Imaverick 28 September 2011

wednesday 28 september 2011
Index
a day In pIctures
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wednesdAY 28 september 2011
a day in pictures
a day in pictures new zealand
Japan's Murray Williams (R) tackles Canada's Adam Kleeberger during their Rugby World
Cup Pool A match at McLean Park in Napier September 27, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray
a day in pictures libya
An anti-Gaddaf fghter (L) calms his comrade down as he cries over other comrades stuck
in the fre fght against pro-Gaddaf forces around 6 km (3.7 miles) east of Sirte, September
27, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
a day in pictures shanghai
Rescue workers evacuate an injured woman outside Yu Yuan Garden station after a subway
train collision in Shanghai September 27, 2011. A subway train rear-ended another on
Tuesday afternoon in Shanghai, leaving some passengers injured, the subway operator said.
Equipment failures were believed to have caused the crash on the Line 10 subway, Xinhua
News Agency Reported. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
a day in pictures england
Manchester United's Ashley Young (R) heads to score against FC Basel during their
Champions League Group C soccer match at Old Trafford in Manchester September 27,
2011. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
a day in pictures greece
An employee of the Finance Ministry scuffes with riot police at the ministry's entrance
in Athens during a protest against the government's austerity measures September 27,
2011. Greek lawmakers will pass the government's new austerity programme by the
end of October, and signs about bondholders' participation in a Greek debt swap plan
are encouraging, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said on Tuesday. REUTERS/John
Kolesidis
a day in pictures china
Giant panda cubs lie in a crib at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in
Chengdu, Sichuan province September 26, 2011. Picture taken September 26, 2011.
REUTERS/China Daily
it Happened OVerniGHt
briefs it happened overnight
wednesdAY - 28 september 2011
Russian military to modernise (Reuters)
politics
russia
The Russian military has
gone back on its plans to
purchase new Kalashnikov
AK-74 rifes, of which it has
ten times as many as soldiers,
and will instead design new
frearms as it modernises its
army. The government aims
to modernise the army with a
$600 billion investment within
the next nine years, upgrading
with new guns, rockets,
airplanes and submarines.
Mikhail Kalashnikov, based
solely on number of deaths,
is the designer of the worlds
deadliest weaponry.
france
Nicolas Sarkozys poll ratings
are getting closer and closer
to his height, capping of a
miserable few days for the
French President whose
centre-right coalition lost its
Senate majority for the frst
time in French history on
Sunday. His approval rating
has dropped to 32%, thats fve
percentage points down from
a June survey, while his main
rival for the presidency, the
Socialists Francois Hollande,
is at 51%.
usa
Congress will vote on
legislation next week to
counter what it terms
Chinas manipulation of its
currency, despite potential
diplomatic concerns. While
President Barack Obamas
administration has declined
to comment on the bill so far,
Democrat and Republican
Senators both blame Chinas
weakened yuan (their belief is
that it is 25%-40% too weak)
for maintaining cheaper
exports, reinforcing Americas
jobs crisis. House Republicans,
who make up the majority, are
considered less likely to favour
this legislation.
The USA didnt fall for
Pakistans diplomatic ofensive
on Tuesday when the Asian
nation claimed the US needed
to sit down on claims of
Pakistani compliance with
terrorists, and that China
was its all-weather friend.
Instead, White House
spokesman Jay Carney
repeated a call for Pakistan
to cut ties with Haqqani, the
militant network within the
Taliban.
sudan
Police dispersed protestors
with tear gas in Khartoum as
more than 100 people gathered
to protest against infation,
the second such protest in two
days. Infation in Sudan is 21%
and food prices rose 25% in
August.
Security authorities have
shut down a newspaper, the
al-Jarida daily, which last
month alleged the rape of a
woman by their members.
