Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

ANC News Briefing

3 views

Skip to first unread message

ANC Information

unread,

Dec 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/22/98

--=====================_914344378==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

--=====================_914344378==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="NEWS1222"

A N C D A I L Y N E W S B R I E F I N G

TUESDAY 22 DECEMBER 1998

PLEASE NOTE: This News Briefing is a compilation of items from South
African press agencies and as such does not reflect the views of the
ANC. It is for reading and information only, and strictly not for
publication or broadcast.

To unsubscribe from the ANC Daily News Briefing mailing list send a
message to 'list...@wn.apc.org'. In the body of your message put
'unsubscribe ancnews'.

@ ANALYSIS-ANGOLA

LUANDA December 21 1998 Sapa-AP

ANGOLA'S RIVAL FACTIONS RETURN TO A WAR WHICH NEITHER CAN WIN

When the government's patience with the delayed Angolan peace
process finally ran out two weeks ago and it sent the army to storm
the UNITA rebel group's strongholds, it made a costly mistake.

Army generals boasted that the air and ground offensive would
crush the rebels within 48 hours. Instead, the army was caught in a
lethal crossfire and retreated with heavy losses.

Equally damaging to the government, the attack has enabled
UNITA to portray itself as a victim of a war-minded aggressor,
despite its refusal to comply with the country's 1994 peace
agreement.

The result could be another protracted war in a country that
has enjoyed only brief periods of peace since it began fighting
Portuguese colonial rule in 1961.

The mineral-rich southwest African country gained independence
in 1975. But it quickly plunged into a devastating two-decade civil
war between UNITA - backed by the United States and South Africa -
and the Soviet- and Cuban-backed government.

A 1991 peace deal collapsed the following year when UNITA
leader Jonas Savimbi rejected his defeat in the country's first
elections and returned to war.

The United Nations brokered a new peace accord four years ago.
But that fragile deal also lies in tatters.

Now, as the army recovers from a series of battlefield defeats,
UNITA boasts of its military might.

"They wanted a fight and they got it," UNITA
Secretary-General Paulo Lukamba Gato said by satellite telephone.
"They can't destroy us. They have to deal with us because UNITA is
not going away."

Analysts say the army was startled by UNITA's superior
firepower when it moved on Andulo and Bailundo, rural towns about
290 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Luanda, where the UNITA
leadership was believed to be holed up.

UNITA claimed it had disarmed and demobilized its forces, under
U.N. supervision, over the past four years. That proved to be a
lie.

"Over the past year UNITA has prepared very well" for a
return to civil war, said Alex Vines, the London-based Angolan desk
officer for Human Rights Watch.

When the army attacked, it came up against modern tanks,
assault vehicles, missile batteries, and sophisticated long-range
artillery.

UNITA is estimated to have about 30,000 guerilla soldiers
hidden in the vast bushland, compared with the government's
100,000-strong army.

Despite its smaller size, UNITA a Portuguese acronym for the
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, possesses
formidable guerrilla expertise honed during 30 years of hit-and-run
war from the bush.

The rebels have used their control over more than half the
country's diamond trade to amass wealth estimated by human rights
group Global Witness at dlrs 3.7 billion.

UNITA has purchased weapons mainly off the international black
market, according to Paul Beaver of the London defense journal
Jane's Intelligence Review.

"Most of it is updated Russian equipment from eastern European
countries," he said.

The peace process had been ailing for most of this year as the
two sides, driven by personal hatred and rival claims over Angola's
oil and diamond wealth, engaged in skirmishes in remote areas.

Those clashes have escalated into full-scale warfare, though
the fighting has so far remained focused on UNITA's central
highland power base.

UNITA has skillfully kept the rmy busy in other areas of the
country to prevent it from sending reinforcements to the highlands.
The army has been further weakened by helping the governments of
neighboring Congo and the Republic of Congo, which are fighting
their own insurgencies. Still, the rebels are unlikely to win a
war.

Meanwhile, the United Nations - which spent dlrs 1.3 billion
trying to implement the peace deal - is caught between the two.

UNITA blames the United Nations for failing to restrain the
government hawks, while army chief Gen. Joao de Matos claims UNITA
built up its military force "under the passive gaze of the United
Nations."

Even so, a senior Angolan official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said the government would not break off contact with the
United Nations. Angola, the official said, depends on U.N.
humanitarian operations to meet the needs of the 400,000 people who
have been displaced by the renewed fighting.

@ FEATURE-SA

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa-IPS

PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER MANDELA

As the reign of President Nlson Mandela slowly draws to a
close, the way is being paved for Thabo Mbeki to steer the country
into the next millennium.

Mbeki, now the deputy president, has said he will not make any
major changes when he takes over, but South Africa without Mandela
will definitely be a different place.

Mandela steps down as head of state after the next general
elections due in 1999.

Born on June 8, 1942, Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki has spent the better
part of this year preparing for his eventual take-over from
Mandela, if the ruling African National Congress (ANC) wins the
polls.

Mandela has quietly slipped out of major presidential
functions, sending Mbeki on what he called an introductory world
tour to meet international leaders. He is also standing in for
Mandela at the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) conflict organ
meeting in Burkina Faso this week.

"South Africa has had five years to consolidate the new
government and I don't think there are going to be any major policy
shifts," says Alfred Stadler, a political scientist at the
University of the Witwatersrand.

However, Stadler adds that Mbeki is one of the new breed of
politicians, and in political circles he is seen as a doer.

"Mandela belongs to the generation of leaders who rose in the
politics of rallies, demagoguery and fine speeches and that
generation is out," Stadler told IPS.

"Mbeki is a confident, well-trained British university
graduate, although he is not as charismatic as Mandela."

But the road ahead for Mbeki as South Africa's second president
after the country attained majority rule in 1994, is not a smooth
one.

For starters, Mbeki may have to deal with a more militant
labour movement. A rift between the labour movement and government,
which widened in 1998, is set to deepen next year.

The 1.8 million-strong Congress of South African Trade Unions
(Cosatu), which is an alliance partner of the ANC, has major
differences with its ally over macro-economic policies. These
speculations have fuelled speculation that Cosatu may run for
elections on its own ticket.

Mbeki has even given Cosatu and the South African Communist
Party a dressing-down warning that they either tow the line or
leave the alliance.

The labour movement in South Africa is a formidable foe. While
trade union membership is on the decline internationally, in South
Africa it rose by 127 percent over the last 10 years.

Analysts Andrew Levy and Associates said worker days lost to
industrial action durin the first three quarters of this year were
up by 596 percent on last year's figures during the same period.
This has also occurred at a time when the economy is growing at its
slowest rate in decades.

On the other hand, jobs are hard to come by. According to
research by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR),
the rate of unemployment is growing by eight percent per annum and
could reach 43 percent by 2006.

"While the political stability achieved in 1994 has largely
been preserved, it faces threats, many of them covert," warns the
Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) in its latest quarterly review of
political and economic trends.

This year saw the theft of arms from a military base in
Bloemfontein which the court heard was carried out by a right-wing
movement, Die Volk, as part of a plan to take over the government.

The Western Cape, home to a growing trend in armed violence in
South Africa, has experienced more than 155 bomb attacks since
1996. The latest was at a synagogue on December 18, seemingly in
retaliation for US and British air-strikes on Iraq.

But perhaps the biggest challenge facing Mbeki's government
will be the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic.

South Africa has one of the fastest growing epidemics in the
world with 1,500 people infected daily. More than three million
people are currently infected with the virus in South Africa.

"For too long, we have closed our eyes as a nation, hoping the
truth was not so real. For many years, we have allowed HIV to
spread, and at a rate in our country which is one of the fastest in
the world," Mbeki said at the launch of the Partnership Against
Aids in October, the first major government initiative to curb the
spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

More than 500,000 people are infected annually in South Africa
and experts say AIDS could reverse the population growth and cut
life expectancy from 64 to 40 years over the next decade, erasing
the human development gains so far achieved.

"The greatest impact will be felt at household and family level
and women will be hardest hit," says Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the
Welfare Minister. "The greatest number of households in poverty are
inevitably led by women."

During his leadership, Mbeki also will have to contend with
keeping the ANC's support base strong. The party won 62 percent of
the polls in 1994 and is garnering for a two-thirds majority this
time around.

Two surveys carried out during the course of the year, one by
Markinor and the other by MarkData, revealed different pictures of
the ANC's support, which is said to be around 50 or 60 percent of
the adult population.

Political analysts are also asking if Mbeki will be able to
hold the centre within a party made up of such disparate entities
- communists, trade unionists, liberals, intellectuals and
capitalists.

"Division between former exiles and ex-United Democratic Front
(UDF) activists remains a key factor," notes the Centre for Policy
Studies in its latest quarterly review of political and economic
trends. "Mbeki is seen as a champion of the exile bloc
-
of the 22 ANC cabinet ministers, 14 are former exiles."

The UDF is an internal coalition of anti-apartheid activists
with ANC sympathies formed during the 1980s while the ANC was still
exiled and banned in South Africa.

Mbeki is however, described by the influential business
newspaper the 'Financial Mail', as "straight talking" on big issues
such as HIV/Aids and anti-corruption, and the need for a
"democratic government, accommodating tribal differences, and
complementing trade with development assistance."

@ CORRUPTION-SKOSANA

CAPE TOWN December 21 1998 Sapa

AUD-GEN TO INVESTIGATE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES CORRUPTION CLAIMS

Allegations of corruption made against correctional services
national commissioner Khulekani Sithole and his department will be
referred to the Auditor-General for investigation, Correctional
Services Minister Ben Skosana announced on Monday.

Such an investigation was welcomed by Sithole and the
department's management, he said in a statement.

The Mail and Guardian newspaper on Friday claimed, among other
things, that Sithole was running a private soccer team out of his
department, using its resources to finance the team.

In a lead article, the newspaper said the accusation was one of
several allegations of corruption contained in a memorandum given
to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki by senior staff in Sithole's
department, asking Mbeki to launch an investigation.

Sithole on Friday rejected the allegations.

Skosana said he had decided to refer the matter to the
Auditor-General in order for him to conduct an independent
investigation into the allegations.

It had been brought to his attention that a memorandum
containing the various allegations had been sent to Mbeki.

"I also wish to announce that I have requested a meeting with
Deputy President Mbeki on this matter.

"I regard the allegations amongst the senior officials of my
department in a very serious light, and I therefore wish to discuss
these issues and the way forward with the deputy president as soon
as possible," he said.

@ MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR KWAZULU NATAL

Issued by: African National Congress KwaZulu Natal

As we enter the festive season, the ANC in KwaZulu Natal wishes
all our people in the province a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year. This is a time when families and communities across a racial
and political divide must come together and celebrate life and
hard-won freedom.

It is a time to reach out to all our people especially the
humblest and the weakest among us.

The ANC comforts all those who are suffering from the scourge of
HIV/Aids and their relations. We extend our hand to the casualties
of road accidents. The ANC calls upon all road-users, drivers and
pedestrians, to respect the right of other road-users and desist
from using roads while under the influence of liquor. We call upon
the public to co-operate with traffic police and other law
enforcement agencies to curb road accidents. Let us preserve life on
our roads.

1998 recorded great strides in the process of reconciling
communities and political forces of different pursuasions. As a
people we must build on that foundation during this festive season.
In this direction the ANC salutes communities, political leaders and
police officers who have made it possible to achieve peace among
ourselves.

Crime remains one of our main problems. Yet the law enforcement
agencies working in unity with communities are beginning to tame
this scourge. The ANC thanks especially those police officers who
have volunteered to go an extra mile in combating crime especially
during this festive season without any pay. Their only reward is to
save life, limb and property. It is the satisfaction that they are
part of an army to achieve a secured life for all South African
citizens. Glory to them!

Once again we wish all the people of KwaZulu Natal a Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year!

>From the ANC KwaZulu Natal Provincial Executive Committee
for further info, contact Dumisani Makhaye at 082 5519192.

