ANC NEWS BRIEFING 28 Jan '99 - RESEND
ANC Department of Information and Publicity
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A N C D A I L Y N E W S B R I E F I N G
THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 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
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@ IEC-PANEL
CAPE TOWN Jan 27 Sapa
PANEL TO MEET ON KRIEGLER'S SUCCESSOR
A four-person panel, chaired by Constitutional Court president
Arthur Chaskalson, is to meet in Johannesburg on Wednesday
afternoon to decide how to begin appointing a replacement for Judge
Johann Kriegler.
Kriegler resigned as chairman and member of the Independent
Electoral Commission on Tuesday, citing tensions with government.
The Electoral Commission Act lays down a complex procedure for
filling his place as commissioner. A panel, headed by Chaskalson,
must draw up a list of candidates, which goes to the National
Assembly to be narrowed down.
The appointment is then formally made by President Nelson
Mandela.
Chaskalson said on Wednesday morning that Mandela told him of
Kriegler's resignation just before lunch on Tuesday, and asked him
to begn the process of finding a successor.
He immediately phoned the other members of the panel - Public
Protector Selby Baqwa, Gender Commission acting chairperson
Phumelele Ntombela-Nzimande, and chairman of the Human Rights
Commission, Barney Pityana.
He said the panel would meet at the Constitutional Court on
Wednesday afternoon to decide what procedure would be followed in
identifying candidates.
The Act says the panel "shall act in accordance with the
principles of transparency and openness", but does not prescribe
exactly how it must go about its business.
Nor, oddly enough, does it appear to cater for a single vacancy
in the commission. It seems that the panel has to submit a list of
at least eight names to the National Assembly, whether it is
dealing with one vacancy or the full five-member IEC.
Chaskalson said that when the existing IEC was appointed last
year, the panel had placed advertisements in newspapers calling for
nominations from the public.
"What will happen this time will depend on how the panel wishes
to operate," he said.
Because the Act of the judiciary. ment as a matter of urgency,
Chaskalson said: "we'll deal with this as soon as we can... we will
obviously deal with it very promptly."
@ SWAZI-ARMY
MBABANE Jan 27 Sapa
INQUIRY SET UP INTO SWAZI ARMY BARRACKS
Swaziland Army commander Brigadier Fonono Dvube set up a
commission of inquiry on Wednesday into the recent theft of nine
rifles from the Mbanana barracks in Northern Swaziland, a
correspondent reported.
An army source, who wished not to be named, said it was the
second time in two months that arms had been stolen from the
armoury at the barracks.
Some of the stolen 7.82 rifles were reportedly found in the
possession of a policeman who was arrested in Manzini last week in
connection with an armed robbery at Piggs Peak, when gunmen fled
with R80000.
The source said rifles and pisTols were also stolen recently
from the Ndzimba barracks in central Swaziland.
Both thefts are suspected to be "inside" jobs.
@ UGANDA-DRCONGO
KAMPALA, 27 January 1999, Sapa-AFP
MUSEVENI ACCUSES KABILA OF ARMING UGANDAN REBELS
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has accused his Democratic
Republic aurent Kabila, of arming
Ugandan rebels using rear bases in the former Zaire.
"It was really treason for Kabila to behave the way he behaved
given the fact that we are the ones who put him in power," Museveni
told the state-owned New Vision newspaper in an interview published
Wednesday.
Kabila's government was arming the Allied Democratic Forces
(ADF), a Ugandan rebels group said to operate from bases in the
DRC, Museveni said.
The Ugandan leader said that the responsibility of preventing
DRC-based rebels from attacking Uganda and Rwanda lay with the
authorities in Kinshasa.
"It is not a problem of the UN. It is a problem of the
Congolese government. We do not mind if they do not have the
capacity to police the area, we can always co-operate with them to
do it together. But what we do not accept is to deliberately
support or encourage those elements," said Museveni.
Ugandan and Rwandan troops helped Kabila's then rebel.....[problems with receiving]....
forces overthrow the regime of president Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.
But Kabila fell out with his former allies last year and
Ugandan and Rwandan troops are currently fighting alongside
insurgents fighting to oust Kabila's government.
"We are there (in the DRC) on a limited basis and we have not
assumed an agressive, offensive posture. We are always on the
defensive which is consistent with our precautionary deployment in
the fi.....[problems with receiving]... place and we are engaged in dialogue with the other
African countries involved," Museveni said.
"So I think we shall find a solution. It is not complicated,"
he added.
Angola, Namibia, Chad and Zimbabwe have sent troops to the DRC
to help Kabila fight the rebel offensive.
Museveni said Ugandan forces had clashed with soldiers from
Chad, Angola and the DRC during fighting in the in the northeast of
the DRC.
He played down the financial burden of involvement in the war
acros.....[problems with receiving]....thorn; "There is some expense, yes. It is true I have called up some battalions which were additional battalions, but other than the
additional battalions and some transport element there isn't more
expense because we normally use what we have anyway," he said.
Museveni said he would not negotiate with Uganda's northern
neighbour, Sudan, which he accu.....[problems with receiving]....ucirc;nother rebel group,
the Lord's Resistance Army.
@ NATS SAYS FAST-FADING SAKKIE LOUW NEEDED A NEW POST
Issued by: East Cape News (Ecn)
BISHO (ECN) - New National Party (NNP) provincial leader Manie
Schoeman yesterday (SUBS: Wed) said controversial NNP politician
Sakkie Louw's defection to the Louis Luyt's Federal Alliance was
prompted by a desire for a position, rather than principle.
Speaking from his Cape Town office, Schoeman told ECN that
after the Cradock NNP list conference in October which saw Louw
placed 13th on the list and out of the running for any position.....[problems with receiving]....yuml; in
the provincial legislature, Louw had "re-emphasised" that he had no
problem with the party and would remain loyal to the NNP.
"Accordingly, it would seem that his move to the Federal
Alliance was not prompted by principle but by position," Schoeman
said. "Being number 13 on the provincial list, he (Louw) had a
greatly diminished chance of returning to the legislature and he was
obviously looking towards greener pastures."
Schoeman said the NNP had also know that Louw approached the
United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the hope of finding a position.
Louw was a NNP MPL in the Bisho legislature and was chairman of the
transport standing committees spanned 20 years.
Asked whether Louw's departure was a severe blow to the party,
Schoeman said: "One doesn't like losing anyone and Sakkie Louw has
been a stalwart and he has done a tremendous amount for the party."
"But conversely, he has always been controversial within the party
and has been involved with all the problems in the party."
He said that Louw had directly been involved in the episode
which saw former NP Eastern Cape leader Tertius Delport expelled
from the party.
He said this incident had created "unhappiness in the party"
and Louw's departure would be viewed by many within the part/.....[problems with receiving]....yuml; as a
sigs.....[problems with receiving]....yuml; that the NNP was consolidating itself.
@ SWAZI-OLYMPICS
MBABANE 27 January 1999, Sapa
SWAZI OLYMPICS COMMITTEE PRESIDENT SAYS HE WON'T RESIGN
The president of the Swaziland Olympics Committee has refused
to resign from his post following his !lleged involvement in the
Salt Lake City Olympics Committee scandal, a correspondent reported
on Wednesday.
David Nsibandze said he would not resign unless SOC members
took a vote of no confidence in him.
He said the International Olympics Committee believed he was
guilty and he resigned, thinking there was no point in defending
himself.
Nsibandze's son, who travelled with him to Utah for the IOC
bidding vote, was allegedly given money for an eight-yea.....[problems with receiving]....yuml;r
scholarsship at Utah University.
However, Nsibandze claimed he did not know about the
arrangement.
@ DURBAN 27 January 1999, Sapa
IFP, ANC AND POLICE IN TALKS ON RICHMOND VIOLENCE
Members of the Inkatha Freedom Party, the African National
Congress and the Richmond transitional local council were locked in
talks in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday on the volatile situation in
Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.
Thirteen people, including the United Democratic Movement's
national secretary Sifiso Nkabinde and 11 members of the ANC were
gunned down in Richmond and nearby Indaleni on Saturday. Police
were also represented at Wednesday's talks.
Richmond mayor and ANC member Andrew Ragavaloo told Network
Radio News the ANC would not meet directly with the UDM to discuss
the Richmond issue because it was not a political matter which
could be solved between two parties.
Responding, UDM deputy KwaZulu-Natal chairman Sifiso Bhengu
said: "That man is dreaming. Our man (Sifiso Nkabinde) has been
murdered, he was our political leader. He (Ragavaloo) is a
political bandit, plain stupid. Three of our houses were burnt down
in Magoda."
On Sunday morning members of the ANC and the UDM mobilised on
the border between Indaleni and Magoda and police fired teargas to
separate the two groups. On Sunday afternoon more than 30 shots
were fired between ANC and UDM convoys in Richmond village.
Bhengu said the UDM was not invited to the talks and the party
only heard about it through the media. Bhengu added, however, that
even if the UDM had been invited it would not have attended because
the UDM was still mourning Nkabinde's death.
He said for the UDM to attend it would have been necessary to
first consult with people on the ground and they were still too
traumatised to approach. The New National Party in a statement said
its request to attend the meeting had been turned down.
"The ANC's unwillingness to talk to the UDM has given rise to
the kind of political intolerance on which political violence
breeds.
"All political parties must now be involved in a summit to deal
with political violence in this province as soon as possible," NNP
provincial leader Danie Schutte said.
He said no reason had been given why the NNP's request to
attend the meeting had been refused.