The two reporters who broke
the story were also sentenced
to a month in prison. Reuters
reports that media freedom
has been restricted since South
Sudan seceded, including the
closure of six publications
which were either owned or
published by South Sudanese.
italy
Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi and economy
minister Giulio Tremonti met
on Tuesday to repair their
strained relationship, one of
Berlusconis few that isnt sex-
related, but instead centres
around Italys lapsing economy
and governance. The PM got
pissy with Tremonti last week
for missing an important vote
over a corruption scandal, but
a treasury ofcial described
the gents meeting as
positive. Nice for Berlusconi
whose approval ratings
have dropped to 25%, and
will probably worsen when
a vote of no confdence is
taken against the agriculture
minister, Saverio Romano, for
ties with the Sicilian mafa.
israel
Hillary Clinton has criticised
Israeli plans to build another
1,100 settlement homes in the
West Bank, throwing a new
spanner in the works when it
comes to peace talks which are
already facing difculties due
to Palestines United Nations
bid for sovereignty.
algeria
Six Islamist militants from
a group, the Akram Brigade,
aligned with al-Qaeda have
been killed by Algerian
authorities 60km east of the
capital city of Algiers. One
high-ranking member of
the insurgent group, Adel
Bourai, was shot and killed on
Monday and fve more died in
a shootout on Tuesday.
West africa
Nigeria and Benin have
teamed up and will stage joint
naval patrols to tackle the
burgeoning piracy industry
beginning to open up that side
of the continent. Nineteen
attacks have already occurred
this year. A team of six Nigerian
boats, two Beninois vessels and
Nigerian helicopters will patrol
the coastline initially for six
months.
venezuela
The Venezuelan foreign
minister, Nicolas Maduro, read
a letter by President Hugo
Chavez to the United Nations
General Assembly in which he
criticised the UN for serving
US interests and allowing
injustices around the world,
specifcally US military action.
guinea
Opposition parties have
lambasted the Guinean
government for the death
of three people who were
participating in a protest in
the capital city of Conakry
on Tuesday, while security
Silvio Berlusconi (Reuters)
Bolivian interior minister Sascha Llorenti (Reuters)
forces claimed 23 of their
men were injured. It is pretty
clear the protest got violent as
the bodies in hospital, bullet
casings and a load of rocks
fying through the air attest.
Political tension is only going
to escalate before a national
election in December as the
opposition claims the current
government will rig the polls
at the end of the year.
Mauritania
One person died and six
were injured when police
used live ammunition on a
protest of black Mauritanians
protesting against government
census plans which it says
discriminates against black
people living in the country,
making it harder for them to
prove their nationality than
Arab Mauritanians. Tuesdays
was the most recent in a series
of violent protests against the
current census.
bolivia
In a recurring theme today, the
Bolivian interior minister Sacha
Llorenti has resigned after
harsh criticism of a government
crackdown on protesting
Amazon natives which turned
violent. The protestors are
acting against government
plans to build a road through
the forest which is their home.
chile
It has taken fve months of
yelling, demonstrating, arrests
and performing but Chilean
students have fnally agreed
to talks with government
over education in the South
American country. However,
to maintain pressure on
government, students will
not attend classes while
negotiations are ongoing.
MyanMar
In an appeal to the United
Nations to drop sanctions, the
Burmese foreign ambassador
U Wanna Maung Lwin
said that more than 20,000
prisoners had been released
since the countrys frst
democratic-like elections in
2010 and more would be freed.
Negotiations have also begun
with guerrilla groups and a
human rights council has been
set up. Even Aung San Suu
Kyi has said that the current
president wants to see positive
change in Myanmar.
business
greece
In the latest round of other
people needing to look after
Greeces fnancial afairs,
the troikas (people who are
bailing Greece out) inspection
team will arrive in Athens
on Wednesday to inspect
the countrys accounts and
endorse its new property
tax as an efective austerity
measure.
Kenya
Bloomberg has compiled data
showing the Kenyan shilling
is the worst performing
currency in the world this
year, dropping 30% against the
US dollar (and 6% in the last
four days). This, naturally, has
caused fuel and food prices to
go bananas.
europe
European leaders are mulling
over rule changes which could
severely afect the operations
of the big four auditors:
PricewaterhouseCoopers,
KMPG, Ernst and Young,
and Deloitte. The changes
could force them to break
up, and clamp down on
conficts of interest such as
consulting for and auditing
the same company. A full
ban on consulting, a lucrative
revenue stream for auditors,
is even being tossed about.
