COSATU Media Monitor, 10 February 2012

Cosatu on Thursday said it was outraged by the alleged announcement by the Seardel group which “threatened to close a number of companies” that would effectively put hundreds of workers out of a job.

“Seardel as a group has taken millions of rand from government programmes to shore up their company and they were meant to restructure the operations and make it more effective. The money seems to have been pocketed as the cars and bonuses of directors are as extravagant as always and the companies are still struggling,” it said.

Cosatu called on the unions and the workers to resist the attempts to close the companies, and said it would do all it could to assist them in the process.

“Often companies who manufacture here close down their companies and then import the products from China and they just sew the Proudly SA label into the clothing. This gives them a chance to sell cheap Chinese imports and make super profits,” the union said. - I-Net Bridge

1.2 133 mineworkers released on free bail

Boitumelo Tshehle, Sowetan, 10 February 2012

More than 100 Impala Platinum mineworkers charged with public violence were yesterday released on free bail by the Bafokeng Magistrate's Court in North West.

Bail was originally set at R500 but magistrate Thandiwe Raikana had to release the accused on warning after they pleaded with her that they could not afford the amount.

The case was postponed to March 8.

The mineworkers, 133 in total, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with acts of public violence at Implats, which had dismissed 17,200 striking platinum miners after they engaged in an illegal strike.

The strike started on January 12 when 5,000 rock drill operators downed tools over wages. The drillers were summarily dismissed.

On January 27 another 12,200 workers were dismissed for downing tools in solidarity with the fired drill operators.

National Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said miners can now go back to their work.

"Impala has basically agreed to take back the workers if they are willing," Seshoka said.

He said about 4,500 workers reported for work yesterday morning. A meeting between management, workers and the union is scheduled for today.

1.3 Satawu: We're not to blame

Olebogeng Molatlhwa-Molatlhwao, Sowetan, 10 February 2012

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union says it cannot be held responsible for damage caused by its members during a strike in Cape Town five years ago.

Satawu is appealing an initial ruling by the Western Cape High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court of Appeal that it was liable for damages caused by its members during the strike.

Security guards caused havoc in the streets of Cape Town while marching during a wage increase dispute in 2006.

Satawu's legal counsel, Wim Trengrove, SC, argued that his clients did not object to being held liable for any damage caused to goods belonging to vendors on the day of the strike, provided the union was proven to have been "negligent" in organising the march.

He said this was not the case.

"The union is not here today to say they should not be blamed for any damage they were proven to be responsible for. What they object to is being made liable for damage even in the instance where they were not responsible," Trengrove said.

In 2006 Satawu was hauled before the high court by eight respondents who claimed their goods were damaged by the protesters. Two of the respondents, Jacqueline Garvis and Thuraya Naidoo - a street vendor and flower seller, respectively - sued the union after claiming to have suffered financial losses to the tune of R3805 and R6687.50 respectively.

Supported by then minister of safety and security Charles Nqakula, the vendors launched their court action in terms of the Regulation of Gatherings Act.

The act allows for riot damage to be claimed against an organisation that stages a gathering. But the organisation would escape liability if it proved it did not "commit or connive at the conduct causing the damage, the conduct in question does not fall within the objectives of the gathering or demonstration concerned, was not reasonably foreseeable and that the organiser took all reasonable steps within its power to prevent the conduct in question".

The Constitutional Court reserved judgment yesterday.

1.4 Satawu: Union not liable for damage

IOL, 10 February 2012

If the necessary steps were taken to prevent harm during public protests, the organisers should not be held solely liable for damage, the Constitutional Court heard on Thursday.

Arguing an application by the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu), for leave to appeal an earlier judgment on damages, Wim Trengove said the law set out that liability was premised on reasonable steps being taken to avoid unforeseeable harm.

He told the court that “reasonable” by its nature, could never be inclusive of all the risk attached to a protest. The nature of a protest was to air grievances, and it was a confrontational and often explosive act.

Satawu went to the Constitutional Court to challenge a recent high court ruling that held it responsible for damages caused during a march in Cape Town. The ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Satawu contends that parts of the legislation regarding the wording regarding freedom of assembly is unconstitutional.

Trengove questioned whether a protest against racism through the town of Ventersdorp should be cancelled - a violation of the right to protest - if there was a direct physical threat from members of right wing organisations.

He said a union could bring in more people to maintain calm and also rely on police support, but it could not absolutely promise that the march would remain peaceful.

“Sometimes... despite reasonable steps... the threat of harm remains,” Trengove asserted.

He conceded that a union was liable in some instances where it acted unlawfully, however this could not be the case where it did not “knowingly cause” harm.

“The union is not at fault, the perpetrators are... the legislation is poorly and sloppily drafted,” he said.

The union, being supported by the Congress of SA Trade Unions, feels the legislation imposes undue responsibility on the organisers of a gathering. It holds that this is undemocratic in that it limits protest, which is often the only way people can make their voices heard. It argues that organisers will be too afraid to organise a gathering for fear of consequences over which they have no control.

The City of Cape Town joined the matter as an intervening party. It supports the eight respondents, who include street vendors, shop owners and car owners.

The Freedom of Expression Institute was admitted as a friend of the Court. - Sapa

1.5 Temp teachers desert classes

Zandile Mbabela, Sowetan, 10 February 2012

While Eastern Cape education department met with Treasury to discuss the financial implications of the reinstatement of thousands of temporary teachers, Sadtu-affiliated teachers abandoned classes to attend another union meeting.

Despite an agreement for teachers to return to class after the department caved in to pressure from Sadtu and agreed to reinstate 4000 temporary teachers - putting an end to the go-slow - pupils were left to their own devices yesterday as teachers went to hear details of the agreement.

Pupils had to make do without teachers as they gathered to "officially" hear about the agreement between the unions, MEC Mandla Makupula and Premier Noxolo Kiviet.

1.6 Union slated for threatening go-slow

Leanne Jansen, Mercury, 9 January 2012

The Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools has lambasted the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in KZN for threatening a two-week go-slow, which would culminate in the “mother of all marches” at the end of the month.

Federation CEO Paul Colditz said that the intended mass action was “deplorable”, and that the children of the working class would be most affected.

Sadtu is demanding that the provincial Education Department sack 10 000 teachers affiliated to a rival union; that the department “dissolve” its legal unit; and that 60 000 Sadtu members be refunded money that was docked from their salaries for participating in a strike in 2010. However, education superintendent-general Nkosinathi Sishi said that he and MEC Senzo Mchunu were to meet Sadtu last night.