@ MPUMA-DISMISSAL

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa

PHOSA FIRES MAHLALELA, NKAMBULE, TAKES OVER ENVIRONMENTAL DEPT

Mpumalanga Premier Mathews Phosa on Monday fired environmental
affairs and tourism MEC Fish Mahlalela after only eight months in
office.

Phosa also announced the immediate withdrawal of former
provincial secretary of the African National Congress Youth League,
James Nkambule, as member of the Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB).

Mahlalela, former chief whip of the ANC in the legislature, was
appointed as MEC in May following the resignation of his
predecessor, David Mkhwanazi, amid allegations of mismanagement and
nepotism.

Mkhwanazi and the MEC for finance, Jacques Modipane, was
subsequently suspended from the ANC pending disciplinary hearings
for alleged irregularities. Modipane also resigned as MEC.

Last month Nkambule was suspended from all the positions he
held in the ANC. In August, before the party's provincial congress,
he criticised Phosa and said many ANC members in the province did
not want him to be re-elected as provincial chairman.

Following that, Nkambule resigned as MPB member, but shortly
afterwards he withdrew his resignation.

Phosa on Monday said he would temporarily take over the running
of the department of environmental affairs and tourism himself.

"I have every intention to institute a new, ethical approach in
this department and its parastatals, as well as to root out
corruption with all my energy.

"I also plan to establish new leadership structures as well as
sound management system."

Phosa said he would soon appoint a firm of auditors to
undertake a forensic audit of the MPB. The results of the audit
would be handed over to the Heath Special Investigative Unit to
allow for the recovery of stolen monies and assets.

Phosa did not give specific reasons for his actions.

However, sources in the provincial government told Sapa the
premier's decision was a culmination of several events.

The department and the Parks Board have been embroiled in
numerous scandals of late, including the issuing of promissory
notes to the value of R40 million to American companies, using the
province's parks as collateral.

This has cost both Modipane and former MPB chief executive Alan
Gray their jobs.

Nkambule is under police investigation for corruption, while
Mahlalela has crossed paths with Phosa on two prominent occasions,
the source said.

Mahlalela is alleged to have defied a cabinet decision to fire
Gray on allegations of corruption and fraud - opting instead to
negotiate a severance package for him.

"The second time was when he re-instated Nkambule, who is
currently facing allegations of corruption, to the board," the
source said.

@ FEATURE-DENMARK

UNITED NATIONS December 21 1998 Sapa-IPS

DENMARK CANCELS DEBTS OF POORER NATIONS

Denmark, one of the world's most generous aid donors, has
written-off nearly 635 million dollars in bilateral debts owed by
the world's poorer nations.

Countries whose debts have been forgiven include Angola, Ghana,
Cameroon, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Bolivia and
Nicaragua. The debt cancellations have accelerated since 1995 when
Denmark introduced a number of criteria for writing-off bilateral
debts, Danish officials revealed here.

Any country qualifying for a debt write-off by Denmark should
either be a least developed country (LDC), described as the poorest
of the poor, or a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC).

Of the 48 LDCs, about 32 are in sub-Saharan Africa, including
Benin, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Rwanda and Zambia.
The 41 HIPCs include Uganda, Bolivia, Guyana, Burkina Faso, Ivory
Coast and Mozambique.

The definition of the two categories of countries, as laid down
by the United Nations and the World Bank, takes into account
density of population, gross national product (GNP), external debt
and per capita incomes.

Poul Nielson, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, says
that, so far, his country has cancelled about 42 percent of all
development loans to developing nations. "We will continue to use
these criteria in our further debt write-offs," he told IPS.

Currently, Denmark is one of only four countries - the others
being Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands - to exceed the UN target
of 0.7 percent of gross national product (GNP) for development aid.
In per capita terms, it is also the largest single donor of
development aid to developing nations.

Last month Denmark took the unusual step of providing about 11
million dollars in financial assistance to Nicaragua so that the
hurricane-hit Central Amercan nation could pay off its debt to the
Inter-American Development Bank. Since Nicaragua did not owe any
money to Denmark, the Danish government decided to help write-off a
third party debt.

Nielson said the decision to help Nicaragua was taken even
before Hurricane Mitch hit that country two months ago. But as a
result of the devastation caused by the hurricane, he said, Denmark
decided to increase its funding: from a proposed 9.0 million
dollars to 11 million dollars.

A call for cancelling Third World debts has been gathering
momentum this week with appeals from both the World Council of
Churches and Pope John Paul II.

At the conclusion of a 12-day meeting in Zimbabwe Tuesday, the
World Council declared that "the basic human needs and rights of
individuals and communities and the protection of the environment
should take precedence over debt repayment."

The meeting, which was attended by more than 1,000 delegates
from Protestant and Orthodox Churches, called for "an end to the
strangehold of debt on impoverished peoples."

The Pope, in a statement Wednesday to coincide with World Day
of Peace, singled out "the frightening problem of the international
debt of the poorest nations."

In a 20-page message to heads of state and international
organisations, the Pope said that "an immediate and vigorous effort
is needed, as we look to the year 2000, to ensure that the greatest
possible number of nations will be able to extricate themselves
from a now intolerable situation."

A major effort to cancel debts is being led by the London-based
non-governmental organisation Jubilee 2000 Coalition. One of its
demands is for cancellation of all debts owed by the world's
poorest nations. Until recently, international institutions such as
the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have
argued against such action.

Gamani Corea, a former Secretary-General of the UN Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), says he simply cannot accept the
World Bank argument against debt write-off.

"The Bank has refused on the ground that any cancellation of
debts will affect its image in capital markets and its ability to
raise money," he said.

This is not a very convincing argument, Corea said, because a
bank's ability to raise money does not depend on the soundness of
its borrowers.

The financial strength of the two financial institutions depend
on the fact that industrial nations are their guarantors, he added.
"Writing off bad debts will improve their books, not make them
worse," Corea argues.

Corea, who chaired a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Working Group
on Debt, said that while some of the private debts and bilateral
debts have been reduced, rescheduled or written-off, multilateral
debts have remained untouched.

@ UGANDA-ANGOLA

KAMPALA, Uganda December 21 1998 Sapa-AP

UGANDAN ARMY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN ANGOLAN CIVIL WAR

The Ugandan army has denied reports it is aiding UNITA rebels
fighting Angolan government troops, the government-owned New Vision
newspaper said Monday.

"We have no links with UNITA. We see it as another way by
Angola of diverting attention from its increasing internal woes in
face of battlefield losses in the Democratic Republic of Congo," a
military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Uganda's
largest newspaper.

Following the outbreak in August of a rebellion against
Congolese President Laurent Kabila, Angola intervened on the
government side with troops and equipment.

But there have been reports that it recently withdrew a
battalion from the Congo when serious fighting broke out in central
Angola around the town of Cuito between government troops and UNITA
forces.

Angola and UNITA, the National Union for the Total Independence
of Angola, signed a peace agreement in 1994.

Recent news reports have quoted an Angolan military source as
claiming that UNITA fighters have been seen wearing Ugandan and
Rwandan army uniforms.

In 1997, Angolan troops joined Congolese rebels backed by
Rwanda and Uganda to oust the longtime head of the former Zaire,
Mobutu Sese Seko, and put Kabila in power.

At that time, Angola was seeking to deprive UNITA of bases in
what was then southwestern Zaire.

Uganda and Rwanda are supporting the current rebellion in what
is now Congo because Kabila has allowed rebels acting against them
to set up bases in eastern Congo.

"Our army is in eastern Congo for strategic reasons," the
newspaper quoted the Ugandan military source as saying. "How could
a government with no control of half its territory (Angola), chose
to intervene in Congo?"

@ ANC ON LOWER SOUTH COAST VIOLENCE

Issued by: African National Congress

The ANC KwaZulu-Natal is shocked about the attack that took
place yesterday, Sunday at 6:00pm at the place called Mdumezulu,
Izingolweni at KwaXolo. Sixteen houses/huts belongings 7 houses
were gutted in fire in the space of thirty to forty minutes.

What really shocks is that with that kind of destruction police
arrived three hours later. This is despite two meetings that have
taken place between the flashpoint sub-committee of safety and
security portfolio committee and the police management of the area,
and assurances were given that all preventative measures were in
place.

We are only thankful that nobody was killed, and we are calling
on the police to immediately arrest these perpetrators of hideous
crime.

We further calling on all our communities especially ANC and IFP
to practice the maximum refrain from resorting in physical attacks
and conflicts. The time has come that they yield to the noble call
that both the ANC and IFP at the highest level they have made that
they should bury the hatchet and begin to smoke the peace pipe
together.

We are also calling on the leadership to condemn and discipline,
privately and publicly all their members that still believe that
violence can be part of solutions.

We are particularly calling on the provincial Commissioner's
office to take extra cautions to police the following areas during
the festive season:

Izingolweni: Manzamhlophe, Sigodaneni, Mdumezulu, Nkothaneni,
Lamont, Mvutshini
Mpendle: Stoffelton, Nzinga
Lindelani near KwaMashu
KwaDukuza: Shakaville and Lindelani
Richmond
Durban hostels

Let Peace and Goodwill Prevail in this Festive Season.

Issued by the ANC KwaZulu-Natal Department of Information and
Publicity
21 December 1998
Contact Bheki Cele, ANC Provincial Spokesperson on Safety and
Security at 082 900 3569

@ AFRICA-FOOD

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa

UN REPORT REFLECTS IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD SUPPLY IN AFRICA

Above-average to record harvests were anticipated in western
Africa, and eastern Africa was expected to produce a satisfactory
amount of food next year, the United Nations announced on Monday.

Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the other
hand, are two of 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa facing
exceptional food emergencies in the 1998/99 marketing year, which
runs from August to July.

Mwita Rukandema, who for the first time launched the UN's Food
and Agriculture's quarterly report in Johannesburg, said
sub-Saharan African could look forward to a generally improved food
supply.

Record crops were forecast for Chad, Mali and Niger, with
above-average output in The Gambia and average crops in Burkina
Faso and Senegal. Harvest prospects were generally favourable in
Benin, Nigeria and Togo.

Rukandema said although 13 countries faced exceptional food
emergencies, this was seven fewer countries than last year, and a
crisis situation such as the one experienced by Ethiopa in the
1980s was likely to be averted.

Somalia faced severe food shortages and civil strife threatened
food supplies in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other
countries.

In Southern Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia would have to
import cereal. South Africa's wheat crop, just harvested, was 36
percent or 1,5-million tons below last year.

Nevertheless, South Africa's stocks of surplus maize left over
from last year's bumper crop provided a carry-over suitable for the
export market.

Rukandema said a major food crisis was developing in Somalia,
with malnutrition cases, already high, continuing to rise.

He referred to the report, which says: "Recent estimates put
the number of people facing food shortages (in Somalia) at 700000,
and those most at risk at 300000."

Somalia's food crisis was caused by five bad harvests in a row.
Harvests were poor in the last two years because of a severe
drought, civil strife, the worst flood in decades (caused by El
Nino), and infestations of pests that bred after the flood.

In addition, Somalia recently lost its Middle Eastern livestock
market when Saudi Arabia imposed a one-year ban because of disease
outbreaks.

A UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal seeking US18-million for
funding emergency food, nutrition and health operations for Somalia
was made in August. This followed a special alert put out by the UN
in June.

Rukandema said world attention should be focused on Somalia,
where the lack of central government infrastructure made
distribution difficult.

Farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo were disturbed at
the start of their main agricultural season by the outbreak of
conflict. They were unable to take advantage of good rainfall
because of the fighting.

Many citizens, including farmers, were on the run and unable to
go about food production as normal, said Rukandema.

In Sudan, the severe famine situation in the south eased in
recent months. The UN report estimated that the 1998 cereal harvest
would be a record 6,51 million tons; substantially higher than the
drought-reduced harvest of last year. Record harvestsld not be
a reality for households whose farming was disrupted by military
activity.

Rukandema said two million people in Sudan did not have enough
food.

In Ethiopia, cereal and pulse production is forecast at 36
percent higher than last year. There is a possibility that Ethiopia
might produce a surplus this year. Nevertheless, a drought in some
areas in Ethiopia meant up to 2,5 million people were in danger.