No incidents of violence have been reported in the Richmond
area since Sunday but police said the situation was tense.
@ REGISTRATION-PREVIEW
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
SECOND ROUND OF VOTER REGISTRATION THIS WEEKEND
The second round of voter registration to compile South
Africa's birst fully representative voters' roll is to take place
at the weekend.
The roll will form the basis of this year's general election,
and - with additions and deletions - of all future polls.
About 14500 registration stations are expected to open
throughout the country on Friday morning and will be staffed until
late on Sunday.
The number of potential voters - South African citizens who
are 18 and older - is estimated at 25 million.
Of these, 9,6 million registered in the first round late last
year, the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) chief electoral
officer, Professor Mandla Mchunu, told a media conference in
Pretoria earlier this week.
IEC officials are hopeful that many of the potential voters who
tered will ttrn up at registration stations this
weekend, but Mchunu pointed out that there would be a third and
fil opportunity for voter registration in February.
Registration points are to be open from 9am to 9pm on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, but in the strife-torn Richmond area in
KwaZulu-Natal and two tornado-hit areas of the Eastern Cape the
days have been altered to allow for victims' funerals, anD in
deference to mourners.
At Mount Ayliff and Ntabankulu in the Eartern Cape,
registration offices are to be open on Friday, Sunday and Monday,
closing at 5pm on the last day.
In Richmond, registration is to take place on Friday, Monday
and Tuesday.
Mchunu said registration was on track for the rest of the
country.
Those who registered at the wrong station in the first round of
registration last year, would be allowd to re-register at the
correct station during the weekend.
"We are saying to those people: go back and register, it did
not take you more than five minutes last time. If you register
again, our system automatically overrides your initial
registration."
Mchunu said people who had registered at the wrong point would
still be allowed to vote in this year's general election, but they
would have to vote where they had registered.
By Tuesday a total of 65796 public servants and volunteers had
signed up to help with the registration, but another 6998
volunteeded, Mchunu said.
The IEC would ensure registration stations were visible by
hoisting banners and balloons, and maps would be displayed at
Metrorail stations showing people where to register.
@ MBULI-OMAR
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
OMAR CONFIDENT MBULI WILL GET FAIR TRIAL
Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Wednesday said he hoped the
trial of musician and "people's poet" Mzwakhe Mbuli, which
recommenced in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, would be
"expeditiously finalised" and that justice would be done.
Mbuli has ber the past 14 months, following his
arrest and appearance in court in connection with a bank robbery in
Waverly, north of Pretoria, in October 1997.
.....[problems with receiving]....yuml;The court last year turned down Mbuli's fourth application for
bail, and postponed the case to January 26.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his spokesman Paul
Setsetse, Omar said he had noted the concern which was expressed by
many that Mbuli had not been properly treated, that he had been
framed, that he was unreasonably refused bail, and that an
injustice was being done.
"The minister cannot interfere in court proceedings. He,
however, expresses the wish that the trial, having commenced, will
be expeditiously finalised and that justice will be done."
Omar was confident that Mbuli would receive a fair trial.
"The Constitution provides for a presumption of innocence. T(e
onus is on the State to prove Mr Mbuli's guilt beyond a reasonable
doubt. Where such proof does not exist, the court will be in duty
bound to acquit Mr Mbuli."
Setsetse said it would be inappropriate for Omar to comment on
the conduct of the trial or the evidence presented so far.
@ COMOROS-POLITICS
NAIROBI, 27 January 1999, Sapa-AFP
COMORAN INTERIM PRESIDENT POSTPONES ELECTION
Comoro Islands interim President Tadjidine Ben Said Massonde
has postponed the election for the successor to Mohamed Taki
Abdoulkarim, who died last November, he said Wednesday.
"Given the state of affairs in the Comoros, the country is not
in a position to organise presidential elections," Tadjidine said
duridcast from the Indian Ocean republic,
monitored in Nairobi.
"My interim period was to last for three months and enable the
organisation of the presidential vote," the interim leader said.
"But ... it is impossible to organise elections in which all
Comoran people can take part."
The federal Islamic republic of three islands has for nearly
one and a half years been confronted with the unilateral secession
of Anjouan, where several dozen people were killed in clashes among
rival separatist groups in Dece.....[problems with receiving]....yuml;n with a
president elected by universal suffrage and the formation of a new
"council of the republic" to include members from all the islands:
Grande Comore, where the government is based, Anjouan and Moheli.
However, the interim leader, who took over when Taki died of a
heart attack on November 6, gave no indication of when elections
could take place.
Mayotte is the fourth island in the Comoros archipelago and
chose to remain under French rule when the others opted for
independence in 1975.
@ FREESTATE-OVERDRAFT
BLOEMFONTEIN 27 January 1999, Sapa
FREE STATE'S OVERDRAFT TO RISE 82 PERCENT BY MARCH
The Free State provincial government's overdrawn bank account
will increase by almost 82 percent from the present R231 million to
R420 million by the end of March, according to figures in the
Adjustment Appropriation Bill before the Free State Legislature's
finance committee.
The Bill provides for an appropriation budget of R605,7
million, of which R69 million has been budgeted for payments on the
overdraft.
Members of the finance committee have expressed shock at the
province's cashflow problems, particularly as both premier Dr Ivy
Matsepe-Casaburri and finance MEC Zingile Dingani gave the
assurance in the 1998 appropriation budget debate that the budget
for the financial year would not exceed that of 19.....[problems with receiving]....Oslash;n one percent.
It now appears the over-expenditure is more than R400 million.
The biggest culprits are education (in excess of R250 million),
Health (R100 million) and Welfare (between R70-mihlion and R80
million).
Part of the problem is that some 1997-98 cheques were only
cashed in April, May and June.
The committee has asked Matsepe-Casaburri to explain what was
done after the national Department of State Expenditure and
Finances warned in June and again in November that the Free State
would exceed its budget by about R400 million.
The committee also wants to know whether the figures in the
current appropriation budget are a true reflection of the
province's finances, as the previous one di` not reveal the true
position.
Meanwhile, there is a danger that the provincial roads
department will grind to a halt this week.
Private-sector suppliers have stopped deliveries of petrol and
diesel because of non-payment of accounts. Work on road network
projects in QwaQwa, Bothaville and Thabong (Welkom) has stopped,
while prictors are threatening civil actions for
damages.
Cashflow problems mean that amounts b.....[problems with receiving]....yuml;r the current
year cannot be paid and may only be settled in the new book year.
The provincial department of safety and security expects to
exceed its budget by between R4 million and R6 million, mainly
because the R34 million budgeted for security personnel was
insufficient.
MEC Annah Buthelezi-Phori told the committee that her
department had had to take over payment for all provincial security
staff this year. In the past, individual departments had paid for
their own security.
Her department had inherited about 700 personnel who had not
been promoted for many years. Steps had also been taken to improve
their working conditions and equipment.
Although there was a shortage of staff in Bloemfontein and in
QwaQwa, safety and security departmental head Bertus Venter said it
would cost in exCess of R6 million to transfer the surplus staff.
Meanwhile, MEC for public works, roads and transport Sekhopi Malebo
has assured the Association for Persons with Disabi.....[problems with receiving]....#144;Deaf in
Bloemfontein that outstanding grants for accessible transport will
be paid soon. He did not give a date but said it could possibly be
in the middle of February.
An amount of R594663 was approved in March 1998 but was never
received by the disabled.
Last week disabledrsons and their supporters staged a
demonstration through Bloemfontein streets to protest against the
non-receipt of the grants and to highlight the plight of the
disabled.
@ LASER
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
LASER SPEEDTESTING EQUIPMENT GIVEN OK IN PRINCIPLE
Laser speedtesting and breathalyser equipment could soon be
Used as evidence in court following a meeting between the .....[problems with receiving]....yuml;r
of Public Prosecutions for the Western Cape, Frank Kahn, and the
traffic chief forum in Cape Town on Wednesday.
A spokesman for Transport and Works MEC Danny Abrahams said the
use of the eqbject to the approval and
satisfaction of Kahn, after consultation with an expert witness on
February 11.
A final decision would then be taken.
Provincial traffic chief Sherman Amos said he was satisfied
with the outcome of the meeting.
@ NO NEED TO INVESTIGATE MISMANAGEMENT OF FORT HARE
Issued by: East Cape News (Ecn)
BHENGU SAYS NO NEED TO INVESTIGATE MISMANAGEMENT OF FORT HARE
Patrick Burnett
GRAHAMSTOWN (ECN) - National Education Minister Sibusiso Bhengu
will not appoint an independent accessor to probe allegations of
mismanagement at the cash-strapped Fort Hare university.
This follows yesterday's marathon meeting in which unions
declared a vote of no confidence in university management and called
for an independent accessor to examine the affairs of the
university. PRO for Bengu's office Bheki Khumalo said: "At this
stage t .....[problems with receiving]....ucirc;e
Minister is not even considering appointing an accessor."
He said that the Higher Education Act allowed for the Minister
to appoint an enquiry but that he first had to satisfy himself that
the allegations were valid.
He said the Minister did not feel that the allegations
warranted investigation and called on all stakeholders to talk
through the problems facing the university.
Khumalo said the longer the university took to solve its
problems the more a situation would be created where the university
would face the problem of an exodus of academics and difficulty in
attracting quality academics and students.
He said the situation had not reached the crisis levels of
Unitra where there had been "a total breakdown" to the extent that
the university "resembled a police state" and there had been no
choice but to appoint an independent accessor.