The 10 000 teachers who Sadtu want fired belong to the National Teachers Union (Natu). According to a Durban Labour Court decision upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeal, the department was ordered to reimburse thousands of Natu members who claimed not to have participated in the 2010 strike.

Sadtu, however, argues that the Natu teachers had an unprotected strike and should be fired.

Meanwhile, Cosatu confirmed yesterday that Sadtu would join its marches against labour broking and e-tolling in KZN on March 7.

1.7 No good news on jobs

Penwell Dlamini, Sowetan, 10 February 2012

The South African economy created 450,000 jobs last year. But 40% of these jobs came from the public sector, a trend experts say is not good news.

At the height of the global recession in 2008-09, South Africa lost a million jobs. This put pressure on the country's economic recovery path to create more jobs.

According to Stats SA, in the fourth quarter of 2011 the unemployment rate dropped to 23.9%.

A total of 179000 jobs were created in the last quarter of 2011.

This supported the belief that the economy rebounded late last year and was likely to record a GDP growth rate of 3.1%, year-on-year for the year.

Since coming into office, President Jacob Zuma promised that his administration would give job creation a priority, even promising 500000 jobs in his first speech.

But there have been various factors impeding the government's ability to create jobs.

Richard Pike, CEO of Adcorp Holdings, said the first challenge was that the economy was very uncertain at the moment.

"There is just too much uncertainty locally and globally. With what is happening in Europe, that sort of hangs over our head.

"Closer to home, there are fundamental problems. Labour has become an unattractive option.

"Wage inflation has gone above productivity gain.

"We have had a lot of militant strike action. Labour has become expensive. Also, if you look at our labour regulations, it is quite restrictive.

"It prices people out of the market and it makes it difficult to dismiss people for poor performance.

"We have grown the economy but we have not grown jobs. It turns to be a global phenomenon. Even where you have economic growth at the moment, we are not seeing growth in employment. That is because of the structural reasons I spoke about.

"We need faster economic growth. We need to grow at a rate of about 6% to 7% to create the jobs at the scale that we need.

"There is no problem with increasing wages, as long as it is coupled with productivity improvement.

"What we have seen is that the wage inflation goes up and productivity is on the decline," Pike said.

2. WFTU Presidential Council

2.1 Affiliates put Cosatu under pressure

Kingdom Mabuza, Sowetan, 10 February 2012

The Congress of SA Trade Unions is set to ditch the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

Cosatu is under pressure from some of its affiliates to disassociate itself with the confederation, which is seen to be anti-workers.

Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini told the union's presidential council in Johannesburg yesterday that Cosatu would hold discussions about forming a relationship with the WFTU.

Cosatu's affiliates - Nehawu, Numsa, Ceppwawu and Popcru, who are against ITUC's political outlook - are members of WFTU and they are hosting the WFTU presidential council.

Sowetan understands that the four unions are lobbying other Cosatu affiliates to support a resolution in September, when Cosatu hold its congress, for the federation to cancel its membership of ITUC and join the WFTU.

Dlamini told the council that Cosatu would hold discussion about the type of a relationship the federation would have with WFTU.

"We (Cosatu) will be entering into a discussion about the type of a relationship we must have with the WFTU and how such a relationship can take forward our commitment to achieve unity between the WFTU and the ITUC," Dlamini said.

"It is a known fact that we share similar ideological perspectives on what should be the solution to almost all the political and economic challenges."

He said it was unacceptable that out of the seven billion people occupying the planet more than 925 million remain hungry without hope of any improvement.

"In 2008, when the economic crisis was mildly reported, it was said that during that period food prices increased and the spike pushed around 100 million extra people into poverty," he said.

"It is us who must stand up and put a stop to the fact that these high levels of global poverty and unemployment coexist with high levels of accumulation which continues to happen at the expense of the working class."

SACP general secretary and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande is expected to address the council today.

2.2 Global socialism needed to solve crises, Cosatu tells union conference

Alistair Anderson, Business Day, 10 February 2012

Sidumo Dlamini, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), believes his union can take advantage of economic problems in Europe and other regions and promote socialism worldwide.

Addressing an international union conference in Johannesburg on Thursday, Mr Dlamini said capitalism had failed, and that the economic crisis in Europe showed socialism on a global scale was needed to rescue millions of people from poverty and unemployment.

This, he said, placed Cosatu and other unions in a strong position to grow their membership and bring socialists into power.

The conference, which runs until February 12, is hosted by South African unions affiliated to Cosatu. The local and foreign unions are developing plans for labour actions that they hope will gain worldwide media attention and make workers aware of a global labour federation.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, the Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union and the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union are discussing the plans with unions from more than 50 countries.

"If we were to be asked what the most sustainable solution is to the challenges confronting the world today, we all can answer without any ambiguity that socialism is the answer," Mr Dlamini said.

Cosatu is trying to revitalise the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), of which it is a member. The federation lost a large portion of its membership in eastern Europe in the early 1990s when former Soviet countries moved away from their communist government systems.

"We must use the current failures of capitalism to emerge as a stronger organisation," said George Mavrikos, general secretary of the WFTU.

The biggest problem for the working class was unemployment, he said, noting South Africa had a high unemployment rate. However, he recognised that many countries struggled with unemployment and that South Africa was not an exception.

"Throughout the world the great problem for the working class, for youth and working women is unemployment," he said. "The capitalists, under conditions of deep economic crisis, are trying to divide a job among two to three part-time employees.

"Unemployment, however, cannot be faced with such anti-labour policies. It will grow continuously. On the basis of the recent data published by the International Labour Organisation, there are already 1-billion unemployed poor workers in the world."

Cosatu opposes temporary labour, partly because it relies on permanent workers for union membership.

"The union federation gains funds from permanent workers, so it will always aim to make workers permanent," said labour analyst Ivan Israelstam.

Cosatu also says it wants to ensure job security for more people in South Africa. It plans to stage a one-day national strike on March 7 this year in protest against labour brokers, among other issues, who often match temporary employees with employers. The trade-union federation believes this prevents temporary staff from enjoying rights and benefits.

Labour brokers are reported to be responsible for 20% of all jobs created in South Africa since 1994, equating to about 650000 jobs, said Prof Haroon Bhorat, director of the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, at the University of Stellenbosch’s annual Bureau for Economic Research conference in December last year.

However, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, Cosatu’s biggest rival in terms of membership numbers, agrees with the government that labour brokers should be regulated through amendments to the country’s labour legislation.

Labour analyst Loane Sharp said this week that talks over the amendment bills at the National Economic and Development and Labour Council had collapsed.

On Thursday, Mr Mavrikos told the conference there would be an international action day on October 3 this year to highlight the inadequate delivery of basic services around the world.

He said the day would "promote the needs and the demands of workers for everyone to have food, housing, clean water, a free and public healthcare system and education system, and free medicines".

"We should demand solutions to be given with no delay," he said. "The material gathered after the initiative and the actions will be deposited to the United Nations, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation."

2.3 Capitalism a scam: Cosatu

The New Age, 9 February 2012

Growing poverty, unemployment and equality around the world indicate capitalism is a scam and must be scrapped, Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini said on Thursday.

"The world is looking for a way out," Dlamini told delegates attending the sixth Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions in Johannesburg, according to a copy of his speech.

"It is unfortunate that when this inhuman system has been exposed at all levels of society, the left forces in the world do not speak with one voice and present their own alternatives."

Dlamini urged union leaders to find alternatives to present to society, "given the glaring failures of capitalism".

He said it was unacceptable that out of the seven billion people on earth, more than 925 million remained hungry and without hope.

"How can this happen and the world keeps quiet to openly point out that capitalism has failed humanity?"

A recent report by the International Labour Organisation shows that about 1.1 billion people in the world are either unemployed or living in poverty. Dlamini told union leaders they carried a heavy burden to provide answers to the unemployed.

"It is us, the left axis in the world, who must provide an answer on how to build the 600 million jobs needed to sustain economic growth and maintain social stability," he said.

"It is us who must table a solution before society on how to address unemployment by the more than 74.8 million youths who are part of the 3.3 billion global labour forces." - Sapa

3. State of the Nation Address

3.1 Massive drive by the state to revive economy

Gaye Davis, IOL, 10 February 2012

President Zuma has held out the promise of boosting skills and jobs with a massive infrastructure development drive involving road, rail and water projects aimed at increasing mining, and expanding transport and logistics networks.

The government has been pushing infrastructure as a means of kickstarting the economy and reducing unemployment since at least 2010. However, his fourth State of the Nation address, delivered at Parliament last night, did not give any report-back on the progress of previously announced plans.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said Zuma had sent the right message and welcomed the infrastructure plans. But he was disappointed that Zuma had not announced the scrapping of labour brokers, and said the labour federation’s planned March 7 strike on this issue and e-tolling would go ahead.

Zuma on Thursday night, devoted much of his 18-page speech to a streamlined cluster of major projects involving mainly Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

Zuma also announced moves to cut the cost of doing business – including a reduction in port charges, which will help exporters, particularly in the auto industry – and asking Eskom to find ways of keeping electricity price hikes in check.

He also said a special fund he announced two years ago to help people buy their own homes would be rolled out in April.

The R1 billion loan guarantee fund would allow people who did not qualify for free RDP houses but who did not earn enough to qualify for mortgages to get loans from banks. Also, people earning between R3 500 and R15 000 would from April be able to get a subsidy of up to R83 000 from provinces to help them buy houses through an accredited bank.

Zuma said the cabinet, at its January lekgotla, had reviewed progress from 2009, rather than the past year, noting steady progress in key areas including healthcare, education, fighting crime, human settlements, energy, water provision and rural development.

But the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality remained: “Africans, women and the youth continue to suffer most.”

As mining was a critical jobs-driver, the government had developed a beneficiation strategy to create job opportunities.

Zuma said the “massive investment in infrastructure must leave more than just power stations, rail lines, dams and roads”.

The projects include:

*Road, rail and water projects in the Waterberg and Steelpoort areas in Limpopo;

* Expanded rail networks in Mpumalanga to connect coalfields to power stations;

* A Durban-Free-State-Gauteng logistics and industrial corridor, and better connection with ports;

* Developing a new node to boost industrial and agricultural development in the Eastern Cape, expanding its links with the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and damming the Umzimvubu River in former Transkei.

Zuma put no price tag on the drive but said Transnet would plough R300 billion into capital projects over the next seven years, with R200bn for rail and ports.

He said R300m had been allocated for preliminary work towards establishing universities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Noting the improved crime statistics, Zuma said the government would not become complacent.

On corruption, he said the entire state procurement system was under review by the Treasury, Sars and the Financial Intelligence Centre. This included vetting supply-chain staff in government departments.

3.2 Vavi: Zuma on right buttons

IOL, 10 February 2012

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi praised President Jacob Zuma on Thursday for coming back on the “job scorecard” in his state-of-the-nation address in Parliament.

“Overall he had his fingers on the right buttons,” Vavi said outside the National Assembly.

Zuma's announcement on the massive infrastructure development plan, aimed at pegging back unemployment, would make a big difference in relation to the target of five million jobs in the next 10 years, he said.

However, Vavi said he was disappointed that the infrastructure development plan was geared more towards ensuring that the government created better conditions for business.

“(There was) not enough on infrastructure to improve the standard of living, especially on the rural side.”

Vavi said he was also pleased that Zuma had mentioned the Congress of SA Trade Unions' corruption watch initiative.

“We like that,” he said. – Sapa

3.3 'Compromise on labour brokers'

Caiphus Kgosana, TimesLive, 10 February 2012

President Jacob Zuma took a safer route on the question of labour brokers by calling for a middle ground to be found.

His political partner, Cosatu, wants labour brokers banned, whereas business defends them.

In his State of the Nation address yesterday, Zuma said: "Government seeks to eliminate all forms of abusive practices inherent in labour broking, in order to strengthen the protection of vulnerable workers. We trust that common ground will be found this year on this matter."

His statement said nothing about the "total ban" on brokers that Cosatu wants.

Yesterday, Vavi said Cosatu were disappointed that Zuma hadn't announced an outright ban of labour brokers. He said Cosatu would go ahead with a planned strike to protest the continuing operation of labour brokers.

"We wanted him to announce that the labour brokers will be banned . and that they create conditions where a big number now, 33% of all workers in the country, working under near-slavery conditions. We would have liked him to say they create conditions where human beings are used in almost like trafficking by these fellows.

