ANC Newsbrief 10 February (Sorry for the delay)

[ANC Department of Information and Publicity]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------456B58E5FEA18F7CBD58CDC9
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

--------------456B58E5FEA18F7CBD58CDC9
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii;
name="news0210.01"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline;
filename="news0210.01"

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

WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 1999

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 It is for reading and information only, and strictly not for
publication or broadcast.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'.

@ DR ZUMA'S BROTHER DIES

Issued by: Department of Health

The Department of Health extends sincere condolences to Health
Minister, Dr Nkosazana Zuma and her family on the loss of her
younger brother Malusi Dlamini, who passed away on Sunday, 7
February 1999.

The late Malusi Dlamini (35). suffered repeated epileptic
seizures and had recently been admitted to Addington Hospital in
Durban. He was unmarried and had no dependants.

Due to the tragedy confronting the family, the Minister will
regrettably not attend most of her official engagements this week.

@ MBEKI-SCIENCE

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

ELECTION ABOUT AFRICAN RENAISSANCE: MBEKI

The coming election was a contest about where South Africa was
heading in terms of the African renaissance, Deputy President Thabo
Mbeki said on Tuesday.

Addressing a conference of the Third World Organisation for
Women in Science, he said a key issue was whether South Africa
should define itself as an African country, or follow the example
of its European settlers and see itself as detached from the
continent.

He said indications were that sub-Saharan Africa was among the
worst regions of the world in terms of development. It had also
seen deeply embarrassing situations in which sergeants in small
armies decided to seize power, promoted themselves to generals,
"and after a while they proclaim themselves emperor".

"This represents the result of a tragic history from which we
must break loose... in the process of bringing about the African
renaissance," he said.

The renaissance also had to be about the emancipation of women.

"It is quite clear we cannot say anywhere on this continent any
of our countries are free if this matter is not addressed."

Mbeki said that Africa had a fine history of producing
impressively eloquent declarations on science and technology and
its importance to the continent. But resolutions alone, no matter
how well crafted, had not helped Africa work its way from
underdevelopment.

Practical and funded programmes were needed to translate this
vision of science and technology into action that would improve the
lives of African people.

@ MODISE-SAUDI

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

SAUDI ARMS DEAL ON HOLD FOR TWO YEARS: MODISE

South Africa's multi-billion-rand arms deal with Saudi Arabia
would be put on hold for two years due to financial problems being
experienced by the Saudis, Defence Minister Joe Modise said on
Tuesday.

"The Saudis have a serious problem... they have not as yet
recovered from the expenses o operation Desert Storm. They owe
some countries about U$7 billion, and those owed the money are
pressing for payment," he told journalists at a media briefing in
Cape Town.

In November last year, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki visited
Saudi Arabia and held talks in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince
Abdallah ibn Abdel Aziz.

Diplomats said at the time that the talks included negotiations
over an arms deal - worth an estimated US1,5 billion - for the
sale to Saudi Arabia of G-6 cannon and anti-aircraft missiles.

Mbeki's trip came one year after a visit to Saudi Arabia by
President Nelson Mandela and the signing of a letter of intent to
develop co-operation between the two countries' oil sectors.

Modise said on Tuesday that some G6 cannon had been sent to
Saudi Arabia for testing by that country's military experts, who
had said they were happy with the weapon's performance.

Relations between the two countries were good, Modise said

Referring to the visit to South Africa of Unitd State
Secretary of Defence William Cohen's, who arrived in the country
earlier on Tuesday, Modise said planned talks would deal with world
conflict spots, including Angola and the Democratic Republic of
Congo.

"We will also discuss military co-operation between our two
countries," he said.

@ MODISE-PROCUREMENT

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

DEFENCE PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME TO BE SIGNED IN MAY/JUNE

A defence procurement package agreement aimed at replenishing
the South African National Defence Force's ageing equipment would
be signed in May or June, Defence Minister Joe Modise said on
Tuesday.

Speaking at a media briefing in Cape Town, he said his
ministry, together with trade and industry and finance, were hard
at work finalising details of the programme.

Armscor officials at the briefing said several foreign
companies were involved in the bidding, but declined to name those
being considered.

Modise said: "We are in a hurry to resolve the issue... more
because our equipment is very old, especially in the navy."

Some vessels were so old that he was not sure they could safely
return to harbour at the end of their patrol duties.

"I fear some would actually have to be towed back."

The navy's strikecraft could patrol only the country's
coastline because they were not built for ocean-going duty.

Modise said the procurement package agreement would mean a new
lease of life for both the SANDF and the country's economy. It
would create 65000 jobs, revive research in modern defence
technology, and create opportunities for expansion.

He warned that partners in the agreement would have to perform,
or payment would be withheld.

"They will have to perform. If they don't we will, in
accordance with international standards, withhold payment while
having their equipment."

Armscor chairman Ron Haywood told journalists at the briefing
that the procurement package agreement would link defence
development with great economic opportunities.

"This is the single most important defence project in more than
25 years, and will give the economy a boost."

Several bidders were being considered, he said.

@ HUSSEIN-BOOK

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

BOOK OF CONDOLENCES OPENED IN PRETORIA FOR KING HUSSEIN

A book of condolences opened at the Jordanian Embassy in
Pretoria on Tuesday for messages of sympathy after the death of
King Hussein on Sunday, the embassy announced.

The Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located at
209 Festival Street on the corner of Church Street in Hatfield,
Pretoria.

Members of the public will be able to sign the book from 10am
to noon and from 2pm to 4pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

@ COURT-BOESAK

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

BOESAK TRIAL CLOSED FOR ARGUMENT BY COUNSEL

The trial of former anti-apartheid cleric Allan Boesak, on
theft and fraud charges involving R9-million, drew to an unexpected
conclusion on Tuesday when senior counsel Mike Maritz closed the
defence case without calling Boesak to testify.

The hearing was postponed to February 22 for both prosecution
and defence to prepare their addresses to the court on the merits
of the charges.

Late last year, the Cape High Court placed Boesak on his
defence on 27 counts of fraud and theft, when Judge John Foxcroft
rejected a defence application for his discharge on all 32 counts.

The judge in that ruling acquitted Boesak on only five counts.

The judge's ruling effectively meant the court considered
Boesak to have a case to meet on the remaining 27 counts.

@ MUFAMADI-CRIME

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

MUCH PROGRESS MADE I FIGHTING CRIME: MUFAMADI

The incidece of cash-in-transit robberies had shown a definite
decline over the past few years, and this could be attributed to
the fact that some of the major criminals involved had been
neutralised, Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi said on
Tuesday.

Briefing the media and diplomats in Cape Town, Mufamadi
referred to the R31-million cash-in-transit robbery which took
place near Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal last year, and said ten
suspects had already been arrested.

Those arrested would remain in custody and hopefully be
indicted during March. A total of R5,4 million in cash had been
recovered, and another R11 million successfully attached in a joint
operation between police investigators and attorneys for Lloyds of
London.

Several arrests had also been made following investigations
into cash-in-transit robberies at Bronkhorstspruit (15 suspects)
and Siyabuswa (16 suspects), as well as at Grayston, Bainsvlei,
Sunnyside and in Swaziland.

A total of 44 murder and robbery units, comprising about 1000
detectives, had been tasked to treat cash-in-transit robberies as a
priority, he said.

Most of the detectives investigating these robberies were part
of the 1597 detectives who had attended courses and workshops at
the new detective academy.

Psychology courses at the academy had assisted detectives to
achieve some remarkable results, including the arrests of several
serial killers.

Exposure to modern investigative techniques would make it
possible for detectives to achieve good results within a legal
dispensation which did not allow them to rely on confessions,
Mufamadi said.

While crime had become the most talked about social problem in
the country, it had received very little analytical attention.

"This explains why some of our `experts' take issue with us
when we predict... that the future promises to be safe and secure.

"Some have gone as far as suggesting that crime is remote from
the heart of government's concern.

"Needless to say, this charge has no basis in fact and is not
corroborated by the things we are doing every day," he said.

Mufamadi said he was convinced that initiatives taken - such
as using the detective academy to expose investigators to modern
investigative techniques, including a DNA database - and the
continual deployment of resources to where they were most needed,
would stop criminals being able to go about their enterprises with
impunity.

Asked whether the police had sufficient funds to deal with
crime, Mufamadi said "they could do with more money", but there was
no cash-flow crisis.

"Who doesn't want more money?" he said.

@ MUFAMADI-KZN

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

RICHMOND AREA ONLY KZN FLASHPOINT: MUFAMADI

While KwaZulu-Natal had been transformed into a zone of
relative peace and stability, the Richmond area remained a
flashpoint of turbulence, Safety and Security Minister Sydney
Mufamadi said on Tuesday.

The area continued to test the ingenuity and fortitude of law
enforcement authorities, he told a briefing for the media and
diplomats in Cape Town.

"For us, the operative material principle is to contain the
problem in Richmond. Not allow it to spread to other areas, and to
strive to end it."

