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Viewing cable 09PRETORIA1997, SOUTH AFRICA: POLITICAL NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 2

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09PRETORIA1997 2009-10-05 06:38 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Pretoria
VZCZCXRO1374
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #1997/01 2780638
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050638Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9758
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 7192
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1275
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9556
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 001997 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV ASEC SF POL PAS ECON
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: POLITICAL NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 2 
 
PRETORIA 00001997  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
1. (SBU) This was written in partnership with the Open Source 
Center's Pretoria Bureau.  The newsletter is open to contributions 
from officers in the Embassy or in the Consulates who wish to 
highlight political trends.  Contact Madeline Seidenstricker or 
Jonathan Smallridge for more information, or to make contributions. 
The newsletter also is available on the Political Section's blog, "A 
View from South Africa," found on intelink.gov. 
 
------------- 
Domestic News 
------------- 
 
Service Delivery Protests Continue 
 
2. (U)  Residents protesting against service delivery in Sakhile 
informal settlement Mpumalanga have set fire to all municipal 
buildings.  Protesters are demanding that all municipal councilors 
in Lekwa Municipality resign after a report that implicated several 
officials and councilors in fraud, poor governance, and corruption. 
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo 
Shiceka has established a task teams to investigate the service 
delivery protests in Mpumalanga.  Protests continue to spread as 
residents south of Johannesburg were up in arms on September 29, 
demanding better service delivery and protests continued in 
Johannesburg's volatile Thokoza Township, where residents demanded 
better housing.  (SABCNEWS, September, 28, 2009) 
 
South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Meets with 
Administration 
 
3. (U)  Minister of Planning in the Presidency Trevor Manuel has 
emphasized that municipalities have a responsibility to implement 
government priorities as listed in the Medium Term Strategic 
Framework.  The priorities in the framework include inclusive 
growth, decent work, and access to quality education, rural 
development, and land reform.  Manuel was speaking at the South 
African Local Government Association (SALGA) national executive 
committee meeting in Durban on September 30.  He said that although 
the African National Congress has some of the best policies in the 
world, the challenge has always been the implementation of those 
policies.  He emphasized the need for the Green Paper, which 
outlines a government direction for administration, to be accepted 
by members of the ruling tripartite alliance.  The Congress of South 
African Trade Unions felt the Green Paper usurped the powers of 
trade unions.  (The Times, September, 29, 2009) 
 
Zuma Supports Call for More Police Power 
 
4. (U)  President Jacob Zuma expressed his support for an amendment 
to Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act.  Zuma was speaking at 
the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, where he was meeting with 
roughly one thousand station commanders to discuss the fight against 
crime.  He supported Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's proposal that 
Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act be amended, giving police 
more power in dealing with violent and dangerous criminals (Pretoria 
1985). 
 
Chief Demands Kingship Status 
 
5. (U)  Prince Mmelizwe Dlamini, chief of the Nhlangwinini in 
KwaZulu- Natal, has applied to the High Court in Pretoria for an 
order to force the government to make a decision on his kingship. 
Prince Dlamini and the Nhlangwini Traditional Council want the court 
to force the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and 
Claims to declare Prince Dlamini and his clan a kingdom within the 
next three months.  Dlamini has been quoted in media reports as 
saying that he had no aspirations to the Zulu throne but wants the 
Dlamini clan to be recognized as a head kingdom.  The South African 
QDlamini clan to be recognized as a head kingdom.  The South African 
government currently recognizes the Zulu Kingdom as the only 
monarchy in country.  (The Citizen, September, 30, 2009) 
 