National Tertiary Education Staff Union (Ntesu) chair and
English lecturer Theo Bhengu said allegations include the delay in
phe payment of salaries and failure of the university to pay medical
aid, pension and life insurance policies.
He said they would also call for an investigation into
allegations that an incorrect deficit of R13.8m had been declared
when in reality the deficit was R46.8m.
Bhengu said the retrenchment of workers and the awarding of
tenders to companies which had not been properly monitored should
also be probed.
@ ROADS-PLAZA
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
SECOND TOLL PLAZA TO BE BUILT ON MAPUTO CORRIDOR
The second toll road plaza on the Maputo Corridor would soon be
commissioned near Machadodorp in Mpumalanga, concessionaire Trans
African Concessions said on Wednesday.
The first toll road plaza just west of Middelburg haned
and 80 kilometres of the project was complete after a year of the
construction period of three-and-a-half-years, a Trac statement
said.
@ GRINTEK-CONTRACT
PRETORIA 27 January 1999, Sapa
GRINTEK AWARDED SAAF CONTRACT
Grintek Electronics, together with its Norwegian partner Navia
Aviation, has been awarded a contract to supply an instrument
landing system for the South African Air Force (SAAF).
The multimillion rand system to be installed at the Waterkloof
baseWaterkloof is the home base for the SAAF's VIP squadron
(including the Presidential aircraft) and transport squadrons which
are often used for humanitarian aid purposes.
Sprintek Electronics, Gavin
Swanepoel said the contract was won despite strong competition and
was based on an approved value system completed by Armscor and the
SAAF.
"Grintek's logistic support plan will also provide the SAAF
with in-service support of the system for its full life, based on
statistics and actual cost data gathered from hundreds of similar
systems world-wide. We believe this plan will be the benchmark for
future acquisitions by the SAAF," he said.
The new, fully digital system is the most modern in service in
the world and will replace Waterkloof's analogue system which is
some twenty years old.
The new instrument landing sysytem - Normarc 7000 ILS - is
designed for ease of installation and operation and low life cycle
costs, while offering powerful remote maintenance and monitoring
capabilities as well as unsurpassed reliability, said the company.
Grintek Electronics is a division of Grintek Limited, the
telecommunications and defence electronics group.
@ MPUMA-CABINET
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
PHOSA ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF SACKED MECs TO MPUMALANGA CABINET
Mpumalanga Premier Mathews Phosa on Wednesday announced a
reshufled executive council which included the two African National
Congress MECs suspended on allegations of corruption and
disobedience respectively.
The new-look executive council sees the return of former
environmental affairs MEC Fish Mahlalela, who was removed by Phosa
in December last year for reinstating controveial ANC Youth
League general sece to the Mpumalanga Parks
Board despite Phosa's objections.
Mahlalela has been appointed MEC for sports, arts, culture and
recreation.
Former finance MEC Jacques Modipane was named as MEC for safety
and security.
Modipane was suspended from the ANC and the provincial
legislature after allegations.....[problems with receiving].... that he had run a secret helicopter partnership with suspended Mpumalanga Parks Board chief executive
officer Alan Gray.
Modipane was also accused of being involved in the alleged
issuing of illegal promissory notes offering the province's parks
as collateral.
The ANC provincial executive committee on Wednesday said it had
decided to c.....[problems with receiving].... the suspension and withdraw the charges against
Modipane because of insufficient evidence.
In a statement, Phosa said Lassy Chivayo, the former sport,
arts, culture and recreation MEC, would take over as finance MEC,
while former MEC for safety and security Luckson Mathebula was
moved to environmental affairs and tourism.
"We now have a team in the executive council that has
collective skills and capacity to serve our province with great
distinction," Phosa said.
@ REGISTER-YOUTH
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
ANC AND FREEDOM FRONT CALL ON YOUTH TO REGISTER FOR ELECTIONS
The African National Congress Youth League and the Freedom
Front Youth on Wednesday called on all youth to register on the
coming weekend to ensure they have a say in how the country is
governed.
In a joint statement, ANCYL president Malusi Gigaba and FFY
leader Kallie Kriel said the two parties had agreed to mobilise all
youth to register over the weekend.
The joint statement follows a meeting held by the two youth
leaders in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Various issues such as compulsory community service,
affirmative action and self-determination were discussed in the
meeting.
The two youth leaders also agreed to convene a broader meeting of
their national executive councils to further discuss these issues.
@ DISCRIMINATION
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
SA SET FOR ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION
South Africa's statute books, once filled with discriminatory
legislation, will within a year carry a new law prohibiting
discrimination, and perhaps even criminalising it.
Draft legislation, prepared by the Equality Legislation
Drafting Project (ELDP), is to be presented to Justice Minister
DuLlah Omar in the first week of February. Omar will eventually
pilot it through Parliament.
According to the Constitution, Parliament .....[problems with receiving].... by February 2000 has to pass legislation to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination.
The ELDP - a joint initiative of the Department of Justice and
South African Human Rights Commission - has spent a year
researching and preparing the draft Bill.
Researchers have drawn on the experiences of countries with
anti-discrimination legislation, including Namibia, Canada, Ireland
and Australia.
"We don't want to be a carbon copy of Canada or Austra.....[problems with receiving].... ,
we want something original," ELDP senior researcher and drafter Dr Lindalwa Ntutela told a media briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
However, the draft was not cast in stone and "everything is up
for debate", she said.
Among the issues to be .....[problems with receiving].... ned was whether to criminalise
discrimination, or whether to merely criminalise some forms.
The Constitution recognises 18 forms of discrimination,
including those on the grounds of race, gender, sex, pregnancy,
marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual
orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief,
culture, language and birth.
Other grounds, which had not been identified in the
Constitution, included HIV/Aids, Ntutela said.
Possible penalties for those found guilty of contravening the
anti-discrimination law, could be imprisonment or a fine.
The usual penalty in other countries was a fine, with Namibia
providing a penalty of up to R70000.
Another option was criminal defamation, which could involve the
compilation of a register of "discriminatory offenders".
There was also no clarity on enforcement mechanisms and this
too would have to be deci$ed upon by the politicians, Ntutela said.
Proposals included setting up an equality tribunal or an
anti-discrimination .....[problems with receiving].... ommission.
Using the existing court structures was also an option.
Another senior reseacher, Sicelo Mthethwa, said the burden of
proof might also be shifted to a defendant to prove that the act
complained of was not discriminatory.
However, the standard of proof would be lower, that of a
balance of probabilities, as used in a civil trial.
This was not the position in criminal trials, where the burden
was usually on the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Describing the number of complaints received by the SAHRC as "a
multitude", Ntutela said most of these were about racial
discrimination.
The SAHRC could not immediately provide statistics on the
number or type of complaints received.
@ LOUW-FA
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
SAKKIE LOUW TEAMS UP WITH LUYT
Veteran Eastern Cape politician Sakkie Louw has joined Dr Louis
Luyt's Federal Alliance (FA) after breaking his life-long ties with
the National Party, recently renamed the New National Party, on
Tuesday.
The FA said in a statement on Wednesday that Louw had joined
because he believed it could serve as a vehicle to bring opposition
parties together.
"In his resignation from the National Party, Mr Louw said he
could no longer live with the people from the NP in the Eastern
Cape," FA spokesman Jan Bosman said.
Louw was an NNP MPL until his resignation from the party and is
a former NP MP for the erstwhile Newton Park constituency.
NNP Eastern Cape leader Dr Manie Schoeman said Louw had been
placed low on the party's list for this year's general election,
chiefly because of a dereliction of his duties in the provincial
legislature in Bisho.
Schoeman said it had been brought to his attention that Louw
had reportedly entered into discussions with various political
parties, and his participation in NNP party structures had been
suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry.
@ MAYATULA CLAIMS HE IS HURT BY STORY
NAMING SCANDAL: MAYATULA CLAIMS HE IS HURT BY STORY
BISHO (ECN) - Eastern Cape Education MEC Shepherd Mayatula
yesterday (subs: weds) denied allegations that he withheld the names
of the top nine provincial matriculants because they were white and
ostly Afrikaans-speaking.
This followed a report in Die Burger which revealed that he
ordered that the top nine matriculants were not to be named.
Die Burger reported that.....[problems with receiving].... "very reliable" sources said Mayatula withheld the names because the top 10 pupils were all white and
mostly Afrikaans speaking.
The report said that ABSA Bank which gaves the top 10
matriculants in every province R1 000, were not prepared to name the
pupils. Mayatula told ECN: "I'm deeply hurt by the allegations of
racism." "The movement I stand for is about non-racism and the
equality of everybody."
"I don't have any element of acism in my blood and the people
who made these allegations should have phoned me first before
putting them in the paper."
Referring to the photograph which appeared in the Daily
Dispatch showing him hugging top Eastern Cape pupil Cornell
Engelbrecht, he said: "I don't think a racist would have hugged
Cornell." Mayatula told ECN he also congratulated Cornell at
Framesby and also those matriculants at the Afrikaans school who
obtained A-aggregates.
He said the only reason why the natop 10
matriculants were released, was because the department was still
consolidating the results.
"On the day I released the results I did not mention the top 10
because I did not want to embarass anyone if the positions had to be
changed."
New National Party (NNP) legislature leader Anne Nash said
Mayatula's actions were unconstitutional.
