Unsafe and insecure part 5

Taxi protests wreak havoc
The government's taxi-recapitalisation programme in its current form should be scrapped, taxi owners and drivers demanded in Pretoria. Thousands marched to the Union Buildings where they handed a memorandum on the issue to a representative of the Department of Transport. The protesters shoved street vendors out of the way and carried a cardboard coffin with Transport Minister Jeff Radebe's name on it, and chanted slogans. Some marchers urinated on the cardboard coffin. The protesters broke out in a rendition of former deputy president Jacob Zuma's trademark song Umshini Wam as they made their way to the Union Buildings. Earlier there were reports of shots being fired across the city.
Suspected rapists castrated and stoned to death
Two suspected rapists were pulled from police vans, castrated, beaten and stoned to death in the Durban township of kwaMashu. The victims were thought to have been part of a gang of rapists who terrorised kwaMashu, attacking 12 families in a single street. After the frenzied attack, residents seemed jubilant, laughing and casually pointing to where the dead lay. They said they had had enough, having been plagued and tormented by the serial rapists.
Cops arrested for robbery
Two policemen were arrested in Durban for holding up a woman in her home and robbing her of R800 at gunpoint.
DA offices trashed by ANC youths
The DA offices in Khayelitsha were trashed, allegedly by ANC youths protesting against Mayor Helen Zille's pro-democracy march. Vandals smashed the office windows, broke the door and threw garbage around the entrance of the offices. Councillors suspect that the damage was caused while more than a thousand DA members and supporters gathered at the provincial legislature building in protest against the ANC's proposed changes to the system of local governance in the city.
Time to clean out Augean stables at SAPS
Prompted by mounting public outrage against crime, some police official the other day was yet again promising “zero tolerance from now on”. In the US, this had a precise meaning. In SA it is merely a slogan provoking one to ask what the previous policy was. Ten percent tolerance? Thirty percent tolerance? Higher tolerance for rape than for gun-running? Deservedly, the outrage is directed not only against criminals but also against the people we pay to protect us from them. Police bosses and politicians have been caught off balance, their complacency has been exposed, and they have failed to convince the public that they are not clueless in the face of crisis.

Backing down and making about-turns

Government backs down on electricity plan
In a further sign of the Mbeki administration’s diminishing hold on policy, it has been forced by Parliament and ANC-run municipalities to back off an ambitious plan to get Eskom to deliver power to many small towns and rural areas. The move means smaller municipalities will be able to keep the revenue raised from selling power to homes and business consumers, which helps keep many of them afloat. However, it does not address immediate concerns about many municipalities’ dwindling skills base and their limited ability to invest in ageing infrastructure.
Has anyone seen 600 cars?
The Gauteng department of transport, roads and works admitted it had lost 600 vehicles from the government vehicle pool. The department is already under heavy criticism from the auditor-general (AG) about its financial state and is undergoing an external audit. Sibusiso Buthelezi, head of the department, explained to the province's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) that although the vehicles could not be found, he was sure not all of them were gone.
Unions not impressed
Teachers unions have poured cold water on Education Minister Naledi Pandor's proposal to send unruly pupils back home to their parents for a short period. Pandor first mooted the idea last week as one of the measures to combat the escalating number of violent incidents in schools. In the past two weeks alone, three boys have been stabbed while still on school premises, and two have died of their wounds.
If we don't fix skills mismatch, we will all sink
One-million job vacancies and four-million unemployed people - that, says Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, is one of the key challenges South Africa is facing 12 years into democracy. While he was not holding out a "right-to-work banner", it was clear there was a skills mismatch that had to be dealt with. Manuel said the education system as it stood was not producing the right results. More money would be poured into ensuring that competent people were brought into the education system and that the teaching of science and mathematics was upgraded.
Free-Zim youths embarrass Zuma
South Africa’s foreign affairs minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had a night to forget in central London. Pressure group Free-Zim Youth UK made sure they expressed their displeasure with her government’s handling of the Zimbabwean crisis. Dr Zuma was addressing the London School of Economics on possible reforms for the United Nations following her country’s election to a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. The youths repeatedly disrupted her lecture with chants of “ANC betrays black Zimbabwe.” Zuma looked rattled and courted even more controversy by saying that ‘Zimbabweans in Britain have no right to speak out about the situation Zimbabwe.’ This did not go down well.
Names changing by the hundreds
O R Tambo International Airport is one of hundreds of South African place names which have been officially changed since 2000. The South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) lists at least 145 names which were completely changed.
State about-turn on R10m for Zuma
After initially insisting that R10m had been set aside simply as a contingency in case Jacob Zuma’s legal costs had to be paid, government has admitted that an agreement to pay has been reached with the former deputy president’s lawyers. This followed the surprise allocation of R10m in the budget of the Presidency for Zuma’s legal fees. The amount was taken from savings after budgeted posts were not filled in the Presidency. Chief government spokesman Themba Maseko first said that the money was a provisional amount, which had been set aside in case the state attorney decided the state was liable for Zuma’s legal costs. In a later statement he said that there was indeed an agreement with Zuma’s lawyers “in line with precedent on these kinds of matters”.
Not enough blacks benefit from tourism
There was a glaring absence of black participation in KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism industry and fewer than 10% of the province’s tour-operating enterprises were owned by historically disadvantaged individuals, said Tourism KZN chairman Seshi Chonco. He added that tourism industry empowerment had been slow. A charter and scorecard had been developed but there was little research to determine the extent of transformation, he said.
N2 Gateway does not have a business plan
The provincial department of local government and housing has spent almost R92-million on the N2 Gateway project without a formal business plan. According to an auditor-general report, the decision to go ahead with the project flouted a memorandum of understanding signed by national Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu, MEC for local government and housing Richard Dyantyi and then-mayor of Cape Town Nomaindia Mfeketo. Vusi Tshose, spokesperson for the provincial department of local government and housing, said the department had had to go ahead with the project before approval was finalised because of the "great pressure for housing delivery" in the province.