We are going ahead with the strike, this is not good enough for us," he said.

3.4 Zuma vows to cut port, power costs for business

Carol Paton & Sam Mkokeli, Business Day, 10 February 2012

President Jacob Zuma has committed his government to lower the cost of doing business by reducing port charges, containing electricity price increases and expanding rail capacity.

In an otherwise unremarkable state of the nation speech last night, Mr Zuma appeared to put meat on the bones of his job-creation promises by announcing a large road and railway building programme. He announced five geographically focused infrastructure programmes designed to promote economic activity — especially in mining and agriculture — and to stimulate exports.

Business leaders welcomed his commitments last night but pointed out that Mr Zuma had failed to address the urgent needs of small business, which they said had the potential to create millions of jobs.

"For the year 2012 and beyond, we invite the nation to join government in a massive infrastructure development drive ," he said.

A presidential infrastructure summit would be convened to discuss the implementation of the plan with "potential investors and social partners", Mr Zuma said.

The infrastructure programme would be overseen by the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission, formed last September to prioritise and sequence infrastructure projects, and led by Mr Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe .

Mr Zuma said the commission had identified "a pipeline of strategic projects". These include:

— Integrated rail, road and water infrastructure centred on two areas in Limpopo: the Waterberg and Steelpoort. The aim was to "unlock the enormous mineral belt of coal, platinum, palladium, chrome and other minerals in order to facilitate increased mining and beneficiation". Rail transport would then be extended into Mpumalanga ;

— An improved Durban-Free State-Gauteng logistics corridor, which would be served by rail improvements, expanded port capacity and lower port charges for manufactured goods. The rail and port improvements would be part of Transnet’s R300bn capital expansion programme, expected to unfold over the next seven years. Of this amount, Mr Zuma said R200bn would allocated to rail and most of the balance to projects in the ports;

— Also part of Transnet’s capital programme is the expansion of the iron-ore export channel between Sishen and Saldanha and the phased development of a manganese export channel through the port of Ngqura (Coega);

— A southeastern node will build links between the northern part of the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. A new dam on the Umzimvubu River would be built to expand agricultural production;

— In the North West, roads, rail and electricity would be expanded ; and

— On the west coast, infrastructure development could be used to unlock potential, Mr Zuma said.

The focus on infrastructure-led growth and the priorities put forward by Mr Zuma’s infrastructure commission dovetail well with the development plan of the National Planning Commission.

The commission, led by Planning Minister Trevor Manuel , concluded on the basis of a study of SA’s infrastructure needs that the Waterberg area, the Durban-Gauteng logistics line and the iron-ore line to Saldanha were areas where expansion would have the biggest economic effects.

Mr Zuma said that the issue of high port charges had been raised "sharply" with him by the automotive sector in Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage during a visit to the area last year.

He said the Port Regulator and Transnet had agreed to an arrangement which would allow exporters of manufactured goods a significant decrease in port charges during the coming year, equal to about R1bn.

He had also asked Eskom to "seek options on how the price increase requirement may be reduced over the next few years in support of economic growth and job creation", he said. "We need an electricity price path which will ensure that Eskom and the industry remain financially viable and sustainable, but which remains affordable especially for the poor," Mr Zuma said.

"However, to achieve sustainability, a pact will be required with all South Africans, including business, labour, municipalities, communities, customers and suppliers. We must save electricity."

To avoid load-shedding, everybody would have to play their part over the next two years, until the Medupi and Kusile power stations came into operation, he said.

Turning to the concerns of labour, Mr Zuma again pledged "to eliminate all forms of abusive practices inherent in labour broking". Discussions on this in the National Economic Development and Labour Council had been completed, he said, but he did not elaborate.

However, it is believed that while the government’s proposal does not ban labour brokers, it outlaws the worst practices, by restricting periods of temporary work to no more than six months, after which an employee will be deemed to be permanent. While the Congress of South African Trade Unions is planning a strike on the issue next month, Mr Zuma said he hoped "common ground will be found".

Economist Chris Hart said while the plans to reduce the cost of doing business should be welcomed, Mr Zuma’s address was more about the government’s role in propping up the economy, which appeared to leave the business sector behind.

He said the government needed to examine the regulatory environment, as that could undo any effort to lower the cost of doing business.

The speech also did not provide plans for small business — which could create millions of jobs.

Black Business Council spokes-man Sandile Zungu welcomed the focus on infrastructure that would assist mining, as that would boost export capacity. He echoed Mr Hart’s sentiment that Mr Zuma overlooked the small-business sector.

South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Neren Rau said the speech was detailed and a definite improvement on previous state of the nation addresses.

3.5 ‘Service delivery issues sidelined’

Hlengiwe Nhlabathi, IOL, 10 February 2012

It was very worrying that President Jacob Zuma made no mention of plans to improve local government following many complaints by South Africans, political analyst Steven Friedman said on Thursday.

Friedman said this gap in Zuma's State of the Nation speech raised eyebrows because Zuma had declared 2011 as a year of turning around local government.

“There was no single word on how government plans to improve services. That is key and ignoring it won’t solve the problem. Most people don't think that was done (last year),” said Friedman.

He welcomed the focus on infrastructure, saying it was expected as it was what the country needed to create jobs.

Zuma put the economy at the centre of his fourth State of the Nation address on Thursday night.

He told Parliament the government saw its role as guiding the economy to grow faster and announced steps to stimulate mining, integrate rail and road infrastructure and help exporters.

This year will see a massive infrastructure drive, with Limpopo - which has been recently placed under administration - mentioned first as the focus of infrastructure development.

Friedman said apart from infrastructure investment, the president was “repeating what we already know”, particularly on economic transformation.

Zuma spoke of government's plan to amend the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act. He admitted that the land redistribution process was “slow and tedious” and acknowledged that the willing buyer-willing seller option had not been the best way to address this question.

Only eight percent of land, of the 30-percent target by 2014, had been distributed.

Another analyst, Aubrey Matshiqi of the Centre for Policy Studies, described Zuma's address as “very ambitious”, and said it lacked detail on implementation. “The targets are not completely related to an agenda for 12 months. It means we'll have to judge the ANC government in terms of promises made in the speech and how much progress is made in the short to medium term,” said Matshiqi.

He was struck by what Zuma said on land redistribution and was waiting to see what the government was doing to change direction in that regard.

