COSATU Media Monitor II, 11 December 2009

A merger between Harmony Gold Mining Company and Pamodzi Gold Free State has been conditionally approved, the Competition Tribunal said on Friday.

The condition requires Harmony to adhere to the terms of an existing agreement that it entered into with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Solidarity, the tribunal said in a statement.

As a result of the provisional liquidation of Pamodzi Free State, there were job losses of approximately 3 000.

However, Harmony had an agreement with the NUM and Solidarity on the phased re-employment of 2000 people over the period of a year.

The tribunal said an objection had been lodged against the merger by Virgile Mining Corporation, on the grounds that Virgile's offer would not result in unemployment.

The Harmony offer would result in the loss of about 1 000 jobs.

In addition, Virgile argued that it was unfairly treated in the tender process.

The tribunal said it had invited Virgile to make oral representation at the hearing.

However, on Friday morning it received an email from Virgile CEO Hettie Fourie that the company would not be present.

"Harmony representatives advised the tribunal at the hearing that they had received notification from Virgile that they were no longer opposing the transaction," the tribunal said.

It said that in terms of the sale of assets agreements, Avgold intended to acquire the gold mining, processing and related business carried out by Pamodzi Free State under the name of President Steyn North Division, which included the operation of the North Steyn Shafts.

The President Steyn South Division would be directly acquired by Harmony and the President Steyn North Division would be directly acquired by Avgold, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harmony.

On completion of the transaction the business of Pamodzi Free State -- consisting of both the President Steyn south and north divisions -- would be controlled by Harmony and Avgold, the tribunal said. -- Sapa

1.2 Govt tackles teacher laptop initiative

By Audra Mahlong, IT Web, 11 December 2009

The Department of Basic Education will officially introduce its teacher laptop initiative and address all outstanding issues on the project.

The initiative, which was supposed to have been phased in from 1 July 2009, was only introduced at the end of August, following departmental delays. The project will be rolled out over a period of two years and all educators should be provided with laptops by 2011.

While certain aspects of the initiative are yet to be finalised, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) says it is pleased with the progress of the roll-out and hailed the project as an “achievement for the union”. “Our teachers will now receive subsidised laptops, which have far-reaching implications towards improving the quality of education. Our teachers will be able to access relevant information for teaching and learning, as well as their own professional development via the Internet,” says Sadtu.

Earlier this year, basic education minister Angie Motshekga said the department was engaging with Microsoft to extend the existing school-level arrangements to make available the resources for educators either at a lower cost, or at no cost to the department.

The department was also scheduled to publish lists of approved vendors once the initiative was gazetted, but had failed to do so by October. Teachers will not be able to acquire a computer from a company not approved by the teacher unions or the provincial education department on credit terms.

The initiative has been in the making since late last year, when it was announced at the social cluster directors-general briefing.

It gained prominence after the Department of Education snubbed a R330 million mobile computer deal with Rectron, which Sadtu nearly penned, to provide its 240 000 members with ultra-mobile low-cost notebooks.

Just before the end of her term as minister of education, Naledi Pandor gazetted the initiative. It would allow permanently employed teachers to be eligible for an allowance to purchase a laptop.

The programme would have provided a stipend of R195.83 per month, over 60 months, to more than 400 000 educators in SA, for a laptop package worth R11 750. President Jacob Zuma then dropped the monthly stipend to R130, over 24 months, with the revised package now being worth R3 120.

Minimum standards

According to the Government Gazette, every school-based educator employed in terms of the Employment of Educators Act and who occupies a permanent post would be eligible to qualify to participate in the initiative.

Following the gazetted terms, teachers will be expected to source the laptop packages, which meet the department's minimum requirements and conditions, on their own.

The laptops must have a 160GB hard drive, wireless LAN, Ethernet LAN and voice-fax modem Internet connectivity and a Windows XP, or higher, operating system.

The laptop must be loaded with Microsoft Office software, which will be available under a Department of Basic Education-Microsoft agreement to the teachers at a discounted price. The department will also provide content, such as a school administration package and national curriculum materials, which will also be installed on the laptop.

Each province determines its own roll-out programme, which may include issues such as the granting of subsidies according to seniority, availability of funds and any other factors. All provinces have warned educators not to rush out and buy laptops, but rather wait until their provincial education departments inform schools of their plans.

2.South Africa

2.1 'Polokwane unity unravelling'

The ruling alliance has witnessed the beginning of the "unravelling of the unity of the forces that made Polokwane happen", Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Friday.

"Comrades, we confront the challenge to understand the underlying reasons for this apparent rupture and it's ideological, national and class character," Vavi said in an address prepared for delivery at the SA Communist Party's second special national congress.

The alliance comprises the ANC, the SACP, Cosatu and the SA National Civics Organisation.

"Unity of the movement is a sacred objective that we should spare no energy to preserve and nurture.

"However, it is not unity for its own sake but to unite a broad range of forces to attain the goals of our struggle for fundamental change," he said.

Vavi said "nobody said it would be easy" and it would be "folly to abandon the ANC when we are confronted by contradictions".