Risky business

600 000 people still need ARVs
About 600 000 people still need ARV treatment for HIV/Aids in SA. This is according to a discussion documents to be tabled at the Civil Society Coalition’s HIV/Aids conference. Actuaries estimate only 20% of those who need treatment are getting it. The resistance of the Health Minister, supported by the government, to introducing ARV treatment has delayed both treatment and prevention strategies at enormous cost. Only lip-service was paid to community consultation on HIV/Aids, and one of the greatest challenges faced is the unwillingness by the Ministry of Health to enforce the government’s own legislation.
Killer TB is devastating
A new study published casts light on perilous drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis that have erupted in South Africa, reaping a mortal harvest among people with the Aids virus. The prevalence of these resistant strains is far wider than previously thought. XDR strains are a newly discovered mutation of the TB germ that not only defeat the first line of drugs but the second line too, leaving doctors with a shrinking, preciously-hoarded arsenal of medications. The findings show the devastating effect of XDR tuberculosis on patients and health-care workers, its alarmingly high mortality rates in those co-infected with HIV and rapid hospital-borne spread.
Chaos as taxi drivers strike
A bus was set alight and two hijacked during a violent protest by taxi drivers in Cape Town. One of the hijacked buses had been used to block off the N2 highway. There have been numerous stonings and several bus passengers and drivers have been injured by shattered glass. The drivers protested against what they said was harassment by law enforcement officials. They said no taxi driver should be arrested on the road as this left commuters stranded. They also asked for separate cells at police stations, and called for the cancellation of all outstanding traffic fines and warrants.
Nigerian stowaways survive risky journey to SA
Two Nigerian stowaways who survived an eight-day voyage from the Côte d'Ivoire on the outside of a car-carrier ship arrived in Port Elizabeth with about a cupful of water left. They asked Minister of Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for political asylum when she visited them in hospital. "They have indicated they want to apply for political asylum. We are going to facilitate that process for them," said the minister's spokesperson, Cleo Mosana. "We will ensure that the correct process will be followed."
SA calls for Security Council reform
South Africa will enhance peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa while serving on the United Nations Security Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said. The government has vision for a prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united Africa that would influence its work on the council. Dlamini-Zuma also called on the Security Council to be reformed.
Unresolved management issues
The beleaguered correctional services department has had to surrender almost R600m to the national treasury because it is unable to fill budgeted vacant posts. Most of this is due to failure to fill vacant posts. The vacancy rate is aggravated by the department’s high staff turnover. Also surrendered to the treasury is an amount of R197m from the department’s capital budget because of delays in building new prisons.
Blame it on the weather
The $50 congestion surcharge being considered by shipping lines docking at Durban could cost South African importers more than R500m a year. Shipping lines are considering reintroducing a surcharge on every container moving through the port because vessels have been waiting 50-70 hours to berth at the Durban Container Terminal. Shippers want a delay of less than 16 hours. Transnet has blamed windy weather.
Credit blacklisting is evil
A stand-off is looming between political groups such as the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League, and government and lenders as the deadline nears for comments on a form of "amnesty" for people blacklisted by credit bureaus. While limited amnesty is seen as government's response to political pressure, it seems neither side is particularly pleased with it, with certain groups concerned about the impact that it will have on banks' ability to assess risk properly when lending to a consumer.
Tax money to pay Zuma's legal fees
The South African regime is setting an appalling precedent by paying former deputy president Jacob Zuma's legal fees. After over a year of evasions and statements that the matter was still under consideration, the regime has finally admitted that the taxpayer will have to fork out R10-million to pay for Zuma's highly publicised trials. This information has not reached the public by way of an announcement, but was instead surreptitiously hidden away in a section of the mini-budget. It is not even clear which trial this amount is to cover -- the corruption trial, the rape trial, or both.

