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Viewing cable 10PRETORIA149, SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER JANUARY 19-JANUARY 22

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10PRETORIA149 2010-01-25 06:50 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Pretoria
VZCZCXRO6460
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #0149/01 0250650
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250650Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0989
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 7518
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1584
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9875
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 000149 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV ASEC SF POL PAS ECON
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER JANUARY 19-JANUARY 22 
 
REF: Pretoria 0080 
 
PRETORIA 00000149  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 
------------- 
 
Advocate Gives Rationale for Pursuing Reparations on Behalf of 
Apartheid Victims 
 
 
2. (SBU)  Radio 702 announcer Redi Direko on January 19 interviewed 
a former commissioner in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 
(TRC), Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, who along with Khulumani Support 
Group, brought the apartheid lawsuits against some multinational 
companies in a U.S. court.  Ntsebeza dismissed the argument that the 
claims were "dealt with" through the TRC.  He added that in the 2003 
post-amnesty applications handed to the South African president 
there were indications of "complicity by the corporations in the 
perpetration of those violations of human rights."  He rejected the 
argument by Professor Kader Asmal that the reparations case should 
not be heard in New York as "this is a domestic issue."  Ntsebeza 
said the companies were not being sued for merely having done 
business in South Africa, but because "they aided and abetted" in 
the violation of human rights and perpetration of those kind of 
crimes.  [Johannesburg Radio 702 in English - privately-owned 
commercial radio station] 
 
Director of Public Prosecutions Tightens Policy on Media 
Interaction 
 
3. (SBU)  New National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Menzi 
Simelane has forbidden prosecutors from speaking to the media 
without prior authorization, according to Simelane's spokesperson 
Bulelwa Makeke.  The South African Press Agency reported on January 
21 that the new directive was effective "immediately as an amendment 
to our current media policy."  Makeke explained that the National 
Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has had "many issues" as a result of 
prosecutors talking to the press.  She said, "We are not saying they 
cannot talk," but that "there are always things you can and cannot 
say."  Opposition Democratic Alliance justice spokeswoman Dene Smuts 
said it was hard to imagine "a more inappropriate choice for NDPP 
than Mr. Simelane," and that it was difficult to think of a "more 
unfortunate public relations approach than that he has now taken, 
given the widespread view that he tried to turn the NPA into an 
instrument of government while he was Director General, and that he 
will continue to do so as NDPP."  [Johannesburg SAPA in English - 
cooperative, nonprofit national news agency; URL: 
http://www.sapa.org.za] 
 
Democratic Alliance Slams Ruling Party Financial Interest in  New 
Power Stations 
 
4. (SBU)  African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Gwede 
Mantashe said "political parties had to take the initiative to raise 
money for themselves," dismissing attacks on the ANC for holding 
shares in a company benefitting from Eskom contracts to build two 
power stations.  The ANC admitted that its investment arm, 
Chancellor House, still held a 25 percent stake in Hitachi South 
Africa - the company building the new power stations.  Business 
Report said on January 20 that a statement from the Democratic 
Alliance said the ANC would benefit from a deal worth millions of 
QAlliance said the ANC would benefit from a deal worth millions of 
dollars.  "With the ANC's stake in Hitachi, it is only reasonable to 
believe that steep electricity price increases by Eskom will benefit 
the ANC's party coffers," party MP Sej Motau said.  [Online news 
service of the South African Broadcasting Corporation; nominally 
independent but partially funded by government; 
http://www.sabcnews.com; Website of business and financial 
publication, privately owned by Independent Newspaper Company; URL: 
http://www.businessreport.co.za/] 
 
Growing Concern Over Potential South African Ambassador to Uganda 
 
5. (SBU)  Gay rights activists and opposition parties across the 
country have urged President Jacob Zuma not to appoint columnist Jon 
Qwelane as South Africa's ambassador to Uganda because of his 
outspoken published remarks against homosexuals.  Uganda currently 
is under international pressure to withdraw a bill that would impose 
the death penalty for homosexual acts.  Qwelane is   a veteran 
journalist and was a vocal supporter of Zuma when the ANC leader 
battled fraud and corruption charges. (IOL, January 19) 
 
 
PRETORIA 00000149  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
Ministry of Defense Receives Recommendations on Military Veterans 
 
6. (SBU)  Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs Lindiwe Sisulu 
received a report on the plight of, and the state's obligations 
toward, military veterans on January 19.  The report follows the 
reconfiguration of the Ministry of Defense to include military 
veterans affairs.  Sisulu appointed a task team to advise her and 
the Cabinet on how the new administration can assist or empower the 
military constituency.  The ministerial task team undertook an 
analysis of various post-conflict countries which successfully 
integrated former opposing military factions into the mainstream of 
society.  According to the task team, the final report consists of 
policy recommendations with regard to benefits such as empowerment, 
education and training, pension benefits, housing, and health 
support.  The report also supports the decision  to establish a 
separate budget vote and an accounting officer for Military Veterans 
Affairs. (Buanews, January 19, 2010) 
 