She said that Section 32 of the Constitution clearly stated that the
State may not withold information fro.....[problems with receiving].... the Bill of Rights also stated that no one could
discriminate against an.....[problems with receiving].... basis of race or gender.
She said the NNP was going to lodge a complaint with the Human
Rights Commission.
"I'm putting it together this afternoon and I'll fax it through to
them."
Nash also lashed out the department for being "totally
inaccessible. We've not been able to get any information from the
departrment this whole this week."
"That's also a co.....[problems with receiving].... the various schools and the
newspapers."
Meanwhile ABSA Bank Head of Media Relations Nick Cairns told
ECN yesterday (subs: Weds) that the Education Department had told
the bank that they "did not want us to release the names" of the
province's top nine pupils.
Speaking from the ABSA's head office, Cairns said: "We assumed
that the Education Department would release the names."
He said that was what had happened in the other provinces.
"Our role was to find out who the .....[problems with receiving].... 10 were and reward them
appropriately," he said.
@ COURT-LESOTHO
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
LESOTHO MUTINEER'S TRIAL ADJOURNED
The trial of the 50 Lesotho Defence Force soldiers charged for
mutiny was on Wednesday `djourned till Friday.
A legal representative for some .....[problems with receiving].... the alleged mutineers Hae
Phoofolo told Sapa from Maseru that the adjournment was granted
after he told the .....[problems with receiving].... court that the attorneys who withdrew frnm the
case were reconsidering their stand.
"I personally have been asked by my clients to represent them
in the case," he said.
Phoofolo and others withdrew from the case last week in protest
over the fact that it was being held in Maseru Prison.
"The court granted us the adjournment so as to allow other
attorneys time to confirm whether they were rtill representing
their clients or not".
The court martail also "invited" an editor of a local newspaper
MoAfrika, Candi Ramoane, to explain an article he wrote.....[problems with receiving]....
he said some people in Lesotho felt that the court was not going to deliver
justice and that it was a kangaroo court.
Contacted for comment, Ramoane said he had informed the court
that he was not going to say anything regarding the article because
no proper procedure was followed in calling him to the stand.
"They gave me until Friday to appear before phem beca.....[problems with receiving].... so," said Ramoane.
He told Sapa that the report was dealing with people's feeli?.....[problems with receiving].... about the court martial, that it was not going to deliver justice
and was not fair.
"Some even called .....[problems with receiving]....yuml;it a kangaroo court and the military court seem not to like that," he said.
He said even qouted Judge Advocate Peter Callinan who who had
repeatedly stated that the court was just and fair.
@ REGISTER-ANC
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
ANC PLEDGES MAXIMUM SUPPORT IN VOTER REGISTRATION
African National Congress in Gauteng on Wednesday pledged
maximum support for volunteers in the final phase of voter
registration for the 1999 general elections.
The final round of voter registration starts on Friday.
The party said teams would be sent throughout the province to
help Independent Electoral Commission officials deal with any
problems that might arise at registration stations.
It said it would deploy leaders from national and provincial
structures to service the 1800 registration centres in Gauteng.
The party called on community organisations, schoolteachers and
non-governmental organisations to lend a hand in the registration
process.
@ WCAPE-RALLY
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
COMMUNITY SUPPORT ESSENTIAL, PEACE RALLY TOLD
Community support was essential if the aims and objectives of
Operation Good Hope, a joint effort by the SA Police Services and SA
National Defence Force to combat urban terrorism in the Wes.....[problems with receiving].... , SAPS
provincial operations head Ganief Daniels said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a "Stand up for Peace" rally held in a packed Cape
Town City Hall at lunchtime, he said a small group of people were
holding the province to ransom.
The 30-minute gathering, aimed at allowing members of the
public an opportunity to show their support for Operation Good
Hope, started with the observance of a minutes silence in
commemoration of victims of violence.
Daniels said communities should help the police to identify
people involved in urban terrorism.
"If we don't get the support from the community, the aims and
objectives of Operation Good Hope will be doomed."
He said the police would do everything in their power to
apprehend those involved in serious crimes.
Daniels lashed out criminals who attacked and killed police
officers who were rendering service to their communities.
@ EDUC-FORTHARE
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
BENGU ORDERS FORENSIC AUDIT AT CASH STRAPPED FORT HARE
UNIVERSITY
Education Minister Sibusiso Bengu on Wednesday announced he
would appoint a team to conduct a forensic audit at the University
of Fort Hare, where student debt has led to a financial crisis.
Bengu's announcement came after the university's
vice-chancellor Mbulelo Mzamane threatened to exclu.....[problems with receiving].... de students who
did not paY their outstanding fees.
On Tuesday staff associations and trade unions on the campus
urged Bengu to appoint a commission of enqu.....[problems with receiving].... to mismanagement
at the university near Alice in the Eastern Cape.
Bengu's spokesman Bheki Khumalo said th.....[problems with receiving].... investigation at Fort
Hare would be part of an overall audit of tertiary institutions
being carried out by the Department of Education and the
auditor-general.
The team would begin their investigation in a week, he said.
Khumalo welcomed Mzamane's calls for the students to settle
their debt, which amounts to almost R10 million for 1998.
Staff were paid their January salaries late because of the
financial crisis.
Mzamane said on Wednesday that students who did not pay at
least half their fees before the end of April for this academic
year would be sent home.
He said the students' representative council, in an
unprecedented move, had supported his decision to take tough action
against defaulters.
"There is still some agitation over unpaid fees but people on
campus realise we want to get to the bottom of the matter," he
said.
"We need revenue from students in order to keep the university
functioning. We are standing firm on our decision to withdraw
students who do not pay," Mzamane added.
He said the university was relying on students to pay because
the government .....[problems with receiving].... subsidy for the new financial year would only come
into effect in April.
@ KRUGER-ROUTE
SKUKUZA 27 January 1999, Sapa
FIRST 4X4 ROUTE FOR KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
The first planned 4x4 route in the Kruger National Park would
be opened this year, according to a statement on Wednesday from the
South African National Parks Board.
Tourists would be required to have their own 4x4 vehicles for
.....[problems with receiving]....ugrave;be led by a game ranger.
The overland route would be unique in being offered within a
National Park housing all five of the big game, public relations
officer Adel Smit said.
Enquiries may be directed to Marc McDonald at 013 735 5611.
@ TRUTH-SDU
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
SDU AMNESTY APPLICATIONS.....[problems with receiving].... CONTINUE IN FEBRUARY
About 37 self-defence unit amnesty applicants will appear
before the Truth and Reconciliatioy committee
next month in connection with the East Rand strife of the early
1990s.
TRC spokesman Mbulelo Sompetha said the hearings would be part
of more than 100 applications the committee had received from SDU
members and would be held at the Central Methodist Church from
February 1 to 12.
Hearings for the first group of applicants started on November
23 and another 55 were heard from January 1 to 19.
Due to the nature of the conflict in Thokoza, the majority od
applicants did not mention specific dates or acts but referred
generally to the defence of communities over five years.
SDU commande.....[problems with receiving].... rs, foot soldiers, and the political leadership who
sat at central command meetings would participate in the hearings.
Advocate Andreenkamp would lead evidenc.....[problems with receiving].... e.
@ MANDELA-EUROPE
PRETORIA 27 January 1999, Sapa
MANDELA TO LEAVE FOR EUROPE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
President Nelson Mandela's scheduled European visit was going
ahead and he would leave for Germany on Wednesday night,
presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana said.
.....[problems with receiving].... nce in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal, which
prompted the president to cancel a visit to Uganda earlier in the
week, had abated to such an extent that the three-day European tour
could proceed.
Accompanied by his wife, Graca Machel, Mandela will spend
Thursday in Germany before attending the annual World Economic
Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Friday and Saturday.
In Germany he will pay a private visit to Baden-Baden to
receive the 1998 Deutsche Medien Preis from the German media
research company Media Control.
Former recipients of the award for international newsmakers
include several other heads of state.
Mandela will also meet German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Machel will on Thursday travel to Strassbourg to accept the
North-South prize from the European Centre for Global
Interdependence and Solidarity.
The WEF meeting in Switzerland will provide Mandela with an
opportunity to bid prominent international business leaders
farewell.
South Africa has for the past few years been an institutional
member of the WEF, and Mandela has attended a number of the
organisation's meetings since 1992.
Business leaders from South Africa will also be present at this
week's meeting.
While in Switzerland, Mandela will meet President of the Swiss
.....[problems with receiving].... Confederatiof Ruth Dreyfuss.
Mandela and Machel return home on Sunday.
@ SAMSUNG-INVESTMENT
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
SAMSUNG INCREASES ITS INVESTMENT IN SA
Korean electronics company, Samsung, announced on Thursday that
it had invested a further R60 million in its South African
subsidiary to upgrade infrastructure and improve levels of service.
Chief executive officer, Jang-Hwan Oh, described the investment as
re-affirmation of his company's faith i. the local econ.....[problems with receiving].... was in
addition to the R130 million that Samsung Korea had invested in
Samsung Electronics SA in September last year.
"Over the past four years, Samsung has established an excellent
foundation in South Africa. Now it as our intention to further
advance our range of products in this market," he said.
@ ZIM JOURNALISTS
HARARE 27 January 1999, Sapa-AP
STATE PROMISES TO INVESTIGATE TORTURE OF ZIMBABWE JOURNALISTS
The top state law officer promised Wednesday to order an
investigation into the torture of two Zimbabwean journalists.