Unsafe and insecure part 4

Public suing cops for billions
The police service has been hit with civil claims totalling R5.3bn - which is equal to one-quarter of its annual salary bill. The amount included R253m in claims for shooting incidents, R1.67m for alleged police assaults and R1.9bn for undisclosed "police actions". The Independent Complaints Directorate admitted that the organisation had been swamped with more than 5 000 cases of alleged misconduct against the police. These included complaints involving 621 deaths in custody.
Flying squad in late-night porn fiasco
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) called for a commission of inquiry into Bloemfontein's flying squad, allegedly caught watching a pornographic movie while telephones rang unanswered. Far too many media reports showed problems at Bloemfontein's flying squad. These include telephones not being answered, or no response if answered. There are also allegations of racism and also that the members do not know where certain suburbs are located.
ANCYL protest blacklisting
Members of the ANC Youth League gathered outside the Johannesburg public library to protest on Wednesday against the blacklisting of youth by credit bureaux. "We demand that credit institutions should grant amnesty in order to ease the process for them (youth) to have access to credit and loans," said Doctor Tshwale, a member of the ANC Youth League's national executive.

Forget about tender procedures

I want clean audits
The Gauteng Department of Transport has failed to clarify to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) where more than R200 million in unauthorised expenditure went in the 2004/2005 financial year. In addition the head of department admitted to Scopa that he had overruled a decision by his acquisitions committee when he awarded a multimillion-rand taxi recapitalisation contract to Integrasol, the company of Minister Sydney Mufamadi’s wife Nomusa. Ignatius Jacobs, MEC for Transport in Gauteng, said that “one step had been missed”, but he would not expand on this. “I want clean audits,” Jacobs said. “I have introduced a turn-around strategy in the department. This year we will get a clean audit.”
The government was not going to do anything about it
The top Gauteng government official implicated in a R5-million tender scandal is being investigated. The Gauteng MEC for Public Transport, Roads and Public Works, Ignatius Jacobs, has appointed auditing firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers to investigate allegations of corruption against his head of department, Sibusiso Buthelezi. Buthelezi had awarded a R5-million tender to Integrasol, a company headed by Nomusa Mufamadi, without following proper tender procedures. Mufamadi, who is the managing director of Integrasol, is the wife of Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi. Buthelezi acknowledged he did not follow normal tender procedures because it was a matter of urgency and he was impressed with Mufamadi's academic qualifications.
Afrikaners fear for place in history
As Johannesburg airport prepares to be renamed after one of the heroes of the fight against apartheid, South Africa’s Afrikaner minority fears its place in history is being all too rapidly erased. The airport, originally named after the Afrikaner premier Jan Smuts before being simply called Johannesburg International, will be rebaptised as OR Tambo airport in memory of the late African National Congress (ANC) leader. The move has infuriated members of the Afrikaner community, who claim it breaches a deal agreed after the first multi-racial elections a dozen years ago.
SA faces IT skill shortage
Unless the networking skills shortage is addressed urgently, by 2009 demand for networking skills in South Africa will exceed supply by 24% and there will be a shortage of more than 113 900 skilled people required to help drive economic growth. The shortage of suitably skilled labour is the single biggest threat to the successful implementation of the Accelerated and Shared Growth-South Africa (Asgisa) initiative, with the shortage most prominent in the areas of engineering, construction, sciences, management and skilled technical fields such as IT technicians/engineers.
Local authorities neglecting water supplies
The country’s water watchdog is aware some local authorities are not allocating sufficient funds for essential water supply infrastructure. They are loath to spend money on something that cannot be seen. Municipalities think that houses, because they are visible, are a better way of spending than on water pipes. If not attended to, water infrastructure at local government level could break down.
Farmers lose land
Expropriation notices have been issued on four pieces of land in Limpopo, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights announced. "The notice for expropriation is our last resort following lengthy negotiations with the land owners, which to-date have yielded no results," said chief land claims commissioner Thozi Gwanya.
Struggling to find credible reasons
The African National Congress' efforts to change Cape Town's multi-party government was doing "incalculable harm" to South Africa, city mayor Helen Zille said. They are not damaging the multi-party government, they are doing incalculable harm to South Africa. South Africa could not pretend to have a democracy if the ANC could not accept the results of an election in which they lost power. This would negatively impact on international investor confidence, economic growth and development. Local government and housing MEC Richard Dyantyi is struggling to find credible reasons to justify changing Cape Town's government.