Questioned about possible violence in the province during the
May elections, Mufamadi said the effective deployment of police and
defence force personnel during the voter registration process had
prevented any incidents.

Similar measures would be taken in the run-up to the elections,
as well as during the elections and immediately afterwards.

He was confident that the electoral process would not be
attended by any incidents of violence.

@ CONST-ELECTION

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

PARTIES DEADLOCKED ON POLL DATE PROCLAMATION

Political parties are still deadlocked over an amendment to the
Constitution which would allow a proclamation by President Nelson
Mandela, setting an election date for the National Assembly, to be
formally published before the expiry of the Assembly's term on
April 30 this year.

Opposition parties are trying to do a deal with the African
National Congress majority, in terms of which they would support
this amendment provided the ANC agrees to drop one which would
allow the president, rather than provincial premiers, to set the
date for provincial polls.

Parliamentary constitutional affairs portfolio committee
chairman Yunus Carrim (ANC) said on Tuesday the issue was being
dealt with by a joint sub-committee of the National Assembly and
National Council of Provinces' constitutional affairs committees.

According to a memorandum attached to the Constitution of the
Republic of South Africa Fourth Amendment Bill, the then chairman
of the Independent Electoral Commission - Judge Johann Kriegler -
asked Constitutional Affairs Minister Valli Moosa to consider a
constitutional amendment which would allow a proclamation of the
National Assembly poll date to be published before the expiry of
the Assembly's term.

Such an arrangement would also avoid pre-election procedures
being "unreasonably telescoped" into the 90-day period within which
the poll must take place after the expiry of the term or the
Assembly's dissolution, the memorandum says.

An ANC source told Sapa on Tuesday there was a view that the
constitutional amendment was not strictly necessary, in that
Mandela could in any case politically announce the date when he
wished, and the necessary poll preparations start.

@ OMAR-BOMB

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

OMAR CALLS FOR TERRORISM LAWS, AS BOMB THREAT RECEIVED

There was an urgent need for anti-terrorism legislation,
Justice Minister Dullah Omar told a briefing in Parliament on
Tuesday, soon after police in the complex were tipped off about a
bomb threat.

His address to journalists and diplomats was interrupted as a
security official informed the minister of the threat shortly
before 11am,

"It's a bomb scare," Omar told his audience, and turning to the
security official asked: "What do you want us to do?"

After being informed that everyone should remain seated and not
leave the venue, Omar proceeded with his briefing where he was
questioned about urban terrorism in the city.

Cape Town has experienced a spate of bombings, the most recent
at the Caledon Square police station - a few blocks from
Parliament - and another at the Woodstock police station.

"We do have acts of terrorism in our country... and I support
legislation to deal with terrorism, to enable government to deal
effectively against it," Omar said.

On whether this would result in constitutional amendments, he
said the Constitution and its rights limitation clause provided an
adequate framework for the envisaged legislation.

"We would be most reluctant to alter the Constitution."

Terrorism legislation was a feature in many established
democracies, and similar measures were now an urgent requirement in
South Africa, he said.

Omar said the legislation was being drafted by the safety and
security minister, and were the subject of preliminary discussions
at a Cabinet subcommittee on terrorism meeting last week at
Tuynhuys.

Among the provisions being mooted was one calling for a limited
period of detention, but subject to strict controls and oversight
by the judiciary.

Meanwhile, a police spokesman in Parliament, Daniel van
Niekerk, told Sapa the bomb threat was received by Crime Stop,
which in turn informed security at Parliament at about 10.50am.

The caller warned of an explosion in the parliamentary complex,
but did not give details.

The Freedom Front said that Tuesday morning's bomb threat -
following on the spate of bomb blasts in the Western Cape - should
be viewed in a very serious light.

The threat was a symptom of the looming anarchy and lawlessness
which was ravaging the Western Cape and South Africa, FF spokesman
Joseph Chiole said.

@ RIGHTS-MESSINA

JOHANNESBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RELEASES REPORT ON RACISM IN MESSINA

The South African Human Rights Commission will on Wednesday
deliver its report on alleged violations of farmworkers' rights in
the Messina/Tshipise district in the Northern province, the SAHRC
said on Tuesday.

The report will be delivered by SAHRC chairman Barney Piyana
and commissioners Pansy Tlakula and Jody Kollapen at the Messina
community hall at 10am. This will be followed by a media conference
at noon.

The commission said it conducted the investigation in response
to testimony during the Speak Out on Poverty Hearings in March and
April last year.

"Allegations concerning widespread abuses in the criminal
justice system and the collusion between the police, court
officials and farmers in the oppression of farmworkers, posed grave
implications for our constitutional democracy, particularly the
Bill of Rights," the commission said.

The commission also investigated allegations against two
farmers and a private security company of violating the rights of
workers during instances of private detention.

@ MODISE-SANDF

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

MINISTRY COMMITTED TO EQUIPPING SANDF: MODISE

The defence ministry was committed to ensuring that the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF) was equipped to carry out
its duties, Defence Minister Joe Modise told a media briefing in
Cape Town on Tuesday.

Referring to the upcoming defence procurement package
agreement, he said the acquisition of new equipment would be a
major boost to morale in the SANDF.

Much more needed to be done to make ordinary servicemen and
women feel they were central to the country's defence force, and
that "we have their interests and well being uppermost in our
hearts".

"This is a theme we are stressing," he said, adding that there
would also be a focus on veterans.

The Veterans Bill would be passed this year, and a directorate
of veterans affairs established.

Modise said the past five years had seen the foundations put in
place for a democratic defence force.

"I believe that we have delivered in defence terms, that we are
building further... and that we are creating a defence force fit
for the 21st century; indeed, a force that is becoming a pride of
our nation," he said.

Deputy Defence Minister Ronnie Kasrils said the restructuring
programme in the SANDF was proceeding well.

The 87000-strong SANDF would be scaled down to 70,000 personnel.
This would be done through an employment-creation programme,
details of which were being worked out.

Responding to a question on relations between the department
and a recently established defence force union, Modise said "there
is no place for a union in our defence force".

The experiences of the South African Police Services with the
police union was enough reason to discourage unionism in the
defence force, he said.

SANDF chief General Siphiwe Nyanda told journalists at the
briefing that "Operation Blue Crane" - a joint military operation
by defence forces of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) - would be launched on April 12.

"It's all systems go now for Operation Blue Crane; we will
launch it on April 12," he said.

@ ANC SECRETARY GENERAL ON MPUMALANGA

Issued by: African National Congress

Grossly incorrect and mischievous reports about the ANC and
Mpumalanga Province continue to appear in our mass media.

This has made it necessary for us once more to convey the truth
which so many in our country want to hide and pervert.

The suggestion that any senior person in the ANC advised Premier
Mathews Phosa to resign is an outright lie.

Nowhere in the official structures of the ANC has there been
any discussion about anybody replacing Premier Phosa, including
Deputy Minister Mkhatshwa.

This is a mischievous invention.

We would like to reiterate what we have said before about the
investigations in Mpumalanga.

The Mpumalanga Provincial Government decided to approach the
Heath Unit to investigate the issue of promissory notes allegedly
issued by the Mpumalanga Parks Board, and other relevant matters.

The ANC NEC supported and still supports this decision.

The Provincial Government further decided to appoint a firm of
accountants to investigate all other instances of alleged financial
corruption or malpractice in the province.

The ANC NEC supported and still supports this decision.

The investigations being carried out by the NEC members deployed
in Mpumalanga was requested through a formal resolution of the last
Mpumalanga Provincial Conference of the ANC.

To carry out this mandate, the Mpumalanga Provincial Working
Committee of the ANC agreed that the terms of reference be extended
to cover the issue the NEC members are currently dealing with.

We entirely reject the suggestion that the ANC NEC should
duplicate the work that is being done by the Heath Unit and the firm
of accountants, Gobodo Inc.

It is also a complete lie that the ANC NEC member Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula has cleared anybody in Mpumalanga of corruption.

Jacques Modipane and David Mkhwanazi were suspended from the
ANC by Mpumalanga Provincial Executive Committee on 30 September
1998, pending investigations of allegations against them. Their
suspension was rescinded by the ANC Mpumalanga Provincial Executive
Committee on 21 January 1999.

We hope that everybody concerned will make a serious effort to
respect the truth and desist from the propagation of lies, to which
some have resorted to promote their particular political agenda.

Kgalema Motlanthe

ANC Secretary General

9 February 1999

For further information contact Thabo Masebe at 082 551 4945

@ OMAR-CRIME

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

OMAR RULES OUT RETURN TO PRIMITIVE JUSTICE

Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Tuesday said he could
understand the hysteria about high levels of crime, but ruled out a
return to primitive justice.

He was reacting to Pan Africanist Congress President Stanley
Mogoba's call to fight criminals "with all that it takes".

"We must knock them on the head, cut off their ears, legs or
whatever is the offending part of the body. Finally, we must go for
the head," Mogoba, who is the former Methodist bishop of Southern
Africa, said.

In his reaction, Omar told a briefing of journalist and
diplomats: "All primitive societies have a system of an eye for an
eye, but we've moved away from that notion."

