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Shaun Johnson: 'The making into a saint of human beings is very dangerous'

The subject was, unsurprisingly, Nelson Mandela and what has been a widespread deification of the great man's lifelong achievements.

Rachel Zadok: 'I was so angry at journalists and the media'

She says she still feels bruised by the whole affair. Publishing your first novel and finding it short listed for the Whitbread First Novel Award ought to have been an experience to cherish for Rachel Zadok.

Precious McKenzie: 'I thought, no way apartheid would end'

In one sense, at 4ft 9ins, there isn't a lot of Precious McKenzie. But it's a case of the old saying – there is more than meets the eye.

Philip Le Roux: 'I became disillusioned with commercial forestry'

Cape Town is not exactly short of decent views. But the vista from Philip Le Roux's office window is breathtaking. Laid out before him are the sumptuous gardens of Kirstenbosch and the mountains behind as a backdrop, as if in a painting.

Pam Golding: 'I have never felt that I wasn't one of the boys'

She glides serenely into the room, with the grace and elegance of a swan. But like the swan, you do not see the non-stop motion of the legs, propelling Pam Golding here, there, everywhere...

Sherylle Calder: 'When in South Africa we were isolated'

Imagine the fantasy of being the most successful sports person in the world.

Mike Miller: 'The biggest problem facing South Africa is the attempt at Africanisation'

The fund of goodwill and optimism for South Africa is felt right across the world.

Michael Lutzeyer: 'The benefits from the World Cup will last for decades'

It started with a simple camping trip to the Cape's Gansbaai region, back in 1991. Heiner Lutzeyer and his son Michael just wanted a few simple days resting and relaxing close to nature...

Melvyn Wallis-Brown: 'I'm horrified by the pain I inflicted on those fellows'

He lives in a Cape Town cottage built for officers before the Boer War. Perhaps not surprising then, that Melvyn Wallis-Brown revels in the subject of history, not least how it has underpinned the structure of his beloved Bishops school.

Margot Janse: 'Mandela still had that aura'

The important guests had arrived, 60 of them were in the restaurant. In the kitchen of 'Le Quartier Francais' at Franschoek, you could cut the tension, like a knife through butter.

Luvo Ntezo: 'I have achieved some things but... I would rather be better than the best'

Shootings, robberies, assaults: damaging levels of long term unemployment. Young people without jobs and with little hope...

Lungi Sisulu: 'It was pointless fighting and hating'

They came at three in the morning, their regular calling time. He still remembers the fear of a 5 year-old boy, awoken in the dark by the shouts, the barking of police dogs and the threats. "They would come barging in turning the house and our beds upside down, searching, always searching."

Louis Mzomba: 'The Government has to do something to make sure that when we teach these kids, proper learning can take place'

Louis Mzomba is a schoolteacher in South Africa. He’s a man in love with his job and his country but sometimes they make him cry. Take the case of Andile.

John Pilger: 'I have watched the political ground shift beneath my feet'

He has pursued almost a crusade, a missionary like zeal against the Western world, its inadequacies and corruptions, for almost 40 years. Few politicians of recent times have escaped the withering criticisms, the icy blast of his rhetoric. He once disparagingly called South African former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel "a long haired biker of the 1980s".

John Gainsford: 'When you are young, sometimes you get confused by the headlines'

Under the shade of a leafy tree, within a stone's throw of Newlands, his great old stamping ground, John Gainsford reflects on his life and times.

Career Services

Day In a Page

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'
Sellafield faces nuclear option as overspending threatens plant's future

Sellafield faces nuclear option

Overspending threatens plant's future
Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Tehran rejects Netanyahu's 'lies' after diplomats in India and Georgia targeted
Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time

Tommy Cassidy interview

Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time
James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea

James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea

Abramovich's visits to training reinforce the idea of a coach feeling pressure from above and below
The 10 Best sledges

The 10 Best sledges

Not all of them require snow...
Procrastination: Not now  – I'm busy

Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Confronting the real reasons for puttting things off can help us beat it
Fun in the sunset years

Fun in the sunset years

A new movie follows retirees moving to India for low-cost care and a culture of respect for the elderly. For many Britons, it's already a reality
Picture preview: Lucian Freud drawings

Lucian Freud drawings

Picture preview
Silent revolution at the Baftas as the French take top awards

Silent revolution at the Baftas

The Artist wins in seven categories, with Meryl Streep the other big success story
Whitney Houston: The diva who had – and lost – it all

The diva who had – and lost – it all

Nick Hasted charts the highs and lows of Whitney Houston's life
How Picasso won over (some of) the British

How Picasso won over (some of) the British

Winston Churchill and Evelyn Waugh hated his work, but Picasso provided inspiration for a whole generation of UK artists
Topshop: A Decade Of Design

Topshop: A Decade Of Design

When London Fashion Week starts on Friday, Topshop will celebrate 10 years backing its brightest young stars
John Prescott: 'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

At 73, John Prescott isn't mellowing. In fact he's taking a shot at becoming a police commissioner