Liberation before education part 4

Principal incited violence
The principal of the Ithutheng Trust school in Kliptown, Soweto, appeared in court on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property. Jackie Maarohanye handed herself over to police. Police issued a warrant for Maarohanye's arrest on October 10 after pupils from her school took to the streets, burning tyres and blocking roads. They were protesting against the police's failure to solve the death of a fellow pupil in a fire at the trust school. These violent protests left five people injured and property damaged. A resident's house was also broken into and several items stolen and burned.
Pretoria school is a gangland
Lyttelton Manor High School is becoming a "gangland", according to concerned parents. Several incidents proved the school was becoming more and more unsafe. Motheti Madityana, 29, was stabbed during a fight, allegedly by a Grade 9 pupil. The fight was allegedly over money and drugs. Madityana is said to be the brother of one of the pupils who attends the school. Parents have lashed out at the principal's lack of communication, saying the violent incident was due to Malherbe's failure to acknowledge the escalating lack of discipline at the Centurion high school.
Teen pregnancies are fashionable
Teenage pregnancies in schools are rising every year, with the latest statistics showing that pregnancy as a result of sexual abuse was more and more prevalent. Girls as young as 11 were found to be pregnant. Parents are unavailable to supervise their children. In most cases parents are unemployed and therefore they turn a blind eye when the girl is impregnated by a working partner who will in turn become a breadwinner for the family. Peer pressure contributed too and girls became pregnant to conform with the norm of being sexually active. Drug addiction and having a baby while still are fashionable.
House of horror
Faces eaten away by rats, feet caked in dead skin, toenails curling over toes ... and eight deaths in 10 years. This is the horrific picture painted in court papers in a case in which a curator's report outlines the lack of care of 50 physically disabled children. The Golden Girls Home for Disabled Children has been ordered to immediately close its doors. The report said that it was clear that the children, aged between five and 19, were not being given proper medical attention, with a "total lack of emphasis on proper or timeous medical care". Four-year-old Sibabawe died after her face was eaten away by rats while she lay in her cot. The manager of the home has expressed her anger at the ruling, saying the decision "is very unfair".

Job insecurity

Junior doctors forced to work for free
State hospitals face major upheavals if the health department does not pay junior doctors for their overtime. The doctors say they will take industrial action if the department doesn't pay them for the hundreds of hours overtime they routinely work.
Death threats for media training CEO
The media, advertising, publishing, printing and packing sector education and training authority had hired a security company to protect staff members and the CEO, who had allegedly received death threats, said Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana. CEO Melanie Bernard-Fryer had received death threats, and that she and her family were living under armed guard. After raising concerns about R47m in irregular payments made by the body, Bernard-Fryer started receiving threatening phone calls.
An offer you can't refuse
Though government has put more money into law enforcement, and will no doubt increase the sums further in this week's mini-budget, more money on its own is not the solution to a crime problem many argue reflects poor leadership rather than a poverty of resources. Business leaders in the forum were shocked at the "ham- fisted" way the South African Police Service implemented its recent, radical restructuring. Staff were informed by circular, with no attempt from the top to manage the change process. Whatever the merits (or otherwise) of the restructuring, no properly managed business would do it that way. Nor would the executives of large listed companies treat crises in their companies with the apparent indifference that's tended to characterise government's response to crime.
Army men return home
The large group of people who claimed they were from previous armed forces and gathered last week in the north of KwaZulu-Natal, have returned home. They were given the option of paying fines for trespassing on private property. The group of about 700 people were illegally camping on a farm near Pongola. They had grievances, claiming they were not integrated into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The men, some of them said to be too young to have been part of these forces, said they were from Apla, Umkhonto we Sizwe, the former SANDF and Inkatha SPU. They demanded to see Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota last week, but refused to go to Durban for this purpose. The Minister was still willing to meet them, but could not confirm when a meeting would take place.
Too many lone rangers
Frustration reigned supreme as the high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) initiative kicked off on the Ben Schoeman/N1 highway in Gauteng. Motorists were locked in bumper- to-bumper traffic as many in desperation ignored the HOV rule, and traffic came to a standstill. The Citizen received a flood of letters from frustrated motorists saying it took them up to two hours longer to get to work.

Unsafe and insecure part 3

A worrying security risk
The Durban Metro Police have been given about two months to tighten firearm and ammunition controls, act against criminal elements within the force and take other corrective action. The directive has come from the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) which investigated the Durban Metro Police Service after reports raised concerns about missing firearms earlier in 2006. One of the most disturbing issues in a report released by the ICD was its discovery of dangerous military weapons on Metro Police premises. Apparently the official in control of this assortment of army ammunition and firearms equipment is facing criminal prosecution for firearms-related offences.

Metal detectors must be used at schools
If metal detectors are necessary in certain schools to guard the safety of pupils, they must be used, the Democratic Alliance said. DA education spokesperson David Quail said there had been over 20 deaths in schools this year, and that media statements of shock and sympathy from the department were not enough to solve the problem.

Children are raping other children
Eighty-two children are charged in courts across the country every day for raping or indecently assaulting other children. Processing by the state of child-committed sexual offences has nearly doubled in the past year. Police, prosecutors, social workers and child rights activists estimate that between 25 percent and 43 percent of the perpetrators of sex and violent crimes against children are children themselves - some as young as six.