He acknowledged that crime was unacceptably high and could not
be tolerated, but said: "We cannot move to a pre-tribal stage of
society."

@ CONGO-FIGHTING

BRAZZAVILLE February 9 1999 Sapa-AFP

CONGO'S ARMY LAUNCHES NEW OFFENSIVE IN BRAZZAVILLE

Congolese government troops have launched a new offensive
against militia forces set up by ex-premier Bernard Kolelas to the
west of Brazzaville, sources close to the government said Tuesday.

Forces backing President Denis Sassou Nguesso attacked
positions held by the Ninja rebels in the Ngoma Tse-Tse region,
located some 15 kilometers (nine miles) west of the capital.

No details on the number of troops sent into action or
casualties were disclosed.

Meanwhile, "sporadic" fighting continued in the strategically
located city of Dolisie, the country's third largest town, 300
kilometers (185 miles) west of Brazzaville and on the Congo-Ocean
railway to the Atlantic.

Cocoye militiamen who backed former president Pascal Lissouba
before he was ousted in a 1997 civil war attacked the city last
week, the sources said.

The Congolese army, supported by Angolan troops, has been using
heavy artillery since the end of December to try to oust Ninjas
entrenched to the west of the capital around Ngoma Tse-Tse and in
the region of Linzolo, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city.

Between December 18 and 20, Congolese troops bombarded the
southern parts of Brazzaville itself, where Ninjas had
"infiltrated", according to the government.

The shelling and the "mopping-up operations" that followed
killed at least several hundred people. According to Congo
government, fighting in the country, which flared up in the last
months of 1998, has led to some 1,000 deaths so far.

@ MADUNA-ELECTRICITY

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMME `SPECTACULAR SUCCESS': MADUNA

About 72 percent of South African households should be
connected to the national electricity grid by the year 2000,
Mineral and Energy Affairs Minister Penuell Maduna said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a briefing for journalists and diplomats in Cape
Town, Maduna said the national electrification programme was a
spectacular success, with the number of households connected to the
national grid having increased from 31 percent in 1994 to 63
percent by the end of last year.

A total of 1700 schools had been electrified since 1994, and
about 1,2 million more children had access to electricity for study
purposes after hours.

The programme cost about R1,6 billion a year, and this enabled
between 450,000 and 460,000 units to be electrified.

Maduna said a new project - sponsored by the Shell oil company
- would see the start of electrification of 50,000 new homes in the
Eastern Cape next month, at a cost of R150 million.

Asked about the future of the National Electricity Regulator
(NER), which has been beset by staffing and financial problems over
recent months, Maduna said the body still had an important role to
play, but it needed to be properly structured and staffed.

A forensic audit of the NER was currently under way, and any
staff found guilty of transgressions would face an internal
disciplinary hearing, Maduna said.

@ MASAKHANE-AWARD

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

LETHABONG METRO LOCAL COUNCIL WINS MASAKHANE AWARD

The Lethabong Metropolitan Local Council at Kyalami between
Johannesburg and Pretoria received R100,000 from the government on
Tuesday for winning the Presidential Masakhane Awards for the
Gauteng province.

The Greater Germiston City Council came second receiving
R50000, followed by the Heidelberg City Council which was awarded
R30000, and the Carletonville City Council, which received R20000.

The Krugersdorp City Council and the Greater Benoni City
Council were awarded with excellence certificates for coming fifth
and sixth respectively.

In a speech prepared for delivery at the award ceremony in
Centurion, Gauteng premier Mathole Motshekga said the awards
honoured local councils which had improved municipal services and
living conditions.

"We are honouring ...local authorities and increasingly united
communities who have been working together with national and
provincial government to normalise life, by reversing situations
wherein previously they had little infrastructure, poor houscotts of
payment and services." Motshekga said the Masakhane campaign was aimed
at people taking responsibility for their own upliftment.

"It is about empowering ourselves by creating good working
relationships between government and communities for the benefit of
everybody," he said.

Motshekga said co-operation between the government,
communities, and the private sector, would lead to job creation and
a reduction in the crime rate.

@ SKWEYIYA

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

PUBLIC SERVICE RETRENCHMENTS ON HOLD: SKWEYIYA

Retrenchments in the public service had been put on hold until
all provincial staff audits, currently underway in only two
provinces, were completed, Public Service and Administration
Minister Dr Zola Skkweyiya said on Tuesday.

He hoped the process would be finalised soon, he told a media
briefing in Cape Town.

Audits are currently underway in Northern Province and the
Eastern Cape, and have yet to start in the other seven provinces.

Skweyiya said the biggest obstacle to the scaling down of the
public service was that all the requirements of the Labour
Relations Act needed to be satisfied
- including assessing the possibility of redeployment, retraining
and
outsourcing, as well as the development of social plans - before
retrenchments could take place.

"Involuntary retrenchments should be used only after
exploration of the alternatives," he said.

@ HEALTH-FREESTATE

BLOEMFONTEIN February 9 1999 Sapa

FREE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STILL OWES R63 MILLION

The Free State Department of Health still owes suppliers R63
million after it received an allocation of R10 million on Monday to
pay "critical outstanding accounts to a wide spectrum of
suppliers", department spokeswoman Elke Grobler said in
Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

Partial payments had been made and the department's management
had prioritised payments to ensure that critical categories of
suppliers could be paid.

These included foodstuffs (small suppliers), engineering
services to maintain electrical installations in hospitals,
laboratory services, reagents, medicines and medical consumables,
such as gloves, disposable nappies, injection needs and gauze.

Grobler said the situation with regard to health care service
delivery had been stabilised for the present.

The shortfall of R63 million remained difficult to manage but
it was hoped that the outstanding backlog in payments would be
dealt with in the near future.

@ PRESIDENT-DELANGE

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

TRANSFORMATION A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT: DE LANGE

The government remained mindful that transformation was a
process and not an event, and was the first to admit that it would
be a long, arduous, complex and painful process, Johnny de Lange
(ANC) said on Tuesday.

Speaking during debate on President Nelson Mandela's opening of
Parliament address, he said the transformation processes envisaged
by the African National Congress were meant to fundamentally change
the political, ideological and socio-economic relations which
existed under apartheid.

"For the ANC it is not the easy option of merely reforming the
apartheid dispensation... (but) rather the difficult task of
reconstructing and transforming a society by fundamentally changing
the prevailing power relations in each sphere of that society,
while actively pursuing the reconciliation and nation building
project," he said.

@ PHOSA-ANC

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

PHOSA'S JOB NOT ON THE LINE: MOTLANTHE

Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa would not be replaced by
Deputy Education Minister Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, or anybody else,
according to African National Congress secretary-general Kgalema
Motlanthe.

He was reacting to what he described as grossly incorrect and
mischievous media reports about the ANC and Mpumalanga province.

Suggestions that a senior person in the ANC advised Phosa to
resign was an outright lie, while reports that there had been
discussions within the ANC about replacing the premier, was a
"mischievous invention".

"We hope that everybody concerned will make a serious effort to
respect the truth and desist from the propagation of lies, to which
some have resorted to promote their particular political agenda,"
Mothlanthe said in a statement.

It was also a "complete lie" that ANC NEC member Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula, who heads the ANC's committee investigating the
province, had cleared anybody in Mpumalanga of corruption.

Mothlanthe's statement follows persistent rumours that Phosa
would resign or be replaced, with the latest media report claiming
that the embattled premier was already preparing to move out of his
official residence.

The Mail and Guardian reported two weeks ago that the ANC
committee investigating the causes of infighting among party
leaders in the province, would accuse Phosa, among other offences,
of bringing the ANC into disrepute.

The committee is expected to finalise its work this week.

@ PRAYERS

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

MBEKI, OTHER LEADERS ATTEND PRAYER SERVICE

An ecumenical lunch-time prayer service marking the opening of
the last session of South Africa's first democratic Parliament was
attended by a number of top politicians, including Deputy President
Thabo Mbeki, in Cape Town's historic St George's Cathedral on
Tuesday.

Prayers were said - in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa - for
South Africa and its people; reconciliation and peace; Parliament
and the provincial legislatures; and the forthcoming general
election.

Other dignitaries in the congregation included New National
Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk and Western Cape African
National Congress leader Ebrahim Rasool.

A number of MPs, MPLs and parliamentary staff members also
attended the service, a traditional feature of the start of the
parliamentary year.

@ DENMARK-SAFRICA

COPENHAGEN February 9 1999 Sapa-AFP

DENMARK TO HOST SOUTH AFRICA'S MANDELA NEXT MONTH

South African President Nelson Mandela will pay an official
visit to Denmark on March 15 and 16 during a tour also taking him
to Finland and Sweden, South Africa's embassy announced Tuesday.

Mandela, 80, will be making his last trip as head of state to
thank Denmark for their support against white minority apartheid
rule in South Africa, the embassy said.

He is due to arrive in Copenhagen from Helsinki and to leave on
March 16 for Stockholm.