“We are mourning 100 years of the deposition of black people from their land. It would be interesting to see what specific measures will be put in place to accelerate land restitution,” he said.

Matshiqi said Zuma reiterated what former President Thabo Mbeki had said about the willing buyer-willing seller approach being a blunt weapon.

Matshiqi said it was interesting that Zuma made no mention on international relations.

However, should the economic plans announced in the speech materialise, South Africa would in the medium term become a haven of economic growth and job creation, he said.

Should plans on infrastructure development materialise, they would depend on a partnership between government, the public sector and civil society.

Matshiqi said It would also depend on the performance of the global economy.

“One weakness is the absence of a pact between our social partners like labour, the private sector and the state,” said Matshiqi.

“With the absence of these, all plans will come to naught.”

Matshiqi hoped Zuma and his successors would in future focus their attention on this “special pact”.

Matshiqi said Zuma was correct to avoid any mention of nationalisation but spoke of beneficiation in the mining sector, unlike his two Cabinet members, National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel and Mining Minister Susan Shabangu who made pronouncements on the issue earlier this week.

Analyst from the Institute of Democracy, Judith February, said some of the critical issues Zuma did not emphasise were corruption and tenderpreneurship, considering the number of tenders that would be rolled out as a result of this big infrastructure programme.

February also raised the issue of the budget, saying Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan would have to give an indication in his budget speech.

Political commentator Susan Booysen said she expected more detail from Zuma's speech.

“It was a typical type of talking, assuring people that government was working on it but not much said on implementation,” she said.

Booysen said it was going to be quite a few years before South Africa saw any impact from the infrastructure investment plan.

There probably was not a short-term solution to problems in the country.

“Desperate people will be looking around at how they can survive and bring food on the table this year and next year,” she said. - Sapa

3.6 The State of the Nation speech decoded

Rapule Tabane & Lynley Donnelly, Mail & Guardian, 10 February 2012

President Jacob Zuma on Thursday delivered one of his better State of the Nation speeches since taking office in 2009. The speech, while barren of any poetry or great quotes, was strong on detail and provided a sense of the earnestness and planning being put into efforts to unlock economic potential and create jobs.

What was also different about the president's speech this year was that he acknowledged his promises from last year, and presented a report-back on that speech. This is a departure from the routine of making new promises every year without linking to or reflecting on previous undertakings.

Zuma acknowledged his much-criticised pronouncement that 2011 would be the year of job creation and pointed out what was achieved and what went wrong in the pursuit of the goal.

His speech was simpler than before, but solid -- and indicated a workmanlike approach to getting momentum going on key areas of focus in the economy.

Liberation allies hailed
During the ANC's centenary celebrations in Mangaung in January, Zuma was criticised for not acknowledging the contribution of other liberation role-players, and he appeared to make up for it by using his speech on Thursday night to acknowledge the role of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and the black consciousness movement, as well as Helen Suzman of the Democratic Party.

Speaking in a week when nationalisation was a major talking point, both at the mining indaba and in the discussion document released by the ANC indicating that the party would move away from the controversial proposal, Zuma referred to it only indirectly, once again assuring investors that they need not worry about adverse conditions in the mining industry.

"We remain committed to the creation of a favourable and globally competitive mining sector," he said. "And to promote the industry, to attract investment and achieve both industrial growth and much-needed transformation."

Jobs, jobs and jobs
Reflecting on his job promises of last year, Zuma said the results were promising but appeared to blame the global economic situation for the failure to meet targets.

"The fourth quarter figures released on Tuesday indicate that the rate of unemployment has come down from 25% to 23.9% as a result of new jobs. During 2011, a total of 365 000 people were employed. This is the country's best performance since the recession of 2008."

He expressed his satisfaction that the jobs were being created in the formal sector including in mining, transport and trade and attributed that to greater cooperation with business.

The president said the money set aside last year at the Industrial Development Cooperation (IDC) had been utilised well, with R5-billion approved for 60 companies to promote job creation.

He also gave a nod to the thorny issue of labour broking, noting that National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) discussions on "atypical employment" had been finalised.

It is, however, noteworthy that he highlighted that the state wishes to ban "abusive practices inherent in labour broking". This suggests that the labour legislation review will just mean more regulation of the sector rather than an all-out ban.

Infrastructure drive
As the Mail & Guardian predicted last week, the president announced a massive infrastructure drive, which he emphasised was not for the sake of mere infrastructure building.

"The massive investment in infrastructure must leave more than just power stations, rail-lines, dams and roads. It must industrialise the country, generate skills and boost much-needed job creation."

The infrastructure plan would be driven by the presidential infrastructure coordination commission (PICC), which will be led by the president and his deputy.

However, the many announcements of infrastructural developments leaves one wondering where the government will get the money to fund all of these projects?

Soccer practice
The state is aiming to use the expertise learnt during the Fifa World Cup in 2010 to deliver on this plan. The PICC leads the process and will coordinate and drive key infrastructure projects identified from SOEs, provincial, local and national government.

The projects are to be geographically focused as well as focus on health and basic education infrastructure, information and communication technologies and regional integration.

The geographic focus starts in Limpopo in the Waterberg in the western part of the province and Steelpoort in the eastern part, intending to unlock the enormous mineral belt of coal, platinum, palladium, chrome and other minerals, in order to facilitate increased mining as well as stepped-up beneficiation of minerals.

This talks to the government's beneficiation strategy and points to the strategic minerals that the ANC nationalisation document has identified.

There is an emphasis on rail with the plans by Transnet to invest R300-billion in capital projects over the next seven years. R200-billion will be used for rail investments the rest for ports.

The iron ore freight lines in the Northern Cape will be expanded from 60-million tonnes to 82-million tonnes.

The white elephant in the room
But plans to build a manganese corridor to the Coega harbour will be seen as little more than an attempt to feed a white elephant, as the Chamber of Mines CEO Bheki Sibiya has already noted. The cost of shipping ore to Coega rather than Saldanha is over twice the price per tonne and this appears little more than an attempt to find a way to pay for a bad policy decision.

Plans to decrease port charges are also on the cards, with manufacturers expected to see decreases in port charges to the value of R1-billion.

These steps are likely to encourage businesses that have complained of logistics bottlenecks, and high administrative prices that have eroded South Africa's competitiveness.

The port's plans may be a big plus for the exporters and businesses that have complained of the high prices and left our ports far more expensive than their global counterparts.

