The Sunday Independent (South Africa) back issues from April 2008:
Law cracks down on squatter lords.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Donwald Pressly Cape Town Legislation has been tabled in parliament that prohibits the act of arranging the unlawful occupation of land or buildings, but also prevents evictions of unlawful occupiers before appropriate consultation has taken place and alternative ...
Letter: Misunderstandings over open-source software harm local IT industry.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... I am writing to appeal to you to correct some serious errors in the manner in which the speech of minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi at the Idlelo conference, as well as subsequent response to it, were covered. I am particularly referring to the opinion piece that was carried in Business ...
Expect a season of tough wage talks, say unions.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Wiseman Khuzwayo Johannesburg The season of wage negotiations between trade unions and employers has begun and indications are that unions have readied themselves to drive a hard bargain. Leading the strike force is the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union ...
Fresh approach in conservation reaps success.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Terry Bell Zambian-born Tony Blignaut and Lara Mostert, a one-time tourism student, can legitimately claim credit for virtually killing off the local trade in sometimes endangered primate species in order to stock a primate sanctuary they established in 1998 on 12ha of ...
'It is now or never for Doha trade talks'.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Wiseman Khuzwayo It was "now or never" to break the impasse in the Doha round of global trade talks, Robert Zoellick warned this week. The World Bank president said: "The poor need lower food prices now. But the world's agricultural trading system is stuck in ...
SA's corporate governance king feted by his alma mater.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... King was honoured on Thursday with the university's highest degree - an honorary doctorate of laws. "A committed South African, dedicated campaigner for justice, an accessible and selfless man, King is a graduate of whom Wits can be justifiably proud," said Loyiso Nongxa, ...
Funds can inject $30bn into Africa - Zoellick.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Wiseman Khuzwayo Johannesburg World Bank president Robert Zoellick this week outlined a plan for sovereign wealth funds to invest at least $30 billion (R234 billion) in sub-Saharan Africa. Zoellick said the World Bank was devising a "1 percent solution" for ...
The Bank of England sleepwalks into recession.(Business Report Weekend)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: bloomberg House prices have started the slow decline that was almost certain to happen. The pound is dropping and the confidence of consumers is in free fall. Some economists are starting to see recession as a possibility. If so, it would be the first time ...
Change the world? Now's your chance.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Jessica Williams wants to change the world. This is a task that she acknowledges in an understated way is "pretty difficult". But as this is the third edition of her book, there must be plenty of people out there with a similar goal. Her modus operandi is to attempt to change ...
Silicon Valley deals with the 'not all there' syndrome by enforcing 'topless' staff meetings.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Jessica Guynn As the birthplace of digital technology, Silicon Valley may have more gadgets per capita than any other place on the planet. Yet, even here, "always on" can be a real turn-off. Frustrated by distracted workers so plugged in that they tune out in ...
THE BEST FOR LESS; Holidays don't have to cost a fortune. Try out a boutique backpackers in Cape Town or hire an entire game lodge in Zimbabwe at an excellent price.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Zimbabwe Hire an entire game lodge or boat for R300 a person: Flame of Africa is offering Exclusively Yours holidays which allow you to book out an entire lodge or houseboat in the "golden triangle" of Hwange, Chizarira and Kariba for an exceptionally good price. You ...
Mystery that's ideal cult fare for Pynchon fans.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... The opening sentence of The Quiet Girl usefully equips the reader for the rest of the novel: "She Almighty had tuned each person in a musical key, and Kasper could hear it." The feminist slant on the Almighty is entirely in keeping with a novel in which the feminine principle is tirelessly ...
Sudan's lost boys found; Three indigenous black Africans from the Dinka tribe were between five and 10 years old when the war began. A new film charts their journey to the US, writes Maria Garcia.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... When Christopher Quinn set out for the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya five years ago, he was intent on finding a few Sudanese men who were about to become Americans. The men, known as "lost boys," escaped racial cleansing and genocide by travelling together, first to Ethiopia and then to ...