@ DOLPHIN-COSATU

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

DEPARTMENT REJECTS COSATU COMPLAINTS ON DOLPHIN COAST WATER
DEAL

The government on Tuesday denied breaching an agreement with
the Congress of SA Trade Unions by endorsing the privatisation of
water services on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

"We have stuck to every aspect of the agreement," said Crispian
Olver, deputy director-general of the Department of
Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development.

"We believe Cosatu has shifted the goalposts, and came with a
set of new conditions that would delay this project further and
further," he told reporters in Pretoria.

The project entails a deal between the Dolphin Coast
transitional local

council and a private company to give people in Ballito and
surrounding areas a better and cheaper water service. It was
launched on January 29.

Cosatu on Monday accused the Department of acting in bad faith
by endorsing the contract, saying negotiations on the deal were
still underway.

It contended that the contract had not been finalised or tested
in terms of a municipal services agreement reached between Cosatu
and the department in December last year.

The accord recognises the need for partnerships between
municipalities and the private sector.

Cosatu said a sectoral forum, set up in terms of the agreement,
on January 26 decided the Dolphin Coast deal needed further
discussion.

Olver said Cosatu had been given ample time to raise its
reservations about the project. Its members on the forum on January
26 undertook to furnish their comments on the contract within 24
hours, but failed to do so.

The Dolphin Coast municipality on January 27 confirmed in
writing to the Department that its contract complied with the
municipal services agreement.

"In the absence of a response from Cosatu on the contract, it
had to be agreed that the municipality had no option but to proceed
with the signing of the contract," Olver said.

"Private sector bidders were extremely frustrated at the
endless delays, and the project was on the verge of collapse."

The contract, Olver said, fulfilled all the essential
requirements of the municipal services agreement. It would bring a
better water service at a lower cost to consumers, without any job
losses.

"In fact, workers are going to be the net beneficiaries of the
whole concession deal. Eventually, they will be better trained and
better remunerated," Olver said.

"It is, therefore, not surprising that the local SA Municipal
Workers' Union supports the deal wholeheartedly." Olver denied any
knowledge of a claim by Cosatu that the French-based company that
won the 30-year contract was being probed for corruption in
France.

"We are looking into the allegation to assess its veracity."
Olver said Cosatu now appeared to want every single contract
between a municipality and a private company to be reviewed by the
forum.

"We think that is virtually impossible. Each contract runs 300
or 400 pages, and there are 843 municipalities. For some committee
at national level to vet every single contract is impossible."
Olver said the Dolphin Coast deal received intense scrutiny as it
had been too far advanced to wait for legislation on the process to
be passed later in the year.

This same would apply to a project in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga,
which was also in an advanced stage.

Olver said the December agreement with Cosatu was a
breakthrough to improve municipal services, especially for
disadvantaged communities. Many local councils did not have the
means to do so on their own.

"There was a mutual understanding that these sort of
partnerships can play an important role in unrolling reconstruction
and development. That is why we are surprised at Cosatu's
response," Olver said.

@ MOTION-ELECT

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

ALLOW VOTER REGISTRATION AT HOME AFFAIRS: FF

The department of home affairs and the Independent Electoral
Commission should co-operate to enable people applying at home
affairs offices for the new bar-coded ID documents to register as
voters at the same time, the Freedom Front suggested on Tuesday.

Giving notice of a motion in this regard, FF home affairs
spokesman Joseph Chiole said that to date just over half of the
country's potential voters had registered.

He appealed for the process to be simplified so that applicants
did not have to stand in more than one queue to complete the
process.

@ MOTION-JOURNALISTS

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

SA MUST CONDEMN ZIMBABWE RIGHTS ABUSES: FF

South Africa, as one of the most powerful countries in Southern
Africa, should condemn in the strongest terms the illegal detention
and torture of journalists in Zimbabwe, Freedom Front
communications spokesman Dr Pieter Mulder said on Tuesday.

Giving notice of a motion to this effect, Mulder said the
illegal detention and torture of journalists was a serious crime.

South Africa was clearly out of line with international opinion
on this important issue, and the muted response to a neighbour's
human rights abuses boded ill for the future.

Mulder's motion added that the FF was appalled that Foreign
Affairs Minister Alfred Nzo described human rights abuses in
Zimbabwe as "a domestic affair".

@ PRISONS-NP

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

PETTY CRIMINALS SHOULD NOT GO UNPUNISHED: NP

A government proposal to release petty criminals from jail was
rejected by the New National Party on Tuesday, which warned that if
petty crime went unpunished this would inevitably lead to more
serious offences.

Although the NNP was aware of the overcrowding in South African
jails, there were ways to ensure that even petty criminals were
made to atone for their wrongdoings, NNP spokesman Gert Oosthuizen
said.

A solution was to use old army barracks, or even army tents, to
house petty criminals in order to rehabilitate them before
reintroducing them to society.

"This way petty offenders will be separated from the more
hardened criminals, effectively shielding them from the negative
influence of career criminals," he said.

The Freedom Alliance said the government had not learnt from
past mistakes and that if it was serious about crime, the release
of petty offenders should not even be a consideration.

FA spokesman Jan Bosman said petty offenders were criminals and
should be treated as such.

If government wanted to take the pressure off crowded prisons,
the FA proposed that convicts earned their keep by doing hard
labour.

@ JCCI-TAX

JOHANNESBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

JCCI WARNS BUSINESSES ON TAX 'FIDDLING'

The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) said
Tuesday it had uncovered through a flash survey a "startling lack
of action in implementing new year-end tax procedures -
particularly amongst small to medium businesses".

It said the new procedures for PAYE deductions required
employers to record payroll information under 20 new headings,
covering areas such as travel,subsistence and "re-imbursive"
allowances, which, according to the JCCI, have traditionally been
the "fiddling" areas for tax avoidance.

The Chamber also stated that with the installation of the new
tax system, PAYE deductions will be checked electronically, with
the result that all errors - such as not deducting tax from one's
travel allowance - and late submissions will be instantly picked
up and pursued.

Due to electronic processing, Revenue Service staff would have
more time to inspect more closely the business records submitted by
companies.

"Tax inspectors are already calling on companies - not to to
look at the company payroll, but to examine the cashbook and petty
cash for anomalies," said the JCCI.

It added that a tax expert in the field of employee tax had
estimated that over the next five years at least 50 percent of
those contravening the tax laws would be prosecuted.

The JCCI urged businesses to bring their payroll systems in
line with the new requirements to avoid incurring penalties.

@ MADUNA-OIL

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

SA LOOKING TO ACQUIRE MORE OIL FROM AFRICAN COUNTRIES

South Africa was exploring ways of increasing the amount of oil
it purchased from other African countries, Mineral and Energy
Affairs Minister Penuell Maduna said on Tuesday.

However, the private sector made its own decisions on where it
acquired its oil, he told a briefing of diplomats and journalists
in Cape Town.

While the bulk of the country's oil came from the Middle East,
especially Iran, a significant proportion also came from African
countries, including Angola and Nigeria.

"There is a lot of (oil) exploration work being done by and in
conjunction with South African companies in many African countries.

"In fact, even the Libyans came here and had discussions with
us, and I think some of our companies are looking at Libya as yet
another possibility (to become involved in oil-related ventures)."

Oil companies had approached government with a view to taking
advantage of the oil for food programme the United Nations Security
Council had introduced for Iraq.

The government had no objection to acquiring Iraqi oil, subject
to the UN rules, Maduna said.

He pledged that government was still committed to deregulating
the liquid fuels industry, but had not set out any time frames for
doing this.

"We have said that our target, together with the industry,
should be to ensure that pretty soon there will be, at the very
least, 25 percent meaningful black participation in the industry at
the various levels.

"It is not the intention of government to leave anybody,
especially the most vulnerable, to the wolves."

@ PRESIDENT-CONDOMS

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

MINISTER URGES VALENTINE CONDOM GIFTS

Members of Parliament should give their partners condoms as
Valentine's day gifts, Welfare Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
said in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Speaking in the debate on President Nelson Mandela's
opening-of-Parliament address, which coincides with National Condom
Week, she said Aids threatened the African renaissance.

South Africa had the dubious distinction of having the
fastest-growing epidemic of the disease in the world, and this was
a major threat to the country's future.

Every member of the Assembly, including party leaders, should
put aside their differences in mounting an effective response to
the epidemic.

"But more than that, should we not present our partners with a
condom on St Valentine's day?" she asked.

African Christian Democratic Party MP Louis Green said his
party did not believe that distributing condoms was the solution.
MPs as leaders had to set examples.

"Maybe if we start with ourselves as examples, we would be on
the right road, rather than handing out condoms," he said.

A number of MPs, including Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, wore
beaded Aids lapel badges during the debate. Posters in the
corridors of Parliament urged MPs and staff to "be wise,
condomise".

A spokesman for the African National Congress chief whip's
office said earlier that all ANC MPs had been asked to mention Aids
in their speeches.

@ PRESIDENT-MDLADLANA

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

GOVT WILLING TO ADDRESS JOB SECURITY, CREATION: MDLADLANA

The government was willing to address the problems of job
security as raised by labour unions and of job creation as raised
by the business sector, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said
on Tuesday.