The extent to which the government is taking on the work load is further evidence of an ever encroaching state involvement in the economy. But Zuma did not mention how the private sector can help in this infrastructure effort, despite the very cooperative role it played in making South Africa a successful host of the World Cup. The plan to hold an infrastructure summit appears to be where the state will hold talks with social partners and stakeholders to take the plan to potential investors.

Lights, camaraderie, action
The role electricity will play in making it possible for this expansion to go ahead is critical -- and Zuma did not ignore the power crisis the country faces. He has approached Eskom regarding the question of rising prices but acknowledges that tariffs need to remain at a level that ensures that Eskom and the industry remain financially viable.

But again little was made of the need for private sector players in this respect. Government's limited policy planning and Eskom's monopoly in the market are exactly why the country is experiencing these problems.

Agriculture and water resources are also acknowledged -- with plans to build a new dam in the Eastern Cape on the Umzimvubu River and a series of water augmentation projects being outlined. This is a much-neglected element of infrastructure development, and it's good to see it is not being ignored -- but as the DA's spokesperson on water and environmental affairs Gareth Morgan points out, many of the augmentation schemes outlined, while very good, are not new,

With the mega-infrastructure drive, the intense competition between the needs of farmers and communities versus the water needs of major construction projects will only become more intense, he said.

4. South Africa

4.1 Cosatu meets with Public Protector

Nathan Adams, EWN, 9 February 2012

Eyewitness News understands Cosatu has met with the Public Protector to discuss the trade union federation's numerous complaints.

Advocate Thuli Madonsela's office is investigating alleged irregularities in the awarding of the Western Cape government's communication tender.

Cosatu has also asked the Public Protector to investigate whether Premier Helen Zille is earning two salaries.

Madonsela asked Cosatu for further submissions on at least two of its complaints.

Eyewitness News learnt the union will be handing out further information regarding allegations involving Zille’s income.

The Public Protector is also investigating whether Cape Town councillors took ownership of holiday homes in Gordon’s Bay as part of kickbacks.

The investigations should be completed within the next two weeks.

4.2 ANC defiant on Limpopo leadership

Ngwako Mojadji, Citizen, 10 February 2012

Calla for Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale to resign as both premier and ANC chairman intensified this week, but the ANC yesterday described the calls as “pure arrogance and undermining the leadership of the ANC.”

This comes after labour federation Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini reportedly said that the national leadership of the ANC must listen to the concerns of the people of Limpopo and remove Mathale as both the premier and ANC chairman.

Dlamini was speaking to the SABC after the provincial shop steward council meeting held in Polokwane on Wednesday.

ANC provincial spokesman Makonde Mathivha said if Mathale must step down, it must be the ANC that say he must go.

“This premier is from the ANC that participated in the election. Dlamini does not know what democracy means.

“He can’t tell us that Mathale must step down.

“Who does Dlamini think he is?” Mathivha asked?

Dlamini said they should be able to recognise the situation in Limpopo as it reflects that the leadership has failed.

He said for the ANC to say they will not be bullied or pushed to remove people is fine but the people on the ground are tired.

“Cabinet must consider putting all government departments in Limpopo under administration.

He said as things stand, there is negative feedback from the provincial government after five key departments were put under administration.

“The people have had enough and Cosatu supports the intervention by the National Treasury – we are even saying if there is negative feedback from the provincial government as we saw initially and if there are more other departments or if needs be why don’t you put the whole provincial government under administration,” Dlamini said.

The uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans (MKMVA) and Congress of SA Student (Cosas) have described the ANC provincial leadership led by Mathale as thieves who steal taxpayers’ money.

4.3 Union says Prasa boss went off the rails

Charles Molele, Mail & Guardian, 10 February 2012

Lucky Montana, the group chief executive of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), has been accused of tender irregularities amounting to more than R1-billion and organising an unauthorised trip to Cape Town for his friends and associates.

The damning allegations against Montana are contained in a dossier seen by the Mail & Guardian, which was compiled by the South African Trade and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu).

Although it has not been proved that Montana has committed any wrongdoing, the union has demanded that he be suspended pending an independent forensic investigation because it believes he might interfere with an internal investigation.

According to the dossier, Montana allegedly went on a joyride to Cape Town with 10 female companions in September 2009 on a Premier Classe train and returned to Johannesburg by air. The trip is said to have cost R170 000.

Montana is also alleged to have awarded Siemens an R800-million tender in 2009 for passenger communication systems that was advertised only in Gauteng but awarded nationally.

The dossier further alleges that he awarded another R800-million contract to Rainbow Construction for Doornfontein station in Johannesburg, but it was extended to other stations without following proper tender processes.

The union claims Montana also awarded celebrity consultant Ezra Ndwandwe R10-million as a change management consultant without following procurement policies.

Ndwandwe said on Thursday there was nothing untoward in his remuneration and that he had delivered on his mandate.

ANCYL treasurer drew salary from Prasa
Between 2008 and 2009 ANC Youth League treasurer Pule Mabe apparently continued to draw a salary from Prasa long after he had left the rail agency to assume his full-time position at Luthuli House. Montana is alleged to have misled the board on the matter by claiming that Mabe was no longer on the agency's payroll, despite being paid a salary for a year.
Mabe could not be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon and was believed to be attending a national executive committee meeting of the youth league.

The dossier claims that Brand Leadership, a company owned by businessman Thebe Ikalafeng, was awarded a branding contract worth R19-million without proper procedures being followed. The initial quote was for R9-million, but it was later increased to R19-million.

The union's dossier also accuses Montana of colluding with current and former directors of the agency board who benefited from contracts and tenders from the agency while serving their terms.

Responding to questions from the M&G on Thursday, Ikalafeng said he did not know Montana personally and that his company had submitted its tender "like everybody else and we won it and delivered our professional services, rebranding the company ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"There was no improper conduct I know about. I take exception to any unfounded allegations. We are a professional firm with a public record of delivery in branding and related services.

"Prasa was procured through a public tender published in the Sunday Times and legal contract of services agreed. Our delivery spanned developing [a] new brand from [the] SA Rail Commuter Corporation to Prasa, identity and activation across five business units and the World Cup, which resulted in Prasa moving 1.2-million people out of 3.2-million that went to the World Cup. Similarly, my personal reputation is a matter of public record."