The wealth blueprint seminar; It's all about being aware of how you feel about money and changing your mind-set about wealth, Janet van Eeden writes.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... 'What I want people to understand is that wealth starts in the mind," says Bruce Muzik, a wealth-creation expert in South Africa to present seminars on creating your own wealth blueprint. "You have to create a mind-set with new beliefs. It all boils down to your thought processes. This is ...
International hunters wipe out Zim wildlife; Tourists visiting reserves find nothing but piles of stinking carcasses - and records of slaughter by excited shooters, writes Eleanor Momberg.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Wildlife populations in Zimbabwe are being annihilated by increasing numbers of international hunters killing large numbers of game during their safaris. The large-scale killing of elephants in Zimbabwe has again been highlighted - this time by South African tourists who visited ...
Daring to publish in a time of great turmoil.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Janet van Eeden "It is often said that, if we study history, we will avoid the mistakes of the past," says Irene Staunton, the Zimbabwean publisher. "But judging from the recurrent conflicts in the world, it is obvious that we don't avoid making the same mistakes. ...
Balanced chronicle of events in South Africa.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... To the point, direct, no flourishes or literary byways - if you are looking out for a snappy political history of South Africa over the past half-century, get hold of Gerald Shaw's book. That story - or much of its substance - is here for the reading. The text, prologue and epilogue are ...
Just say no.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... My husband calls it the "aisle of temptation". I think of it as the "aisle of torment". Of course, I am referring to that incredibly long passage, lined with every decadent food item that Oprah et al beg us not to eat, that shoppers must pass on their way to the till. It does ...
Shake, rattle and roll; Cycling the 'most dangerous road in the world' is not for the faint-hearted, but it is a picturesque and hugely exhilarating experience, writes Neil Coppen.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... When dealing with South American tour agencies, it is near impossible to separate misleading myth from verifiable fact with most setting out to entice tourists with their Guinness Book of Records-type checklists offering, more often then not, bogus and euphemistic claims. In ...
Wedding mania.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... The first day of our honeymoon was dismal. Sure, we were lounging about in our five-star hotel suite overlooking an azure ocean sipping on some Moet. But we couldn't escape the awful reality that our wedding day had come and gone. After months of dedicated planning and ...
Blues to soothe.(Life)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Eric Bibb - Get on Board At last! Some blues to soothe your soul. London-based Eric Bibb was born in New York on August 16 1951. His father was a folk singer in theatrical productions. His uncle is John Lewis - that's right, the pianist from the Modern Jazz Quartet. ...
It's the details that teach us a lesson in life.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... By far and away the two most engrossing films I have seen so far in 2008 - although I can't claim, of course, to have seen all the year's releases - are also the two most diametrically opposed movies imaginable.Yet both have war as a unifying theme. One is John Rambo, ...
Brilliant documentary may not appeal to all.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Jeremy Daniel As far as thrilling cinematic experiences go, it doesn't get much better than Zeitgeist at the Labia. But the evening didn't start out that way. Non-Capetonians be warned; arriving 10 minutes before a movie starts is, like, WAY early, bru. No ...
Confessional yarn makes remarkable film; Author Rayda Jacobs held tightly to the creative reins during the production of the film based on her semi-autobiographical novel, writes Mary Corrigall.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... One could be forgiven for thinking that Rayda Jacobs is a megalomaniac. It might not be unusual for a gifted scribe to script a film adaptation of one of her own tomes, but also to act in and be involved in directing and producing the film smacks of power-mongering or, at the least, is ...
The Tamils of Sri Lanka complain of government harassment and illegal abductions.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Emily Wax Under heavy tropical rains on a rutted country road, a bus packed with ethnic Tamil families screeched to a stop in Maha Oya in eastern Sri Lanka. At a heavily fortified government checkpoint, the families were ordered off the bus. They were asked ...