School violence spiralling out of control
School violence escalated this week with several pupils seriously injured in incidents around Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

• Two pupils were hacked at by fellow pupils at Sibukosethu High School at Sandriver Trust in Hazyview, Mpumalanga.


• The Joburg metro police raided Forest High School, just weeks after Nkosana Mbhele, 19, was stabbed to death by a fellow learner. The surprise inspection yielded drugs and drug paraphernalia.


• A 13-year-old was rushed to hospital after he was stabbed by a fellow pupil at Edleen Primary School in Kempton Park.


• A Pretoria man was stabbed in the chest and back after becoming involved in a school gang fight at Lyttelton Manor High. Motheti Madityana, 29, - said to be the brother of a pupil at the school - was reportedly stabbed while trying to help his brother.


• A 15-year-old boy from the Heidelberg School of Industries hanged himself in a police cell at the weekend after he was arrested for stealing a television set.

Spending tax money

Millions meant for four new prisons unspent
Despite assurances by the Department of Correctional Services that four new prisons are on track, the Treasury has confirmed that millions of rands for their construction has been surrendered to the national revenue fund. The new prisons in Leeuwkop, Nigel, Klerksdorp and Kimberley were first announced in 2002, but it appears unlikely that they will be built.
Spend and deliver
This failure to spend allocated money is one of the most serious problems facing South Africa today. It is ironic that, while households are on a spending spree in South Africa, government seems unable to spend its money. Provincial and municipal officials sometimes do not even know that money is available to spend. Some of these managers take their duties so lightly that they do not even bother to turn up to give evidence before the committee when invited.
Final approach
Since South African Airways’ (SAA’s) disastrous hedging programme in 2002, the national carrier has had to rely heavily on government guarantees and funding from its former parent company, Transnet, in order to stay afloat. The hedging programme cost SAA billions of rands, forcing government to issue two guarantees totalling R7bn to the airline’s top lenders after it dipped into technical insolvency twice. Transnet had to step in and provide R6bn to help offset the mounting losses. Taxpayers have been responsible for keeping the national carrier afloat for the past few years.
Nurses deserve better
President Thabo Mbeki committed himself to making "urgent interventions" to ensure that the nursing profession "continues to occupy its rightful and respected place in our society". This commitment would be much more meaningful if it were not for a great deal of disrespect shown to the profession by his government over the past few years. Salaries are a part of the reason for the despondency among nurses. Although constrained by the budget, government must make a more sincere effort to pay nurses better. More importantly, Mbeki needs to stop the minister of health from treating nurses like pawns to be shunted around at will, or delinquents needing constant supervision.
Be patient -- South Africa's democracy is still young
President Thabo Mbeki has listened to various concerns of Umzimkhulu residents and assured them that their needs would be attended to as quickly as possible. These ranged from the use of bucket toilets; lack of water, electricity and proper housing; lack of or poor road infrastructure; poor services from the police; lack of proper healthcare facilities; lack of proper schools and computer education; bad treatment from public servants when they needed service; the exclusion of women in the agriculture sector; as well as lack of employment, especially for the youth. The community also complained that they received no feedback from the mayor and councillors regarding the municipality's operations, as should be the case. Others raised concerns about access services such as government's social grants, Department of Home Affairs services such as applications for IDs.
Hold on to this guy -- he's doing a good job
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel needs to intervene to prevent Pension Fund Adjudicator Vuyani Ngalwana quitting his post. Ngalwana has thrust a sabre into the stodgy soup that remains the incestuous pension fund industry, what with the life assurers and their patsy trustees conniving to disempower and bleed consumers dry. Last year, Ngalwana's rulings changed the way the life companies operate, ultimately forcing them to commit to greater transparency at a R3bn cost -- a sea change matched only by Adriaan Vlok's decision to start hanging around Frank Chikane with a bowl of water and some soap.
Our schools have been turned into war zones and shelters for criminals
The Young Communist League (YCL) called on Minister of Education Naledi Pandor to involve other structures within the teaching profession to end the violence in schools. “We are worried that our schools have been turned into bloodbath war zones and shelters for criminal activities,” YCL spokesman Castro Ngobese said. The YCL was responding to the latest incident of school violence in which Zimisele Sithole, 20, was stabbed by a fellow pupil at Mdingi High School in Donnybrook, KwaZulu-Natal.
Too confidential to disclose
Taxpayers had to fork out R11 700 for a six-hour stay in luxury accommodation for Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni's son and members of her security team. The travel company said that information about the minister's arrangements was "too confidential" to disclose." The department merely confirmed that it was an official trip. It has been established that R11 700 was the price paid for a stay at an upmarket Zululand lodge early this month, where the elegant, luxury rooms cost R2 340 a night. Reservations had been made for five rooms for Nkonyeni and four other people. Only three members of the department of health delegation had arrived at the lodge gates at 2am on Friday October 6. The gates normally close at 6pm.
She's working for people who are oppressing women
Protesters led by the Coalition Against Water Privatisation handed a memorandum of demands to officials at Johannesburg Water offices and the Johannesburg City Council. In the four-page memo they state reasons for opposing the introduction of pre-paid water meters in Soweto. Johannesburg Water staff locked themselves in and police blocked the door. A black official from the company came out after a while, but they refused to speak to her because "she's working for people who are oppressing women," said protest co-ordinator Virginia Magwaza Setshedi. The protesters demanded to speak to a white person. A white man and an Indian man came out, and protesters then allowed the black woman to sign for receipt of the memorandum.