In Angola, large areas were expected to require food aid
despite an improvement in production. This was because of the
volatile security situation.

Rukandema said the situation in Angola was being monitored very
closely as an outbreak of civil war was threatening.

Liberia and Sierra Leone, after years of civil strife, remained
heavily dependent on international food assistance despite some
improvement in food production.

Similarly, Rwanda and Burundi managed to achieve pre-civil
strife levels of production, but problems still persisted in some
areas.

The UN report stressed that those nations wishing to improve
food supplies in Africa should avoid delivering food from overseas.
It was better to distribute food over short distances - for
instance from one part of a country to another - because this was
cheaper and created an incentive for African farmers to produce
surpluses.

@ REGISTER-YOUTH

PRETORIA December 21 1998 Sapa

YOUTH COMMISSION TO MEET IEC

The National Youth Commission would meet a high-level
Independent Electoral Commission delegation on Tuesday to discuss
the low turnout of young people for recent voter registration.

NYC commissioner Mpho Lekgoro told reporters in Pretoria on
Monday that the meeting would be aimed at securing IEC support for
an action plan the NYC had devised to mobilise young voters for
future registration and the election.

He said the NYC was concerned about the low turnout of young
people for registration, since only about 20 percent of those aged
between 18 and 25 had enrolled.

NYC spokesman Paul Johnson said this could largely be blamed on
the fact that registration late in November and early December
coincided with year-end examinations.

A "significant level of apathy", could also not be excluded as
a factor, he said.

The NYC would launch a programme this week to teach young
people about the importance of registering and voting.

However, the commission had limited financial resources, and
would need assistance, Johnson said.

He said the NYC had to reprioritise its finances, and took
money from its communications budget to print 100,000 stickers and
posters to be distributed at places frequented by young people.

"We have not developed the action plan based on an assumption
that we will get extra money. But we will need to get a joint
commitment between the IEC and the NYC."

The action plan also included a meeting of youth organisations
to be held in Pretoria on January 6 to devise a joint strategy to
boost youth participation in the electoral process, Johnson said.

National, regional and local youth bodies would be requested to
help spread the message.

Johnson said the commission's youth information service, a
toll-free telephone advice service, would be adapted to include
information on voter registration.

The NYC would advertise on radio and television and in
newspapers, focusing on community-based media, he said.

@ FARMERS-ARRESTS

PRETORIA December 21 1998 Sapa

71 ARRESTED FOR RURAL ATTACKS IN OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Seventy-one people were arrested in October and November in
connection with attacks on farms and smallholdings, and other
attacks were prevented, the Rural Safety Task Team announced on
Monday.

It said in Pretoria this was the result of improvements in
intelligence-gathering and analysis since the rural safety
conference at Midrand in October.

Task team spokesman Martin Aylward said the number of arrests
and foiled attacks represented a marked increase on figures for
earlier months.

The task team said a number of changes were made to the rural
protection plan, including an evaluation of the reservist and
commando systems, and significant improvements in the country's
intelligence capacity.

"Collective efforts to address the problem of attacks on the
rural community, especially the farming community, is proving to be
successful," the statement said.

"With the positive attitude displayed by all roleplayers, we
will continue to work together and are confident to stamp out these
violent crimes."

The task team said research was underway in conjunction with
academic institutions on ways to prevent and investigate farm
attacks.

It invited more institution to become involved, saying they
should contact Isabel Venter on (012) 339-3194 or 082-808-6864.

@ NNP-WITCHHUNT

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa

NEW NP SAY MAHLALELA'S DISMISSAL SMACKS OF WITCH-HUNTING

The New National Party on Monday criticised the dismissal of
Mpumulanga environmental affairs MEC Fish Mahlalela by premier
Mathews Phosa, saying the sacking smacked of witch-hunting.

NNP spokesman Lucas Nel said the reasons for Mahlalela's
dismissal had, suspiciously, not been made public. He believed the
incident illustrated a power struggle that had been paralysing the
African National Congress in the province for some time.

"This only proves once again that there is very little unity
within the local ANC, and that ANC discipline is not about seeking
consensus or about finding solutions, but rather about taking
extremely strong action in a unilateral way."

Nel said the dismissal was inconsistent, and showewd further
proof of high-handedness. "Less competent members of the executive,
who should have been dismissed long ago due to incompetence, have
been allowed to remain in their positions," said Nel.

The NNP also took issue with the cost of the dismissal.

"The audit announced by the premier represents the third
investigation in a row - at the cost of the taxpayer.

"This province cannot afford the luxury of an ANC government
not knowing what to do when," Nel said.

@ IMMIGRANTS-NNP

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED BACK AFTER CHRISTMAS:
NNP

Illegal immigrants returning home for Christmas should not be
allowed back into the country, the New National Party said on
Monday.

In a statement NNP home affairs spokesman Coetzee Bester said
South Africa was faced with an increasing number of illegal
immigrants taking up scarce resources.

"This in turn has resulted in xenophobia. The hate of
foreigners resulted in an attack on a train in October this year
where three were killed."

Bester said illegal immigrants who went home for Christmas
should not be allowed back into South Africa as they still had
family ties in their countries of origin.

"This may prove to be a good starting point for resolving the
illegal immigrant situation."

There were between 2,5 million and 4,1 million illegal
immigrants in South Africa, according to a Human Sciences Research
Council study.

The real figure could be as high as 8,5 million, costing the
taxpayer at least R2,7 billion a year, Bester said.

@ ARRIVE ALIVE APPEALS TO TRUCKERS

Monday, December 21, 1998

The high number of trucks involved in crashes in KwaZulu-Natal
has prompted an appeal to truckers to check their vehicles before
taking to the road.

"Abour 80% of the crashes we are dealing with involve light and
heavy commercial vehicles," a spokesman for the KZN Provincial
Traffic said at the weekend.

"We have had cases of trucks with bad brakes and appeal to truck
operators and drivers to make sure their vehicles are properly
checked for road worthiness. We also appeal to truck drivers to
abide by traffic regulations. We see drivers freewheeling down
declies and not shifting down gears as well as overtaking on
barrier lines. This can cause crashes".

Statistics collated by the Arrive Alive national information
centre indicate that the involvement of heavy commercial vehicles in
fatal accidents has almost doubled from 7% to 13% compared with
previous summer holidays.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Pedestrians jay-walking or, in some cases, lying drunk in the
road were again the highest contributory factor in all road
fatalities reported to date.

High speed was the next highest contributory factor and this,
coupled with bad weather and the fact that alcohol plays a role in
some 60% of fatal crashes, serves as another warning to motorists to
be ultra cautious during the forthcoming festive days.

Driver fatigue, illegal overtaking and following too close are
other factors.

Because of bad weather and flooded road conditions in various
parts of the country, Arrive Alive has once again stressed the
iportance of proper vehicle checks, especially tyres.

"The importance of fitting proper tyres and maintaining current
tyre pressures can not be underestimated. A single worn tyre can
cause the death of more than one person. In only three days, nine
people died in a crash near Naboomspruit, another four died near
Messina and a further two near Jankempdorp. In each case, the crash
occurred after one of the tyres had allegedly burst, says Perry
Perirenyatwa.

Worn tyres, speeding and overloading make a lethal cocktail,
especially in KZN where many of the fatal accidents happened in wet
or misty conditions.

"In rainy conditions, reduce speed to well below the speed
limit, increase travelling distances between vehicles, and switch on
the main lights, not the parking lights," Perry said.

Meanwhile, this weekend it was death, carnage and chaos in the
Beaufort West region, notorious for the number of southbound drivers
who fall asleep here while heading for Cape Town and East London.

It started on an ominous note on Friday, when members of the SA
Police Services, the SA Defence Force and local provincial traffic
police offers set up a road block from 6am to 6pm near Prince Albert
on the N1, stopping southbound travellers.

More than 100 people were caught for various offences. A total
of 72 drivers were fined for driving unlicensed vehicles, 30 for not
possessing or carrying valid drivers's licenses and five for
defective lights.

"We checked specifically for drunken drivers, but found none,"
said Mr. William Gordon, Arrive Alive area manager for the Central
and Little Karoo.

He confirmed this is more or less the spot where people from
Johannesburg driving to Cape Town or turning off to the Eastern Cape
fall asleep. A number of speeding offences were recorded and the
drivers concerned would be identified. "At 10pm, after the road
block had been lifted, a bus overturned at the same spot to evade
crashing into a heavy vehicle. One person was killed and 59 were
injure," says Gordon.

He reported four other crashes in the area over the weekend in
which a further three people were killed and more than 30 injured,
six seriously. The worst was a crash involving two minibuses and a
light delivery vehicle crashing into one another. The lightest
involved a lone lady driver who fell asleep, overturned her car, but
was only slightly injured.

Said Dr Freddie Strauss, of the Beaufort West Provincial
Hospital, at noon yesterday (Sunday): "We have been working for
24-hours for two days to operate and treat the injured. We have ad
cutbacks and are under-equipped. It is tragic to see how people who
drive vehicles that are not road worthy and who overload minibus
taxis disregard the message from the Arrive Alive campaign. Often,
these drivers are under pressure from passengers to meet deadlines.
Then they become too tired to stay awake."

A spokesperson for Netcare 911 reported only two helicopter
flights were launched for accident-related missions in urban areas,
but that emergency base cars had been "quite busy" inn the
Durban-Richards Bay area. She appealed to the public that if people
were not sure which emergency service to dial, they should telephone
Netcare's national control number - 082 911 - and the appropriate
service would be alerted.

Statistics collected since December 1 1998 indicate that most
fatalities occurred outside cities and towns. Routes and route
sections that have claimed lives since the start of this holiday
season already include:

Western Cape

* N1 between Worcester and Laingsburg - 3 fatalities

* N2 between Cape Town and Caledon - 3 fatalities

Eastern Cape

* N2 near Mount Ayliff area - 4 fatalities

* N2 near Umtata area - 4 fatalities

* R56 between Steynberg and Molteno - 4 fatalities

* The R72 between Kidd's Beach and East London - 3 fatalities

Northern Cape

* N14 between Kuruman and Springbok - 4 fatalities

KwaZulu Natal

* N11 between Ladysmith and Volksrust - 5 fatalities

* N2 between Scottburg and Durban - 4 fatalities

* N3 between Escourt and Van Reenen's Pass - 5 fatalities

* N3 between Durban and Howick - 6 fatalities

* R617 between Howick and Underberg - 12 fatalities

* R33 between Piet Retief and Vryheid - 4 fatalities

* R56 between Pietermaritzburg and Staffords Post - 3 fatalities

North West

* N14 between Vryburg and Kuruman - 5 fatalities

Gauteng

* R573 between Pretoria and Marble hall - 4 fatalities

Mpumalanga

* N17 between Johannesburg and Secunda - 4 fatalities

* N4 between Witbank and Nelspruit - 6 fatalities

* R33 between Pietersburg and Carolina - 3 fatalities

Northern Province

* N1 between Potgietersrus and Pietersburg - 9 fatalities

* R101 between Pretoria and Warmbaths - 9 fatalities

Free State

* N1 between Kroonstad and Vanderbijlpark - 3 fatalities

* N6 between Smithfield and Reddersburg - 3 fatalities

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Drivers are urged to be patient with truck
drivers who will not pull out into the emergency lane. Some truck
drivers have been instructed by their employers not to perform this
courteous manoeuvre because they run the risk of running into a
stationary vehicle when not being allowed back into the traffic
flow.

Up to date statistics of road fatalities are available from the
ARRIVE ALIVE Information Centre (012) 309 3669, which operates from
8am to 5 pm daily.

