The Saturday Star (South Africa) back issues from January 2009:
NEW ZOO IN PILANESBERG; Feeding time is most definitely not for the squeamish, writes Jan de Beer.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Ever heard a kookaburra call? Probably not. Well, you now can experience this raucous sound - and much more - at Predator World, a relatively new privately owned zoo in the Pilanesberg, about 5km from Sun City. The kookaburra, for the uninitiated|(I was one before surfing the ...
If you're a busy BEE, the Omnia's an essential tool.(Life)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Before I was asked to test Samsung's Omnia SGH-i900 handset, I wasn't a fan of the touch screen generation of cellphones. All that has now changed. The SGH-i900 web browser is very impressive and user friendly. If you are a BEE type who spends most of your time dashing between ...
It's high tea and worms/at the Nellie.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Karen Watkins you, like me, may be under the impression that a tour with high tea and worms at the Nellie is the kind of things that tourists do. But no, our group of 20 were home-grown. And speaking of growing, the tour starts in the worm farm. While Mary ...
Dogs and cats suffer in credit crunch.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Candice Bailey Pets are also bearing the brunt of the financial downturn as more and more owners give up their pets as they tighten their belts. Branches of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal across the country say they've noticed an increase ...
The debate around Mbeki's Zimbabwe policy continues ...(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Dear Mukoni Ratshitanga Thanks very much for your letter "Just because you write it doesn't make it so" (December 27). I must agree with you from the outset that commentaries of whatever nature should be avoided in straight news reporting. When reporting the news, I prefer doing ...
It's tiny, cheap and sings for its dinner.(Life)
Jan 03, 2009 ... After a year of launches of uberphones doing everything from getting your email to playing your favourite DVDs, walking the dog and washing the car, Motorola snuck into the marketplace right at the other end of the spectrum. The Motorola W230, which emerged in the middle of the ...
White scores himself another trophy; Family politics doesn't stop Rugby World Cup-winning coach from marrying again.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Candice Bailey Rugby World Cup-winning coach Jake White scored again this week when he married multimillionaire wine estate and stud farm owner Lindy Taberer. But the celebration was marred by family politics, as only one of White's two sons was willing to witness the ...
A slow, moveable/FEAST.(Life)
Jan 03, 2009 ... After Durbs and Knysna, you can probably guess where the seasonal odyssey is headed next. This week we're on our way there and, quite literally, eating on the move. If you think I mean to review of airline food, I like your sense of humour and if you expected the Blue Train, I regret to ...
Conserve water and energy in your garden in 2009.(Life)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Kay Montgomery Water is a precious but scarce resource and should be used sparingly. With this in mind make 2009 a water smart year and an energy saving one. It is time to make the necessary changes. "Moving towards a green lifestyle is extremely trendy and it ...
Courage was her name.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Much has been written in the time since|Helen Suzman's death, and much more|still has to be written of her tireless and lonely fight as a well-to-do white woman|for the rights of all South Africans in a parliament which universally feared, if not actually loathed, her. She did ...
Matric exam results leave/a sour taste.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... It's that time of year again: when there's a pong from the dustbin bags piling up in the courtyard (because Pikitup's collections are erratic) and we get all agog about the matric results. In 2007, matric almost passed us by, because our son was already in varsity (he got five ...
A systemic crisis of dangerous/proportions; For education, nothing has changed. Except perhaps thecomplexion of the upper classes, writes Jonathan Jansen.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Your view on the 2008 matriculation examination results depends on where you stand. If you are a successful|pupil with a "B" designation, you are ecstatic because you are virtually guaranteed university entrance. Your parents are very happy and there are no protests against the school ...
1669000.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... The staggering numbers of DVDs of the hit movie Mamma Mia! that were sold in just one day in the UK. The film has now sold just over 4.7-million copies in the UK, making it the nation's biggest ever seller. The estimated cost of online crime in the UK last year. Soaring numbers ...