Land boom will change ancient ways on Nile island; Value of Tuti's real estate has surged as a 183m-suspension bridge linking it to downtown Khartoum nears completion, writes Edmund Sanders.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... The people of Tuti, a tiny, crescent-shaped island, have fought off invasions from mainland Khartoum for more than 700 years. Early settlers of Tuti, nestled at the confluence of the White Nile and Blue Nile, relied on the rushing river to fend off hostile tribes. As Khartoum ...
Trapido's sharp mind wooed many.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Ian Goldin and Megan Vaughan Stanley Trapido, one of the foremost historians of South Africa, died at the age of 74 in Oxford on January 12. He was a lecturer on the government of new states at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lincoln College. Trapido ...
Taking the toffee nose out of wine.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Young wine-maker dedicates himself to demystifying the drink and turning out a superb product Out in a Western Cape valley near Wellington this week, summer was still blazing on at 33 degrees. But nature cannot be fooled: the leaves on the vines were starting to transform into ...
Faith stands on her own two feet to show the way.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Michael Laris Faith was curled up on the carpet beside her agent, Mike Maguire, who kept reaching down to hand her pieces of his chicken sandwich. "What kind of dog is that?" asked Alicia Weedon, 16, the waitress. Maguire, a sports agent from Fairfax County, ...
Hamilton should leave his speeding for the track.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... With the battle of Bahrain looming, Lewis Hamilton served early notice of his plans to make world champion Kimi Raikkonen catch his dust in today's desert race. Hamilton was caught racing - again - in France on Monday. He was given a R6 000 fine. This is extremely worrying. As ...
Size does count, despite what they say.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Edwin Naidu Cape Town had never looked as good. The view from the seventh floor of the Light Box not far from the Waterfront was amazing. The local band Cassette may not have set the dance floor alight but they showed plenty of promise. They were energetic and vibey ...
Nissan drops no bombs to build its brand; The Qashqai is the latest offering from the company with a heart as big as its engine and the look, feel and drive to match, writes Edwin Naidu.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Apart from taking a fancy to the Nissan Exa many years ago, I had never cared for the Nissan brand until I met Carlos Ghosn, the company's dynamic chief executive. If ever there was a man at the helm of a motor company with an engine in his heart, it has to be Ghosn. ...
Blunt bites back: the singer answers his (many) critics; He's rich, famous, with a jet-set lifestyle and supermodel girlfriends to match. A shame, then, that James Blunt is dubbed the most hated man in pop, writes Esther Walker.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... It's pretty unfair, when you think about it, that so many people seem to harbour an irrational hatred of James Blunt. On paper, he's little more than a staggeringly successful, clean-living, middle-of-the-road singer-songwriter; a veritable angel, by the standards of his trade. ...
Commentators will ignore off-track antics.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Expect images of sheiks and plenty of sandstorms when Formula One in Bahrain takes to the airwaves on SuperSport on DStv this afternoon. As it is a Muslim land, the victors will not douse each other in champagne. Off the track, there is even more drama. But the ...
Old trick doesn't fly in gimmicky thriller.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Vantage Point reduces global terrorism to a Rubik's cube suitable for an evening's entertainment. If that doesn't make you vaguely ill, by all means take this thriller for the shallow, gimmicky "ride" it aspires to be. The gimmick in question is the old Rashomon trick - ...
Don't drown your sorrows in water, say the experts.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Jeremy Laurance It has become a deeply entrenched belief among the public - drink at least eight glasses of water a day to maintain health and well-being. Bottled water companies often repeat the claim to boost their sales, but it is bunkum. There is no ...
Economic recession hits US in its gut; A record 28 million Americans will soon be relying on food stamps to survive, writes David Usborne.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... We knew things were bad on Wall Street, but on Main Street it may be worse. Startling official statistics show that as a new economic recession stalks the United States, a record number of Americans will shortly be depending on food stamps just to feed themselves and their families. ...
Classic fM soiree.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Feed your senses next Sunday, April 13, enjoying the soulful sounds of Wouter Kellerman at one of the popular Classic fM soirees. A three-course culinary feast will accompany the mesmerising sounds of flute, guitar and percussion blended with the art ...