IFP Launches Legal Battle Against Zuma 
 
6. (SBU) The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has launched a legal battle 
against President Zuma for alleged human rights violations of 384 
political prisoners whose requests for presidential pardons have 
been ignored for six years.  The 384 applications by prisoners were 
submitted five years ago but were not considered, leading to the IFP 
embarking on legal proceedings to force the Justice Ministry to 
attend to them.  The decision to initiate legal action against Zuma 
is a result of a Constitutional Court ruling that said the legal 
action should have been lodged against the Presidency rather than 
the Justice Ministry because the President grants presidential 
pardons.  IFP parliamentarian Koos van der Merwe said this has been 
a lengthy and painful battle to have the rights of these prisoners 
recognized and the IFP has been the driver in the entire process and 
will continue to do so.  (Note:  The timing of the legal battle is 
interesting as there are rumors that the Zuma-led ANC wants to form 
an alliance with the IFP.  The decision to push the issue now could 
 
PRETORIA 00001997  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
be the result of the IFP trying to force Zuma to make concessions or 
a sign that talks about a coalition are not going well.  End Note.) 
(The Times, 0ctober, 01, 2009) 
 
RSA: Minister Says SANDF Service Commission Will Not Replace 
Military Unions 
 
7. (U)  Pretoria News reports that the Military Service Commission, 
which will regulate the conditions of service of all soldiers, will 
not replace unions in the army, according to Defense and Military 
Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. She said the commission, which is 
an interim set-up, would assist her to establish a separate 
dispensation for soldiers outside of the public service and to 
regulate salaries, recruitment, transfers, promotions and dismissals 
in the defense force.  This follows clashes last month between 
members of the SANDF [South African National Defense Force] Union 
and police outside the Union Buildings when they protested over poor 
salaries. Although government officials, including Zuma, have vowed 
to ban military unions due to national security concerns, COSATU has 
stated its intention to resist these attempts.  However, Sisulu 
insisted that the new commission is merely intended to ensure that 
soldiers are treated differently from the public service. [Pretoria 
News Online in English -- Website of local daily, privately owned by 
Independent Newspaper Company; URL: http://www.pretorianews.co.za/] 
 
Editorial Views 'Suspicious' Attempts by Alliance Partners To Take 
Over ANC 
 
8. (U)  Sunday Times reports that in the months leading up to the 
ANC's 2007 conference, some figures in the Thabo Mbeki fold were 
warning of its leftist partners wanting to use "Trojan Horse 
tactics" to seize control of the party. Similar trends were seen at 
the conferences in Mafikeng and Stellenbosch in 1997 and 2002 
respectively, with the Left pushing to get candidates ideologically 
in tune with or well disposed to it elected onto the ANC's National 
Executive Committee.  Following the SACP's [South African Communist 
Party] "gains" of Polokwane and the brazen manner in which they have 
been going about their "power grab", there has been a backlash by 
mainstream ANC leaders against the perceived takeover of the ANC by 
the Left.  With the 2011 municipal elections and the next national 
conference in 2012, the Left will likely seek to increase its 
influence during these key milestones.  SACP General Secretary Blade 
Nzimande warned of the "new anti-left tendency" and brand of "narrow 
Africanism" within the ANC that had to be nipped in the bud. [Sunday 
Times Online in English -- Website of privately owned Sunday 
newspaper; URL: http://www.thetimes.co.za/] 
 
COSATU Calls for Nationalization of Reserve Bank 
 
9. (U) Business Report reports that COSATU wants the South African 
Reserve Bank to be nationalized, as highlighted in the final 
declaration of the labor federation's four-day 10th national 
congress.  A resolution adopted at the congress said that over the 
past years South Africa's monetary policy continued to have a 
one-sided focus on inflation with negative consequences for 
industrialization, social development and job creation.  Dennis 
Dykes, Nedbank's chief economist, said the Reserve Bank is guided by 
the government and the current structure works well, adding that if 
it was changed it would send the wrong signal to foreign investors. 
Outgoing Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni echoed these sentiments, 
saying that the bank would not be nationalized. [Johannesburg 
Qsaying that the bank would not be nationalized. [Johannesburg 
Business Report Online in English -- Website of business and 
financial publication, privately owned by Independent Newspaper 
Company; URL: http://www.businessreport.co.za/] 
 