Fatal crashes reported by the SAPS from 01/12/98 to 12:00 on
21/12/98

PROVINCE FATAL DRIVERS PASSENGERS PEDESTRAINS TOTAL
CRASHES DEATHS
Gauteng 51 25 9 26 60
KwaZulu Natal 56 22 36 25 83
Western Cape 28 10 15 13 38
Northern Cape 15 10 4 3 17
Eastern Cape 34 25 11 16 52
North West 16 6 10 5 21
Northern Province 13 10 16 3 29
Mpumalanga 19 12 20 7 39
Free State 21 11 11 8 30
National Total 253 131 132 106 369

Issued on behalf of: National Department of Transport
Contact: Perry Parirenyatwa
Telephone: (012) 309 3810

Issued by: Sasani Communications
Contact: Sylvia Ortlieb
Telephone: 011 784 2598

@ HUTATTACK-ANC

DURBAN December 21 1998 Sapa

KWANATAL ANC CONDEMNS ATTACK ON LOWER SOUTH COAST

The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday
condemned a hut-burning raid near Izingolweni on the lower south
coast on Sunday afternoon.

In a statement in Durban, the ANC said the attack happened at
6pm on Sunday and about 16 huts were burnt down.

The statement condemned the local police for arriving three
hours later.

"What really shocks is that with that kind of destruction
police arrived three hours later. This is despite two meetings that
have taken place between the flashpoint sub-committee of safety and
security and the police management of the area," the statement
said.

It said the police at both meetings said all possible
preventive measures against violence were in place.

The ANC appealed to its supporters and the Inkatha Freedom
Party to avoid physical attacks and conflicts.

"The time has come that they yield to the noble call that both
the ANC and IFP at the highest level have made - that they should
bury the hatchet and begin to smoke the peace pipe together," the
statement said.

The ANC called on the provincial police commissioner Chris
Serfontein to ensure proper policing in strife-torn areas in the
province such as Izingolweni, Lindelani, Richmond and Durban
hostels.

Port Shepstone police spokesman Superintendent Dawood Kader
disputed the allegation that police arrived three hours late. He
said police received a report on the incident at about 7.10pm.

"To allege that the police responded after three hours is
totally unfounded. We have documentary proof by means of an
occurrence book entry to substantiate our claim," he said.

Kader said four suspects had been arrested in connection with
the incident. No one was hurt during the attack.

@ AUDIT-KLUEVER

CAPE TOWN December 21 1998 Sapa

SARS LOSING MILLIONS: KLUEVER

Performance audits completed in various government departments
in the year to August 31 revealed a wide range of shortcomings
regarding proper planning, performance measurement, benchmarking
and appropriate management information, auditor-general Henri
Kluever said on Monday.

Among other things, it was found that voluntary severance
packages were approved without consideration of the impact on the
SA Revenue Service, he said in a statement. From August 1996 to
December 1996, the SARS granted 1391 of the packages.

This contributed to the outstanding income tax increasing
considerably in the 1996/97 financial year compared to the provious
year and income tax amounting to R226,25 million had to be written
off - an increase of 47,9 percent over the previous year.

Since only 1200 of the remaining 68520 inspections of rebates
claimed in terms of the Diesel Refund System before March 13 last
year would be completed by the end of this year, SARS would forfeit
potential additional income of R680 million.

Since the implementation of the General Export Incentive Scheme
in 1990, only 51 percent of the rand value of incentives of R9034,9
million claimed in terms of the scheme was inspected by staff in
the trade and industry department, Kluever said.

These inspections realised savings of R86,322 million for the
1996/97 financial year, and additional savings could have been made
if further inspections were conducted.

Although many corrective steps had been implemented by the
institutions covered in the report, much more needed to be done to
address some of the deeply rooted problems, which appeared to be
generic, he said.

@ REGISTER-FEDALLIANCE

PRETORIA December 21 1998 Sapa

LUYT'S FEDERAL ALLIANCE REGISTERS AS POLITICAL PARTY ON MONDAY

Former rugby boss Louis Luyt's recently founded Federal
Alliance was on Monday afternoon registered as a political party at
the Independent Electoral Commission office in Pretoria, party
spokesman Jan Bosman said.

The registration at 3pm on Monday marked the alliance's
official entry into the 1999 election race, he said.

Bosman said the registration process involved the party handing
over a copy of its manifesto, a list of 50 signatures and paying
the requsiite deposit of R500 to the IEC.

In January the party would begin to publicise its manifesto and
it would hold talks with other parties on the possibility of
co-operation strategies, he said.

@ ANGOLA-FIGHTING

LUANDA December 21 1998 Sapa-AP

ANGOLAN REBELS KEEP UP ASSAULT ON CENTRAL HIGHLAND CITY

UNITA rebels on Monday shelled the outskirts of a key central
highland town in a bid to seize it from government forces.

UNITA artillery gunners targeting Kuito opened fire at dawn,
hitting the airport and Cunji, a village that sits seven kilometers
(4 miles) away on high ground overlooking Kuito, the Roman Catholic
bishop in Kuito told Radio Eclesia.

The intensity of the bombing tore off the roofs of some houses
in Kuito, Bishop Jose Nambi told Radio Eclesia.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

Since Angola's 1994 peace accord started unraveling earlier
this month and fighting erupted anew, battles have focused mostly
on Kuito, the capital of Bie province which lies some 500
kilometers (300 miles) southeast of the capital Luanda.

Government forces attacked UNITA's central highland strongholds
Andulo and Bailundo on Dec. 4 but failed to gain control of them.
UNITA then launched an offensive to seize some central highland
towns under government control, namely Huambo and Kuito. Huambo
reportedly is calm now.

There are up to 60,000 displaced people in Kuito, adding to a
population of some 100,000, according to the United Nations' World
Food Program.

"The thing that breaks your heart is that the city was
beginning to be rebuilt," WFP spokeswoman Maria Flynn said.

Kuito was wrecked by shelling and street fighting between
government troops and UNITA rebels in 1993, a year before the
United Nations brokered a peace agreement.

The pact has crumbled amid continuing hostilities between the
government and UNITA - a Portuguese acronym for the National Union
for the Total Independence of Angola.

Also Monday, UNITA accused Namibia and Zimbabwe of sending
troops to support President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in the renewed
fighting.

"Jose Eduardo dos Santos was forced to rely on foreign
military support to try to resolve an internal conflict," the
UNITA leadership said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press.

Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia are supporting Congo's President
Laurent Kabila against insurgents who are backed by Rwanda and
Uganda, a longtime ally of UNITA.

Angola's civil war started in 1975, after a 14-year fight for
independence from Portuguese colonial rule.

The fighting was halted by a 1991 peace deal, but the agreement
collapsed a year later after UNITA refused to accept defeat in
U.N.-sponsored elections.

@ DRCONGO-LIBYA

KIGALI, Rwanda December 21 1998 Sapa-AP

CONGOLESE REBEL LEADER IN TALKS WITH GADHAFI

The leader of Congolese rebels fighting to oust President
Laurent Kabila held talks Monday with Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi, the rebels' first such meeting with Kabila's major ally.

A Congolese rebel representative traveling with Ernest Wamba
dia Wamba, leader of the Congolese Democratic Coalition, said the
two-hour meeting took place Monday in the Libyan capital, Tripoli,
but he had no other details.

Gadhafi has been backing Kabila in a civil war that has drawn
in Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Chad on the government side and
Rwanda and Uganda on the rebel side.

Reports in the independent press in Chad say that Gadhafi is
underwriting the cost of sending Chadian troops to northern Congo.
At least 100 have been reported killed and an undetermined number
taken prisoner by Ugandan troops.

Kabila's refusal to accept a cease-fire and enter into
negotiations with the rebel coalition of ethnic Congolese Tutsis,
disaffected Conglese soldiers and opposition politicians has made
any peace agreement impossible.

Kabila insists on the withdrawal of troops sent by Rwanda and
Uganda, which say they will remain in Congo in the absence of
security guarantees from Kabila for their eastern borders.

Both countries accuse their former protege of enlisting Rwandan
and Ugandan rebels bent on destabilizing their governments.

Wamba traveled to Libya from Burkina Faso where he attended a
summit of the conflict resolution body of the Organization of
African Unity that called last week for a cease-fire to be signed
in Lusaka, Zambia, on Dec. 28.

But doubts remained whether Kabila will agree to meet the
rebels, who repeated their call in the Burkinabe capital,
Ouagadougou, for his removal from power.

It wasn't clear how much Gadhafi could contribute to the
fragile Congolese peace process, but the rebels were apparently
hoping he could withdraw his financial support for the Chadian
troops and put pressure on Kabila to negotiate.

Since the beginning of the year, Gadhafi has stepped up efforts
to become a major player in African affairs and succeeded in
convincing OAU member states to denounce the U.N. ban on air travel
to Libya because of his refusal to hand over two suspects in the
bombing of a Pan Am airliner a decade ago over Lockerbie, Scotland.

@ CRIME-LESOTHO

UMTATA December 21 1998 Sapa

SA FARMERS NEAR LESOTHO CALLS ON MANDELA TO INTERVENE

Eastern Cape farmers along the border with Lesotho on Monday
asked President Nelson Mandela to address cross-border crimes in
the area.

The farmers said these crimes had claimed 30 lives since the
beginning of the year.

In a letter signed by five Batlokoa chiefs and two headmen, the
farmers said they were disappointed that police commissioner George
Fivaz had not visited the area to find out how the farmers proposed
to address the conflict.

The farmers said they sent an invitation to Fivaz in November,
but he was not available on a date suggested by the farmers. They
then asked him to propose a more convenient date, but he instead
referred their letter to Eastern Cape police management.

The farmers also wrote to Safety and Security Minister Sydney
Mafumadi, informing him of Fivaz' response to their request.

In the letter to Mandela, the farmers said the situation along
the Lesotho/South Africa border warranted a commission of inquiry.

There were conflicting reports surrounding last week's incident
in which three South African farmers were killed and four injured
in Lesotho.

It was reported that 25 farmers went to the kingdom to retrieve
stolen livestock, but Lesotho authorities claimed the farmers were
trying to steal livestock.

South Africa's deputy high commissioner in Lesotho, Pinkerton
Mjikileso, said a criminal case had been opened.

Representatives from police in both countries met last week,
but had not yet reported back.

@ TRAFFIC

JOHANNESBURG December 21 1998 Sapa

ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN ISSUE HOLIDAY DEATH TOLL STATS

The national Arrive Alive campaign on Monday said 369 people
had been killed on South Africa's roads since December 1.

In Gauteng, 60 deaths were reported in 51 fatal crashes, while
in Kwazulu-Natal 83 people were killed in 56 fatal crashes.

In the Western Cape there were 28 accidents which caused 38
fatalities.

In the Northern Cape 17 deaths occurred in 15 fatal accidents,
while in the Eastern Cape police reported 52 deaths in 34 accidents
and in North-West 21 people died in 16 accidents.

In Northern Province 29 people died in 13 accidents and in
Mpumalanga 39 people died in 19 accidents. In the Free State 30
people were killed in 21 accidents.

Of the fatalities, 132 were passengers and 106 pedestrians.

Routes and sections of routes where fatal accidents occurred
since the start of the holiday season included the N1 between
Worcester and Laingsburg in the Western Cape and the N2 between
Cape Town and Caledon.

In the Eastern Cape, the N2 near the Mount Ayliff area, the N2
near Umtata, the R56 between Steynberg and Molteno, and the R72
between Kidd's Beach and East London had been the scene of fatal
crashes.

In the Northern Cape, fourdeaths occurred on the N14 between
Kuruman and Springbok.

In KwaZulu-Natal, fatal accidents occurred on the N2 between
Scottburgh and Durban, the R33 between Piet Retief and Vryheid, the
N11 between Ladysmith and Volksrust, the N3 between Escourt and Van
Reenen's Pass and the N14 between Vryburg and Kuruman.

Six deaths occurred on the N3 between Durban and Howick and 12
deaths on the R617 between Howick and Underberg.

In Gauteng, four fatalities were recorded on the R573 between
Pretoria and Marble Hall.

Mpumalanga's N17 between Johannesburg and Secunda, the N4
between Witbank and Nelspruit and the R33 between Pietersburg and
Carolina were also the scenes of accidents.

On the Northern Province's N1 between Potgietersrus and
Pietersburg, and on the R101 between Pretoria and Warmbaths nine
fatalities were reported.