Electromagnetic devices a possible threat to invertebrates.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Eleanor Momberg Getting people to be more aware of bugs and other creepy crawlies in our gardens, and their role in the cycle of life, is a challenge most entomologists face. Thus one did not expect the overwhelming response to the South African Invertebrate ...
Let's get past our petty squabbling.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... I have read with interest and amusement the ongoing saga on the Cuito Cuanavale battle. Obviously the cardinal point is that the white South African establishment and particularly the military hawks learnt that the black resistance could shoot back. Why are so many of our white ...
Let us not forget thosewho worked for peace.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... I must express my disappointment with The Sunday Independent for having given so much space to hard-boiled military veterans who fought an illegal war of aggression in Angola against Swapo's liberation struggle, and who now boast about the South African defence force's superior weaponry ...
Tibet bleeds, while the ANC betrays principles.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... I agree with the statements made by the Tony Leon, DA spokesman on foreign affairs, condemning the ongoing persecution in Tibet. But the silence from our government on this topic is almost deafening. Since the invasion, the mainland Chinese government's treatment of the Tibetans ...
A 'world-class city' wouldbe far better run than this.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... What words can describe what we citizens who pay our taxes are having done to us? l We received our rates statement in the new format. However, I saw that the deposit that had been shown on all previous statements was missing. I e-mailed the Jo'burg city council ...
Use of k-word by blacksis a healthy progression.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Patrick Laurence's article "Let's clean up our language with true meanings" (March 30) refers. The k-word debate is informative as a barometer of the progress of our country towards a deracialised future, the dream many of us have committed our lives to. Is it ...
Tiger's on the prowl again; Historically SA golfers have done well at Augusta National but Woods is still the man to beat in the 72nd Masters beginning on Thursday.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... Consider this: In the last eight US Masters, South Africans have finished second five times which is a pretty impressive record. Ernie Els was runner-up to Vijay Singh in 2000, before losing by a shot to Phil Mickelson in 2004 following one of the most thrilling back nine ...
Mugabe's megalomania a lesson for SA; Zimbabwean president's absolute abuse of power proves that too much of a good thing corrupts.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Patrick Laurence The pending political demise of President Robert Mugabe, foreshadowed by the defeat of his ruling party in the March 29 parliamentary election and his second place in the presidential race, is a time for celebrations by his many adversaries and ...
This 'No 1 ladies' news agency' provides online service to 5 000.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Charlene Smith It's amazing what three women and a computer can do. One of the most potent forces against Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has been three women working from offices in their garden. Already it is clear that the Movement for Democratic Change ...
Door slams on young Chinese critic; Hu Jia has conducted a campaign against Beijing's abuse of human rights. This week he was jailed.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Clifford Coonan The door to Hu Jia's apartment was always open to fellow Chinese who shared his desire for greater freedom, foreign friends or activists with issues to discuss. But it was always a question of when, not if, the Communist Party would lock up Hu, China's ...
Cuba removes many of its oppressive restrictions.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Leonard Doyle Washington - After decades of being browbeaten by Communist state-run television, a new 24-hour channel with foreign content is being offered to Cuba's television viewers, many of whom were so bored they had turned off their sets years ago. It's ...
American civil rights leader's last years spent under siege; Martin Luther King faced enormous pressures across the political spectrum towards the end of his life.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Kevin Merida Near the end of his life, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr - assassinated 40 years ago this week - felt cornered and under siege. His opposition to the Vietnam War was widely criticised, even by friends. He was being pressured both to repudiate the black ...
'Drip, drip, drip' as votes leak from Clinton's tap.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Peter Nicholas Washington - Nearly three weeks remain before the next Democratic primary, but the results are rolling in from another part of the presidential contest - and they signify trouble for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Democratic Party officials and ...
National wellbeing study first of its kind in country.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Clinton Wittstock Don't be surprised if people dressed in black caps, wearing identity badges and carrying medical equipment come knocking on your door. "We're running the country's first-ever national panel study," says Sihaam Nieftagodien, the project ...