------------------ 
International News 
------------------ 
 
Security Threat to US Facilities "Emanated from Al-Qaeda Splinter 
Group" 
 
10. (U) Pretoria News reports that the security threat, which led to 
the temporary closure of US government installations around South 
Africa, is alleged to have emanated from an al-Qaeda splinter group. 
 According to well-placed security sources, the group telephoned the 
US embassy in Pretoria on Monday and apparently gave detailed plans 
about alleged attacks planned against several US government 
buildings in the country, including the US embassy and USAID 
offices.  It is thought that the killing of al-Qaeda operative, 
Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, in Somalia by US forces earlier this month 
may have prompted the threat.  South Africa intelligence agents from 
the National Intelligence Agency, police crime intelligence unit, as 
well as operatives from the South African Secret Service, are 
working with US intelligence officials to track down those behind 
the threat.  US Embassy spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean said that 
additional security measures have been put in place, including the 
deployment of static police units to the US embassy and 
consular-general offices in Cape Town and Durban.  All US government 
 
PRETORIA 00001997  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
facilities in South Africa resumed normal operations on 25 
September. [Pretoria News Online in English -- Website of local 
daily, privately owned by Independent Newspaper Company; URL: 
http://www.pretorianews.co.za/] 
 
President Zuma's Address at 2d Africa-South America Summit 
 
11. (U) Zuma delivered an address at the 2nd Africa-South America 
Summit (ASA) on 26 September 2009 in Margarita Island, Venezuela. 
The summit was a historic event aimed at promoting South-South 
cooperation and enhancing the mutually beneficial partnership that 
has developed over the years between Africa and South America.  The 
Margarita Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the summit 
focuses on advancing the development agenda of the South, 
particularly with regard to social upliftment, rural development, 
tourism, renewable energy, climate change, sport, education and 
cultural exchange.  Skills transfer in specific sectors, such as 
health, foreign direct investment into Africa, cooperation in peace 
and security efforts, good governance, and cooperation on efforts to 
reduce poverty was identified as a key priority for Africa-South 
America cooperation, as well as the reform of the current global 
multilateral system following the devastating impact of the global 
financial crisis. [Pretoria Department of International Relations 
and Cooperation in English -- Official government website; URL: 
http://www.dfa.gov.za] 
 
Deputy FM Concludes Visit to Tehran 
 
12. (U) Department of International Relations and Cooperation Deputy 
Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim visited Iran from September 27 to October 1 
to lead the 11th session of the South Africa-Iran Joint Commission, 
established in 1995.  South African Ambassador to Iran, Ebrahim 
Saley, welcomed Ebrahim.  Ebrahim's visit comes within the context 
of South Africa's commitment to enhance and broaden the scope of the 
relationship and cooperate with Iran in trade and economic matters 
within the framework of South-South Cooperation.  In October 1 
remarks, Ebrahim thanked the Government of Iran and pronounced the 
Joint Commission meeting successful.  Ebrahim said Iran continues to 
be one of South Africa's biggest markets in the Middle East. 
Ebrahim said South Africa shares Iran's view of a stable Middle 
Eastern region and strongly believes in the creation of a 
Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.   Ebrahim said 
South Africa supports Iran's peaceful nuclear program and continued 
cooperation with the IAEA.  (DIRCO Briefing, September27) 
 
China-Africa Ministerial Meeting on the Horizon 
 
13. (U)  The 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for China-Africa 
Cooperation will be held on November 8-9 in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. 
The Forum will be co-chaired by Egypt and the Peoples' Republic of 
China. (DIRCO Briefing, September 29) 
 
Madagascar Tries Playing Hard Ball 
 
 
14. (U)  Madagascar may refuse visas to officials from the South 
African Development Community (SADC) after African nations blocked 
Andry Rajoelina, who seized power in a March coup, from addressing 
the United Nations.  SADC mediators, led by former Mozambican 
President Joaquim Chissano, are expected to attend an International 
Contact Group meeting on October 6.  (EWN, September 30) 
 
GIPS