The European Union has
focussed on the auditors since
many banks were given cleans
bills of health before they
were hammered during the
recession in 2008.
usa
One of Walmarts senior
executives will retire as vice-
chairman in 2012 at the ripe
old age of 56. Eduardo Castro-
Wright joined the company
in 2001. He isnt the only
departure to expect soon: Wan
Ling Martello will leave the
vice-presidency of Walmarts
global e-commerce to join
Nestl as chief fnancial ofcer.
sport
europe
Football, Champions League:
Manchester Citys introduction
to the Champions League was
a drilling by an impressive
Bayern Munich, although the
fnal score was only 2-0 to
the hosts with Mario Gomez
netting twice. It wasnt a great
evening for the other half
of Manchester either who
were lucky to take an away
draw with them from Basel.
United went 2-0 up before the
wheels completely fell of and
they were down 3-2 for the
unheralded Swiss team. A late
Young goal spared blemishes.
Well, major blemishes. Inter
won 3-2 at CSKA Moscow
while Napoli beat Villareal, an
inspired Kaka performance
saw Real Madrid down Ajax
Amsterdam 3-0 and Benfca
beat SC Otelul Galati 1-0.
europe
Football, Champions League:
Carlos Tevez refused to take
the feld in Manchester
Citys 2-0 loss at Bayern
Munich on Tuesday. Manager
Roberto Mancini expressed
disappointment with the
talented Argentine and said he
was fnished as a City player.
While players refusing to play
for their club has happened
with enough regularity to
avoid surprise, being in the
match squad and refusing
to play doesnt really have
much of a precedent. Only the
cynics (and everyone else who
has heard him bitch his way
through the last few months)
would give credence to the
possibility he is trying to be
released from his contract in
this mature manner.
international
Golf: Both Presidents Cup
captains, Greg Norman
(international) and Fred
Couples (USA) confrmed
Carlos Tevez (Reuters)
their wildcard picks for the
tournament at the Royal
Melbourne Golf Club,
beginning 17 November.
Couples has chosen Tiger
Woods and last weeks
Fedex Cup points winner Bill
Haas, while Norman picked
Australians Robert Allenby
and Aaron Baddeley.
south africa
Football, Absa Premiership:
Amazulu unexpectedly halted
a 17-match losing streak with
a 4-0 hammering of Ajax Cape
Town at Durbans glittering
Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Stanton Lewis netted twice
and the other goals came
from Ayanda Dlamini and
Tangeni Shipahu. In Tuesdays
other fxture Elias Palembe
scored a 93rd minute goal
to hand Sundowns a 2-1 win
against Bloemfontein Celtic.
Celtic went a goal up in 26th
minute, but Nyasha Mushekwi
equalised 10 minutes into the
second half before the late
winner.
life
uK
Sothebys has announced
a 1,475-lot auction of wine
towards the end of October
which is expected to pull
in over $3 million for
approximately 7,000 bottles.
The collection contains
vintages from 1959 to 2004,
including some of the First
Growth Bordeaux wines -
Chteau Lafte 1986, Chteau
Latour 1996, Chteau Margaux
1986, Chteau Haut Brion
1995 and Chteau Mouton
Rothschild 1995.
Mexico
A paramilitary group called
Mata Zetas (translates to Kill
Zetas) has vowed to fnish
of Mexicos, by reputation,
deadliest drug cartel, which
is great as only 40,000 odd
people have died in the war
against the drug cartels
so far. While we havent
seen a transcription of the
interview, AFP says indirect
references are made to
claiming responsibility for
the 49 bodies dumped in and
around Veracruz last week,
and not inter-cartel violence,
as previously thought.
usa
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation announced on
Tuesday that has apprehended
a murderer who has been on
the run for 41 years; George
Wright escaped from a New
Jersey prison in 1970. He
was apprehended in a town
near Lisbon, Portugal, in a
joint operation by American
and Portuguese authorities.
Wrights story is quite
interesting. After escaping
for jail he then, with a team,
hijacked a commercial
plane a few years later and
commandeered it to Algeria
after obtaining ransom money.
Algerian authorities sent the
passengers and ransom dosh
back to the US, but let the
hijackers go.