New Year drunk driving way down; But out-of-control doctortook out three police cars,writes Candice Bailey.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Just how widespread the scourge of drinking and driving is was illustrated on New Year's Eve when an off-duty police officer in full uniform was arrested for drunk driving. The officer, who was three times over the legal limit, was one of 20 people arrested in greater Joburg on ...
Seers say 2009 should be a very good year.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Thabiso Thakali This year is going to start with a battle for ANC president Jacob Zuma but end well, while former president Thabo Mbeki could undergo a spiritual rebirth - that's if predictions by two diviners are anything to go by. Sharing their predictions ...
'We'll do better next time...'; Pass rate way down informerly high-achievingSoweto school, writesThabiso Thakali.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... It's Tuesday morning in Senaoane, Soweto, the day the neighbourhood lets out its collective breath as the matric results are released. Sporadic cheers and laughter erupt from groups of pupils gathered inside the Senaoane Secondary schoolyard. The feeling here, as in many ...
100 years on, the ICC's woes just seem to get bigger.(Sports)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Stuart Hess Sydney Poor Dave Morgan and Haroon Lorgat, respectively the president and chief executive officer of the Inter- national Cricket Council, for they lead what is possibly the feeblest sports governing body in the world right now. With the exception ...
Smith has Punter gambling madly; Selection has been a hit-and-miss affair by Australia, and South Africa take that as a compliment.(Sports)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Stuart Hess Sydney Confusion over selection, a captain under pressure, and a coach and chairman of selectors feeling the heat: it could be South Africa in 2006. But this is Australia in 2009, and whereas Ricky Ponting was the one dishing out the pain three years ago, ...
Trojan horse gang robs old-age village.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Candice Bailey An armed gang held up a Joburg old-age home this week by pretending to be deliverymen. They conned the security at the Johannesburg Association for the Aged (Jafta) village in Rosettenville by arriving in a delivery truck. The guard allowed ...
All is calm, all is bright for SA.(Sports)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Stuart Hess Sydney Though the final Test of this series will have no bearing on its outcome, there are sufficient sub-plots on both sides to keep it intriguing. Much of those centre around the futures of the South African and Australian teams. For ...
Brit aces Federer.(Sports)
Jan 03, 2009 ... ABU DHABI, UAE - Briton Andy Murray continued his dominance over Roger Federer yesterday, beating the 13-time Grand Slam title winner 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals of the inaugural Capitala World Tennis Championship here. The fourth-ranked Murray improved to 5-2 over Swiss former ...
A pass for the wheelchair teen.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Among the matrics celebrating their results is paraplegic Thomas Dodds (18). Thomas was nine months old when a car crash left him paralysed from the waist down. But his determination to succeed saw him passing matric at Rondebosch Boys' High School in Cape Town. "I ...
Red-flagged Gauteng schools pull up socks.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... More than half of the 100 Gauteng schools that were shamed and red-flagged after their slew of poor matric results in 2007 have improved significantly. But there could be a new headache for the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) this year. Among the schools that had been ...
Rare Bugatti supercar found abandoned in dusty garage.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... An extremely rare 1937 Bugatti has been found in a garage in England and is expected to draw a record price when it is auctioned in Paris next month. The dusty but intact Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 ever made. It had a top speed of 209km/h at a time ...
Relief at teens' sea rescue; Cold, wet and dehydrated,but safe on dry land aftera 17-hour ordeal in theocean. Murray Williamstells the story.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Two Cape teenagers survived an extraordinary all-night ordeal on New Year's Eve after being blown out to sea in a boat - while their companions scuba-dived deep below them. Bradwell Europa (14) and Ferzel Sheriff (17) were plucked from the sea by helicopter on Thursday about 16 ...
Try a New Year's resolution that costs nothing: be nice.(Life)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Have you been getting that familiar smell recently? It's permeating the air quite heavily at the moment, that intoxicating whiff of New Year's resolutions (NYRs). According to one research study, the leading five resolutions are: l Getting fit l Losing ...