On the N1 between Kroonstad and Vanderbijlpark in the Free
State three fatalities occurred, similarly on the N6 between
Smithfield and Reddersburg.

Pedestrians who jay-walked or lay drunk in the road were the
highest contributory factors in road fatalities, Arrive Alive said.

The second highest factor was speeding, often coupled with bad
weather and the use of alcohol - which caused over 60 percent of
fatal crashes.

Because of the bad weather and flooded road conditions in
various parts of the country, Arrive Alive stressed the importance
of proper vehicle and tyre checks.

Statistics indicated most fatalities occurred outside cities
and towns.

A high number of trucks involved in crashes in KwaZulu-Natal
prompted Arrive Alive to appeal to truckers to check their vehicles
before taking to the road.

"About 80 percent of the crashes we are dealing with involve
light and heavy commercial vehicles," a spokesman for the
Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Traffic Authority said.

He appealed to truck drivers and operators to ensure their
vehicles were properly checked for road worthiness and to abide by
traffic regulations. Statistics collated by the Arrive Alive
national information centre indicated the involvement of heavy
commercial vehicles in fatal accidents had nearly doubled from
seven to 13 percent compared with previous summer holidays.

--=====================_914344378==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

+------------------------------------------------------------+
| ANC Dept Information & Publicity Tel: (+27 21) 262740 |
| PO Box 16469, Vlaeberg 8018 Fax: (+27 21) 262774 |
| Cape Town Internet: in...@anc.org.za |
| South Africa CompuServe: 100014,344 |
+------------------------------------------------------------+

--=====================_914344378==_--

ANC Information

unread,

Dec 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/23/98

--=====================_914435543==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

--=====================_914435543==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="NEWS1223"

A N C D A I L Y N E W S B R I E F I N G

WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 1998

To unsubscribe from the ANC Daily News Briefing mailing list send a
message to 'list...@wn.apc.org'. In the body of your message put
'unsubscribe ancnews'.

@ PROSECUTORS TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INCREASE

Issued by: Ministry of Justice

22 December

PROSECUTORS TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INCREASE OF 6% BACKDATED TO 1
JULY 1998 - STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF JUSTICE DULLAH OMAR ON
SALARIES OF PROSECUTORS

Prosecutors and state advocates received salary increases
ranging from 5 to 8% - in common with the rest of the civil service
- with effect from 1 July 1998. In the meanwhile, parliament passed
the National Prosecuting Authority Act with a view of creating a
different dispensation for prosecutors. This act is now in
operation. As a result, negotiations ensued to provide an additional
increase for prosecutors. According to the Act, new salary scales
should be finalised as soon as possible after the passing of the
Act.

We have complied with requirements of the Act and are able to
announce an increase of 6% per annum over and above the increases
already received in the Central Bargaining Chamber. This
additional 6% increase is backdated to take effect on 1 July 1998.
The department will process the new salary scales as a matter of
urgency.

The 6% increase is the best the country can afford at present
taking into account the serious financial crisis which exists in the
world and which has also engulfed South Africa.

In the light of the implementation of the national Prosecuting
Authority Act, a consultative mechanism will be set up early in the
new year in consultation with the national director of Public
Prosecutions so that future remuneration matters and conditions of
service may be discussed at an appropriate forum. This will also
provide an opportunity for unions representing prosecutors to
participate in the process. There are a number of unions which
represent prosecutors in South Africa. All of them except one have
expressed understanding for the need to avoid action having the
effect of undermining the functioning of courts and to cooperate to
create a new dispensation for prosecutors. The change we desire
cannot and will not happen overnight. I express appreciation to
those unions for their understanding most prosecutors also have not
heeded the call emanating from the ranks of one union for strike
action I express my appreciation to them as well. I reiterate my
commitment to the transformation of the prosecution service which
includes promoting equality, making the service representative at
all levels, promoting professionals as professionals in all respects
and improving salaries.

I know that prosecutors want greater increases and parity with
magistrates. What has now been achieved must be seen as a first
step in a process which is the best the country can afford at
present.

The plight of other legal professionals must also not be
forgotten. It is the same as that of prosecutors. I thank them for
their loyalty and dedication. I have endeavoured to advance their
position as well. The Mandate Committee established by cabinet is
still considering their position together with that of other
professionals in government service. I hope to report progress in
this regard early in the new year.

The salaries of judges have also been increased by 5% and
magistrates by 6% with effect from 1 July 1998.

In the case of all judicial officers, a special consultative
mechanism will also be created early in 1999 to deal with future
salary matters and conditions of service and also to afford
representatives of judicial officers an appropriate platform for
consultation and negotiation purposes.

May I take this opportunity of wishing al justice personnel a
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Minister of Justice Dullah Omar
22 December 1998

For further information contact - Bennie Bunsee
Tel 021 4616520
Cell: 0824621217

@ ELECT-POLL

CAPE TOWN December 22 1998 Sapa

ANC, NP IN NECK AND NECK BATTLE FOR WCAPE

The African National Congress and the New National Party are
involved in a neck and neck battle in the Western Cape for victory
in next year's elections, and who the winner will be is not a clear
cut case, according to Markinor's latest "Opinion '99" poll
released on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted over October and November this year,
indicated that ANC support in the province was at 26,5 percent and
that of the NNP at 26,3 percent, while undecided voters made up 30
percent of the electorate.

Both parties would be faced with having to decide on governing
partners should the poll realise in an actual election result,
Markinor said in a statement.

This placed both the Democratic Party (6,3 percent) and the
United Democratic Movement (3,9 percent) in a favourable position
to hold the balance of power.

In Gauteng, ANC support stood at 41,5 percent, the DP at 11,5
and the NNP at 7,1 with 28,2 percent of voters undecided.

"Depending on the ability of the ANC to woo voters who are
currently undecided into the ANC camp, this party faces the
possibility of not regaining an outright majority in Gauteng.

"The NNP has lost its position as official opposition to the
DP," the statement said.

According to the poll, early indications for the Northern Cape
were that the ANC (37,5 percent) would again be victorious over the
NNP (26,8 percent) and the DP (5,4 percent).

The Eastern Cape could see a change in official opposition,
with the UDM (7,3 percent) currently attracting the second most
votes on provincial level after the ANC's 67,3 percent and above
the NNP's 4,4 percent.

As in the Western Cape, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal had its nose
ahead of its closest rival, the Inkatha Freedom Party, with 28,5
percent and 24,9 respectively.

The ability of both the ANC and the IFP to attract undecided
(31,2 percent) voters would determine the government of that
province, the poll found.

@ COURT-SHOBASHOBANE

DURBAN December 22 1998 Sapa

FIVE SHOBASHOBANE ACCUSED SET FREE

The appeal by five of 13 men jailed for the 1995 Christmas day
massacre at Shobashobane on the KwaZulu-Natal lower south coast
succeeded on Tuesday in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

The five men, including an Inkatha Freedom Party leader in the
area, Sipho Ngcobo, were released from Westville prison after Judge
Jan Hugo set aside their sentences and convictions.

Ngcobo and local IFP youth leader Zithulele Zuma were sentenced
to life by the Durban High Court in 1997.

The four released with Ngcobo were Mbambi Meshack Ntobela,
Gideon Zulu, a Mr T Zenda and Z Nyawose.

Thirteen men were sentenced for their part in the massacre, in
which 18 African National Congress supporters were shot and hacked
to death in Shobashobane on Christmas morning, 1995. At least 1000
IFP members are believed to have participated in the attack.

@ REGISTER-IFP

DURBAN December 22 1998 Sapa

IFP YOUTH BRIGADE LEADER URGES YOUTH TO REGISTER TO VOTE

The leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party Youth Brigade, Mtomuhle
Khawula, on Tuesday called on the youth to register in order to
vote in next year's election.

In his Christmas message, Khawula said: "As the youth of South
Africa today, we therefore cannot dare to take for granted the
precious power that we have in our hands for which millions of
South Africans have struggled."

He said the IFP commended the Independent Electoral
Commission's decision to extend the registration period.

"This will enable us to participate on election day next year
and elect a government that will deliver to our expectations."

Khawula urged the youth to work together in order to overcome
crime and Aids in the country.

- The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal called upon
motorists and pedestrians to respect each other and avoid road
accidents.

In a statement the party thanked police for their campaign to
prevent crime during the festive season.

"Crime remains one of our main problems. Yet the law
enforcement agencies working in unity with communities are

beginning to tame this scourge," the ANC said.

@ ZIM-ANGOLA

HARARE December 22 1998 Sapa-AP

ZIMBABWE DENIES SENDING TROOPS TO ANGOLA

The Defense Ministry in Harare denied claims Zimbabwe sent
troops to back government forces fighting rebels in Angola, the
state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Tuesday.

Officials dismissed allegations that some Zimbabwean soldiers
serving in the Congo were redeployed to fight UNITA rebels, who
have mounted a renewed onslaught against the government of Angolan
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the newspaper said.

The allegations were made by Jonas Savimbi, leader of UNITA,
the Portuguese acronym for the National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola. Savimbi said Zimbabwean forces entered
Angola on Friday and were threatening an escalation of fighting.

Angolan troops are in a southern African alliance with Zimbabwe
and Namibia supporting embattled President Laurent Kabila in the
Congo.

The Herald, seen as a government mouthpiece, said Zimbabwe
President Robert Mugabe last week described Savimbi as a war
criminal who must be sought out and defeated.

"This may have been misconstrued to mean that Zimbabwe will
hunt down Dr. Savimbi," the newspaper said, quoting unidentified
defense officials.

No further information was available from the defense ministry
on Tuesday, a public holiday in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has 8,000 troops backed by warplanes and armor in the
Congo.

Angola and UNITA signed a U.N.-brokered peace agreement in 1994
after two decades of civil war but the pact has crumbled with
fierce fighting again erupting within the past month.

@ DENMARK-MANDELA

COPENHAGEN December 22 1998 Sapa-AFP

MANDELA TO VISIT DENMARK NEXT YEAR

President Nelson Mandela will make an official visit to Denmark
in 1999 during a tour which will also take him to Sweden, Norway
and the Netherlands, the Danish newspaper Politiken reported on
Tuesday.

The Danish foreign ministry declined to confirm the report, but
diplomatic sources said the visit would probably take place in
March.

Mandela has visited Denmark twice before, in 1992 and then in
1995 during the social summit in Copenhagen, the report noted.

In 1996 he hosted a visit to South Africa by the Danish royal
family.

@ LABOUR-AMPLATS

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

AMPLATS WANTS WAGES DISPUTE TO GO TO ARBITRATION

An eleventh-hour bid to avert the proposed strike on Wednesday
by members of the National Union of Mineworkers at the platium
mines of Anglo American Platinum Corporation was taking place on
Tuesday.

Amplats' spokesman Steve Calladine told Sapa: "The Amplats'
management has made a suggestion that we now go to arbitration. The
negotiations are still continuing and hopefully within an hour we
will have an agreement on the matter being referred to
arbitration."

More than 3000 NUM members at the Amplats operations in the
North West Province have threatened to down tools from 4am on
Wednesday unless their demands for an eight percent
across-the-board wage increase are met.

Although Amplats said the negotiations were confidential, it is
understood mines' management insists that any increase be linked to
productivity.

Amplats is the world's largest producer of platinum.

@ ANGOLA-AID

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

ANGOLANS DISPLACED IN CLASHES RECEIVE AID

Thousands of people displaced by clashes between Angolan
government troops and Unita rebels have received humanitarian aid
since the heaviest fighting abated late last week, the UN
information service IRIN said on Tuesday.

About 8000 Angolans were receiving food and other aid since
last Friday through the UN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination
Unit, IRIN said in a statement in Johannesburg.

"On Friday 18 December, the distribution of food and non-food
items started targeting a first group of almost 7500 people
considered the most vulnerable."

Although the central highlands of the Bie province were not
accessible by road or air, aid agency sources said food and medical
aid was being provided from stocks already in place.

In Huambo, to the southwest, more than 30,000 newly displaced
people had also been registered for aid.