Attorney General Patrick Chinamasa said he will direct civilian
police to investigate accusations by Mark Chavunduka, 34, editor of
the.....[problems with receiving].... and reporter Ray Choto, 36,
that they were tortured by the military after reporting on an
alleged coup attempt by army officers.
Chinamasa also took "very seriously" allegations that Defense
Minister Moven Mahachi and other state officials were in contempt
of court when they ignored two High Court orders to release
Chavunduka from illegal detention in a military barracks two weeks
ago.
The treatment of the newsman has brought condemnation from the
United States and Britain, which have urged th.....[problems with receiving].... the allegations of torture......[problems with receiving]....
Lawyers and human rights activists who met with Chinalasa on
Wednesday said he refused for ethical reasons to divulge details of
possible criminal action against state officials.
Riot police on Tuesday broke up a march by about 500 lawyers
and human rights activists protesting the torture of the two
journalists and abuse of the law by the state. Leaders of the march
demanded an urgent meeting with Chinamasa.
Chinamasa assured their delegation his office "does not
condone any unlawful activities irrespective of who the.....[problems with receiving].... perpetrator
may be," the lawyers and human rights activists said in a
statement.
Police on Tuesday said they were ordered to stop the march
despite a judge's ruling permitting it to go ahead.
@ IBA-PROTECTOR
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
HEATH SHOULD RECOVER IBA FUNDS: PUBLIC PROTECTOR
Judge Willem Heath's special anti-corruption unit should probe
- with a view to recovering - the unlawful and improper use of
public funds by former Independent Broadcasting Authority
councillors, Public Protector Selby Baqwa said in a statement on
Wednesday.
The recommendation is contained in Baqwa's Special Report on
the Affairs of the IBA, which will be tabled in Parliament soon.
His investigation, at the reque.....[problems with receiving].... st of Parliament's public
accounts committee, followed a special report by the
Auditor-General in May 1997, highlighting shortcomings in the IBA's
financial management.
The IBA coencillors Peter de Klerk, Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane
and Lyndall Shope-Mafole resigned after accepting responsibility
for a breakdown of financial and ive controls, but
denied they were liable to reimburse the authority.
The IBA has been unable to recover more than R200,000 from the
three councillors who allegedly charged personal expenses to their
business credit cards and claimed allowance to which they were not
entitled.
According to Baqwa, the delay in merging the IBA with the South
African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and a lack of
proper funding were also causing several problems.
The National Assembly should therefore take appropriate steps to
ensure that the merger be expedited and that sufficient funds be
allocated to the IBA to give effect to its responsibilities. .....[problems with receiving]....middot; Baqwa
also .....[problems with receiving]....Ecirc;.....[problems with receiving].... xpressed concern about.....[problems with receiving]....Egrave;failure of governments, at all levels,
and state organs to take effective and urgent steps to address
incidents of chaos in financial administration."
He recommended that Parliament urgently develop and introduce
appropriate measures to ensure the proper training of officials and
to regulate and control their functions.
This would .....[problems with receiving]....micro;.....[problems with receiving].... inimise the risk of abuse a.....[problems with receiving].... nd mismanagement of
financial systems and would improve the efficiency of financial
administration in general.
A spokeswoman for the public protector's office said Baqwa's
full report would only be made public once tabled in Parliament.
@ MANDELA-RICHMOND
ONLY A MATTER OF TIME TO CATCH RICHMOND KILLERS: MANDELA
United Democratic Movement national secretary Sifiso Nkabinde
was shot dead in Richmond on Saturday morning, and another 11
people were massacred by gunmen later that day.
Mandela said it should be clear that the situation chmond
was under sufficient control. Calm was restored and the required
number of police and soldiers were deployed.
Earlier in the day, Mandela's office said the return to
stability in Richmond made it possible for the president's
scheduled European tour from Thursday to Saturday to go ahead. He
was to leave on Wednesday night.
Mandela on Sunday cancelled a visit to Uganda to attend to the
problems in Richmond.
On Wednesday he said this decision was taken in the k?.....[problems with receiving].... owledge
that those behind the violence might want to use the weekend's
slayings to snw more confusion, particularly in view of the coming
elections.
Mandela expressed his appreciation for the way in which
political party leaders had acted to leave the murders in the hands
of the police.
"I am pleased to note that the Minister of Safety and Security
(Sydney Mufamadi) as well as the Police Service have been
accessible to all role players, including political parties."
Mandela said it was clear that most South Africans, especially
those in KwaZulu-Natal, would not allow violence to ruin the
country.
Reiterating his condolences to the families of the victims,
Mandela said he had instructed the security forces to ensure that
memorial ser the victims not be disrupted.
"I am assured ... that the necessary steps are being taken to
ensure the physical security of potential victims of violence, as
well as the families of those that were affected by the recent
violence."
Mandela added: "I again want to warn our people not to allow
their own democratic achievements to be undermined by forces whose
aim is torole players in ending this
senseless violence."
@ LUSAKA 27 January 1999, Sapa-DPA
ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT URGED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT UNITA LINKS
Two members of parliament in Zambia's ruling party Wednesday urged
the government of President Frederick Cruth about allegations that
Zambia was aiding Ang rebels to avoid a catastr.....[problems with receiving].... .....[problems with receiving].... phe in the
country's Zambezi district.
Angola recently accused Zambia of aiding Jonas Savimbi's National
.....[problems with receiving]....
Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA) rebels by selling
arms to the rebel movement or allowing businessmen to use Zambia as a
conduit for arms shipment.
The two backbenchers of the ruling Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy (MMD), erry Muloji from Chavuma in Zambia's northwestern
province bordering Angola and Samuel Mukupa of Chimbamilongo in
Luapula on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
said the Angolan allegations should not be taken lightly by the
government.
They told 0arliament that the country's security was at risk and
Zambia's involvement, directly or indirectly, could not be left to
speculation.
Referring to Monday night's attack on the shop of a Portuguese
national by armed infiltrators from Angola, Muloji said he was
concerned that the government was taking a low profile over the
Angola issue.
He said there was an air.....[problems with receiving].... h was run by
the Zambian government and it would therefore be very difficult to
dispute claims that Zambian ai.....[problems with receiving].... r space was used to airlift arms to
UNITA.
"We receive reports that aircraft are seen landing at night. If
that is the truth, then which airport are they using? The security of
the Zambian nation is too serious to be left to speculation," he
said.
Both MPs suggested that businessmen found to be involved in the
alleged arms dealings with UNITA should be tried at the International
Court of Justice.
President Frederick Chiluba last week denied that his governmen
was involved and said both the United Nations and the Organisation of
African Unity (OAU) had cleared Zambia of the allegations.
Former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda last week also challenged
Chiluba to tell Zambians the truth about the allegations.
@ TRAVEL-RENNIES
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
TRAVEL INDUSTRY EXPECTS A "BUMPY RIDE" IN 1999
The economic downturn of last year is a troubling indication of
what 1999 may hold for the travel industry, and the prospects for
the next six months are uncertain, Lilia.....[problems with receiving].... n Boyle, chief executive of
travel and foreign exchange services company Rennies Travel said on
Wednesday.
"We have noted that volumes are starting to slip, and although
foreign exchange sales have held up surprisingly well, this area is
expected to take a downturn this year as well."
Shmajor focus, with good value
destinations like the Far East and Zimbabwe being extremely
popular.
@ BISHO IGNORES FIRM'S BID TO RUN HOSPITALS JOINTLY
Issued by: East Cape News (Ecn)
GRAHAMSTOWN (ECN) - A top private firm had offered to run the
Eastern Cape's decaying state hospital system - and make a saving
for the provincial government - but was ignored by Bisho.
Netacare executive Ian Kadish said yesterday (subs: weds) the
proposal for a joint public-private sector venture was lodged six
months ago with the provincial Health Department.
He had yet to receive a response.
He said private management of the province's hosp.....[problems with receiving].... itals would
result in savings that could be churned back into government.
The company would achieve this by instituting efficient
.....[problems with receiving].... gement and the using staff propeelieved a "win-win" situation would evolve.
Netcare manages Greenacres hospital in P.....[problems with receiving].... lizabeth and
Cuyler clinic in Uitenhage.
He said although the ultimate aim of the company would be to run
all provincial hospitals, it would be happy "to start with just
one". He said: "We believe we could run all the Eastern Cape
hospitals and the offer is still open."
The company would run them with less cash by addressing high
cost structures, inexperienced management and using staff more
efficiently.
"We believe that we can do it better and more professionally."
"The majority of savings that are generated through an improved
level of service would go to the government."
@ FORT HARE WAS IN BIG TROUBLE
Issued by: East Cape News (Ecn)
Auditor says they found out that Fort Hare was in big trouble
EAST LONDON (ECN) - The beleagured University of Fort Hare will
be appointing a new deputy vice chancellor in charge of finance and
administration "within the next few months".
The PriceWaterhouseC.....[problems with receiving].... one word) Public Sector
Consulting Unit has been fulfilling this function since October.
Unit director Clint Ramoo said yesterday (subs: wed) that his
organisation had been involved with the university "at a very high
level" reviewing cash flow, interacting with the bank and external
auditors and ensuring that internal controls were in place.
Ramoo said Fort Hare's in-house finance director was still
responsible for the day-to-day administration of the institution.
He said PriceWaterhouseCooopers had been called in by the
university's council after the previous deputy vice chancellor left
as they were worried about administrative continuity.
They were concerned that if the post was left vacant there wo.....[problems with receiving].... -back
to council or the executive committee.