Matrics peek into the future.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Fiona Gounden The Mystic Sisters of Durban have been inundated by successful matriculants who are curious to know whether their chosen careers will prove to be successful. This week, the sisters, Mellissa and Jayshree Rabia Mallaya, had an interesting ...
Pregnant teenager dies two months after being set alight.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Nondumiso Mbuyazi A 19-year-old pregnant Durban woman, who was severely burnt - allegedly by her boyfriend - has died. Zanele Hadebe from Umlazi had endured excruciating pain for two months after her boyfriend, Sphesihle Meyiwe (26), allegedly poured 5 litres ...
Hot, hot, hot. Wet, wet, wet.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... GAUTENG: Partly cloudy and hot with scattered thundershowers. Expected UVB Index: very dangerous. MPUMALANGA: Morning fog patches along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with scattered thundershowers on the highveld. LIMPOPO: Morning fog patches along ...
KwaZulu Natal's year of storms and tornadoes.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Carvin Goldstone Storms, floods, tornadoes and weather conditions never before seen in KwaZulu Natal cost the provincial government close to R4-billion last year. But this estimate doesn't include the damage to agriculture, which is expected to boost this ...
Booze, beach are a bad mix.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Zara Nicholson Nearly 50 children went missing on Cape Town's crowded beaches on New Year's Day but they were all reunited with their parents, although some of them only hours later. Richard Bosman, head of the city's law enforcement, said that according to ...
Our triumphant cricketers set to catch a big-bucks bonanza.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Rodney Hartman South Africa's cricketers are laughing all the way to the bank - and it could get better. Their achievements last year, highlighted by the current Test series triumph in Australia, will impress their bank managers no end amid the gloomy ...
Cholera is under control in Gauteng, but caution is still vital.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Zara Nicholson No new cases of cholera have been reported in Gauteng this week, although two more cases were confirmed in Cape Town. The Gauteng Health Department is however still urging residents to practise proper hygiene, said health spokesperson Phumelele ...
HOW TO RECOGNISE IT.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... l The principal symptom of cholera is diarrhoea, which is watery and brown at first, then pale and very fluid. Unconsciousness and death can occur anytime from 12 to 18 hours afterwards, if water loss is severe. l Other symptoms include nosebleed, rapid pulse, dry skin, ...
Child and her aunt die as Ivory Park is hit by flash flood.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... BYLINE: Candice Bailey The body of a four year old girl has been discovered about a kilometre from her house after she was swept away by a flash flood in Ivory Park. Search parties will today continue looking for the body of her 33-year-old aunt, who was also swept ...
'We just prayed all night'; Cold, wet and dehydrated teens safe on dry land aftera 17-hour ordeal in theocean. Murray Williamstells the story.(News)
Jan 03, 2009 ... Two Cape teenagers survived an extraordinary all-night ordeal on New Year's Eve after being blown out to sea in a boat - while their companions scuba-dived deep below them. Bradwell Europa (14) and Ferzel Sheriff (17) were plucked from the sea by helicopter on Thursday about 16 ...
Pregnant.(Travel)
Jan 10, 2009 ... With only six weeks to go before baby's due date, this pregnant woman only had one thing on her mind. No, not cramming in more reading of Gina Ford or Baby Sense, but rather finding a romantic getaway destination. In the end we settled on Pringle Bay - close enough to home (only ...
Benoni dam's rampant hyacinth has local residents all choked up.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Sheree Bega It took almost a year for the Ekurhuleni metro to respond to warnings from local residents about the spread of an |invasive water hyacinth that has now choked up an entire Benoni dam. Large amounts of fish are said to have died because the aquatic ...
All geared up for learning, registered or not.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Thabiso Thakali Gauteng schools face an avalanche of pupils not yet registered when schools reopen next week. Authorities have admitted that |despite efforts to encourage parents to sign up their children during the period set for admission last year, a large ...