@ SACOB-MESSAGE

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

SACOB CALLS FOR ACTION TO STRENGTHEN INVESTOR CONFIDENCE

South African Chamber of Commerce president Humphrey Khoza on
Wednesday said that to attract foreign investment, South Africa
needed to control crime effectively, lessen regulatory constraints
on business and maintain a disciplined fiscal policy.

In a Christmas message, Khoza said there were a number of
indicators to suggest the worst of the economic difficulties may be
over and that a modest revival could occur late in 1999.

He saw the coming year as one of consolidation and
stabilisation for the economy.

"The level of recovery will depend to a large extent on
external factors beyond our control and upon the degree to which
foreigners become more discerning about the prospects of emerging
markets such as ours. On this latter score I believe South Africa
stands well above the others in showing its resilience to withstand
economic adversity," said Khoza.

But the Sacob president said South Africans must not believe
their economic destiny lay entirely outside their control.

"Far from it. We must endeavour to do those things that will
attract foreign investment - and I include here factors like
effectively controlling crime, less regulation, particularly of
small business activities, privatisation, and adherence to a
disciplined fiscal policy. These are elements by which foreign
investors judge us and we must respond accordingly in order to
strengthen investor confidence," he stated.

@ HOUSING-SARDA

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

HOUSING SECTOR UNDER PRESSURE TO FIND NEW FINANCE AVENUES

Housing developers will have to find increasingly innovative
ways to finance new housing developments next year, the president
of the South African Residential Developers Association (SARDA),
Chris Cudmore, said on Tuesday.

Cudmore said high interest rates had made 1998 a very tough
year for the housing industry, and unless these rates fell below 17
percent next year, there would be no significant improvement in the
rate of credit-linked housing delivery.

"Micro-lending presents the most exciting financing
opportunities, followed closely by the Gateway scheme through the
National Housing Finance Corporation.

"Institutional housing projects, such as was launched recently
by the Greater Germiston Inner City Housing Corporation, also
present developers with viable alternative financing," he said.

He warned that the current momentum of housing delivery in the
subsidised-market would slow down if next year's budget allocation
for housing was cut again.

"The rate of delivery in the subsidised market peaked at an all
time high during the year. The slow rate of payment by some
provincial governments has put a lot of pressure on smaller
developers and contractors which contributed to a number of
liqudations."

@ COURT-LD-SHOBASHOBANE

DURBAN December 22 1998 Sapa

ANC QUESTIONS RELEASE OF SHOBASHOBANE MASSACRE ACCUSED

The African National Congress on Tuesday questioned the release
from jail of five Inkatha Freedom Party members convicted of the
Shobashobane Christmas day massacre in 1995.

Eighteen ANC supporters were shot and hacked to death in an
attack on Shobashobane village at Izingolweni near Port Shepstone
on Christmas morning three years ago.

Thirteen men were convicted and sentenced for their part in the
killing. On Tuesday morning five of the 13, including Izingolweni
IFP leader Sipho Ngcobo, were released after their appeal against
conviction and sentencing succeeded in the Pietermaritzburg High
Court.

The other four were Mbambi Meshack Ntobela, Gideon Zulu, T
Zenda and Z Nyawose. The court found that the five men had been
wrongly convicted.

ANC safety and security spokesman Bheki Cele said although the
ANC respected South African law, the acquittal of the men raised
serious concerns. "We only pray and hope that it does not ignite
and cause eruptions on the ground," Cele said.

He questioned the timing of the acquittal three days before
Christmas. In an apparent reference to Ngcobo's role in the
massacre, Cele said it was cause for concern that those released
included the so-called ringleaders in the attack.

Allegations at the time of the massacre were rife that Ngcobo
and IFP youth leader Zithulele Zuma were among the main attacking
group. Ngcobo and Zuma received life sentences during the massacre
trial in 1997.

Cele expressed hopes that their release was based solely on
legal considerations.

IFP spokesman Blessed Gwala said the IFP condemned the massacre
but was pleased the law had taken its course. "We appreciate that
the court has taken the decision without fear of intimidation,"
Gwala said.

@ REGISTER-YOUTH

PRETORIA December 22 1998 Sapa

COMMITTEE TO BE ESTABLISHED TO GET YOUTH REGISTERING

A committee made up of National Youth Commission and
Independent Electoral Commission officials would be established to
get the youth interested in voter registration, youth commissioner
Mpho Lekgoro said on Tuesday.

"The committee will deliberate on things that need to be done
now to mobilise the youth, and it will then report to the two
commissions on its solutions," he told reporters after a meeting
between the NYC and IEC in Pretoria.

Lekgoro said it was also decided at the meeting that the two
commissions would share available resources and go out to rural
areas and schools to educate young people about registration.

He said the issue of financing had not yet been finalised, but
the commissions would deal with it early in January.

"Our immediate target is to make sure that in the second round
of registration ... there is change in the turnout of younger
people registering," Lekgoro said.

He said about 20 percent of those aged between 18 and 25 had
registered for next year's general election.

The low turnout could be attributed to students writing exams
during the registration period. Besides that, many of them had gone
home because some schools had closed for the holidays, Lekgoro
said.

IEC chief electoral officer Mandla Mchunu said the IEC was
partly to blame for the low registration turnout.

Most 16-year-olds were not aware that they could register
already, even though they could only vote from the age of 18, he
said.

@ LABOUR-PROSECUTORS

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

OMAR HIKES PROSECUTORS' SALARIES BY AN ADDITIONAL SIX PERCENT

Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Tuesday gave prosecutors and
state advocates an extra six percent salary hike above the 5-8
percent all civil servants got in July.

The six percent hike was back-dated to July.

"The six percent increase is the best the country can afford at
present taking into account the seriou s financial crisis which
exists in the world and which has also engulfed South Africa," Omar
said in a statement.

"I know that prosecutors want greater increases and parity with
magistrates. What has now been achieved must be seen as a first
step in a process which is the best the country can afford at
present."

@ LABOUR-LD-PROSECUTORS

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

PROSECUTORS, NCGUKA COMPLAIN ABOUT "INSUFFICIENT" INCREASE

Unions and National Director of Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka
condemned as insufficient the six percent additional salary
increase the government granted to prosecutors, state advocates and
magistrates on Tuesday.

Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Tuesday announced an extra six
percent salary hike for prosecutors and state advocates above the
5-8 percent all civil servants got in July.

Ngcuka scoffed at the increase, saying it was insufficient.

"Prosecutors are entitled to more and they deserve it...I am
bitterly disappointed," he said.

He met the unions on Tuesday morning and promised that he would
pursue the issue of the re-instatement of over-time payments as an
option to the small increase.

National Union of Prosecutors of SA spokesman Vleis van Zyl
told Sapa the offer - which was back-dated to July 1 - was paltry
and fell short of the union's expectations.

"Our members will not accept it," he said.

He said Nupsa members were expecting "substantial" increases as
promised by Ngcuka.

"We were expecting and still demand parity with salaries earned
by magistrates. The minister is paying lip service to the issue of
parity and we will continue to push, through negotiations and other
methods for that demand to be met."

Van Zyl declined to reveal what he meant by the other methods.

He admitted though that Nupsa members were part of the
industrial action threatening to grind the justice system to a
halt.

"We did not orchestrate the industrial action but we do not
distance ourselves from it. We are very sympathetic of the action
taken by other unions and if we get a mandate from our members to
do so (join in as a union) we will certainly oblige," he said.

Nupsa, which claims to represent more than 1000 prosecutors, is
the largest union in the dispute.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union took a
less militant position, saying it would urge its members to go back
to work while intensifying negotiations with the government in the
new year.

"We are not over the moon and joyous about the minister's offer
but it is definitely enough for us to start engaging the
government," Nehawu president Vusi Nhlapo told Sapa.

He said Nehawu was not primarily concerned about percentages
but about the overall stressful working conditions faced by
prosecutors.

He said Tuesday's six percent hike was only a stop-gap measure
aimed at pacifying the unions.

The government and unions should sit around the table to
discuss other aspects such as the working environment, training and
the need to establish posts of assistant-prosecutors to alleviate
the workload, Nhlapo said.

Society of State Advocates of SA spokeswoman Retha Meintjies
said the increase was "absolutely ridiculous".

"We have no option but to accept it but in our opinion it won't
do much to spur prosecutors and advocates to work overtime," she
said.

@ EIKENHOF-PAC

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

PAC TO SUPPORT EIKENHOF 3

The Pan Africanist Congress on Tuesday announced it would stand
with candles outside the homes of the Eikenhof Three for at least
two hours every day of the Christmas week to demand the release of
the African National Congress prisoners.

Sipho Gavin, Boy Ndweni and Siphiwe Bholo, the Eikenhof Three,
were in 1994 handed down long-term jail sentences for crimes that
the armed wing of the PAC, the Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army,
has since said it committed.

Earlier this month the three were granted leave to appeal
against their sentences - but bail was denied.

The PAC pledged that if the men were released on bail the PAC
would take responsibility for ensuring they complied with bail
conditions.

"The reason that the PAC takes up this matter is that we can no
longer play a wait-and-see game while our people are rotting in
prison for things that are not known to them," PAC spokesman
Jabulani Khumalo told a news conference at the Johannesburg prison.

Asked the PAC's reason for showing public support for members
of a rival political party, Khumalo replied: "They are truly
innocent
- and these are Africans. They cannot be expected to stay in jail
any longer."

Phila Dolo, a member of Apla, has applied for amnesty for the
murder of a woman and two children in a 1991 attack at Eikenhof,
south of Johannesburg.

Bholo, Gavin and Ndweni were convicted of the murders, as well
as of kidnapping, attempted murder and unlawful possession of
firearms and ammunition.

Bholo and Gavin are serving life terms; Ndweni is serving 17
years.

Khumalo said the daily PAC "guard of honour" outside the
prisoners' family homes in Sebokeng and Evaton - both in the Vaal
Triangle - would be bolstered by the presence of family members
dressed in black, and members of the community carrying placards.

Siphiwe's girlfriend, Thembela Kanyelwa, and his sister, Nikiwe
Shuping, attended the news conference. Kanyelwa said the Eikenhof
Three were well.

"They are very strong. They have claimed from the first that
they are innocent. That has kept them going," she said.

"Since the judge denied our brothers the bail we are very
frustrated," Kanyelwa added.

The PAC had its first formal meeting with Bholo, Gavin and
Ndweni last week, and first met family members over the weekend.

The guard of honour is step one of a five-point plan. Khumalo
said further steps would involve demanding confiscated PAC papers
from the police, seeking legal assistance for the three, and
rallying other African nations and the UN to support the prisoners'
release.

Khumalo said if the PAC could get its papers back from the
police it would be able to reveal the names of the Apla cadres who
carried out the murders of Zandra Mitchley, her son Shaun Nel, 14,
and Clare Silberbauer, 13, at Eikenhof.

Dolo was also prepared to reveal the names, Khumalo said.

The PAC denied that its support of the Eikenhof Three was aimed
at gaining popularity prior to the 1999 general election.

"It is not meant to be a political score," said Khumalo.

Nevertheless, the PAC was critical of the ANC's efforts to
assist the Eikenhof Three. Khumalo asked why Mandela did not grant
amnesty to them.

@ ANGOLA-FIGHTING

LUANDA December 22 1998 Sapa-AFP

ANGOLAN REBELS POUND STRATEGIC TOWN, MANY CASUALTIES: REPORTS

UNITA rebels in Angola were Tuesday shelling the strategic town
of Kuito, in the central Bie province, where several dead and
wounded were reported.

Shelling continued late into the morning. Numerous people were
wounded when the Sao Jose de Clunny secondary school was hit, a
journalist with the Catholic radio Ecclesia reported.

Bodies lay on nearby roads as the intensity of the attack
prevented security services reaching the scene, the same source
said.

Shells also struck the governor's palace in Kuito and a church
where some residents had sought refuge from the bombardments,
Ecclesia reported.

The attack spread panic in the Dala quarter of the town, which
has been worst hit.