Big talk

SA wants to end veto power in UN Security Council
The newest members of the United Nations Security Council starts throwing their weight around, making all sorts of demands in this very exclusive club. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the foreign affairs minister, says Africa believes the veto power in the United Nations Security Council should be done away with.
We have talked for a very, very long time
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe has warned taxi operators who planned to go on strike against the taxi recapitalisation programme to do so within the law. "The taxi recapitalisation programme is on an irreversible path," he said.
PetroSA has to supply Oilgate documents
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and state-owned oil company PetroSA settled their "Oilgate" documents dispute, with the DA claiming victory. Under the agreement -- made an order of the court -- PetroSA has to supply the DA with documents relating to the so-called Oilgate transaction between itself and black economic empowerment company Imvume Management. PetroSA also has to pay the costs.
Only one casualty
5 000 members of the Army, SA Air Force and SA Military Health Services took part in the exercise designed to test conventional warfare. Beacause of the SA National Defence force’s commitment to gender equality cthere were 719 female participants. With only one weapons-related casualty, SA Army Chief Lieutenant-General Solly Shoke has pronounced himself “satisfied”. The casualty happened during a live firing exercise simulating a brigade attack when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher backfired, injuring its operator. She was airlifted to Bloemfontein within 20 minutes of the incident and is said to be in a “serious, but stable condition”.
Frothing at the mouth
SABC CE Dali Mpofu has beenraging against critics who have suggested he may have been a little economical with the truth when he tried to whitewash the Sisulu-Marcus report into blacklisting at the national broadcaster. “The current SABC ‘blacklisting’ controversy is a storm in a teacup. It is a lot of noise about virtually nothing. It can only serve to detract from the real issues, the ideological battle of ideas and the ill-fated attempts to hijack our democratic values of ubuntu and human dignity on which our Constitution is premised."
Life in the fast lane
Motorists travelling in the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) were surprised at how fast traffic was flowing in this lane, with a maximum speed of 80km/h maintained for most of the way. Gauteng MEC for transport, Ignatius Jacobs, was in high spirits as the first day of the pilot programme appeared to be working. Cars travelling in the left (or slow lane) crawled along for an hour on a two-kilometre stretch of road. The left lane was jammed with taxis and single occupant cars. It was a nightmare of a journey into Joburg.

Poor excuse for failure develops a life of its own

The National Youth Commission complained to MPs that it does not have the tools or “capacity to achieve our mandate -- our research directorate is a joke compared with other government units”.

What an admission.

Almost blaming Parliament for their inability to do their work, these “laaities”, who earn more than professors (more than R500000 a year), were appointed to high office by the ANC simply to co-opt them into the ruling elite lest they stray into Zuma’s path.

Whatever the political reasons, many are far too young and inexperienced to do the job, and use the excuse of “lack of capacity” as though it is unrelated to their abilities.

The same goes for the South African Local Government Authority (Salga), the National Development Agency and the Umsobomvu Fund. Millions of rands have been wasted on these organisations—their role being to build capacity—when the very people running them lack the skills and competencies to carry out functions they are meant to perform.

Former Salga CEO Thabo Mokwena’s was recently exposed for gross mismanagement of the body. And the auditor-general commented on exorbitant wastage under his command. Parliament’s oversight body, Scopa, finds it difficult to keep track of misappropriations at this and similar bodies because, complains chairman Themba Godi, of perennial turnover of senior government officials, who despite bungling move on to the next job before they get found out.

And so this phrase “lack of capacity” has developed a life of its own, a euphemism for the appointment of unskilled, unqualified, and incompetent people under the guise of affirmative action. By their own admission, these highly salaried, BMW-driving youth lack the qualifications to do their jobs. It has become commonplace for government to employ underqualified people, often political appointees, to top jobs, but then employ consultants, researchers and academics to do their work for them. Countless houses could have been provided with the money these institutions have wasted. Instead of taking up space in newspapers to counter John Pilger, government’s Trevor Manuel and Joel Netshitenzhe should address this rampant wastage.

The government is its own worst advertisement for affirmative action. Project Consolidate is an admission that affirmative action has failed.

Debate on scrapping provinces is another acknowledgement that the incumbents (political appointees mostly), and equity-at-any-cost have affected delivery adversely. The more that local and provincial government fail to deliver, the more government thinks it should centralise. This politically inspired view denies that decentralisation, citizen participation and democratic decision-making at local level enhance rather than detract from effective service delivery.