It's open season on rhinos; Authorities perturbed bydramatic poaching surge. Sheree Bega reports.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... At least 76 white and black rhinos were killed by poachers on South Africa's reserves, national parks and on private land last year,|illustrating the sudden bloody assault on the country's rhino populations - but the figure could be much higher. In the Eastern Cape, a rhino was ...
ARIES.(Entertainment)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Mar 21-Apr 21 (086 7133 501) Today: Your renewed desire for elevated status in the business sphere contributes to your mood and ability to use your time productively. This is a pretty good spell for doing things on a grand scale and reaping big rewards. Tomorrow: A ...
JASON WHO? Just ask The Stones.(Entertainment)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Adrian Thrills He has toured with the Rolling Stones and sold millions of albums around the world. His songs are so ubiquitous in the United States that they are now being covered on TV talent shows. In the UK, too, his fame is steadily growing. He played in ...
ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS.(Entertainment)
Jan 10, 2009 ... I'm Yours Originally featured on a 2005 EP, this has become Jason's signature tune. "I updated it because people went crazy for it on tour, jumping around and screaming whenever |I sang it," he says. FFFFF Lucky Mellow duet with female singer ...
PITY poor PeachesHer darling public has tired of her.(Entertainment)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Julia Molony Last year, in the absence of original stars, we made icons out of glorified groupies, of kids who claimed credibility through their bloodline, and whose talents seemed to be precocity and a few well-chosen clothes. The Geldof girls were centre stage, ...
Consumers heed calls for cash diet; South Africans spend more on value items as credit crunch hits home. Thabiso Thakali reports.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... South African consumers seem|to have spent money more cautiously over the recent holiday season. Although official figures depicting this new trend are yet to be released, four major retailers surveyed by the Saturday Star have indicated that consumers curbed their expenditure. ...
Not just a star but a/SUPERNOVA.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... It seemed appropriate to end a rather fraught 2008 with a mood-lifting culinary high. Holidaying in the Mother City before returning home, our choice of dinner venue was an easy one. A string of richly deserved awards while at |Bijoux and Le Provencal in Franschhoek, then at|the ...
Man wakes up /3 years later; But former coma patient manages with aid of sleeping pill.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Sheree Bega Louis Viljoen seems struck by disbelief as his doctor tells him he is the first person in the world to emerge from a three-year coma because of an ordinary sleeping pill. "Louis, you have opened the path for so many people in the world suffering from brain ...
Minimise any hail damage.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Joan Wright The season of hailstorms has arrived. What should you be doing in the garden in the aftermath of a severe hailstorm? l Rake up leaves and twigs on lawns and add to compost heap. l Pick ripe, bruised fruit and make jams and juice. ...
Take special care of your lawn this month.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Kay Montgomery It's midsummer and temperatures in the late 20s will have an impact on your lawn. What should you be doing? Here are a few tips: l Raise the cutting height of your mower by 25 to 50%. Longer grass encourages deeper roots and shades the soil ...
Home grown; Home planting is wildly fashionable this year. Kay Montgomery looks at 2009 trends.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Lifestyle trends forecasting guru, Dion Chang has just launched his annual Flux Trends for 2009 in which he has identified nine major macro trends for 2009. From a gardening perspective, it is fascinating to see the economic meltdown has resulted in many of the trends being linked to ...
The snobs are missing out on Honda's/excellence; The traditional German brands may be the top dogsbut it's not all about the badge, writes Brendan Seery.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... One of the saddest things in the motor industry is nameplate snobbery. And nowhere is it more apparent than in the executive sedan market, where the three premium German brands are top dogs. As long as your ride of choice has a Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi badge, you will not have ...
Mazda does all that it needs to, but in the end, what it lacks is soul.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... When I got to drive the little Mazda2 last year, I was sure that it was a hot contender for a Car of the|Year nomination. And it made me look anew at Mazda as a brand. The Mazda2 was funky in design, it was very good dynamically and it was car which stood out in the lower end of ...