National radio said the streets of the town were deserted
Tuesday.

Fighting between government troops and fighters of the National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) continued in the
nearby commune of Kunje, another private radio station reported.

The government army said it had captured a significant amount
of arms from the rebels during fighting last week in Kunje, press
reports said.

Meanwhile, state radio reported rebel troops had deployed in
areas of the southwestern Namibe province.

Clashes also continued in the central Huambo province, where
rebels were being pursued in several areas, a local state radio
said.

Fourteen people have been killed in UNITA ambushes in the
southeastern Benguela province, army sources were quoted as saying
on a private radio station.

The government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has
reaffirmed that it will pursue a military offensive aimed at the
"internal isolation and neutralisation" of UNITA leader Jonas
Savimbi and his armed forces.

Dos Santos broke off dialogue with Savimbi in September on the
grounds that he had paralysed the peace process set in train with
the accords signed in Lusaka, Zambia, in November 1994.

For its part, UNITA has vowed to continue its "resistance" as
long as the Luanda regime keeps up its offensive. "We will improve
our fighting ability and the self-defence power of people's
militias," the rebels said.

@ SITOLE

PRETORIA December 22 1998 Sapa

SITOLE SUSPENDS COMMISSIONER OVER ALLEGATIONS

Correctional Services commissioner Khulekani Sitole on Tuesday
said he planned to suspend a provincial commissioner he believed
was responsible for claims of corruption levelled against him.

At a news conference in Pretoria, Sitole denied allegations of
misconduct, saying they were the result of a vendetta against him
by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Thandiwe Kgosidintsi.

Kgosidintsi, formr of human
resource management, took up her new position on December 1.

"I decided to afford... Mrs Kgosidintsi two days from today to
give reasons why she must not be suspended from duty," Sitole told
reporters.

He said he had ample proof that she was the author of documents
containing corruption allegations against him which were sent to
Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and to a weekly newspaper.

"I have no objection if anyone exposes corruption of any sort,
but if it becomes a personal vendetta in order to derail her
transfer and to hide irregularities, I deem it necessary to take
such serious steps to avoid further damage to myself and the
department," Sitole said.

"It is clear that her presence at work became undesirable
because of her personal vendetta against me and other staff in the
department."

Kgosidintsi was herself being probed for financial
irregularities and mismanagement of funds, Sitole said, and the
allegations levelled against him may be an attempt to divert
attention from her own situation.

He welcomed an investigation into Kgosidintsi's claims by the
auditor-general, and said the department would co-operate fully.

Sitole said his intention to suspend Kgosidintsi was partly
aimed at ensuring that the probe was carried out without any undue
influence by her on anyone.

A weekly newspaper reported last Friday that Sitole was
apparently running a private soccer team, using departmental
resources.

It claimed the first division team, Spartak, used Pretoria
Central Prison as a home ground, and that its coach and some of the
players were on the department's payroll.

Sitole said he owned no soccer team. He said he had no interest
in Spartak since May, when he sold his share in the team.

"And whoever owns the team, if he has a contract with (Pretoria
Central Prison) management to use the ground, that is their own
business. I have nothing to do with that."

Sitole said departmental employees were playing for the team in
their private capacity, and denied that soccer jerseys were bought
for Spartak players with State funds.

He dismissed as malicious and false claims that the department
woul spend R3 million on next year's World Police and Fire Games.

Last year, Sitole said, 69 departmental athletes and officials
attended the event at a cost of R641000, funded by sponsorships,
the participants themselves, and two departmental staff funds.

On claims that he used departmental money for excessive
overseas trips, Sitole said these visits formed part of his duties,
also as deputy president of the International Association of
Correctional Sytems based on Canada.

Sitole said every overseas trip was approved by the minister,
and the total cost involved was R265100. He rejected allegations
that the department paid part of his holiday expenses to Israel and
Frankfurt last month.

Sitole said he was not involved in a single-handed
transformation programme involving the transfer of personnel to
areas they had little knowledge of, or to positions for which they
did not qualify.

All transfers of senior personnel were considered by the
department's policy board, comprising the commissioner and his
three chief deputy commissioners, including Kgosidintsi before her
transfer.

Sitole said the allegations formed part of a deliberate attempt
to discredit himself and the department.

"There is a power struggle going on - somebody wants to be
commissioner," he said.

Asked whether he would consider legal action against
Kgosidintsi, he said: "When you sue, you want money. How can I sue
where I see there is no money?".

@ ANC ON ACQUITTAL AT SHOBASHOBANE TRIAL

Issued by: African National Congress

The ANC in KwaZulu Natal has received the news that Justice Hugo
has acquitted five of the thirteen people who were convicted of the
massacre of Shobashobane on appeal with shock and disbelief. The ANC
believes that the personal opinion of Justice Hugo does not mean
that the people who were massacred on Christmas Day in 1995 at
Shobashobane committed suicide.

The ANC will come up with comprehensive comment once it has
studied the text of the verdict. Its comment will be objective and
not take into account that Justice Hugo precided over the Magnus
Malan Trial. The ANC does not cast any aspersion on the presiding
officers of the appeal trial.

It is ironic that Justice Hugo's verdict of acquittal comes only
two days before the third anniversary of the Shobashobane Massacre.
The ANC understands the pain that will be caused by this decision of
acquittal to the victims who were injured during the massacre and
the relatives of those who were murdered. However, the ANC calls
upon the victims and their relatives not to take the law into their
hands and to continue to strive for peace in the area. The greatest
punishment to the political assassins and murders is to strengthen
peace.

Issued by the ANC KwaZulu Natal Leadership.
22 December 1998
For further info, contact Dumisani Makhaye at 082 551 9192.

@ LABOUR-PROSECUTORS-NP

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

NEW NP WELCOMES SIX PERCENT SALARY HIKE FOR PROSECUTORS

The New National Party has welcomed Tuesday's salary hike for
prosecutors, state advocates and magistrates and urged the
government to make good its promise of higher wages, NNP
spokeswoman for justice, Sheila Camerer, said.

"The six percent salary hike is a good start, but it's a pity
that prosecutors had to force Minister Omar into doing the right
thing by going on strike," she said.

Justice minister Dullah Omar announced an additional six
percent salary increase for prosecutors and state advocates.

The increases were back-dated to July 1 this year and are in
addition to a five percent to eight percent increase awarded to all
civil servants through the capa

@ TRAFFIC

PRETORIA December 22 1998 Sapa

409 PEOPLE DIE ON SA ROADS SINCE DEC 1

Road accidents in South Africa have claimed the lives of 409
people since December 1, an Arrive Alive statement said on Tuesday.

This figure include 137 drivers, 145 passengers and 127
pedestrians.

The 409 people died in 290 accidents, of which 42 percent
involved pedestrians.

Head-on collisions accounted for 11 percent of the accidents.
Five percent was the result of vehicles driving into the back of
one another and 25 percent involved vehicles overturning.

Eighteen pedestrians were killed over a 24-hour period ending
at noon on Tuesday. Five of them were drunk, while speed had
contributed to killing eight of them, the statement said.

Most of the road deaths, 88, were reported in KwaZulu-Natal,
followed by 66 in Gauteng, 57 in the Eastern Cape, 46 in the
Western Cape, 40 in Mpumalanga, 35 in the Free State, 31 in the
Northern Province, 27 in North West and 19 in the Northern Cape.

@ ELECT-POLL-NNP

CAPE TOWN December 22 1998 Sapa

FOUR PROVINCES SET FOR NON-ANC HANDS, CLAIMS NEW NP

Based on the findings of Markinor's "Opinion '99" poll, four
out of South Africa's nine provinces would fall into non-African
National Congress hands in next year's election, the New National
Party claimed on Tuesday.

This was extremely positive as it meant that the effective
checks and balances essential to a stable democracy could be
assured, NNP chief director Daryl Swanepoel said in a statement.

The latest Markinor poll, which rates party support at
provincial level in the five most contested provinces - the
Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and
KwaZulu-Natal - was released on Tuesday.

Among its main findings were that the NNP and ANC were in a
neck and neck political battle for the Western Cape, with no
clear-cut indication of which would be the victor.

It also indicated that the ANC would once again be victorious
in the Northern Cape.

Swanepoel acknowledged there would be a "tremendous battle"
between the NNP and the ANC in he Western Cape.

"The New NP is confident, however, that its good performance in
terms of governance in the province will swing the outcome in its
favour."

The NNP disagreed with the survey's findings for the Northern
Cape.

"Their sample was clearly too small to draw accurate
conclusions," Swanepoel said. "The Northern Cape is New NP
territory."

The NNP was confident that its position as the official
opposition, both nationally and in Gauteng, would remain firmly
secured, he said.

@ SITOLE-NNP

CAPE TOWN December 22 1998 Sapa

NNP CALLS FOR SUSPENSION OF SITOLE

The New National Party on Tuesday called for the suspension of
Correctional Services commissioner Khulekani Sitole, saying it
intended referring corruption claims against him to the Office for
Serious Economic Offences (OSEO).

In a statement NNP correctional services spokesman Gert
Oosthuizen welcomed an announcement that the Auditor-General had
been asked to probe allegations contained in a weekly newspaper
report.

These included that Sitole had promoted a KwaZulu-Natal prison
head suspected of murder and public violence, that he (Sitole) went
on unauthorised and excessive overseas trips, and that the
Correctional Services Department was funding a soccer team owned by
the commissioner.

Oosthuizen said Sitole's "thoughtless utterances and working
methods" have raised serious doubts about him, and his term as
commissioner had not been very successful thus far.

The NNP intended requesting the Public Protector to probe
claims that the African National Congress Youth League had an
interest in one consortium tendering for the running of privatised
jails. The outcome would be referred to the OSEO for investigation
along with the corruption claims.

Sitole earlier in the day rejected all the allegations made
against him, and announced his intention to suspend a provincial
commissioner he believed was behind the claims.

He said the promotion of the prison head named in the report
had been suspended pending a decision by the Director of
Prosecutions. He also denied that he owned a soccer team.

All his work-related overseas trips had been authorised by the
minister, Sitole said.

He said the allegations formed part of a deliberate attempt to
discredit him and the department, and that he himself had arranged
that the claims be handed over to the Auditor-General's office.

@ NYC AND IEC TO WORK TOGETHER FOR VOTER REGISTRATION

GRAHAMSTOWN (ECN) - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
and the National Youth Commission (NYC) have agreed to work closely
towards achieving a higher turnout of youth during the upcoming
voter registration periods in January and February 1999.

This was said in a joint media statement yesterday (subs: tue).
The IEC and NYC also agreed to continue working together beyond
voter registration by strengthening the involvement of the youth in
electoral processes.
Representatives of the two Commissions proposed a programme of
action.

They will set up a joint task team to draw up a comprehensive
plan of action which will be presented to the CEOs of the two
organisations on 4 January 1999.

A decision has been taken to isolate voter registration as a
focal point to kickstart this process.
The CEOs of the two organisations will then present the plan of
action to a joint sitting of the two Commissions for final approval
on 12 January 1999.

They also propose to share resources and are looking beyond
registration towards elections and getting the youth involved in the
strengthening and deepening of democracy.

The statement said this process did not preclude the two
Commissions from pursuing their different programmes to encouraging
the youth to register and participate in the elections.
The Youth Commission has also invited the IEC to participate in a
meeting with national youth organisations on 6 January 1999 to
develop a plan of action to maximise youth involvement in voter
registration and the election.