Cadiz, a subsidiary company of Makana that belongs to Sifiso Buthelezi, chairperson of the agency's board, is advising it on the rolling stock recapitalisation project. Through the programme the agency will acquire a new fleet of passenger rail coaches over a 20-year period -- at an estimated cost of R137-billion -- as well as new depots and signalling, among other critical infrastructure.

Montana denies allegations
On Thursday the agency's chief strategy officer, Tiro Holele, speaking on behalf of Montana, dismissed the allegations contained in the dossier as unfounded and "preposterous".

He confirmed that the agency had seen the Satawu dossier and was consulting its lawyers.

"The investigation can come and they won't find anything against the chief executive. The policy prescription within Prasa stipulates that all procurement of goods and services above R350 000 goes out on open tender to the market. It is not true that Prasa awarded tenders, including for signalling to Siemens SA, of R1-billion without any procurement process. In fact, all signalling projects have gone out on open tender to the market. Everyone who claims that Prasa has violated its supply chain management policy should come forward and prove those allegations," said Holele.

"The allegations made regarding other major projects, such as the procurement of the fuel supplies, the construction of the Bridge City rail link and station, the speed gates installation et cetera, are untrue because all the these tenders have been issued in accordance with Prasa's supply chain management policy."

Asked about the union's allegations that friends and associates of the chief executive were lining up to benefit from the fleet-renewal programme, Holele said there was no way Montana could dictate who benefited from the programme.

"The rolling stock fleet-renewal programme is led by an intergovernmental steering committee comprising national treasury, the department of transport, the department of trade and industry and the department of public enterprises. There is no way Montana will have carte blanche control of this massive infrastructure investment programme on his own."

Holele said Montana's trip to Cape Town was not unusual because he regularly took visitors on complimentary trips around the country to showcase South Africa's world-class rail systems and infrastructure.

The president of the railworkers union, Ephraim Mphahlele, said the dossier had been handed to labour federation Cosatu's Corruption Watch and the office of the Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Mphahlele said the union was also in the process of handing the dossier to public protector Thuli Madonsela and the Hawks.

"The allegations contained in this dossier are serious and they ought to be investigated through an independent forensic investigation process for the purpose of determining the extent to which the state resources are looted at Prasa," said Mphahlele.

"We believe that [Montana] is directly liable for wasteful expenditure, fraudulent activities and even reckless trading and the abuse of authority and the violation of the [Public Finance Management Act] and the National Treasury Act.

"As we speak, the financial liquidity of Prasa has been fundamentally eroded to the extent that Prasa is unable to pay service providers. To this end our members in the cleaning companies at various train stations have not been paid their salaries for the past five months, because Prasa could not pay the companies they are working for. We believe that the only remedial action would be to suspend the chief executive while having a forensic investigation."

4.4 KZN varsity protests gather steam

Leanne Jansen, Mercury, 10 February 2012

Student protests which started at the Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi last Friday have spread and intensified at other tertiary education campuses in KwaZulu-Natal.

On Thursday, at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), six people were arrested for public violence after three vehicles were damaged, while the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Westville campus became the latest site of mass action.

Accommodation and financial aid remain the primary grievances.

Despite DUT’s high court interdict prohibiting protests, and a continued police presence, the institution confirmed that lectures had been disrupted at the Steve Biko, ML Sultan and Ritson Road campuses. However, the academic programme had not been suspended.

According to DUT spokesman Alan Khan, the protests were not being driven by the students representative council, but rather by the SA Students’ Congress (Sasco).

Sasco provincial chairman Mfanafuthi Ngobo confirmed this.

Khan said that DUT management would only negotiate with the SRC, “and not entertain individual clubs and societies. We have reiterated the need for the police to enforce the court interdict to protect our students and staff,” he said.

At Mangosuthu, after compromising on matters such as the cost of student transport and financial exclusions, accommodation remained a sticking point. Yesterday, tyres were burnt and chairs broken at the university, spokeswoman Mbali Mkhize said.

SRC president Sifiso Mvuyane said the protests would only be halted once housing was provided for at least 500 students at the Lonsdale Hotel in Pixley KaSeme (West) Street.

At UKZN, a crowd of 100 to 200 students chanted as they converged on university buildings, but protested peacefully under the eyes of campus security and police. University spokeswoman Nomonde Mbadi advised students to contact faculties for information on the rescheduling of lectures.

4.5 MaKotane shares 100 with ANC

Star, 10 February 2012

A month after the ANC was formed in Bloemfontein in 1912, a beautiful little girl was born in the small town of Thaba Nchu on the outskirts of the Free State city.

Little did she know that her life would intertwine with one of Africa’s big liberation movements – Rebecca Seditle married Moses Kotane, an erstwhile and prominent ANC and SA Communist Party leader.

It proved to be a marriage that tested her vows and devotion.

“I started asking myself questions. I’d said I wanted marriage, not knowing what I was getting myself into,” said MaKotane, as Kotane’s widow is affectionately known.

Her husband wasn’t a patriarchal and domineering man who undermined her role in the relationship – nor some old-school partner lacking in grace and affability– so she was happy with him.

“He was a responsible and intelligent man who loved reading. Whenever he was home, he always made time to spend with his children. He also helped with household chores like washing dishes, fetching water from the tap at the street corner. He was committed to the struggle, but he was always a loving and sweet husband.”

However, the constant raids by the apartheid security police looking for her “terrorist” husband, annoyed her.

“Each time I heard the dogs barking at night, I would just wake up to open the door because I knew they (the police) had come for him. When I asked them why they broke my stuff, they said ‘dis fokkol’ (it’s f*ck all),” MaKotane recalled.

Defining as her marriage to Kotane was, it happened by sheer chance.

Rebecca, a domestic worker, was spending the day at her married, elder sister Mirriam’s home in the Western Native Township when she met Kotane, a friend of Mirriam’s husband, Gawa Radebe.

“I’d put on a Georgette dress and a yellow headscarf, with pencil heels to match,” said MaKotane.

Moments after she arrived, “a handsome young gentleman” walked in, “looking smart in a suit”.

Kotane was love-struck.

“I heard Moshe (Kotane) saying to Gawa: ‘I think I like your sister-in-law. She is so beautiful…’ ”

Although also smitten, MaKotane initially avoided Kotane’s advances.

But in him, she had found a resolute suitor. He would not give up.

“He kept pestering me, asking me out on a date. He even pursued me at my workplace,” quipped MaKotane.