The war between Mexican drug gangs intensifes (Reuters)
sOutH aFrica
briefs south africa
wednesday - 28 september 2011
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (Reuters)
opposition parties
outraged by ancs
abuse of parliamentary
procedure
Opposition parties are un-
impressed at the ANCs an-
nouncement that it, and it
alone, would be taking public
comment on the current draft
of the Protection of State In-
formation Bill. The DAs Dene
Smuts called the move an
unprecedented abuse of par-
liamentary procedure and
resources, and called on the
ANC to reconstitute the ad
hoc parliamentary committee
that created the frst draft. The
ANC had earlier on Tuesday
announced that it would form
a committee and a study group
both comprised of ruling party
members to consider further
public comment on the bill.
attack on khayelitsha
matric pupil to be
investigated
The Western Cape community
safety department is inves-
tigating an attack on a pupil
at Chris Hani High School
in Khayelitsha. The student,
Malibongwe Malani, was at-
tacked by two security guards
from the volunteer community
safety programme Bambanani
for refusing to allow his phone
to be confscated. Students
from the school, who protested
on Monday, alleged that it was
their principal who ordered
the attack. Malani sufered a
back injury in the attack and is
undergoing tests at Tygerburg
Hospital.
expert: basson acted
counter to ethics of
medicine
The Health Professions Coun-
cil of South Africas profession-
al conduct committee hearing
received a report on Tuesday
that said that cardiologist
Wouter Basson had breached
the laws of humanity. The re-
port was the written testimony
of medical ethics professional
Steven Miles, a lecturer at the
University of Minnesota. Miles
wrote that Bassons work risked
causing disabilities, deaths and
permanent brain damage
which is a counter to the ethical
core of medicine. Into its sec-
ond day, the hearing was con-
vened based on complaints of 27
doctors on the ethics of Bassons
role as the head of the apartheid
governments Project Coast.
da: south africa is not
chinas subordinate
Pressure is mounting on the
South African government to
grant the Dalai Lama a visa to
attend Archbishop Emeritus
Desmond Tutus 80th birthday
celebrations in Cape Town. The
Democratic Alliance added to
the chorus of voices on Tues-
day when Stevens Mokgalapa,
briefs south africa
the partys shadow minister of
international afairs, said in a
statement that South Africa
should not act as Chinas sub-
ordinate by giving in to pres-
sure to deny the visa. His Holi-
nesss previous visa application
was denied on fears that grant-
ing it would sour diplomatic
relations with China.
rea vaya buses back in
operation following wage
agreement
The City of Johannesburg and
Rea Vaya bus operator Piotrans
said in a statement on Tuesday
that it had reached an agree-
ment with the South African
Municipal Workers Union that
would end the bus driver strike
which has been on for almost
two months. Drivers were ask-
ing for a basic salary of R15,000,
but had to settle for R6,550 a
month, a 13th cheque and a
10% contribution to a provi-
dent fund. The drivers will also
receive a once-of payment of
R1,500 when they return to
work on Wednesday.
madikizela-mandela
awarded ubuntu award
for selflessness
The National Heritage Council
awarded Winnie Madikizela-
Mandela its Ubuntu award for
her selfess contribution to hu-
mankind. Accepting the award
over at a breakfast event at the
Mandela Museum house in
Soweto, Madikizela-Mandela
called the award the greatest
honour she has ever received.
She is the frst woman to re-
ceive the award whose previ-
ous recipients include Cubas
Fidel Castro, Zambias Kenneth
Kaunda and former UN secre-
tary general Boutros-Boutros
Ghali. The NHC has stated in
the past that it aspires for the
award to reach the status of the
Nobel Peace Prize.
sushi king kunenes mine
shut down
The Sowetan reported on
Tuesday that the department
of mineral resources had can-
celled it mining rights awarded
to Central Rand Gold, a com-
pany owned by sushi king
Kenny Kunene and his busi-
ness partner Gayton McKenzie.
The department said the com-
pany had failed to comply with
mining regulations, including
procedures over retrenchments
and its community outreach
and development programmes.
arcelormittal still
looking for empowerment
deal
ArcelorMittal South Africa is
still looking for an empower-
ment deal following the can-
cellation of its proposed em-
powerment deal with Imperial
Crown Trading, a company
whose owners include Presi-
dent Zumas son Duduzane and
Atul Gupta. The deal had been
widely criticised due to a lack
of transparency and allegations
of background political deal-
ings.
zuma urges unity for
business commmunity
The presidency said in a state-
ment on Tuesday that Presi-
dent Jacob Zuma had met with
Business Unity South Africa
to get their perspective on the
recent departure of black busi-
nesses from the partnership.
