Articles

Spot the difference: this is the first year that I’ve found the Harveya in a purple-blue colour way in Smithfield. The text books show a colour rather like a mix of these two, both of which were photographed in Smithfield this morning 21 October 2013. Johann Visser’s...

A POLICE officer arrests a grandmother for fraud. But the charges are trumped up to help his pal with a paternity dispute. The woman sues for wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution and the court awards her R75 000 in damages. By his actions the police officer –...

OF all the wicked money-making plans I’ve ever read involving corrupt cops, Andre Boshoff’s scheme ranks up at the top. A lieutenant-colonel in the South African Police Services with 24 years service he knew how the system works and how to make it work for him. First,...

YOU’VE heard her voice on the radio with her special arts programme – now we’ll be hosting her in Smithfield. Michele Constant, CEO of Business Arts South Africa is headed for Smithfield this weekend to help us plot the way forward for our Platteland Preview arts...

GODFATHER of our Platteland Preview arts festival, Ismail Mahomed, makes his first visit to Smithfield this weekend. Our festival is directly linked with the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown because we invite performers, on their way to Grahamstown, to stop off...

We knew we were on to a winner when we saw David Butler as Bram Fischer: he opened the Platteland Preview festival in June with the premier of ‘Fischer’ in English and won rave reviews from local audiences, not to mention the awards he’s picked up for the show since...

WHEN government officials promise to consult over crucially important matters can they be held to their word? Or may they renege with impunity? A recent series of court cases show these questions are not as easy to answer as you might hope. In May 2012 officials from...

Ludwig’s Bustards are notoriously shy. And with good reason – they need every strategy possible for the species to survive. Their status has recently been upgraded from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’ on the Red Data List of endangered species and it’s thought that their...

EVERY afternoon, when I take the dogs for a walk, we drive past a local junior school. For many months part of the grounds has been a bright green contrast to the wintry khaki-grey of the neighbouring veld. But the green isn’t healthy. It’s where sewer drains have...

HERE’S a health warning: this story is full of WTF moments, as social media would put it. But read on – at your own risk of apoplexy – for some stark light on why the Eastern Cape, that most disaster-prone of provinces, lives full-time in the dwang. First, meet...