Ramoo said their first task had been to "look at the cash flow"
and they had revised it in line with anformation that became
available.
Originally a year-end deficit
the PWC projection put it at R46,8m.
They had immediately advised the council, the university's
bankers and the national Department of Education of the predicament
the institution was in.
He said everybody had been paid their January salaries but he
was not able to comment on the university's future plans.
@ ZAMBIA-WORLDBANK
LUSAKA 27 January 1999, Sapa-AFP
WORLD BANK GRANTS 170 MILLION DOLLAR LOAN TO ZAMBIA
The World Bank has approved a 170 million dollar loan to Zambia
to facilitate the privatisation of Zambia Consolidated Copper
Mines, Finance Minister Edith Nawaki announced Wednesday.....[problems with receiving]....
International lending institutions had withheld balance of
payment support worth about 530 million dollar.....[problems with receiving]....Iacute;.....[problems with receiving].... partly because of a
deadlock over the privatisation of the mines.
The Zambian government announced last week that it had signed a
me .....[problems with receiving].... orandum of understanding to sell four mines to the
Anglo-American Corp. at a cost of 90 million dollars.
"The credit will support Zambia's economic reform programme,
which aims at poverty reduction through the promotion of broadly
shared private sector-led growth and improved delivery of vital
social services," Nawaki said.
The money will be disbursed in three tranches, with the first
65 million dollars released Thursday, she said.
@ MANDELA-GERMANY By Mike Cohen
BADEN BADEN, Germany 27 January 1999, Sapa
MANDELA LIKELY TO RAISE SA-EU TRADE DEAL WITH SCHROEDER
One reason for the lengthy delay in the finalisation of a free
trade agreEment between South Africa and the 15-nation European
Union can be found in a bottlestore in the Baden Baden town centre.
There you can buy a good 750ml bottle of port originating from
Popto in Portugal for DM34 or R125, and a decent bottle of sherry
from Jerez in Spain for DM19,80 or about R74.
Products of comparable quality from Stellenbosch in the Western
Cape retail in South Africa for less than half this amount. Spanish
and Portuguese wine producers are laying exclusive claim to the
port and sherry brand names to protect their markets once tariffs
on wines are reduced in terms of the trade deal.
The issue - seen as the last major sticking point preventing
the free trade agreement being finalised - is likely to be raised
by President Nelson Mandela during a meeting with German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder on Thursday in this southern German town.
Mandela will spend just one night in Germany - he cut his
visit short following Saturday's assassination of United Democratic
Movement national secretary Sifiso Nkabinde and the subsequent
murder of 11 people in Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal.
The visit is officially a private one - Mandela was invited to
receive the 1998 German Media Award - a prize awarded to
outstanding personalities in public life.
At the same function Mandela will bestow the Order of Good Hope
- South Africa's highest honour for foreigners - on
Daimler-Chrysler chief executive Jurgen Schrempp in recognition of
his contribution to South Africa. Schrempp worked in South Africa
for 14 years where he managed Mercedes Benz.
Mandela's meeting with Schroeder, scheduled for Thursday
afternoon, is the first since the German chancellor took office in
October last year after a social democratic alliance of parties won
power from Helmut Kohh's conservative Christian Democratic Union.
South African ambassador to Germany Lindiwe Mabuza said in an
interview on Wednesday that Mandela could raise all matters of
mutual interest between the two countries. The trade agreement was
likely to feature in the discussions but since the meeting was not
an official one, any formal announcements about its substance were
unlikely.
Germany is the current holder of the EU presidency, and Mandela
could ask Schroeder to apply political pressure on the EU to
finally conclude the trade agreement - if the outstanding issues
have not already been resolved.
There is growing speculation that the trade deal could be
wrapped up later this week in Davos, Switzerland at a meeting
between Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin and EU commissioner
Joao de Deus Pinheiro. It has been suggested that South African
producers will relinquish the right to use the brand names port and
sherry, in exchange for the right to export a higher quota of cheap
wines to the EU and development assistance to market new brands of
fortified .....[problems with receiving].... To date South Africa has refused in principle to back down over
the port and sherry issue, saying it has produced both products for
over 100 years. It also claims that transport costs and South
Africa's limited production capacity will prevent it from posing
any serious threat to European producers.
Mabuza said South Africa's overall relationship with Germany
was very sound.
When Schroeder's government took power it stated that there
would be no general change in Germany's foreign policy, but Mabuza
said there were indications that the emphasis of its relations with
Africa could change. Of particular interest was a new debt relief
initiative for impoverished countries motivated by the German
government, the details of which were still being worked out.
Germany is one of Southern Africa's largest trading partners.
In 1997 it exported R17,46 billion worth of goods to the
five-nation Southern African Customs Union - more than any other
country. Its imports from SACU coutries in 1997 amounted to R5,75
billion - making it the fourth largest market for the grouping's
goods - after the United Kingdom, the Unites States and Japan.
@ BISHO PAYS UP - R170 000 SHORT OF WHAT IS OWED
Issued by: East Cape News (Ecn)
Bisho pays up - R170 000 short of what is owed
BISHO (ECN) - The provincially-aided Stutterheim Hospital will
be about R170 000 short by the end of February because the Bisho
Health Department only transferred a R770 000 subsidy into their
account - instead of the usual R940 000.
Stutterheim Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Adrian Cole told
ECN that although the department transferred the subsidy to their
account, they would not be able to access it until Monday.
This was because of a four-day delay in electronic bank
transfers.
Cole said he was able to pay his staff their salaries yesterday
(SUBS: Wed) because the bank agreed to take a risk and y cheques.
The Indwe and Lady Grey Hospitals also did not receive their
subsidies on time and would have to wait till Monday.
His 60-strong staff was supposed to have been paid on Monday but
he had to inform them they would have to wait because the department
failed to pay the subsidy.
The money is supposed to be received in the first two weeks of
January.
Cole said the January-to-March subsidy was normally about R940
000 but because of the lesser amount they would be in the same
position as before.
He said the department had informed him this morning by fax that
the hospital would only be getting R778 000 in future.
"That was all they said. By the end of February we will be in
financial straits again."
Meanwhile, Molteno and Jamestown hospitals medical
superintendent Dr Rudi De Wet said they would also have to wait
until Monday for their money.
De Wet said that he had not received a salary from the
department for his district surgeon work in Jamestown for foub
months.
"I'm surviving there on my overdraft. I'm also paying
overdraft i.terest and we don't get any interest paid back to us by
the Health Department if they are late in paying."
"It's very unsatisfactory and we're very unappy."
He said that two years ago there were no problems with the
payment of the district surgeon salaries. The problems started last
year.
Dordrecht Hospital medical superintendent Dr Hoffie Konradie
told ECN that although the department paid the January-March subsidy
and an additional amount in November last year, his staff had not
been paid their yearly increment.
"We were supposed to start paying the annual increment in July
last year."
"We haven't received the money and it creates a lot of
unhappiness for the staff."
He said they were negotiating with the department's acting
director of health services, Dr Vincent Shaw.
He said Shaw assured them the problem would be sorted out soon.
Attempts to obtain comment from Health MEC Dr Trudy Thomas were
unsuccessful.
@ DOCTORS-HEALTH
PRETORIA 27 January 1999, Sapa
DOCTORS THREATEN TO GO TO COURT OVER HOSPITALS
A Northern Province association of doctors on Wednesday threatened to
seek anict to allow it to open private hospitals in three towns.
Dr Ig van Rensburg, spokesman for the group said provincial
health authorities refused private hospitals to be established in Tzaneen,
Louis Trichardt and Potgietersrus.
"We will definitely go ahead with a high court application if the
Health Department does not reven," he said from Tzaneen.
He said the association, dubbed Neomed, felt there was a dire need for
private hospitals in the three towns as provincial hospitals did not provide
quality health care.
"Existing medical facilities in the province are i.....[problems with receiving].... t. Hospital
management is inexperienced, ignorant and insufficient."
Van Rensburg
said the department told him in July last year
that applications were only considered by the national Health
Department.
"We then contacted the national Health Department which told us that
provincial health departments approved applications," he said......[problems with receiving].... Van
Rensburg.....[problems with receiving].... turned down again by the provincial department
in October last year.
It contended that "private sector growth tends to create an oversupply of
health care resources in certain areas".
Van Rensburg said there was only one private hospital in the province, in
Pietersburg. Most private patients had to travel to Pietersburg or Gauteng for
treatment.
"The department does not have the budget to address problems in its own
hospitals, yet .....[problems with receiving].... se health care in the province," Van
Rensburg said.
@ PROSECUTORS-OMAR
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
OMAR VOWS TO PROBE COMPENSATION FOR PROSECUTORS
Justice Minister Dullah Omar on Wednesday said he was taking
steps to "pursue the question of interim relief for prosecutors",
as agreed to on Monday at a meeting between himself, National
Director of Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuunions
representing prosecutors.
All the unions at the meeting, except two, had undertaken to
recommend that the "work to rule" action by prosecuters.....[problems with receiving]....
be stopped immediately, he said in a statement.
Generally, most prosecutors throughout South Africa had been
working normally, and had ignored the work to rule call.
The Society of State Advocates had said that it had not made
such a call on its members, while the National Union of Prosecutors
of South Africa had said it would seek a new mandate from its
members.
"All the icsues which were raised during the meeting are being
pursued and further discussions will take place," Omar said.
He expressed his appreciation to magistrates, prosecutors,
interpreters and administrative workers for the way they had
ensured that courts continued to function effectively.