The split of black businesses
from Busa has led to the for-
mation of the Black Business
Council, which is chaired by
billionaire businessman Patrice
Motsepe. The President had
said previously that his at-
tempts to meet with Busa were
unsuccessful.
anarchist newsreader
fired
Self-proclaimed anarchist Mark
Esterhuysen the newsreader
who launched an F-word laced
tirade during a live 1am bul-
letin on Radio 702 on Tuesday
has been fred by Eyewitness
News. Esterhuysen managed to
get out 40 seconds of expletives
against capitalism, Malema,
the police, the state and more
before being cut of. He also
managed to squeeze in that
listeners should fnd him on
his blog, Twitter account and
Facebook.
south africa secrecy bill
aNc makes iNfo bill
its baby oppositioN
excluded from New
coNsultatioN process
read more:
1. ANC MPs rethink Information Bill in Daily Maverick
2. ANC Makes u-turn on Secrecy Bill and lives to tell the tale in
Daily Maverick
As Parliaments ad hoc committee for the
Protection of Information Bill was dissolved last
week, the ANC started its own public consultation
process on the proposed law. Opposition parties
are crying foul, reports CARIEN DU PLESSIS.
The ANC Protection of Information Bill
Committee will now be responsible for coor-
dinating public engagement with representa-
tives from civil society, non-governmental and
community-based organisations and interested
individuals on the draft bill.
"Public meetings will be held in all the prov-
inces, and this will ensure that we do not only
listen to the views of well-fnanced lobby groups
with means to travel to Cape Town, but also
those of ordinary people in the remotest vil-
lages.
An Information Bill Unit would serve as
a secretariat to the ANCs study group on the
matter.
The submissions can be emailed to infobill@
parliament.gov.za or faxed to 0867316737.
The DA on Tuesday said this veneer of pub-
lic ventilation of the issues would fool no-one
and that the consultation of people in remote
villages are ways by the ANC of manipulating
public opinion and then presenting the pre-de-
termined result as the voice of the people.
The ACDP also complained, saying the ANCs
committee had excluded opposition parties.
Right2Know campaign co-ordinator Murray
Hunter said other parties needed to be involved
too. Public consultation is not something one
party should own. What we dont want is pub-
lic consultations stage-managed by the ANC to
spin this bill to the public, he said.
Idasas Judith February said the process the
ANC was following was unusual. She said the
ANC was within its rights to solicit as many
viewpoints as possible, but when it comes to a
parliamentary process, it must include other
parties.
The ruling party has decided to boldly go where
Parliament has gone before, and its caucus an-
nounced on Tuesday that it was now open to
further consultations with interest groups,
civil society and individual members of the
public.
These apparently include the unnamed
groups who didnt get around to submitting
their inputs about the Protection of Information
Bill in the past few months, as ANC chief whip
Mathole Motshekga put it last week after the
partys surprise withdrawal of the draft law, one
day before it was due to be voted on by the Na-
tional Assembly.
south africa george bizos
bizos comes up for
the courts
read more:
1. The changes I have witnessed in South Africa over my life on Polity.org.za
Advocate George Bizos is known for
speaking his mind, a trend that continues
in his old age as he takes to defending
the Constitution and the courts. For that
alone, one needs a bucket of courage
nowadays. CARIEN DU PLESSIS reports.
storm again over whether courts, unelected and still
dominated by white male judges, have the right to over-
rule the executive and the legislature when it came to
political decisions and legislation.
Additionally, ANC politicians as well as freedom of
speech commentators have recently been sharply critical
about a courts decision to interdict the singing of a cer-
tain freedom song.
Youth leaders like Julius Malema, disgruntled about
the lack of progress in the fght against poverty and
landlessness, have also in recent times called for amend-
ments to the Constitution to speed up land reform.
Enter Bizos, addressing a thinkers symposium organ-
ised by academic organisation Golden Key at Wits, and
put it straight to the largely student audience: Please
dont blame the Constitution for our problems. There is
nothing wrong with the Constitution.
It was something 85% of MPs voted in favour of,
while the IFP opposed because it had wanted a federal
system.
The idea that the Constitution is too liberal or that it
was put together by a bunch of lawyers in dark rooms in
various hotels is just not true.
It promises education and housing, and its the politi-
cal leaders who failed to implement it, Bizos said.
South Africa averted a racial civil war and we need-
ed the courts to avert bloodshed by ruling on disputes.