Sinister plans to shut down the space for open debate.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Helen Zille Last weekend it was reported that ANC president Jacob Zuma believed in the need to debate "anything" as widely as possible - even politically correct sacred cows - as this was the essence of democracy. Of course this did not stop Zuma from turning ...
Networking sites expose youngsters to danger: report.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Paul Revoir Parents are alarmingly ignorant of the danger posed to millions of girls by social networking websites, a report reveals. A study of sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace shows that children using them can be at great risk from paedophiles and ...
Beware of compromising privacy.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... When her 14-year-old daughter joined Facebook, Jane Tharby thought it was harmless fun. Ami was a sensible girl who was doing well at school, so her mother assumed she would not take unnecessary risks. It was only when the 36-year-old part-time teaching assistant joined the ...
Can Mugabe resist taking his revenge?(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... What we are seeing in Zimbabwe are the political death throes of a despicable tyrant. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has won Zimbabwe's presidential election and his Movement for Democratic Change has won control of the country's parliament, though both sides are contesting the ...
Pole Kubica flies to desert pole; Fast and furious final lap denies Ferrari's Massa, who set a blistering pace in Friday's practice, the top spot.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Reuters Poland's Robert Kubica took his and BMW Sauber's first Formula One pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday. The 23-year-old from Krakow denied Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa the top spot with a final flying lap of one minute 33,096 seconds ...
Electric cars with sex appeal here soon; 2010 brings not only the soccer World Cup but the introduction of fast cars that don't consume a fortune in petrol and don't pollute.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Eleanor Momberg South Africa's first electric vehicle is due to be on sale by 2010. The vehicle, being developed by Optimal Energy, a Cape Town company, has been under construction for the past two-and-a-half years. Its development was supported by a R50 ...
Rumbles from a hungry world; Food prices are being driven beyond the reach of many by the inability of farmers to produce enough for all, writes Jeremy Gordin.(Dispatches)
Apr 06, 2008 ... It looks as though it's time to dig up the garden - if you have one - and plant some veggies and maize. But it might not be as easy as that to fill your stomach and those of your loved ones. The world is facing a food crisis because of soaring prices. In some places, especially ...
Zim spy services must stop acting as hired muscle for Zanu-PF.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... When, and if, Zimbabwe emerges from its Robert Mugabe era, its first and toughest reconstruction job will be reorienting the security forces, especially the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). These poor men and women in their cheap, oversized suits have long forgotten the ...
Fraudsters sheltering in public-sector institutions.(News)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Siyabonga Mkhwanazi The Public Service Commission (PSC) has warned the government that it might be employing several fraudsters because of weak internal checks. This follows the failure by most government departments to verify the qualifications of their ...
Chiefs ready to stalk the Birds.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Paul Martin A bagfull of goals will allow the smile to return to the face of Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral, when the Amakhosi take on Moroka Swallows in an Absa Premiership match at Olympia Park in Rustenburg today (3pm kick-off). But the experienced ...
Farewell Super Saturday.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... So, South Africa bid a sad farewell to Vodacom Super Saturday yesterday morning, one of the country's most popular sports magazine shows bowing out after being on the air - in different guises - for a decade. Some 15 guests were on the show, and then around 40 rocked up for the final ...
Former cricketer Tindall faces Sunshine Tour challenge.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Golf Correspondent Respected businessman and former provincial cricketer Gareth Tindall has been appointed as the new commissioner of The Sunshine Tour. Tindall, formerly the CEO of Hertz Southern Africa, will take over from Johan Immelman on May 1, 2008. ...
United can count on Poggenpoel.(Sports)
Apr 06, 2008 ... BYLINE: Paul Martin Expect SuperSport United midfield kingpin Shaun Poggenpoel to be a marked man when log-leaders look to continue their winning streak at the expense of AmaZulu in an Absa Premiership fixture at the Princess Magogo stadium near Durban today (3pm kickoff). ...