The couple eventually tied the knot in 1945. MaKotane gave up her job and went to stay with her husband in Cape Town.

As the ANC celebrated its centenary anniversary last month, she reflected on apartheid’s trials and tribulations: the constant raids, endless detentions.

And torture.

“It was totally crazy. We became so used to the raids that we would crack jokes about it,” she said in her Diepkloof home.

It all took a nasty turn in 1950, when the Communist Party of SA (later the SA Communist Party) – of which Kotane was a national executive committee member – was banned under the National Party’s Suppression of Communism Act. The law effectively meant that any anti-apartheid activity was a death knell.

MaKotane immediately felt its effect.

Kotane – who like other “terrorists” was banished to house arrest – relocated from Cape Town to Alexandra, north of Joburg.

“Life in Alex was hell,” MaKotane said.

“We suffered constant harassment by the apartheid police raiding the house looking for ‘Kotane the terrorist’.”

Come 1952, Kotane defied his banning in order to take part in the Defiance Campaign – the first large-scale, multi-racial political mobilisation against apartheid’s unjust laws.

There was short-term relief for MaKotane – her husband escaped with a suspended nine-month sentence.

But he didn’t stay at home for long.

MaKotane soon found herself alone as Kotane spent time representing SA at a conference advocating peace and independence of Third World leaders, in Indonesia in 1955. By then, MaKotane had decided that she could no longer afford to be on the political sidelines.

She attended the watershed Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1955, where the celebrated Freedom Charter was adopted.

“The government looked at the Freedom Charter and they didn’t like it. They saw ‘die rooi gevaar’ (the red danger) in it…” she said, referring to the communists.

MaKotane’s initiation into politics was a baptism of fire. She was among the women detained for two weeks after taking part in the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Building in protest against the introduction of passes for women.

“What I found strange was that the protest was on Kotane’s birthday. I thought taking part was the way to honour him.” .

MaKotane was detained at Number 4 jail with the likes of Lillian Ngoyi, Violet Wynberg, Amina Cachalia, Albertina Sisulu and Helen Joseph.

She initially thought prison life wasn’t all that bad. “There was the hot showers, the meat, plus we were allowed to sing freedom songs.”

Then there was a rude awakening.

“They made us strip, stand in a queue and poured ice-cold water on our bodies using buckets. I just went numb with cold. And before we could eat, they would first make the tripe get colder.”

She also had to cope with the constant thefts, including the gifts that Kotane brought her.

“Not even my underwear was spared. Prison life is so cruel, but fortunately we had (lawyer Nelson) Mandela, who took care of us and fought for our release.”

Out of jail, the harassment continued.

The police were so determined to capture Kotane that they even started tempting MaKotane with promises of a mansion if she divorced him and became a spy.

“My lawyer Pitjie asked me to pretend I had to divorce him. Even Moss (Kotane’s nickname) said I must agree for the sake of the children. But I refused. For me it was a matter of principle and conviction.”

Meanwhile, the Freedom Charter had heightened the persecution of freedom fighters. Kotane was arrested and charged with treason along with other leaders.

They were handed five-year prison terms before the charges were withdrawn.

And then came the declaration of the notorious state of emergency in 1960, when anti-apartheid organisations were banned.

Kotane didn’t go unscathed.

He was detained for four months, despite not being charged, and later released and placed under 24-hour house arrest. In 1963 Kotane fled to Tanzania, where he became the ANC’s treasurer general in exile. That was the last time MaKotane saw her husband alive.

He suffered a stroke in Tanzania and was sent to Moscow, Russia, for treatment where he remained until his death in 1978.

Makotane could not be at the graveside in Heroes Acre at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, where Kotane is buried alongside JB Marks and Nikita Kruschev, the former president of the Soviet Union.

Eyes teary, she

said: “Walter Sisulu tried to organise for us to see the tomb. The Boers refused. I was very sad and angry.”

She recalled how, one day, when “the Boers came to Alex looking for Kotane, he hid me in the kitchen and said: ‘If I die in foreign nations, the nation must bury me there. The family must step back to allow me to be buried by the nation.’ ”

MaKotane has resisted attempts by the ANC to exhume her husband’s remains in Moscow.

“If there is anything I wish to ask, it is that his remains must be left alone in Russia. But then there is this persistence from the ANC to exhume his remains that worries me.”

MaKotane, who had five children with Kotane, preferred to speak only of Mandela and refused to be drawn on the state of the ANC and President Jacob Zuma’s leadership style.

She celebrates her 100th birthday on Sunday, nearly 50 years after her husband skipped the country.

5. International

5.1 Zim police stop KZN academic’s lecture

Leanne, Jansen, Mercury, 9 February 2012

Durban activist and academic Patrick Bond has been barred from delivering an address as part of a series of lectures in Harare.

Bond, who returns to SA on Friday, described on Thursday how riot police chased people away from the event, organised by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on Wednesday.

Bond would have spoken on the “global financial crisis, the discrediting of the neo-liberal ideology, and the failure of global climate governance at the COP17 (climate change conference in Durban last year)”, he said.

He said the New Zimbabwe lecture series also faced bans in 2011 and was only saved when the MDC threatened to withdraw from the unity government.

Bond was to deliver the first lecture of the 2012 series.

“It is a sickening feeling to have simple rights of expression so blatantly repressed, but my experience is trivial when compared to the majority of Zimbabweans’ suffering. It is heartening that sufficient interest in the global financial meltdown and ecological crises exists to risk attempting the lecture again, hopefully next week. Another request for permission was supplied to the police,” Bond said.

Charles Mangongera, the MDC’s director of policy and research, said he was “embarrassed” that Bond had travelled from Durban “only for him to be denied an opportunity to share his ideas”.

According to Mangongera, the lecture series was a platform for critical thinking and debate on issues Zimbabweans were faced with daily.

Mangongera said the police had been told of the seminar “more than a week ago” to satisfy the Public Order and Security Act.

“Ideally we were not even supposed to notify them, as the act only refers to political gatherings and, clearly, an event of this nature is not a political gathering.”

Mangongera said members of the organising team were called to the Harare Central police station on Wednesday and told that permission to hold the event had been denied because a “false address” had been provided.

The Mercury phoned the police station on Thursday and spoke to a man who identified himself only as the station commander.

When the incident, as told by Bond and Mangongera, was relayed to him, he responded: “Yes, so what do you want?”