Speaking during debate on President Nelson Mandela's
opening-of-Parliament address, he said the government remained
satisfied a foundation had been laid for a successful economy.

The new Employment Equity Act, which would be fully promulgated
by the end of this year, would be an important instrument for
correcting the wrongs of the past.

The government's promise to the electorate had been to "sort
out the mess created by the NP's policies", Mdladlana said.

South Africans of all races and gender had chosen to be part of
a future promised by the country's Constitution, rather than of a
discriminatory past.

@ PRESIDENT-VDMERWE

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

IFP TO PRESS FOR SELF-DETERMINATION

The Inkatha Freedom Party is to press for implementation of the
section of the Constitution which suggests the possibility of
territorial self-determination for communities, IFP Chief Whip Koos
van der Merwe said in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Speaking in debate on President Nelson Mandela's
opening-of-Parliament address, he said the time had arrived for
South Africa's communities to realise that their constitutional
rights had been ignored.

Van Der Merwe referred to Section 235 of the Constitution,
which was inserted during negotiations to placate proponents of an
Afrikaner volkstaat, and said his party was planning steps to
expedite its implementation "in the best interests of all
communities".

The section says the right of South Africans as a whole to
self-determination "does not preclude... recognition of the notion
of the right of self-determination of any community sharing a
common cultural and language heritage, with a territorial entity in
the Republic or in any other way".

In a media release containing extracts of his speech, Van der
Merwe described the section as a "constitutional guarantee on
minority rights".

He did not spell out how the IFP planned to achieve its aim,
other than saying that it would be "part of a campaign for power to
be returned to the people", and that it would be a major IFP
contribution to the next government.

He said the government should shift its emphasis from the
"levelling-down" of diversity to the recognition of pluralism.

"We must devolve power to communities to enable them to make
fundamental decisions about matters affecting their heritage...
there is a close connection between the promotion of cultural
diversity, and the empowerment and uplifting of communities," he
said.

@ NWEST-OPERATION

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

100 VEHICLES SEIZED BY SAPS AND SANDF IN OPERATION IN
NORTH-WEST

A total of 100 vehicles were recovered in a three-day combined
operation by members of the SA Police Service and SA National
Defence Force in North-West.

Police spokesman Senior-Superintendent Jody Engelbrecht said
the vehicles were valued at R2,8 million.

He said 135 illegal immigrants were arrested, four firearms and
one photocopy machine seized. The operation, which started on
Sunday and ended on Tuesday, reduced the crime level, especially
the hijacking of vehicles considerably.

Engelbrecht attributed its success to the co-operation of
members of the public and the backup by two Oryx and one Alloette
helicopters from 17 Squadron.

The operation covered several areas in North-West, including
Soshanguve, Winterveld, Mabopane and Ga-Rankuwa.

@ PRESIDENT-MOGOBA

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

MOGOBA JOINS IN PROTEST AGAINST CRIME

The end of Nelson Mandela's reign as President of South Africa
was also the end of South Africa's liberation honeymoon, Pan
Africanist Congress president Stanley Mogoba warned on Tuesday.

Speaking in the debate on Mandela's opening-of-Parliament
address, Mogoba echoed other political party leaders' criticism of
the government's failure to address the high crime rate.

"The criminals are the ones who are celebrating our new-found
freedom," Mogoba said.

"No mercy should be shown to criminals who violate human rights
of law-abiding citizens."

Mogoba warned that there was growing restlessness among poor
communities about unemployment that was "bordering on open revolt".

"The red lights are flashing and must be heeded."

Mogoba said that while the government had laid good foundations
for a modern democratic state, it had nevertheless produced a
laissez-faire society which had a culture of rights without
responsibilities.

@ PRESIDENT-CHIOLE

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

MORE FARMERS KILLED IN SA THAN DURING MAU MAU: CHIOLE

More farmers, both black and white, had been killed in South
Africa since the African National Congress had come to power than
in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, about which there had been a
world outcry, Joseph Chiole (FF) said on Tuesday.

About 600 South African farmers had been murdered since 1994,
while 300 had died in the Kenyan uprising, he said during debate on
President Nelson Mandela's opening-of-Parliament address.

There was no other deduction than that South African farmers
were already engaged in a low-intensity war.

Like Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the
Freedom Front believed a referendum should be held on the death
penalty.

It would urge its supporters to vote for capital punishment,
Chiole said.

The FF also urged that police budgets be increased and police
forces enlarged.

@ ZIM-SANEF

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

SA MEDIA ORGANISATIONS SLAM ACTION AGAINST ZIM JOURNALISTS

Three South African media bodies on Tuesday criticised
Zimbabwe's crackdown against journalists.

The South African National Editors' Forum and the South African
national committee of the International Press Institute appealed to
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe to stop "this iniquitous
persecution".

The Pretoria Press Club called on Mugabe to review his position
on the media.

They were referring to the arrest and torture of editor Mark
Chavunduka and journalist Ray Choto, and the subsequent arrest of
other journalists.

Sanef chairman Mike Siluma said Zimbabwe professed to be a
democracy. There could be no question of the media defaming the
government when it published news reports, however much they may
reflect on government competency.

Pretoria Press Club chairwoman Amanda Visser said the action
signalled a lack of respect for human rights and freedom of speech
on the part of Mugabe's government.

"Even though the South African government considers this matter
to be a domestic affair, it is incumbent on us to voice our support
for, and (to) speak on behalf of, our colleagues in Zimbabwe," she
said.

By suppressing freedom of speech and detaining journalists,
Mugabe was damaging his country's image.

@ PRESIDENT-OMAR

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

WAR ON CRIME NOT PARTY POLITICAL ISSUE: OMAR

South Africans should under no circumstances allow the war
against crime to degenerate into a party political issue, but
should rather treat it as a national problem, Justice Minister
Dullah Omar said on Tuesday.

"In the same way we should build one nation together, we must
fight crime together. Let our slogan be, one nation... united in
the fight against crime," he said during debate on President Nelson
Mandela's opening speech to Parliament.

He said parliamentarians should accept that transition created
a vacuum, and criminal gangs or syndicates would take advantage of
the space created.

However, the government was closing down all loopholes and
beefing up the legislation required to uproot criminals within
society.

"The legislative framework has now been created and is adequate
to deal with the crime problem... That was not there before."

The ninth international anti-corruption conference would be
held in Durban in October, he said.

@ BARCODE-NNP

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

GOVT UNWILLING TO REACH SETTLEMENT ON BAR-CODED IDs: NNP

The New National Party on Tuesday reiterated that the African
National Congress government had late last week been unwilling to
reach an out-of-court settlement on the bar-coded ID issue.

It was reacting in a statement to a denial by Deputy President
Thabo Mbeki's office on Monday of a report that it had rejected
proposals for such a settlement.

Daryl Swanepoel, chief director in the office of NNP leader
Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said on Tuesday the facts were that the
respective legal teams had reported that the judiciary had
requested all parties to seek a settlement.

The NNP had reacted in that spirit and had taken the initiative
late last week to see whether a settlement was not possible.

"The ANC government was not prepared for a settlement,"
Swanepoel said.

The NNP believed the bar-coded ID book requirement would be
disenfranchising millions of South Africans of the right to vote,
and had therefore launched its current legal action in the Cape
High Court.

Mbeki's office said on Monday the government remained committed
to finding a solution as soon as possible to the NNP's court
challenge.

The newspaper Business Day reported on Monday that Mbeki's
legal adviser, Mojanku Gumbi, had rejected the possibility of an
out-of-court settlement.

But Mbeki's aide, Ronnie Mamoepa, said later: "The government
is still awaiting proposals for such a settlement. However, such
proposals have not been forthcoming."

The government's position, nonetheless, remained that only
bar-coded IDs should be allowed for voting, he said.

@ SADC COUNCIL OF MINISTER MEETING IN LUSAKA

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs

MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE 1999 SADC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING AND
CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE IN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA FROM 10-12 FEBRUARY 1999

Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo left for Lusaka today to chair the
SADC Council of Ministers meeting from 10 to 11 February 1999. The
Council of Ministers will consider matters such as the status of
member states' contributions, the review and implementation of
previous Council decisions, as well as progress made in the
development of SADC protocols which are considered essential for the
achievement of regional integration. The Ministers will also discuss
the forthcoming SADC/United States of America cooperation forum,
with the first meeting scheduled for April 1999.

There will also be a review of cooperation with the European
Union which has registered encouraging progress, particularly in the
fields of regional transport, water, the reintegration of
demobilised soldiers into society, HIV/AIDS, and the lifting of
landmines in the region. The SADC Secretariat will also present a
report on SADC's ties with other regional organisations such as
CARICOM and MERCOSUR.

In a separate meeting, Mr Jay Naidoo, Minister of Posts,
Telecommunications and Broadcasting, has been invited to present a
document on Information Technology at the Consultative Conference on
12 February 1999. Minister Naidoo will make a presentation on the
need to develop an information society and to broaden the equitable
access to information and communications technology in the Southern
African region. He will also address the need to improve human
resource capacity in this field.