The City of Cape Town, under mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo and city manager Wallace Mgoqi, was incompetent and wasteful because the most heinous affirmative action and procurement policies (compounded by secret forms of governance that excluded the public and opposition parties) destroyed capacity in that municipality.

The country cannot continue on this path, and has to find a better way to implement affirmative action. Government has to acknowledge that political appointments are not the same thing as affirmative action.

Second, affirmative action is not about redress, because we cannot make up for the travesties of apartheid but we can adopt measures to make equal opportunity a reality for those discriminated against.

Affirmative action should not exclude white people but should create a balance between what is needed and who is the best person to do the job. So if I were the president, I would employ rather than alienate skilled whites precisely so they can make up for the past—those with the best skills and privileged education should contribute to rebuilding SA by using the skills that advantaged them.

Third, affirmative action means appointing on the basis of merit, skills and qualifications of those formerly excluded. It does not ever mean getting rid of incumbents, no matter what their race, gender, or ethnicity.

For affirmative action to succeed, it has to go hand in hand with relevant selection and recruitment procedures; proper induction of new employees; continuing training and development of staff; transformation of the organisational culture; establishing special training programmes; and periodically setting goals and timetables for achieving diversity.

“Lack of capacity” is the result of policies based solely on race, gender or disability, and is responsible for municipalities collapsing and the decline of efficient services to the poor.

Affirmative action is a human-rights violation when unskilled people are foisted upon the poor, who need effective service delivery most.
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Africa has itself to blame

The excuse game — colonialism, wars, climate — must stop if the continent wants its renaissance.

In April 1997, Thabo Mbeki, who was then deputy president of SA, spoke of a hopeful African generation that “carries with it an historic pride which compels it to seek a place for Africans equal to all the other peoples of our common universe…. A generation that knows and is resolved that, to attain that objective … it must resist all tyranny, oppose all attempts to deny liberty by resorts to demagogy, repulse the temptation to describe African life as the ability to live on charity, engage in the fight to secure the emancipation of the African woman, and reassert the fundamental concept that we are our own liberators from oppression, from underdevelopment and poverty, from the perpetuation of an experience from slavery, to colonisation, to apartheid, to dependence on alms."

“It is this generation whose sense of rage guarantees Africa's advance towards its renaissance.”

Nine years later, the continent's ability to liberate itself has greatly diminished. There is:

• the meltdown in Zimbabwe;


• the African woman being violated in front of television cameras in Darfur, northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d'Ivoire;


• African leaders excelling in the art of begging for economic aid, for famine relief, for AIDS drugs, for military assistance to put down the wars that we are so good at starting.

Africans are pretty good at telling the story that they are unable to solve their own problems; and the outside world, ever so sympathetic, is becoming very good at believing this blatant lie.

In his book The Shackled Continent, Robert Guest quotes Chinua Achebe speaking on his homeland, saying that “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership.”

Africa has had to come up with a story to explain why, in the past 30 years, while people in Europe, America, Asia and Australia have become incredibly rich and more peaceful, Africa has actually managed to shrink the size of its economy, drive its best educated elite into political and economic exile, reduce the life expectancy of its people, and create more wars and social unrest than the rest of the world combined.

In the same 1997 speech quoted above, Mbeki said: “Still, outside our continent, the perception persists that Africa remains, as of old, torn by interminable conflict, unable to solve its problems, condemned to the netherworld."

In the past decade, the excuse game has taken on a whole new dimension, with world-famous scholars, international leaders and celebrities coming up with theories explaining why Africa is a special case and why its people must be helped out of their misery.
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South Africa faces unique challenges