Mixed fortune for Gauteng teams.(Sports)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Theo Garrun It was a case of close, but not close enough for just about all the Gauteng sides playing in the SA Schools water polo championships in East London during the holidays. Western Province cleaned up in all the divisions except two in the ...
Another Taiping Four gorilla dies mysteriously.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Sheree Bega Another of the world-famous Taiping Four gorillas, which became international symbols of the illegal trafficking of wildlife, has died mysteriously in its homeland of Cameroon, barely six months after the death of the group's eldest gorilla last year. ...
Electioneering season will be dotted with extremist rhetoric.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... However cynical one may be about politicians, they are a necessary evil. We cannot have elections without them, and elections are important for the health of any democratic polity. For that reason, we should take seriously the political beauty pageantry which will be |a feature ...
Shortage of district surgeons in KZN.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Nondumiso Mbuyazi KwaZulu Natal's scarcity of district surgeons has become a major concern for the provincial health department. According to KZN health spokesperson Chris Maxon, it is difficult to attract and retain district surgeons, particularly females, ...
A blind man who can 'see' shows we really do have a sixth sense.(Life)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Michael Hanlon For blind people to regain the power of sight usually requires a miracle - either of the biblical variety or the modern, medical sort. Yet an extraordinary case reported recently shows us there may be another form of miracle that can help the blind to ...
Cape Town reviews animal by-law after outcry.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Helen Bamford Restrictions on the number of pets allowed to be kept on a property are likely to be relaxed in the second draft of Cape Town's controversial animal bylaw. The second draft is expected to be released for public comment in March. ...
Smith's bravery evokes memories from way back when.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Rodney Hartman Graeme Smith's highly acclaimed bravery at the Sydney Cricket Ground recalled a Test match of immense valour and drama in South Africa in a bygone time. Over Christmas of 1953 there played out in Joburg scenes of such courage, heartache and ...
Roddick wins quality semi.(Sports)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Doha - Andy Roddick reached his first final since September when he carved a fine win in a high quality match against Gael Monfils in the semifinals of the Qatar Open yesterday. The former world No1 from the US also showed signs of evolving into a more measured and varied player during his ...
Benni, Black Label and a spliff to save Bafana this year.(Sports)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The New Year has dawned (well, it actually dawned several days ago, but excuse me for only just staggering out of my bedroom, hungover as hell, to write this column) and it's time for some star-gazing in a potentially |monstrous year for South African football. Okay, this year ...
Bolander Bekker shoots 65; Scot Drysdale in the lead but it's a nightmare for overnight leader Fisher.(Sports)
Jan 10, 2009 ... BYLINE: Grant Winter South Africa's Andrew McLardy apart, the first page of the leaderboard in the e1,1-million (about R14,5-million) Joburg Open last night had a distinctly unfamiliar look about it. Scotland's little-known David Drysdale leads on 11-under-par 131, ...
Zim trio deny bandit charges.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Lawyers representing three white Zimbabwean men detained in Harare and accused of "training bandits" have been denied access to their clients. Yesterday they tried in vain to seek an urgent High Court order for the men's release. The lawyers say their clients run adventure ...
Her mantra is quality. Her trouble is/criticism; Under fire over poor matric results,the minister claims standards are higher, writes Janet Smith.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Naledi Pandor laughed a little derisively about her "error". "I was |interested in quality," she said, "so when we moved to the national system in 2004 after I became education minister, there was an increase in the number of matrics and a demand for improvement in exams. That was my ...
Gauteng braces itself for holidaymakers' return; Province's road death toll lowest in years, but authorities plan to crackdown to keep it down. Thabiso Thakali reports.(News)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Traffic officials are bracing for increased traffic volumes and more fatalities this weekend as the last of the province's holidaymakers return home before schools reopen on Wednesday. Although five people were killed on the N1 highway near Sebokeng yesterday, this holiday ...