Sunday Times E-Edition

LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

Apartheid went by the board this week when 330 delegates of all races lived, ate and swam together at a smart White Durban hotel, venue of a giant congress on missions and evangelism. More than 700 delegates from the United States, Britain, Europe, Black Africa and South Africa are taking part in the congress, and the world-famous evangelist, Dr. Billy Graham, will address the delegates at the Central Methodist Church, Durban, tomorrow. The Athlone Gardens Hotel, perched on a small rise overlooking the Umgeni River, has been the scene of a major racial breakthrough. Delegates, more than half of them Black, have been given the freedom of the hotel — including the use of the bars and swimming pool. A Black minister from the Church of God, Johannesburg, told me: “It’s like a volcano that’s blown. We’re all together as equals.” — March 18 1973

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

This week, an upbeat Trevor Manuel, the Minister of Finance, presented his Budget to Parliament. Brimming with confidence after his strong showing at the ANC’s Mafikeng conference in December last year, he was on top of his game, smiling his way through hikes in tobacco and liquor taxes. Manuel’s confidence has been boosted by his rosy view of growth. Manuel was happy to pin his hopes on three percent for the 1998-99 financial year. But there remains a dark cloud over his economic landscape — the economy shows no signs of producing the jobs that are desperately needed to stave off poverty and mend the social fabric that was destroyed by apartheid. It would be fair to say that the phenomenon of jobless growth, which was at first a matter of curiosity, then a matter of concern, has now become a national crisis. — March 15 1998

Opinion

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2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

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