R12,7-million from his account without authorisation. The bank is also accused of […]
GERMAN Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and South African Vice President Jacob Zuma met in Berlin on Monday to discuss bilateral relations and developments in the southern Africa. Zuma said he was “very satisfied” by the talks and expressed satisfaction with Germany’s efforts to support the Millennium Africa Recovery Programme (Map) to address the continent’s gravest […]
THE tomb of a priest who served under an Egyptian pharaoh has been found outside the Egyptian capital of Cairo, antiquities officials said on Tuesday. The tomb in Abu Sir, Giza belongs to a priest named “son of Amon” who led the worship of Ptah, a deity of Memphis viewed as creator of the universe […]
SWAZILAND authorities have been urged to shed an age old tribal custom that discriminates against widows. The custom forces widows to wear distinctive black gowns for two years and ostracises them from society. Widows have to sit at the back of public transport buses and churches so as not to cast the ‘shadow of death’ […]
NORTHERN Province’s Elim Hospital, which has earned an international reputation over the past 100 years for its community work and eye treatment, has been revamped at a cost of R14-million. The new hospital complex, called the Centenary Building, was officially opened in Elim outside Louis Trichardt on Tuesday. Until the early 20th Century, Elim Hospital […]
MALAWIS President Bakili Muluzi on Monday ordered the release of 880 prisoners convicted of minor offences. “You are here to be reformed and not to be punished,” Muluzi said when he visited Zomba prison, the biggest in the country, situated about 60 kilometres outside Blantyre. He explained that the gesture was to mark Malawi’s Independence […]
THE Land Claims Commission has moved its offices to Northern Province and Mpumalanga in a bid to speed up the processing of about 11_000 land claims that have been lodged in the region since 1996, African Eye News Service reports. An additional commissioner has also been appointed to help speed up the process. Before, only […]
THE head of the west African regional grouping Ecowas, Lansana Kouyate, is a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity, his representative said on Monday. “His candidature for the … top job has been approved by Guinean President Lansana Conte,” said Mohammed Diakite, adding that the OAU secretariat in […]
SEVER flooding has claimed 22 lives and driven about 1,000 people from their homes in the Cameroon coast town of Limbe, local officials said on Monday. Heavy rains have struck a number of west African countries, causing floods in low-lying districts and claiming several dozen lives, according to reports across the region in the past […]
THE White House on Monday announced President George W. Bush’s picks for US ambassadorships in Madagascar, the Central African Republican, Cameroon, and Ecuatorial Guinea. If confirmed by the Senate, Wanda Nesbitt will go to Madagascar, Mattie Sharpless will be off to the Central African Republic and George McDade will represent Washington in Ecuatorial Guinea and […]
A REBEL leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday said more than 100_000 refugees from the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) were in urgent need of help. “More than 100_000 Central Africans” have crossed the Oubangui river into areas in northeast DRC controlled by the Congolese Liberation Front (FLC), said the rebel […]