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
9 FEBRUARY 1999

@ REGISTER-IEC

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

GAUTENG HAS HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF REGISTERED VOTERS, WCAPE
LOWEST

Almost 60 percent of potential voters in Gauteng have
registered to vote in the upcoming national election but barely 40
percent of Western Cape voters are on the roll.

This emerged from new figures released on Tuesday by the
Independent Electoral Commission, as the process of counting
registered voters dragged on.

With 3324123 of its 5689764 potential voters registered,
Gauteng has the highest proportion of registered voters. The
Western Cape has the lowest with only 1138757 of its 2800464 voters
on the roll.

Nationally, 14284169 or 52,98 percent of the 26960217 potential
voters have registered.

This figure includes 9,8 million people who registered in the
first registration drive in November and December last year and 4,4
million who registered in the second round on January 29, 30 and
31.

IEC spokeswoman Lydia Young said while these figures were still
provisional, because some data from the second round had not yet
been processed, it was unlikely that the total would be
substantially higher.

"They (the officials responsible for downloading the names of
registered voters from registration stations) are almost finished
now and we should have a final figure in the next couple of days,"
Young told Sapa.

The IEC will be looking to the third national registration
drive on March 5, 6 and 7 to register the remaining 10 million or
so voters who are not yet on the roll.

@ FINANCE-GUARANTEES

PARLIAMENT Feb 8 Sapa

GOVERNMENT DEBT GUARANTEES TOTAL R75,8BN

Government debt guarantees totalled R75,8 billion on March 31
last year, although this figure had yet to be audited, finance
director-general Maria Ramos said on Tuesday.

"All government guarantees are recorded in a central guarantee
register, which is being compiled by the department of finance,"
Ramos said in written reply to questions posed by Parliament's
public accounts committee.

The questions stem from a performance audit on state debt,
conducted by the auditor-general in the first quarter of 1996.

"The central register is updated annually, as at 31 March, from
audited statements of guarantees submitted by all government
departments."

Ramos said a task team comprising officials from the state
expenditure and finance departments and the South African Reserve
Bank (SARB) was established to consider the commercialisation and
restructuring of national state departments' banking services. It
had recently presented a report to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.

Ramos said the finance department, which had taken over
responsibility from the SARB for determining and managing
government's daily cash requirements, had managed to improve the
forecasting of state revenue and expenditure flows.

"This made it possible to constantly reduce the average minimum
liquidity buffer in the exchequer account to about R500 million as
from January 1999, resulting in the lower debt servicing costs."

One of the finance department's objectives was to smooth the
maturity schedule for marketable government bonds, so as to prevent
too many being redeemed at once, Ramos said.

"The department previously indicated that it would, as a rather
crude yardstick, endeavour to keep the total annual redemptions
below a level of about R12,5 billion."

The R12,5 billion level was expressed in 1996/97 prices, and
once adjusted for inflation would rise to about R18,4 billion in
2000/01.

However, total marketable government bond redemptions for
2000/01 were R3,9 billion higher than the R18,4 billion level. This
was due to institutional investors having executed "switch options
in terms of special switch agreements", which were concluded with
the department during 1992, Ramos said.

The special agreements had finally been terminated by the
finance department in March last year.

Ramos disputed a finding by the auditor-general that government
had wasted R423 million because it had maintained excessive cash
balances in the paymaster general and tax and loans accounts.

"The auditor-general based his statement on a premise that the
net position of government's accounts should be zero on a daily
basis, and that no advanced financing should be done to meet cash
flow peaks.

"Such an approach is clearly not feasible and is in direct
conflict with a department's stated principles and philosophies
that the primary risk that needs to be managed is a liquidity
risk," Ramos said.

"I am satisfied that the surplus monies carried on the
Exchequer, paymaster-general and tax and loans accounts, were fully
in tune with realistic cash flow requirements that prevailed at the
time."

@ TRANSPORT-DEATHS

PARLIAMENT February 9 1999 Sapa

SPEED, ALCOHOL MAJOR KILLERS ON SA ROADS: MAHARAJ

Speed and alcohol were the main reasons for the high number of
deaths on South African roads, Transport Minister Mac Maharaj said
on Tuesday.

Briefing transport portfolio committee members on the success
of his department's Arrive Alive campaign, he said high speed was a
primary factor in 22 percent of fatal crashes, and a contributing
factor in 74 percent.

Statistics for the 1998/99 festive season showed that 718
people died in 531 fatal crashes around the country. This was an
improvement on the previous year, when 806 deaths were reported in
620 fatal crashes.

However, "the high incidence of driving under the influence and
speeding remain of great concern", Maharaj said.

"The KwaZulu-Natal provincial traffic police reported no fewer
than 1713 arrests for drunken driving offences during December 1998
and January 1999," Maharaj said.

He said the traffic police, provincial safety personnel and
local authorities had all actively participated in the campaign.

Plans were underway to create a road traffic management
corporation, which would bring about 7000 traffic officers,
currently employed by different local authorities, under one
umbrella.

The process would take 18 months and required the agreement of
all three tiers of government, Maharaj said.

@ PRESIDENT-MNISI

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY February 9 1999 Sapa

MNISI IGNORES FORMER DP COLLEAGUES

Former Democratic Party deputy leader William Mnisi surprised
observers on Tuesday when in his first speech as an MP for the New
National Party he did not once refer directly to his former
colleagues.

Mnisi, speaking during debate on President Nelson Mandela's
opening-of-Parliament address, extolled the virtues of the NNP and
its "dynamic leader", Marthinus van Schalkwyk, to a howl of
derision from African National Congress benches.

"The NNP promised voters we'll make South Africa work, and
that's exactly what we're doing," said Mnisi, who crossed the floor
late last year.

The NNP did not want to put its supporters into a laager as
other parties seemed to want to do, he said, in the only possible
oblique reference to his former party.

Only one DP MP - its Chief Whip Douglas Gibson - was in the
House to hear Mnisi's first speech as a Nationalist.

@ PAHAD MEETING SENIOR DELEGATION FROM BURUNDI

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs

Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad stated that South Africa remains
committed to the peace process in Burundi and has pledged to assist
in the socio-economic reconstruction of that country. Deputy
Minister Pahad made these remarks following a meeting with Mr
Nzojibwami Augustine, Second Vice President of the Transitional
Assembly of Burundi in Cape Town today. South Africa has been
actively supporting the Burundian Peace Talks conducted under the
aegis of the former President of Tanzania, Mwalimbu Julius Nyerere.

Apart from diplomatic and financial support for this process,
President Mandela has seconded his Legal Adviser, Professor Fink
Haysom, to assist the facilitator in obtaining a comprehensive peace
settlement to the conflict in that strife torn country.

Professor Haysom acts as the Chairperson of a committee composed
of 17 political parties in Burundi attempting to forge a
comprehensive agreement on constitutional reform as well as
transitional institutions which would enjoy the support of all
Burundians.

SANDF General Andrew Masondo has recently been seconded as
vice-chairman of the committee dealing with the cessation of
hostilities and related military matters. The Peace Talks have,
after 5 plenary sessions, taken the form of intense negotiations
through these committees established to deal with these critical
areas. South Africa's involvement in this initiative has been
welcomed on account of its neutrality in the conflicts which have
beset the Great Lakes region and in respect of which Burundi is one
part of a large conflict-ridden zone.

In addition, the specific experience which South Africa brings
to the resolution of such conflicts is regarded as an important
contribution, although the Burundian conflict is unique and requires
a solution specific to Burundi and supported by Burundians.

Pf particular importance however, is that this initiative
constitutes a pioneering attempt by African countries to resolve an
African problem and enjoys the support of the international
community. The process is expected to continue until September at
which point stock will be taken of progress achieved.

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
9 FEBRUARY 1999

@ ZIM-BAR

JOHANNESBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

SA LAWYERS CONCERNED AT DEFIANCE OF ZIM COURT ORDER

The General Council of the Bar of South Africa on Tuesday
expressed concern at the defiance of a court order by the
Zimbabwean defence force in detaining journalists, and warned that
the independence of the judiciary in Zimbabwe was under threat.

Bar chairman Peter Hodes said in a statement on Tuesday the
council viewed with anxiety reports of the arrest and detention of
the journalists, their maltreatment and torture, and the response
by the government to public protests.

Weekly Standard editor Mark Chavunduka and journalist Ray Choto
were arrested earlier this year after the newspaper ran an article
on a suspected coup attempt fueled by the country's involvement in
the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On Monday three journalists from the Zimbabwe Mirror, including
editor Fernando Concalves, were arrested for a report last October
on the return of the bodies of Zimbabwean soldiers who died in the
DRC.

In the face of a call by three Supreme Court judges for
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe to recommit himself to the rule
of law, Mugabe said judges who criticised the government's
transgression of court orders should quit and enter politics.

Hodes said Mugabe refrained from castigating the minister of
defence and senior defence officials who disobeyed court orders,
and sought to justify the actions of the army, which acted outside
the law in detaining the journalists.