Omar said he would also take up the problems facing other legal
professions
- state attorneys, personnel in the Registrars' and Masters'
offices, legal
administration officers in the department, and others.
@ COURT-SDUS
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
SELF-DEFENCE UNITS KILLED ANC YOUTH SUPPORTERS ON EAST RAND,
COURT TOLD
Witnesses told the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday that
self-defence unit members rounded up African National Congress
Youth League supporters and killed some of them at Katlehong on the
East Rand just months before South Africa's first democratic
elections.
The court's public gallery was packed with Katlehong residents
- on one side the families of the victimn the other,
supporters of the men accused of killing 11 ANC Youth League
supporters.
The men allegedly committed the murders in December 1993 using
guns the the comun)ty had bought to protect itself from outside
enemies or the 'Third Force'.
Nceba Michael Sonti, Siviwe Ngama, Michael Armoed, Thabiso
Ntoma, Petros Mthembu, Langa Nkomo and Oscar Motlokwa face 25
charges including 11 of murder, four of attempted murder, six of
kidnapping and two relating to illegal firearms.
They have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Six are out on
R2000 bail while Motlokwa is serving a jail term for a different
crime.
The accused are among 13 men whose amnesty application
concerning the the charges was rejected by the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission.
ANC youth league member Jabulani Nxumalo on Wednesday told the
court that SDU members armed with spears and automatic rifles came
to his home one evening and banged o
Nxumalo said he was stabbed with a sharp object and forcibly
taken to a shack on the outskirts of Katlehong where three other
ANCYL comrades were with their hands and feet tied with wire.
One Of the men at the shack - a family acquaintance named an
court only as Koos - was surprised to find him among phe
"detainees", he said.
"Koos told them that I was to be killed because I knew them and
would be able to identify them."
The trial continues.
@ MBEKI-APARTHEID
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
APARTHEID A FORM OF ETHNIC CLEANSING: MBEKI
Apartheid had been a form of ethnic cleansing, Deputy President
Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday.
He told guests at a dinner of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues
in Cape Town that the Nazi Holocaust had been "an ildelible blight
on our century".
For its part, contemporary Europe had supplied to modern
political and military science the term "ethnic cleansing",
emanating from the conflict in former Yugoslavia and the Balkans.
"We too, as a country, continue to suffer the consequences of a
form of ethnic cleansing imposed on our people by the
implementation of the system of apartheid which, correctly, the
international community characterized as a crime against humanity."
He said it would be difficult for any honest person to deny
that one of the distinguishing features of the 20th century had
been the commission of the crime of genocide, driven by anti-human
ideologies of racial superiority and exclusiveness.
@ AIDS-PETITION
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
GOVT SHOULD PROVIDE ANTI-AIDS DRUG, SAYS ASSOCIATION
The National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (Napwa)
will launch a petition in Cape Town on Friday to protest the
government's refusal to administer the anti-Aids drug AZT
(azidothymidine) to pregnant women.
Napwa said in a statement the petition called on the health and
finance ministries to meet with it and other non-governmental
organisations to discuss the phased introduction of free AZT and
formula feeding to pregnant mothers with HIV/AIDS.
Napwa said.....[problems with receiving].... it also wanted the government to develop an
affordable treatment plan for people with the condition.
Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma last year announced that the
state could not afford to providE AZT to pregnant women.
"There is a growing body of research which indicates that in a
country such as South Africa the provision of the drug AZT to
pregnant HIV-0ositive women and formula feeding for their babies
will prevent the mother-to-child-transmission in the majority of
cases," Napwa said.
Napwa will collect signatures at Cape Town station from 1pm to
5pm on Friday.
@ MBEKI-CENTURY
CAPE TOWN 27 January 1999, Sapa
MBEKI PREDICTS BETTER CENTURY
As the millennium approached, South Africans needed to define
themselves as the architects of a better century, Deputy President
Thabo Mbeki said in Cape Town on Wednesday night.
"We all share a common task to ensure that for us the 21st
century sho.....[problems with receiving].... e," he said at a dinner
of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues.
An offensive against political violence o
ensure that the current situation in Richmond was the last of its
kind, the "final and ultimate negative expression of our transition
from our apartheid past".
Poverty and racial imbalances were still deeply entrenched in
South African society, and remained a powder keg which could be
ignited with disastrous consequences, as had happened in Indonesia.
"We as South Africans have the possibility to help define the
21st century in such a way that as it ends, it would be
acknowledged as the century during which the colour line ceased to
be the problam of the century," he said.
He was convinced South Africans would make progress on the
crucial issues of political violence, respect for diversity of
society, and crime, and predicted that for them, the next century
would be one of peace.
It was also clear that for the first time in the hsitory of
humanity, the world economy had the resources to end the scourge of
poverty and ensure a better life for all.
Mbeki said that contrary to some of the views expressed about
South Africa's attractiveness.....[problems with receiving]....to foreign investors, his own
experience led him to a more optimistic expectation than was
sometimes projected.
Mbeki was applauded by his audience when he said it was important to
deal firmly with efforts to hide behind religious fundamentalism to
pursue objectives that threat.....[problems with receiving].... annot allow that unacceptable views of anti-Semitism become a platform to justify the launching of a
campaign of terror against the Jewish citizens of our country."
@ ANGOLA-FIGHTING
LUANDA 27 January 1999, Sapa-AP
ANGOLAN REBELS OVERRUN KEY NORTHERN CITY
Government officials said Wednesday rebel forces had overrun a
key northern city that gives them control of a large area from
which they may launch attacks on foreign oil installations.
Defense Minister Pedro Sebastiao told the National Assembly
that UNITA rebels took control of Mbanza Congo on Tuesday after
days of heavy shelling and intense combat with government troops.
UNITA said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press that
188 government soldiers and police were killed in th% battle and 20
while eight tanks were destroyed.
Eleven rebels died and 33 were wounded in the fighting,
according to the statem.....[problems with receiving].... so killed 72 government soldiers who were sent
to relieve Mbanza Congo. The column of reinforcements was ambushed
at a strategic bridge east of the city, UNITA said.
Mbanza Congo lies about 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the
capital, Luanda, and just a few kilometers (miles) from Angola's
northern border with Congo where Angolan forces are aiding
President Laurent Kabila against insurgents.
Th.....[problems with receiving].... coastal town of Soyo, where U.S. oil company Texaco Corp.
has oil installations, lies some 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of
Mbanza Congo.
Lt.-Col. Filomeno Pereira, Sebastiao's spokesman, said the
rebels apparently aim to disrupt the production of oil which is the
government's main source of revenue.
Mbanza Congo, which has an international airport, could also be
used as a base to launch raids against government-owned diamond
mines to the east of the city, according to Pereira.
Sebastia.....[problems with receiving].... lled most of the central
highlands where fighting flared last month, shattering Angola's
four-year-old peace accord.
However, Pereira said the rebels were still activeral highlands
where they were staging hit-and-run attacks.
The United Nations, which was monitoring implementation of the
994 peace accord, has pulled most of its 1,000 staff in Angola
back to Luanda because of the fighting.
Civil war first began after Angola's 1975 independence from
Portugal.
A 1991 peace deal collapsed when UNITA - a Portuguese acronym
for the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola -
rejected its defeat in the following year's elections.
@ IBA/SATRA MERGER ON TRACK
Issued by: Ministry for Post, Telecommunications & Broadcasting
IBA/SATRA MERGER ON TRACK
The proposed merger between the Independent Broadcasting
Authority (IBA) and the SA Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
(SATRA) is on track, says Andile Ngcaba, director-general of the
Department of Communications.
Commenting on statements made by Ofdice of the Public Protector
regarding its investigations into the affairs of the IBA, Ngcaba
says as a result of the convergence of telecommunications and
broadcasting, Cabinet approved the merger of the IBA and SATRA in
July 1997.
The sections of the Public Protector's report dealing with the
IBA/SATRA merger relate to an earlier phase of implementation.
Significant progress has been made,including
BUDGET - The IBA's operating budget has been cut - in line
with cuts experienced by all government departments and
government-funded institutions. In 1998/1999, the IBA received R31,5
million from government and will receive R28,4 million in the
financial year 1999/2000.
In addition to this, an amount of R7,8 million was secured from
the Dept of Finance for the IBA to cover the extraordinary costs
related to its merger with SATRA and its restructuring. Payment of
R1,7 million has already been made to the IBA.
The IBA will receive a further special payment amounting to
R1 384 million this year for election monitoring.
LEGISLATION - The merger of SATRA and the IBA requires
Parliament to first pass an enabling Act. Work on drafting
legislation is already in progress and will be submitted to Cabinet
and Parliament for approval.
A hearing is scheduled on March 17 by the Parliamentary
portfolio committee on Communications to further discuss matters
relating to the merger.
PLANNING - A Joint Task Team (comprising officials from SATRA,
IBA and the Department of Communicatikns) have been working for some
months on finalising details - such as the structure of the new
body and the sharing of support services and facilities - as they
relate to the merger. For example, it wnuld cost the IBA at least
R10 million if it renegs on existing leases for its office buildings
in Johannesburg and its regional offices. By taking the time to
secure ot.....[problems with receiving].... s cost will be saved. Further practical
steps have to be taken to accommodate the staff and equipment of the
IBA in SATRA's offices. Furthermore, current workload of the IBA
(with election monitoring pending and four-year community licence
hearings beginning) has to be factored into the timing of the
physical relocation of the IBA to SATRA.