"We persevered during the most difficult time in the post 1994 era. Why should we give up now?

"Leaving the ANC because we are upset by some problematic pronouncements from a minority is a betrayal of these masses that voted for fundamental transformation of society," he said.

He added that it was "false" to argue that common ground could not be established with "many of these comrades" since there were no "principled disagreements" about the organisations' goals.

"Our responsibility is to broaden the front of the forces who want genuine change whilst recognising that there is a tiny minority that only mouth empty rhetoric about change but whose agenda is to use the movement and positions for narrow accumulation and personal wealth," he said.

Vavi urged delegates at the congress to defend post-Polokwane gains and ensure their realisation.

Relations between partners in the ruling alliance were restored after former ANC president Thabo Mbeki was ousted at the party's 52nd National Conference in 2007.

He was replaced with current president Jacob Zuma, whose backing from the alliance partners helped secure his victory.

Recently the alliance partners have clashed on issues including the new administration's National Planning Commission, the purchase of flashy cars for Cabinet members and the unionisation of the military. – Sapa

2.2 ANCYL 'disgusted' by SACP

IOL, 11 December 2009

The KwaZulu-Natal ANC Youth League expressed "disgust" on Friday at the South African Communist Party delegates who booed its leader Julius Malema at a conference in Polokwane.

"The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal is disgusted by the arrogant behaviour of delegates at the South Africa Communist Party's special congress who booed and hurled insults at our president Julius Malema," provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said in a statement.

He said the ANCYL was starting to believe that the SACP was abusing its "renewed friendship" with the ruling party.

"Now that there is a culture of open debate within the ANC-led alliance, the SACP finds it correct to continuously insult any ANC leader who dares differ with their view."
Mtolo also "condemned" a statement by SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, who rejected the ANCYL's call for the nationalisation of mines.

"The ANC Youth League call for nationalisation of mines is not opportunistic, but is intended for the betterment of our people's lives," he said.

"The tendency of the SACP to always label those that oppose them with insulting terms shows that their debate is devoid of any logic. This is a clear indication that the culture of progressive politics has disappeared within the ranks of the SACP."

Mtolo said Malema attended the congress at the invitation of SACP leaders.

"His attendance was a sign of a comrade who was willing to participate in the SACP discussion to ensure that the alliance is able to strengthen its strategic objectives."

"As the ANCYL in KZN we will lead an open revolt against the SACP if they continue to insult our leaders. We further call upon the ANC leadership to intervene and call to order certain SACP members whose behaviour has become unbecoming," said Mtolo

Malema reportedly walked out of the conference on Thursday after being booed by delegates.

"I was unhappy with the delegates booing us when we were introduced," he told reporters afterwards, according to The Times newspaper.

"The environment is hostile and not conducive for persuasion because delegates have wrongly perceived ideas about the leadership of the youth league and the ANC.

"You invite people to your conference and then you just boo them and howl at them like that? We were humiliated in front of everybody," said Malema.

He later apparently asked ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, who is also the chairman of the SACP, to address delegates at an open session where the media was allowed.

The Star reported that Mantashe refused, saying Malema could address delegates in a closed session, but soon after it started, Malema stormed out.

He vowed to complain to President Jacob Zuma.

Malema said the delegates were "hostile" and he could not understand how they could boo him and ANC executive member Billy Masetlha, while a Standard Bank executive received a warm welcome.

"This is so shocking: that an alliance partner can be booed and monopoly capital in the form of Standard Bank can receive such a welcome by communists. This is a contradiction."

Malema recently angered the SACP by calling its deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin a "white Messiah" whose permission he did not need to call for the nationalisation of mines. - Sapa

2.3 Woman claims she's Hani's sister

By Andisiwe Makinana and Bronwynne Jooste, IOL, 11 December 2009

A DA claim that it helped repair the roof of slain SACP general secretary Chris Hani's sister has been challenged.

On Wednesday DA activists repaired the home of Elizabeth Nombaliso Bornside, whose house in Nyanga East was damaged by a storm two years ago.

But the SACP questioned Bornside's relationship to Hani. Provincial secretary Khaya Magaxa said he had heard only about Hani family members in Stellenbosch.

Even if Bornside was indeed Hani's sister, it would have been difficult for the party to help her as she had never asked for assistance.

Bornside said yesterday she was the eldest of the Hani siblings and came to Cape Town with her parents when she 12. The younger siblings, including Hani, stayed in Transkei.

Bornside, a great-grandmother, said she had been active in the struggle and Hani had visited her when he came to Cape Town to study law.

"When the police started looking for him, he just vanished and he sent a child with a message telling us not to be afraid," she said.

Bornside said she approached an ANC councillor the day after the roof was destroyed. She said promises were made but never fulfilled.

At a pre-election lunch in Nyanga, she said she "grabbed" DA leader Helen Zille "and told her nobody is doing anything for me. She promised to look after me."

Bornside challenged anyone who doubted her identity. "I know he was my brother. Anyone who says otherwise, can come to me; I have witnesses."