ANC Lekgotla maps the way forward for 2010 
 
7. (SBU)  The ANC is preparing for a busy year ahead, according to 
comments from party leaders following its first intra-party retreat 
(or "lekgotla") of the year.  Most importantly, the party wants to 
deal with socio-economic challenges facing the country as nearly a 
million jobs were lost as a result of economic recession.  Further, 
tensions within the alliance are making tackling the tasks ahead 
more difficult.  ANC Head of Policy Jeff Radebe says the party hopes 
branches will be "a sharp point in the spear" when dealing with 
service delivery.  According to Mantashe, there is a need to examine 
the party's relationship with municipal managers and councilors. 
Mantashe told reporters the party will examine whether municipal 
managers and councilors should be deployed by the ANC or should be 
appointed for a permanent length of time.  Following the lekgotla, 
the ANC distanced itself from a report written by Tokyo Sexwale on 
what transpired when South African Communist Party delegates booed 
ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in Polokwane last month. 
Sexwale's report, which reportedly was delivered to party leaders at 
the lekgotla, is said to have blamed Mantashe for the embarrassing 
incident.  The ANC through Mantashe, however, denied that Sexwale's 
report was discussed or that there was ongoing tension.  (SABCNews, 
January 18,2010) 
 
Cabinet Lekgotla to Map Government's Program of Action 
 
8. (SBU)  A three-day Cabinet lekgotla followed the party's 
dialogue, bringing together all ministers, deputies ministers, 
premiers, and top government officials to evaluate and consolidate 
government's program of action for the year.  According to 
government spokesperson Themba Maseko, the lekgotla focused on ways 
to improve government's performance.  Maseko told reporters that 
Cabinet would look at ways of strengthening local governments 
following service delivery protests last year.  The outcomes of the 
meeting, which Zuma chaired, are expected to form the bases of the 
State of the Nation Address and the state budget speech to be 
delivered next month. (Buanews, January 20, 2010) 
 
Independent Democrats Uncover New Parliamentary Travel Scandal 
 
9. (SBU) Independent Democrat (ID) party leader Patricia de Lille is 
taking legal action against parliamentary speaker Max Sisulu in a 
bid to force him to reveal the names of the members of Parliament 
who pocket thousands of dollars per month in petrol reimbursement 
Qwho pocket thousands of dollars per month in petrol reimbursement 
claims.  The court application comes after Sisulu refused to give De 
Lille the names of the legislators, saying that releasing the names 
would be an invasion of their privacy.  Local newspapers reported 
three months ago that De Lille blew the whistle on a new 
parliamentary travel scandal involving legislators who claim large 
amounts of petrol costs.  (Sowetan, January 21, 2010) 
 
 
Prominent Academic Lauds Washington over Easing of Travel 
Restriction 
 
10. (SBU)  University of Johannesburg Deputy Vice Chancellor Adam 
Habib on January 21 welcomed United States Secretary of State 
Hillary Clinton's signing of orders that could end his exclusion 
from entry into America.  Habib said the decision would make his 
work easier.  Habib and his family were denied entry into the United 
States in 2006 and he subsequently filed a legal case in the United 
States to protest the decision.  (Business Day, January 22, 2010) 
 
------------------ 
International News 
------------------ 
 
Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalis "Trickling" into Zimbabwe En Route 
to South Africa 
 
 
PRETORIA 00000149  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
11. (SBU)  A January 21 report in the Zimbabwe Herald Online stated 
that a senior immigration officer has gone into hiding after he 
allegedly issued 26 Bangladeshis with visas without authority. 
Police have launched a manhunt for Alter Upenyu Nhidza who was based 
at Kanyemba Border Post.  It is reportedly believed that Nhidza is 
only one link in a syndicate that has seen Bangladeshis, Pakistanis 
and Somalis trickling into the country-mostly through illegal entry 
points-en route to South Africa.  The 26 Bangladeshis with the fake 
visas were deported at the Harare International Airport on 18 
January.  They arrived separately in two groups from Kenya-18 aboard 
a Kenyan Airways flight and 8 on Ethiopian Airlines.  A "sizeable 
number" of Pakistanis, Somalis, and Bangladeshis had reportedly 
entered Zimbabwe with the aid of rogue immigration officials. 
Investigations revealed that Nhidza has charged about US$600 per 
"visa."  [Website of pro-government newspaper published daily except 
Sunday; URL: http://www.herald.co.za] 
 
South Africa Seeks to Provide Assistance to Haiti 
 
12. (U)  Department of International Relations and Cooperation 
Deputy Minister Sue van der Merwe announced on January 14 that South 
Africa would offer aid to Haiti through the National Disaster 
Management Centre (NDMC).  South Africa's aid assistance to Haiti is 
to consist of three phases.  First, the government wants to provide 
help in the immediate search and rescue phase.  Second, the 
government plans to help with the identification of bodies by 
sending forensic pathologists.  Finally, the government wants to 
offer humanitarian aid by working with non-governmental 
organizations such as "The Gift of the Givers."  (DIRCO Briefing, 
January 14) 
 
GIPS