"He also suggested that the journalists concerned had, by
reason of publishing an allegedly blatantly untrue report,
forfeited the right to the protection of the law," Hodes said.

He said the Bar unanimously resolved to express its grave
concern at these events and to express its support for the stand
taken by the Zimbabwean judiciary and legal profession.

Hodes said there were close links between the South African and
Zimbabwean legal systems.

South African lawyers drew inspiration from Zimbabwean judges.
Judgments in the field of human rights, in particular by former and
serving Zimbabwean chief justices, judges of appeal and puisne
judges, were in many instances of international standing.

@ COURT-BARCODE

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

JUDGMENT RESERVED IN BARCODE COURT APPLICATION

The Cape High court on Tuesday reserved judgment on the New
National Party's application opposing the use of only bar-coded
identity documents in the general election scheduled for May this
year.

Acting Cape Judge President Edwin King, along with Judges John
Hlope and Deon van Zyl, decided to postpone judgment after hearing
argument by the various parties. A date for the judgment was not
set but lawyers said afterwards they expected the outcome in about
a week.

The NNP is objecting to the decision by the government and
Independent Electoral Commission to insist on the use of the
bar-coded ID books as the only way to register for the election.

During the lengthy arguments about how the provision relating
to bar- coded ID books would affect eligible voters, the judges
pointed out on numerous occasions that there were very few reliable
figures upon which this could be based.

Ishmael Semenya, who is appearing for the government, argued
that the application was premature because the IEC was still
accepting registrations, so it was impossible to establish at this
stage how many eligible voters would be disenfranchised by the
bar-coding provision. He said it was possible that many voters who
had not yet registered had not done so because of a lack of
interest, rather than because they did not have the required
documentation.

Replying to this argument, FEF le Roux, who is appearing for
the NNP, said although he agreed that the "apathy factor" could not
be quantified it was clear that potential voters were continuing to
register. He said this suggested that they were arriving to
register after receiving their barcoded ID books from the
Department of Home Affairs. He also argued that it would be
impossible for Home Affairs to process the backlog it was facing in
applications for new documents before the cut-off date for
registration. Therefore some eligible voters were bound to be
disenfranchised.

However the judges pointed out that it could in fact be
possible for Home Affairs to deal with the backlog by employing
extra staff.

Earlier Judge King accused the IEC of acting in a defiant way
by refusing to answer questions about its present status in coping
with the demands of arranging the 1999 elections. Earlier King had
asked Jeremy Gauntlett, appearing for the IEC, to establish whether
the difficulties raised by outgoing IEC chairman Judge Johann
Kriegler were still valid.

When Gauntlett replied that the IEC did not wish to become
involved in any form of "contestation", King replied that he
thought the IEC was acting in defiance of the court's request.

King later requested Gauntlett to pass on to the IEC that
Kriegler's statement on the problems of the IEC had been used in
argument before the court and it was therefore important to have
the IEC's comments about it.

The hearing was attended by many NNP and ANC members at various
times throughout Tuesday.

@ CORRIDOR-WOMEN

NELSPRUIT February 9 1999 Sapa

STUDY TO DETERMINE IF MAPUTO CORRIDOR EMPOWERS WOMEN

The Commission on Gender Equality will launch a research
project on Wednesday to determine to what extent the Mpumalanga
Development Corridor is empowering women, African Eye News Service
reports.

Commission spokesman Itumeleng Masege said on Tuesday the study
- Gender Analysis of the MDC - would look into how the corridor
affected the livelihood of women along its route between Witbank
and Maputo in Mozambique.

"The focus will be gender analysis, specifically the current
economic empowerment of women who are supposed to be among the
beneficiaries of the corridor project," he said.

The Maputo Corridor is Mpumalanga's primary economic
development project, aimed at starting major socio-economic
development projects in the province and the neighbouring Northern
Province in South Africa.

Masege said the gender study would include an analysis of
tenders awarded on the project as well as interviews with
officials, women along the corridor, and MDC personnel.

"The findings will help the commission make recommendations on
ways of maximising benefits and the participation of women in the
MDC and future similar projects," said Masege.

He said the study followed the continued discrimination of
women in the economic sector, and the ignorance of women's
contributions and concerns in economic and social infrastructure
initiatives.

@ CRIME-HOUSING

NELSPRUIT February 9 1999 Sapa

POLICE INVESTIGATING 109 CASES OF HOUSING SUBSIDY FRAUD

Police were investigating 109 cases of possible housing subsidy
fraud in Mpumalanga involving over R1,5 million, the provincial
department of housing said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Arthur Ndlovu said in Nelspruit the fraud cases were
handed to the police to be investigated after a departmental
investigating task team had checked 943 housing subsidy applicants.

"The task team goes to a (house) stand and checks if the
applicant living on the stand applied for the subsidy and if a
structure has been built yet," he said.

Ndlovu said in many cases subsidy money had been given to
applicants to build a house, but no structure had been built yet.

"Sometimes people have given fraudulent documents to get a
subsidy, or they have said they earn a salary that they don't."

He said any person could apply for a housing subsidy as long as
the applicant earned below R8500 a year.

Ndlovu said when the task team found that fraud could be
involved when a person applied for housing subsidy, the case was
handed to the police who would decide if charges should be laid
against the person.

Townships which have been investigated include Matsulu,
KaNyamazane, KaMhlushwa, KaBokweni and Morgenzon.

Ndlovu said the task team still had to investigate 930
applicants.

@ ZIM-SACP

JOHANNESBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

ARREST OF MORE ZIM JOURNALISTS OMINOUS DEVELOPMENT: SACP

The South African Communist Party on Tuesday said the arrest on
Monday of three more Zimbabwean journalists was an ominous
development for Zimbabwe and the Southern African region.

The SACP said the latest arrests followed the earlier detention
and torture of two other Zimbabwean journalists, the weekly
Standard's editor Mark Chavunduka and journalist Ray Choto.

On Monday three Zimbabwe Mirror journalists were arrested after
reports last October on the return of dead Zimbabwean soldiers
involved in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"In each case, newspaper articles critical of the Zimbabwean
government's involvement in the DRC conflict have been cited by
that country's security forces as the reason for their actions."

"The SACP is all too aware of the difficulties in struggling
for, and protecting, the right to freedom of expression.

"Similarly, the latest victims of the Zimbabwe government's
actions, Ibbo Mandaza and his colleagues at the Southern Africa
Printing & Publishing House, have over many years made welcome
contributions to a critical appraisal of developments in Zimbabwe
and our region," the statement said.

The SACP warned that the measures taken by Zimbabwe could only
contribute to a dangerous situation where the exercise of people's
rights was treated as a privilege, granted by those in power, and
not as a basic human right.

"It would be in the best interests of all Zimbabweans, and the
people of Southern Africa, for the Zimbabwean government to affirm
such rights instead of undermining them," the SACP said.

@ BURUNDI-SA

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

SOUTH AFRICA REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR BURUNDI PEACE PROCESS

Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Tuesday reaffirmed South
Africa's support for the peace process in Burundi and pledged the
government's help in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged central
African country.

Speaking after a meeting here with the Second Vice President of
Burundi's Transitional Assembly, Nzojibwami Augustine, Aziz said
South Africa would continue to provide diplomatic and financial
support for the peace efforts led by former Tanzanian president
Julius Nyerere.

"South Africa remains committed to the peace process in
Burundi," Pahad said after the meeting, according to a statement
issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

President Nelson Mandela had seconded his legal adviser
Professor Fink Haysom to chair a committee comprising 17 Burundian
political parties, one of several established to steer Burundi
towards peace.

The committee chaired by Haysom was attempting to reach
agreement on constitutional reform and transitional institutions,
the department said.

SA National Defence Force General Andrew Masondo, meanwhile,
was recently seconded as vice-chairman of another committee
attempting to hammer out a ceasefire between the warring groups.

"The peace talks have, after five plenary sessions, taken the
form of intense negotiations through these committees established
to deal with these critical areas," the department said.

It said the peace process was expected to continue until
September when the parties involved would take stock of the
progress they had achieved.

Five years of civil war in Burundi, mainly between between the
Tutsi dominated army and Hutu rebels, has left more than 200000
people dead.

In January, several eastern and central African countries
lifted a range of sanctions which they had imposed against Burundi
in July 1996.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said South Africa's
involvement in the peace initiative had been welcomed because of
the country's neutrality in the conflicts which have plagued
Africa's Great Lakes region.

"This initiative constitutes a pioneering attempt by African
countries to resolve an African problem and enjoys the support of
the international community," the department said.

@ ANC-MANDELSON

CAPE TOWN February 9 1999 Sapa

BRITAIN'S KING OF SPIN MEETS ANC ELECTION MANAGER

Britain's disgraced former trade minister and king of spin,
Peter Mandelson, held talks with the African National Congress in
Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Mandelson - who masterminded the Labour Party's landslide
victory in the 1997 election campaign - arrived in South Africa on
Monday.