It is a basic human right to be safe, not a luxury
A group of former Springbok rugby players want answers from President Thabo Mbeki on crime. This week eight of the more than 200-strong group, calling themselves The Rugby Springboks, delivered a memorandum to Mbeki, calling on him to "act to fight crime and corruption [and] to build the country of our dreams." Their concern about crime was underscored by the violent hijacking of former provincial rugby player Swys Joubert. Joubert was attacked by three armed hijackers. While Joubert was wrestling with them, one man was shot dead. "I stood in the street with my clothes covered in blood and tried to stop cars but no-one stopped," said a weeping Joubert.
What is really going on in South African prisons?
In 2001, the Jali Commission started its inquiry into alleged incidents of corruption, maladministration, violence and intimidation in the Department of Correctional Services. It is now 2006 and the report of commission has been publicised. The Jali report discovered what was really going on in the Department of Correctional Services and in South African prisons, as well as unpacked what strategies are being implemented to combat the disturbing findings. Some of the prominent matters were: gangs, super-max prisons, prison security, treatment of prisoners, sexual violence in prisons, overcrowding, sexual harassment and the abuse of power.
Balfour doctored prison report
Former High Court judge Thabani Jali has accused Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour and his department of doctoring his report on fraud, corruption and organised crime in SA's prison system in their submission to Parliament. Jali's claim centres on Balfour's and the department's handling of his commission's five-volume report, compiled over more than three years at a cost to the taxpayer of R27m. The department submitted a 61-page summary of the voluminous report to Parliament. The main report is some 1,000 pages long, with a 180-page executive summary, which the department further condensed for Parliament.
Travelgate politicians on tenterhooks
Top politicians, including cabinet members, are poised to receive notification from parliament that their names appear on a forensic report on Travelgate that parliament is under pressure to disclose. The potentially explosive report, compiled by auditors PriceWaterhouse Coopers at parliament's request, has been kept under wraps for more than two years, leading to claims that justice has been applied selectively and that "big fish" are being protected in the multi-million-rand travel voucher scandal. Sixteen MPs have plea-bargained, but remain in parliament. The ANC has not made a decision and the issue is a matter of heated dispute.
House punishment will boost delinquents
The South African Parents Association says national Education Minister's Naledi Pandor's proposal of placing unruly pupils under temporary "house arrest" is an ideal opportunity for delinquent pupils to stay at home and commit more crimes.
No word on Manto
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has been a patient at the Johannesburg Hospital for more than 10 days now, but no-one will say why. The minister's spin-doctors and those close to her remain mum about the cause of her illness, except to say that she is being treated for a lung infection and is "doing well".
Having more money than we are ready to use
Provinces may this year again underspend on money allocated to them by national government, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel warned. South Africa faces a unique challenge when it came to government spending. We find ourselves having more money than we are ready to use. There may be many people who will find this hard to believe, given the levels of underdevelopment in South Africa. After three months, 25 percent of the financial year, spending of some of the grants was only at 14 percent. It's not hard to predict that if nothing changes during the course of the year, we will see underspending of these grants yet again. The problem is that underspending, and overspending, are both indications of the inability to plan.
Millions overspent in irregular tenders
Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa has ordered a high-level investigation into tender irregularities within the State Information Technology Agency (Sita). The auditor-general and internal forensic investigations uncovered widespread financial irregularities amounting to more than R120-million. The agency, funded largely from public funds, has also brought disciplinary action against implicated staff members, resulting in the axing and resignations of at least four senior officials.

Having a good time

Emerging farmers to sell their newly-acquired land
Emerging farmers who want to sell their newly-acquired land cannot be stopped but the government may not approve a zoning change for the land, said the Western Cape department of agriculture.
In a prime position overlooking the sea, with views of Mossel Bay and Wilderness, the land is on a par geographically with golf developments nearby. The group were given the land by the government five years ago and farm vegetables and rose geranium for essential oils. "There's nothing stopping them from doing this. They're the owners of the land, they are obviously entitled to do that," said department spokesperson Alie van Jaarsveld. He said while the farmers, as the owners, were entitled to sell, it went against the spirit of land reform.
Confess and walk free
Fraudsters guilty of pocketing housing subsidies could soon get away without criminal records if they confess to their crimes, according to a proposed amnesty by the department of ousing. Housing director-general Itumeleng Kotsoane said a presidential proclamation would allow for the amnesty and that this would be offered on a selective, case-by-case basis - and only to those who come forward and confess. He denied that it would send out the wrong message to crooks.
Smiles all round
It was smiles all round when Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, Western Cape local government MEC Richard Dyantyi and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi emerged from their meeting, called by Mufamadi to defuse growing tension between the two lower tiers of government in the province.
Mufamadi will have to nail his colours to the mast. If he is persuaded that Dyantyi’s position can be justified — although on the evidence so far that would seem farfetched — Zille will surely seek relief from the courts. If he leans in the other direction, he risks widening existing divisions in the Western Cape ANC. Either way, those smiles are surely going to become strained.
Social development department in the red again
The provincial departments of social development have yet again failed to spend the entire budgets allocated to them. According to Trevor Manuel, the finance minister, they have spent only 14% of the 25% budget in the first quarter of this fiscal year. The question which arises is why does underspending still exist when poverty persists with about half of the country's population living below the poverty line.
Gagged and bound
SABC CEO Dali Mpofu is having an awful year. Not only is he having to deal with one scandal after another at the state broadcaster, he is having to backtrack on his own commitments to transparency and corporate governance. Nothing prepared Mpofu for the snakepit that is the SABC and he has now been hung out to dry, his credibility shattered.
Easy Afrikaans chosen over African languages
Pupils are ditching indigenous African languages as second-language subjects in favour of Afrikaans, which they find easier to learn. Although pupils have not been compelled to take Afrikaans or English since 1997, they still prefer to study these languages instead of African indigenous languages. Even Zulu-speaking pupils at some of the country’s top private and former Model C schools are forsaking their mother tongue and taking Afrikaans as a second language, English being their “first-language” choice.