Bizos also defended the separation of powers, saying
politicians could not claim that courts had no right to
exist because they werent elected. They are the third
tier of the state. The tiers have to show respect for each
other, he said.
This went for government implementing the deci-
sions of courts, and courts being sensitive to policy-
making processes in government.
Photo: George Bizos, REUTERS
Its probably not the frst time the man
who will forever be famous as the law-
yer who defended Nelson Mandela
came up for the courts.
George Bizos knows his story too well
and is no lightweight.
In recent times there has been a
dalai lama south africa
facing global scrutiny, south africa
still mulls dalai lama's visa
It remains unclear when exactly the countrys
gatekeepers will announce the fate of the Dalai
Lamas visa application. Speaking to iMaverick
on Tuesday, Dirco spokesman Clayson Monyela
stressed that the visa applicant, and not the
media, will be notifed about the success
or failure of the application at some point
in the next few days. Dirco claims that the
visa application is subject to due processes
Amid intense international scrutiny, South Africa has still not issued a visa to His Holiness the Dalai
Lama. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) claims that the visa application
itself was delayed by a failure on the part of representatives of the Dalai Lama to submit the necessary
paperwork to the South African High Commission in New Delhi. All outstanding documents have since
been submitted, according to Dirco and the application is being considered in a routine visa application
processes". Dirco cant however confrm if the visa will be granted, or indeed, denied in time for
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutus birthday bash on 8 October. By KHADIJA PATEL.
Photo: REUTERS
but Al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday that a
visa application at the South African High
Commission in New Delhi, where the application
was launched, usually takes fve days. The
delay has captured the attention of the worlds
media and invited scrutiny of the South African
governments relationship with China.
dalai lama south africa
The last time a brouhaha erupted over
a purportedly failed visa application by the
Tibetan spiritual leader, Inkatha Freedom Party
leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi submitted an
application at the Western Cape High Court
to force the Home Afairs minister of the
time, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngakula, the Home
Afairs director-general Mavuso Msimang and
President Kgalema Motlanthe, to grant the
Dalai Lama a visa to enter South Africa. "On
the basis of my experience and expertise as
the longest serving minister of home afairs
of the democratic South Africa, I can attest
that the barring of the entry of a high-profle
international political and spiritual leader, such
as the Dalai Lama, is an exclusively political
decision, as there are no grounds in law to bar
him from entry," Buthelezi said.
In response to Buthelezi however, on behalf
of Home Afairs, Msimang said Buthelezi's
application was "replete with uncorroborated
hearsay evidence". In an afdavit Msimang said
that the Dalai Lama had never actually applied
for a visa to attend the peace conference in
2009. "It is denied that a visa application was
submitted to the Department of Home Afairs
for the issuing of a visa to His Holiness, the
Dalai Lama," the afdavit said. Msimangs
claim was corroborated by Themba Mgabe, a
Home Afairs ofcial based at the South African
High Commission in India, who also said in an
afdavit that he had met a representative of the
Dalai Lama, but that the leader had decided to
put a hold on applying for a visa pending talks
over the postponement of the conference.
The Dalai Lama, however, confrmed to
international media at the time that South
Africa had denied a visa to the Tibetan monk.
""It is true that South Africa, under intense
pressure from the Chinese authorities, have
denied a visa to the Dalai Lama," spokesman
Thubten Samphel said in 2009. Regardless
of the ofcial South African version of events,
the records continue to show that South Africa
caved under pressure from China in 2009 and
denied the Dalai Lama a visa.
Two years later, Dirco revokes claims that
South Africa had denied a visa to the Dalai
Lama in 2009 and shrugs of rampant suspicion
of Chinese meddling in the visa application.
Crucially however, the banalities of visa
applications are more commonly the realm of
the Department of Home Afairs. It is, after all,
Home Afairs that will ultimately grant, or deny
the visa. Yet it has fallen to Dirco to answer
questions about the visa application.