On Tuesday he met ANC election manager, Amos Masondo, and is
apparently trying to meet other party leaders. He is also expected
to travel to Cape Town.

ANC spokesman Thabo Masebe confirmed that Mandelson was in
South Africa on holiday and that he had asked to meet members of
the party's election team.

Some of the meetings had already taken place.

"Mandelson's visit and meetings with members of the national
executive committee are not in any way releated to the discussions
the ANC has had with the British Labour Party on possible
assistance for the ANC election campaign," Masebe said.

On what the talks entailed, Masebe said Mandelson had "simply
been given a hearing", having requested the meeting in the first
place. He had discussed "his impressions about South Africa".

British newspapers reported last month that Mandelson was
likely to be sent to South Africa to assist the ANC in its election
campaign.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in talks with Deputy
President Thabo Mbeki last month, offered Labour Party assistance
to the ANC. An ANC spokesman then said no names had been mentioned
and denied that the ANC would use Mandelson in its campaign.

The reports were greeted with anger in some quarters of the
ANC, with members scoffing at the suggestion that the ANC needed a
Mandelson for its election campaign.

Mandelson's detractors believe that he wants to assist the ANC
as part a comeback attempt to repair a badly dented image after his
fall from grace in December.

Mandelson resigned as trade secretary over the furore created
by a secret home loan he received in 1996.

@ ZAMBIA-ANGOLA

LUSAKA February 9 1999 Sapa-AFP

ZAMBIAN AUTHORITIES PROBE ALLEGATIONS OF ARMS DEALS WITH UNITA

The Zambian government on Tuesday said it was investigating
Angolan allegations that senior Zambian government officials were
involved in arms deals with UNITA rebels in Angola.

"The Zambian government is both examining and investigating the
Angolan allegations and will make a statement at an appropriate
time. These allegations keep on changing from general charges to
individual charges of Zambian citizens," Information Minister
Newstead Zimba said in a statement.

The minister was commenting on the issue for the first time
since allegations emerged recently that Vice President Christone
Tembo and Energy Minister Benjamin Mwila were involved in
gun-running for the National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola (UNITA).

According to local media reports this week, the latest
allegations are contained in an official Angolan statement that the
vice president was personally leading military assistance to UNITA,
while the energy minister coordinated the activity.

Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Tuesday called for
the immediate dismissal of the vice president and e must also be
forcefully involved in investigating these allegations instead of
fearing the political ramifications," ZIMT said.

ZIMT further asked the government to thoroughly investigate the
connection between the country's main airline, Aero Zambia, and
the alleged arms smuggling ring to UNITA.

"The involvement of General Tembo and Mr. Mwila, two senior
government officials, is with the full knowledge of the Zambian
government and the intelligence services," the statement added.

Chiluba has denied Angola's claims that Zambia is supporting
UNITA rebels in their war against the Luanda government.

Zambia has invited international observers to investigate the
claims.

Meanwhile, opposition political party National Citizens
Coalition (NCC) called for the immediate resignation of Tembo and
Mwila over the gun charges to enable the government to conduct
proper and quick investigations.

"The ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) should
take the allegations very seriously and speedily to avoid conflict
in Zambia," NCC spokesman Joshua Ngoma said over private radio.

Chiluba at the weekend warned that anyone dealing in arms with
UNITA would be dealt with severely.

ZIMT said gun trafficking was the most lucrative business in
the world, and military hardware manufacturers have in the past
succeeded in manipulating and bribing governments to allow passage
of armaments in their countries.

"ZIMT wants to express its disgust at the revelations that
local business people and government officials were providing
logistical support to UNITA rebels in the acquisition of arms and
armaments," ZIMT said.

@ AMNESTY-MARITZBURG

PIETERMARITZBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

SIX ANC MEMBERS SEEK AMNESTY FOR IFP MAN'S DEATH

Six imprisoned members of the African National Congress on
Tuesday testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's
amnesty committee in Pietermaritzburg during their amnesty
application for the murder of an Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned man.

Bheki Elliot Mgenge, Sibusiso Mhlongo, Orient Khambule, Philani
Luthuli, Lucky Christopher Mnembe and Gilbert Ngobese of
Cottonlands near Verulam are serving between 12 and 25 years for
the murder of Thulani Mthembu on 26 December 1991.

Leading the group in testifying, former ANC area vice-chairman
Gilbert Ngobese said there was a political conflict between his
party supporters and that of the IFP in the areas.

"Mthembu was harassing our members by referring to them as
harlots' children, by tearing ANC T-shirts and threatening the
whole community," he said.

"The IFP wanted to rule the area and prevented the ANC from
holding its meetings. And so many people had been killed by the IFP
in the area but not a single member of the party was arrested.
Police would only come to collect the bodies and go."

Ngobese told the committee that he decided that Mthembu should
be murdered.

Mthembu was shot and stabbed several times by a group of about
30 people.

Ngobese also applied for amnesty for the killing of 13 people
at the home of IFP chairman Dingindawo Xulu in Cottonlands.

The proceedings resume on Wednesday.

@ ZIM-JOURNALISTS

HARARE February 9 1999 Sapa-AP

JOURNALISTS FREED ON BAIL IN ZIMBABWE AS CRITICISM OF
GOVERNMENT MOUNTS

Condemnation of a government crackdown on the press and the
courts mounted Tuesday and two journalists were ordered to appear
for trial on charges they published false information.

But in a sign the government may be taking a step back, the two
accused journalists were freed on bail, and charges against two
other newspapermen were dropped.

The four journalists for the independent Mirror newspaper were
arrested Monday, a day after President Robert Mugabe warned that
stern measures would be taken against journalists, human rights
activists and others who allegedly undermine the loyalty of the
military.

They were arrested over a report linked to Zimbabwe's
controversial deployment of 8,000 troops to the Congo war.

In his speech Sunday, Mugabe also called on four top judges to
resign after they protested the alleged torture of two other
journalists who were arrested in January.

An alliance of 40 human rights and civic groups accused the
government on Tuesday of choosing "a disastrous policy of
confrontation and repression."

"By any standard of democratic governance, the Zimbabwe
government is in a state of crisis," the National Constitutional
Assembly said.

Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group,
urged southern Africa leaders "to speak with their Zimbabwean
counterpart to reaffirm the importance of the rule of law, the
freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary."

In South Africa, the General Council of the Bar said it viewed
the developments with "grave concern." The lawyers' group warned
that Zimbabwe's independent judiciary was under "dire threat."

The two Zimbabwean journalists who were freed on bail, Mirror
editor Ibbo Mandaza and reporter Grace Kwinjeh, were told to
reappear in court on March 1 on charges they published false
information likely to cause fear, alarm and public unrest. The
charges carry a maximum prison term of seven years.

Tendai Biti, representing the weekly paper, said the charges
stem from the newspaper's report on Oct. 25 on Zimbabwean
casualties in the Congolese civil war. According to the report,
family members of a Zimbabwean soldier killed in Congo received
only his head for burial. The military denied it.

Mandaza and Kwinjeh were freed on bail of 5,000 Zimbabwe
dollars (dlrs 125).

Last month, the editor and a reporter of the weekly Standard
newspaper were arrested for reporting a suspected coup attempt by
soldiers opposed to deployment in the Congo and alleged economic
mismanagement at home.

Medical experts said they had been beaten and suffered electric
shocks and near-drowning suffocation torture.

Mugabe deployed troops to Congo to help President Laurent
Kabila, who is fighting rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Angola,
Namibia and Chad have also sent soldiers to support Kabila.

@ PRISONERS-FA

JOHANNESBURG February 9 1999 Sapa

RELEASING MORE PRISONERS 'LIKE APRIL'S FOOL JOKE,' FA SAYS

If reports that the government was considering releasing 2000
more "petty" criminals were not so serious, the idea could have
been mistaken for an April's Fool joke, the Federal Alliance said
on Tuesday.

FA spokesman Jan Bosman said the government had not learned
from past mistakes.

With President Nelson Mandela's 80th birthday, 9000 criminals
were freed in terms of an amnesty, he said.

"Some of them went back to their old ways and some even
committed murders again."

If the government was serious about the war on crime the
release of petty offenders from jail should not even be a
consideration.

To release them would confirm that the government was soft of
crime, Bosman said.

For serious offences such as murder and rape the FA would
reintroduce the death penalty.

"The Federal Alliance is convinced of the death penalty as a
deterrent and we will see a reduction in the jail population once
this is reintroduced."

@ SA-US

PRETORIA February 9 1999 Sapa

MBEKI, GORE TO CHAIR SA-US BI-NATIONAL COMMISSION

Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and United States Vice-President
Al Gore will chair the sixth session of the SA-US Bi-national
Commission meeting in Cape Town from February 16 to 18.

The Human Resources Development committee of the BNC would be
chaired by Education Minister Sibusiso Bengu and US Assistant
Secretary for Post Secondary Education Dr David Longanecker, the
Education Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

The BNC meeting was supposed to have taken place in Pretoria in
February last year, but it was cancelled.

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

--------------456B58E5FEA18F7CBD58CDC9--