Although this meeting was sparked by the need to address voter
registration, the two organisations agreed it had been a happy
accident because it set the process in motion to get all Chapter 9
institutions to work together towards democracy development. - ECN
Tue 22/12/98

@ MANDELA TO PAY LAST RESPECTS TO DOROTHY NYEMBE

Issued by: African National Congress

President Nelson Mandela will be the main speaker at the funeral
service of the late heroine of the struggle, Dorothy Nomzansi " Mam
D" Nyembe which will be held on Sunday, 27 December 1998 at
G-section Community Hall, Umlazi township at 09h00. She will be
buried at Wentworth cemetery, Durban. Mam D passed away on 17
December 1998. Memorial services will be held as follows:

Wednesday, 23 December 1998
Venue: Sibongile Community hall, Dundee
Time: 12h00
Thursday, 24 December 1998
Venue: G-section hall, Umlazi
Time: 14h00

Issued by the ANC KwaZulu-Natal Department of Information and
Publicity

22 December 1998
Contact Mlungisi Ndhlela, ANC Provincial Media Officer at 082 5519
184

@ CRIME-POST

PRETORIA December 22 1998 Sapa

570 PO WORKERS FIRED FOR MAIL THEFT SINCE APRIL LAST YEAR

The South African Post Office on Tuesday said 570 of its
employees had been fired after being found guilty of postal theft
or fraud since April last year.

In a statement in Pretoria it said 95 other employees had been
disciplined by means of warnings, suspensions and demotions for the
same crimes.

More than 150 members of the public had also been arrested for
tampering with letters and parcels, the post office said.

It said post offices countrywide would be closed on Friday for
Christmas, and on January 1 for New Year's day, but its courier
service would be available on those days to corporate clients.

@ DOROTHY NOMZANSI NYEMBE - A TITAN OF STRUGGLE

Issued by: African National Congress

A heart of a lioness has ceased to beat. The lioness roars no
more. Dorothy Nomzansi Nyembe is no more.

The ANC in KwaZulu Natal announces with great sadness the
untimely passing away of the South African stalwart, Comrade Dorothy
Nyembe, "Mam D" as she was popularly known in the ranks of the ANC.
She passed away on 17th December 1998 as she was preparing to meet
with other veterans of struggle on the occasion of the 37th
Anniversary of our erstwhile people's army, Umkhonto we Sizwe. She
decided to leave us only a day after observing the celebrations in
honour of South African heroes who died with their boots on at Ncome
in 1838.

"Mam D" was born on the 31st of December 1931 at Thalane,
northern KwaZulu Natal near Dundee. She leaves behind a daughter,
six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Yet she leaves
behind millions of South Africans and the Young Lions she mothered
during her long service in the struggle. She leaves a deep void
which will be difficult to fill.

As an African woman who grew up under apartheid colonialism in a
rural environment, she was a victim from his first birthday. Dorothy
Nyembe, like all African women, did not simply lament about her
conditions. She sought to change the world around her and that of
all black South Africans. That naturally led her to the ranks of the
ANC in 1952.

1952 was the year of Defiance Campaign against all the
discriminatory laws of successive racist regimes. "Mam D" found
herself occupying the forward trenches of that campaign. She filed
through the ranks until she became the Deputy Chairperson of the ANC
Women's League in Natal. She worked closely with stalwarts like
Chief Albert Lutuli, M.B. Yengwa, Moses Mabhida, M.P. Naicker,
Nelson Mandela, Lilian Ngoyi, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo.

In 1956 she was one of the leaders of the struggle especially in
rural areas and was one of the leading lights of the defiant women's
movement in South Africa. She was notorious' for leading beer hall
boycotts which were aimed at destroying the only viable economic
activity by Africans in the black ghettos, the brewing of
traditional beer.

When the time came to South Africa and there were only two
choices - submit or fight - Dorothy Nyembe had no choice but to
fight. From the very beginning when the ANC was banned in 1960, she
joined its underground structures and when Umkhonto we Sizwe was
formed on December 16 1961, she was part of it.

In 1963 she was sentenced to three years for serving a banned
organisation, the ANC. When she came out of prison in 1966, she was
banned with the most stringent restrictions. Like all serious
revolutionaries, she found space to organise for the ANC and
Umkhonto we Sizwe under the very nose of fascism. In 1968 the
apartheid spy- web finally caught up with her. She was heavily
tortured and finally sentenced to a long-term imprisonment of
fifteen years which she fully served at the then notorious Kroonstad
Prison.

When the apartheid capitalist system encacerated "Mam D" in its
fascist dungeons, the Soviet Union awarded her one of its greatest
decorations, the USSR People's Friendship Award. When she emerged
from prison she was as strong as she ever was. She had no time to
enjoy life in a bigger prison, the apartheid South Africa. She again
became a leader of the ANC underground and part of the structures of
Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Her wisdom and experience taught many generations of struggle.
The path she traversed was long and a thorny one. It was precisely
because of this recognition and appreciation that the ANC in
Southern Natal awarded Dorothy Nyembe the Chief Albert Lutuli Award
in 1992 for her absolute commitment and dedication to the national
liberation struggle.

In 1994 after the first democratic elections, she was one of the
pioneer Members of the National Assembly and one of the founding
mothers and fathers of the South African democratic constitution.
Dorothy Nyembe may rest in peace now. She will rest in peace for she
died a day after our heroes whose remains lie strewn along the
sacred Ncome River were finally recognised and honoured. She will
rest in peace for she knows that the struggle continues and must
continue for her colleagues - Florence Mkhize, Tryphina "Mamboxela"
Njokweni, Gladys Manzi and Alzina Zondi remain at the helm of the
struggle.

Dorothy Nyembe was no criminal as those who want to rewrite the
history of our struggle and misrepresent it would want us to
believe. She was a freedom fighter!

We who are the offsprings of Dorothy "Mam D" Nyembe will
continue to drink from her deep well of wisdom and honour her spirit
of no surrender. May her spirit propel us forward! Dorothy Nomzansi
Nyembe lives!

>From the ANC KwaZulu Natal Provincial Executive Committee.

@ REGISTER-STATS

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

YOUTH REGISTRATION TURNOUT BELOW EXPECTATION: IEC

Only 3,9 percent of youths in the 16 to 18 age group registered
in the frst two phases of the registration process for next year's
election, IEC Gauteng provincial electoral officer Terry Tselane
said in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The lower than expected youth registration figures were behind
the joint media campaign announced on Tuesday by the IEC and the SA
Youth Council to boost youth registration in the next phase in
January and February, he said.

Of the 18 to 20 age group, 21,7 percent had registered, while
in the 20-30 age group 30,7 percent had registered, SA Youth
Council chairman Sipho Mbele said.

@ FXI-COURTMARTIAL

CAPE TOWN December 22 1998 Sapa

FXI WELCOMES COURT MARTIAL RULING

The Freedom of Expression Institute has welcomed a declaration
in the Cape High Court by acting Deputy Judge President John Hlope
that key sections of the Defence Act relating to the conduct of
court martials were unconstitutional.

Hlope ruled last Friday that the holding of court martials in
secret and the barring of the media from proceedings was
unconstitutional.

Also unconstitutional was the appointment of military officers
to conduct court martials who were not legally trained, and a bar
on a person convicted by such a court appealing to the High Court.

The rulings stem from the trial of two SA National Defence
Force soldiers on charges related to the leaking of military
intelligence reports about drugs and weapons syndicates operating
out of military bases, and alleged racist behaviour by SANDF
officers.

Hlope on Friday said the Constitution held that judicial
officers had to be "appropriately qualified", and only a court of
law could jail a person.

FXI information officer Nanagolo Leopeng on Tuesday said the
institute's defence fund had paid for the soldier's legal defence
in order to uphold the constitutional right of public access to
information through open court hearings.

For several years the FXI had been calling for government to
review legislation - passed during the apartheid era - in the
light of constitutional principles, she said in a statement.

"The Defence Act is one of the laws the FXI complained about,
and although the Ministers of Justice and Safety and Security have
recently agreed to form a working group to review unconstitutional
legislation, the FXI is concerned that because of delay innocent
people may be victimised as these two soldiers were."

The continued existence of unconstitutional legislation
seriously diminished democracy in the country, she said.

@ CRIME-CHAUKE

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

NO LIST OF COPS SUSPECTED OF HELPING CHAUKE: ENGELBRECHT

Police - who had tasked themselves with putting heist
mastermind Collin Chauke behind bars before Christmas - on Tuesday
denied they had a list of names of corrupt policemen aiding the
fugitive.

Investigative unit head Director Bushie Engelbrecht told Sapa
there was no list given to Safety and Security Minister Sydney
Mufamadi.

Engelbrecht's denial was in response to an article in The Star
which said the names of policemen at several stations who had
helped Chauke over the past year had been submitted.

Said Engelbrecht: "There is no list. I spoke to the minister
last Tuesday about an example where we got information that police
might be helping him (Chauke)."

He did not deny, however, that should there be reason to
suspect crooked policemen of aiding Chauke, they would be
monitored.

Police spokesman Director Reg Crewe said: "Bushie had some
telephone calls from time to time - some of them claiming that
police were involved in helping Chauke. The allegations are being
investigated."

Mufamadi's spokesman, Andre Martin, said he was not aware of
the minister being presented with a list.

Regarding Chauke, Engelbrecht said his team of top
investigators was working around the clock to try and catch the
fugitive master criminal before Christmas - the date Engelbrecht
had set for his arrest.

@ STATEMENT ON THE DAMAGE BY THE RECENT TORNADO

Issued by: Constitutional Development

STATEMENT BY MINISTER MV MOOSA ON THE VISIT
TO UMTATA TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE RECENT TORNADO

A team headed by Directors-General Cassim Gassiep (State
Expenditure) and Zam Titus (Constitutional Development) met
Provincial and Local Government officials and members of the
community in Umtata yesterday for purposes of assessing progress
made in attending to the damage caused by the tornado which struck
the town last week. The main purpose of the meeting was to ensure
that the activities of the three spheres of Government are properly
coordinated, to formulate an action plan and to focus on the various
funding options which are available.

The meeting laid a solid foundation for the handling of the
disaster. Since the meeting focussed more on planning, no finite
decisions have been taken on financial assistance. Such decisions
will be based on a proper financial plan which is being drafted. A
pro-forma form is being utilised for assessment purposes. This form
will facilitate decision-making and the identification of needs and
priorities. Detailed reports are also being prepared on various
issues.

Seven national departments will visit the city of Umtata
tomorrow. The action plans formulated so far will be further refined
after the meeting. Details of the cost and extent of the damage
caused, financial assistance required and the final action plan will
be available next week.

Good progress has been made and I wish to thank all concerned
for the hard work. National Government remains committed to
providing all the required assistance.

I wish all the citizens of Umtata well during the festive
season.

Issued by the Ministry for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional
Development on 22 December 1998.

Enquiries: Zam Titus at 082 550 4950

@ TORNADO-MOOSA

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

DELEGATION TO VISIT TRANSKEI ON THURSDAY TO ASSESS DAMAGE

Representatives of seven government departments will visit
Umtata on Wednesday in the continuing assessment of the town's
needs after last Tuesday's devastating tornado, the Minister for
Local Government and Housing said on Tuesday.

In a statement Mohamad Valli Moosa said this followed a decison
on Monday night at a meeting attended by national, local and
provincial government to ensure the co-ordination of restructuring
efforts in the town and to decide on funding options.

Moosa said Monday's meeting laid a solid foundation for the
handling of the disaster, although no definite decisions had been
taken yet.

Final details would be available next week.

He thanked everybody for the hard work and progress already
made in restoring services to Umtata after the tornado swept
through, killing 18 people there and another two further afield in
Hogsback.

@ JUDGES

JOHANNESBURG December 22 1998 Sapa

17 BLACK ACTING JUDGES APPOINTED BY OMAR

Former Truth and Reconciliation Commission head of
investigations Dumisa Ntsebeza and 16 other black lawyers have been
appointed acting judges, The Star newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Tuesday announced the
appointment of Transkei advocate W Madlanga as an acting judge of
the Appelate Division, the Johannesburg newspaper reported.

There were 186 judges in the country before the new
appointments. Of these, 144 were white males, seven were white
females, 32 were black males and three black females.

Appointments have been made in all High Court divisions, except
the Eastern Cape. In that province, two vacancies for acting judges
had been identified and appointments were being finalised, The Star
reported.

Omar said the appointments of acting judges would develop a
pool of capable people. This would promote representivity at a much
faster rate when the Judicial Service Commission considered
appointments, he said.

--=====================_914435543==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

--=====================_914435543==_--

0 new messages