Spokesman for the Department of Home
Afairs, Ronnie Mamoepa told iMaverick that due
to the "magnitude" of the situation pending on the
application, the matter has been referred to Dirco
to handle. Mamoepa said the visa application
had political and diplomatic implications" and
was therefore a Dirco matter. So while the South
African government may claim that it is business
as usual with the Dalai Lamas visa application,
the implications of the application are clearly
understood. As we said some days ago, South
Africa's integrity test beckons.
read more:
1. Dalai Lama made to wait for S Africa visa in Al Jazeera
2. Dismay at Dalai Lama visa delay in IOL News
3. South Africa in hot seat over Dalai Lama visa in The Africa
Report
4. South Africa May Block Dalai Lama Visit in Time
5. Dalai Lama visit blocked by South Africa to please China,
says opposition in The Guardian (UK)
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zuma tapes south africa
zuma spy tape drama playing again
Midway through his term as President, those
tapes that once saved his political life have come
back to haunt Jacob Zuma. This is happening
ironically at the same time that turf battles
within the countrys intelligence agencies are
brewing again, as they did when these tapes were
made and from whats been reported, its clear
that Zuma is determined to keep loyalties in
these agencies frmly behind him.
The tape revival happened in something as
President Jacob Zuma has had a good run in the past few weeks, asserting himself as a leader of action.
But an arbiters fnding that the spy tapes used to drop corruption charges against him were illegal, could
prove to be grease to his grip on the reins of power. CARIEN DU PLESSIS examines the implications.
Photo: Then freshly-sacked South African deputy president Jacob Zuma
arrives at the Durban Magistrate's Court November 12, 2005. REUTERS/
Siphiwe Sibeko
pedestrian as a Commission for Conciliation,
Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) hearing,
which involved former deputy head of the
Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Faiek Davids,
who started his legal battle with the SIU after
his dismissal in November (he was suspended
in June 2009). The CCMA ruled on Tuesday
on a preliminary point that the spy tapes,
which the SIU had wanted to use to prove
that Davids had become incompatible with
his superior, SIU head Willie Hofmeyr, were
illegal and inadmissable.
Davids had apparently made statements
denigrating Hofmeyr in intercepted
telephone conversations with former
Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy. Although
these werent on the actual tapes that the
SIU managed to obtain, they were part of the
same set of tapes.
Davids lawyer, Sonia de Vries from
Webber Wentzel on Tuesday night said the
court found it could not rely on evidence that
were unlawfully obtained.
The tapes could therefore not be used in
the CCMA. If the SIU had wanted to continue
with the case, it would have to fnd other
evidence or other grounds, but the question
then arose whether the dismissal was done in
good faith, De Vries said.
The controversial tapes were used by
acting head of the National Prosecuting
Authority Mokotedi Mpshe in April 2009 to
prove that the corruption charges against
Zuma were trumped up. Phone conversations
between McCarthy and former NPA boss
Bulelani Ngcuka were recorded. These
apparently pointed to a secret connivance
between them.
McCarthys phone was bugged by
police crime intelligence and the National
Intelligence Agency after the leaking of the
controversial Browse Mole Report (which
implicated Zuma in a plot to overthrow
Mbeki).
What is still unclear is how the tapes got
into the hands of Zumas lawyer, Michael
Hulley, who is apparently still the only one
who has complete copies of these tapes. Its
been speculated that this happened through
the countrys intelligence agency.
Hofmeyr had listened to the recordings at
Hulleys ofces, and eventually got some of
them through the NPA (the police couldnt
supply him with copies because apparently
their relations with the NPA were strained at
the time). Hofmeyr fought in August to keep
Davidss hearing out of the public eye, but his
plea was overruled and the hearing was open
for the media to report on.
His testimony demystifed some of the
secrecy surrounding the tapes and their
mccarthys phone was bugged by police
crime intelligence and the national intelligence
agency after the leaking of the controversial
Browse mole report (which implicated zuma
in a plot to overthrow mbeki).
read more:
1. New battle rages over Zuma spy tapes in Timeslive
authenticity, as he told of how intelligence
ofcials struggled to decode them. He also
admitted that the NPA was not one of the
parties applying for permission to have
the phone conversations bugged. Such
permission, from a judge, is required by law.
Many of Zumas detractors might now be
asking if and how they could use this ruling
in their favour. A legal expert told iMaverick
that a CCMA ruling does not bear the same
weight as a court judgement, but it does count
for something. Although it would be difcult
to use it in a court (dropping Zumas charges
had to do with Mpshes discretion, rather
than Zumas innocence or guilt, or even a
technicality in the case, and besides, nobody
seems to have a complete set of the tapes), it
might have political implications. For one, it
again opens up Zumas old wounds, exposing
his vulnerable side which Mbeki once tried to
exploit to stop Zuma from rising to power.