This week, Alan Darling - former CEO of the Canadian regulatory
authority - began work on the organisational aspects of the merger
and the structure of the new board. He will be working full-time at
the IBA for a month.
"We will assist the IBA to recover all amounts of money deemed
to be unproper or unlawfully incurred by former IBA councillors,"
Ngcaba says.
@ ZIM-ELEPHANTS
HARARE 27 January 1999, Sapa-DPA
ELEPHANTS SHOT IN HARARE SUBURB
Game rangers Wednesday shot dead two wild elephants
that wandered into a suburb of the capital here and injured one
pers/n, state radio said.
Their victim had been surprised by them in the better-off suburb
of Bluff Hill, about 10 kilometres west of the city centre, and only
one kilometre from the city's most exclusive shopping mall.
No further details were given, but an official of the national
parks department who asked not to be named said an air force
helicopter had flown to the area to chase the animals back into the
adjacent bush where they were shot.
The official said it was likely that the animals had strayed so
far from the nearest game area, about 200 kilometres north of here on
the Zambezi river escarpment, because of the abundant vegetation
caused by unusually heavy rains this summer.
@ EDUC-DP
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
GOVT SHOULD MAKE MORE TERTIARY EDUCATION LOANS AVAILABLE: DP
The government should give students greater opportunity to
study with the help of financial loans, rather than bursaries, the
Democratic Party said on Wednesday.
Very few students or their parents could afford to pay the high
fees at South African tertiary institutions, DP education spokesman
Mike Ellis said.
"The DP believes that every student with sufficient academic
potential must be afforded the opportunity to attend university or
technikon."
This did not mean that they were entitled to a free ride
because student loans would have to be repaid, Ellis said.
The DP suggested that an extra R200 million of the 1999/00
budget be made available to provide student loans for tertiary
education, on condition that repayment requirements were strictly
enforced.
"This amount could easily be raised by the government if it
implements even part of its commitment to retrench an estimated
54000 supernumerary public servants whose salaries cost around R357
billion per year," he said.
The DP also proposed that the National Bursaries and Loans
Scheme should be revised.
"Currently, students who pass their exams have their loans
converted into bursaries which do not have to be repaid. More
students could be given the chance to study if only loans were
provided."
Furthermore, all tertiary institutions should submit annual
reports to Parliament and any institution which does not meet
defined targets of financial responsibility should be deregistered,
Ellis said.
@ HEATH-NGUBANE
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
JUDGE HEATH MEETS KWAZULU-NATAL PREMIER
Judge Willem Heath, head of the Heath Special Investigating
Unit, on Wednesday met KwaZulu-Natal premier Ben Ngubane To discuss
the unit's operations in that province.
During the meeting the successes of the unit, including the
recovery of 372 vehicles for the Department of Transport, were
discussed, a Heath unit spokesman said in a statement.
The premier reaffirmed his commitment and that of his executive
council and administration to helping the unit root out corruption,
fraud and maladministration, the statement said.
It was agreed that cases known to the provincial government
would be referred to the unit.
Ngubane said he was pleased with the work the unit had done,
adding that the identification and punishment of fraudsters and the
recovery of misappropriated funds and property were essential to
creating a climate conducive to good governance.
Heath commended the provincial administration for the speedy
referral of matters to the unit and for providing it with
co-operation and support in 1998.
The unit had enjoyed co-operation with investigations, and in
some cases substantial progress had already been made with
investigations by the time they were referred, Heath said.
It was agreed that KwaZulu-Natal was making great inroads in
the fight against corruption, fraud and maladministration thanks to
the combined efforts of the unit and the provincial administration.
@ TRUTH-BELLINGAN
PRETORIA 27 January 1999, Sapa
NO NOBEL PRIZE FOR DE KLERK IF BELLINGAN'S WIFE STILL ALIVE
Former president FW de Klerk would not have been given the
Nobel Peace Prize if former Security Branch captaIn Michael
Bellingan had not killed his wife Janine, the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission's amnesty committee was told on
Wednesday.
Bellingan told the committee he believed if he had not murdered
Janine and she had leaked information about his work and Security
Branch operations as she had threatened, De Klerk would not have
been honoured, the Pan Africanist Congress would not have suspended
the armed struggle and setting the date for the 1994 elections
would have been disrupted.
"My judgment may have been slightly affected by the accumulated
stress of my work and the fact that it was a desperate situation,"
Bellingan said.
Bellingan is applying for amnesty for bludgeoning his wife and
stRangling her in September 1991 as she slept in the couple's
bedroom.
He is serving a 25-year jail sentence for the murder.
Bellingan has also applied for amnesty for laundering cheques
stolen by the police from the National Union of Mineworkers of
South Africa, and for 16 other incidents.
On Wednesday he apologised to his wife's family and said he
deeply regretted murdering her.
"I know what this did to them. I feel the burden of complicity.
I've had a lot of time on my own to deal with my own guilt."
Under cross-examination by advocate Wim Trengove, acting for
Mrs Bellingan's family, Bellingan agreed he had left his wife .....[problems with receiving].... battered body for his children to find the next morning, but said
the maid usually arrived before the children awoke.
Trengove said it was absurd that Bellingan claimed to have
loved his wife but had to kill her out of patriotism.
Bellingan claimed that he could not approach his superiors in
the branch about his wife's threats to leak secrets as he feared he
and his whole family would be killed.
"I couldn't trust my colleagues not to kill my wife and
children," he said.
Trengove suggested .....[problems with receiving].... that Bellingan and his sister, Judy White, had conspired and lied before other tribunals and that Mrs White,
who he was staying with around the time of the murder, was involved
in the murder.
Bellingan claimed he left Pietermaritzburg about 6pm on a
Friday night, hitchhiked to Durban where he bought an air ticket
under a false name
- which he could not remember - and flew to Johannesburg ab.....[problems with receiving]....
He said he returneD on the 6am flight the next morning and
hitchhiked back to Pietermaritzburg in time to meet his sister for
tea at 9.15am.
Trengove said the only flights that nighpm, and the dollowing day
the first flight was at 8am, reaching Durban about the same time he
claimed to have met his sister in Pietermaritzburg.
The hearing continues on Thursday.
@ IEC-GOVERNMENT
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
KRIEGLER'S RESIGNATION HAS BEEN EXPECTED FOR SOME TIME: SOURCES
Tension between the Independent Electoral Commission and the
government over a number of issues, including the independence of
the commission, had been so tense that Pretoria and some members of
the IEC had actually expected commission chairman Judge Johann
Kriegler to have resigned some time ago.
Sources close the electoral process told Sapa this was so
beCause of the increasingly soured relations between Kriegler and
the government, more particularly since the first round of voter
registration in November.
They said whilst it seemed the other commissioners had
harmonious relations with government officials, it was not so with
Kriegler.
@ KRIEGLER
JOHANNESBURG 27 January 1999, Sapa
IEC HAMPERED IN EFFORTS TO ORGANISE ELECTION: KRIEGLER
The Independent Electoral Commission has been reduced to
another government bureaucracy unable to fulfil many of its tasks,
outgoing IEC chairman Judge Johann Kriegler .....[problems with receiving].... said on Wednesday.
In an interview published in the Thursday edition of The Star
newspaper, he Said the commission was being hampered in its efforts
to organise this year's election.
"The IEC has come to be regarded as a government-funded agency
to run elections, like a meat control board. This is not my
pe.....[problems with receiving].... rception, and this has been irksome.
"We only have a few months to go before the elections and we
are still arguing about who controls the staff. It has to be sorted
out."
Kriegler said the deployment of civil servants for registration
had caused a loss of indepen.....[problems with receiving].... ence for the IEC.
"If you don't control the people on the job, if you can't hire
and fir.....[problems with receiving].... then you are not independent," he said.
"The elections must belong to the people, not to the
government."
Kriegler sd been cut to the bone
financially, the "truly valuable work" such as voter registration
was left undone.
"This has contributed to the depressingly
low-under-25-age-group registration. While this is not a South
African disease, it needed a development programme, not double-page
advertisements."
Kriegler said he had realised .....[problems with receiving].... he was not the right person to
solve these problems. "My style is not necessarily the most
successful in the area of negotiation and deal-making, and
manifestly I have not succeeded. I care about the elections, and
that is why I am leaving."
at his successor and the remaining
commissioners would succeed.
"I didn't go for the fun of it. It was appropriate to all
concerned, including the government, the media, political parties
and the electorate. Maybe it will encourage them to think about the
reasons for my resignation."
@ ELECTIONS-DP
JOHANNESBURG Jan 28 Sapa
DP WINS MUNICIPAL BY-ELECTION IN KRAAIFONTEIN, WESTERN CAPE
The Democratic Party's Fanie Jacobs on Wednesday won the
Kraaifontein municipal by-election in the Western Cape, the party
announ .....[problems with receiving].... ed on Thursday.
Jacobs polled 531 votes to the New National Party's 250.
"The significance of this result is profound. A scant three
years ago the DP was hounded out of areas like Kraaifontein. Now
voters in these areas look to the DP for real opposition to the ANC
and for creative solutions to their problems," the DP's strategic
director in the Western Cape, James Selfe said.
"In the municipal by-election in 1996 in this ward the DP
polled 53 votes to the NP's 2150...this by-election represents a
tenfold increase in support for the DP and a tenfold decrease in
support for the NNP," he also said.
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Prepared by: ANC Information Services |
| Dept Information and 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 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
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