This didnt work out for Mbeki as Zuma
rallied enough support to oust Mbeki. That
same support base is now crumbling for Zuma.
Any challenge regarding the tapes is unlikely
to come from the NPA, as its head Menzi
Simelane is sympathetic towards Zuma.
Former national director of Public
Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli told The Times that
his position had always been that the NPA
should have allowed a court of law to rule on
the authenticity of the tapes and whether they
implied that the charges against Zuma were
orchestrated.
"I've always had a problem with dropping the
charges. The matter should have been settled in
court rather than for some individuals to decide
on their own," said Pikoli.
He said his argument remained that the
spy tapes did not materially afect the case or
the evidence the NPA had against Zuma.
"It's still unclear what tests they applied
when coming to the decision [to drop the
charges]. This ruling adds weight to the
position I have always held. In some way I am
vindicated," said Pikoli.
Then there is still the DAs challenge to
Mpshes decision a court case that had been
dragging on since just after the decision was
taken. DA chairman of the federal council
James Selfe told iMaverick that the case is set
to come before the Supreme Court of Appeal
in February (incidentally, the partys appeal
against the appointment of Simelane as NPA
boss will be heard on 31 October by fve
Supreme Court of Appeal judges).
Selfe said although the CCMAs fnding on
the Davids case wasnt binding in law, it is
signifcant in the sense that this brings the
status of the tapes under question.
He said it points to the bizarre sort of
situation that goes on in both the intelligence
agencies that are competing with each
other so much that they cant guarantee the
security of the state and that they neglect to
pursue real criminal.
Its not clear whether the SIU would
appeal the CCMA ruling, but De Vries said
they expected to get some indication from
the SIU before the end of the week. Justice
spokesman Tlali Tlali did not respond to
a request for comment sent to him late on
Tuesday night.
da south africa
Mazibukos star rises as she outlines her
plan for the da parliaMentary caucus
We believe that the DA national caucus
in Parliament needs to be the hub of
policy development in the party, and we
also believe that Parliament needs to take
its place as the primary place of political
engagement and debate, Mazibuko said at
Tuesdays press conference.
Contrasting with ANC NEC member
Ngoako Ramatlhodis view that power has
been emptied from the legislature and
placed in the judiciary, civil society and
Chapter Nine institutions, Mazibuko argued
that it is debate and engagement which has
been emptied from Parliament and placed
instead in the ruling partys structures.
The news had already been widely reported by the time she announced it, but that didnt
stop Democratic Alliance MP Lindiwe Mazibuko from basking in the limelight of what could
possibly mark another signifcant change in the South African political landscape a young
black woman leading the offcial opposition in Parliament. Rejecting the notion that her
appointment would be window dressing, the 31-year-old Mazibuko outlined some of the
changes she would ring in. BY OSIAME MOLEFE
Photo: Wilmot James, Lindiwe Mazibuko and Watty Watson. (Osiame Molefe
for iMaverick)
She added later, When it comes to the ANC,
Parliament is not taken seriously enough. The
President doesnt come into the house nearly
as often as he should and committees are
increasingly becoming rubber stamps for ANC
policy that is decided outside of Parliament and
even outside of the government.
She was likely alluding to the recent
handling of the Protection of State Information
Bill, which the ANC national executive
committee decided to pull at the last minute
and the partys Parliamentary caucus was made
to sign-of on the decision.
da south africa
We can hoist Parliament back up as
the place where South Africa debates its
political issues from joblessness to even the
so-called national question about race. These
things are tending to increasingly unfold in
courtrooms. Parliament needs to become
the hub for this debate because it is the
representative of the people, Mazibuko said.
The partys racial composition, especially
within its leadership structures, has been its
Achilles heel when it comes to attracting the
black vote. Mazibuko said that the partys
leadership should represent South Africas
diversity and insisted that white males still
had a role to play.
But with a limited number of leadership
positions available, it seems Mazibuko
is talking herself into a mathematical
impossibility and possibly risking isolating
key areas of support. The reality, though, is if
the party intends to rule, it needs to broaden
its support base and if that means isolating
traditional areas of support, Mazibuko and
the think-tank behind her are prepared to
risk that.
Athol Trollip, the incumbent and her
competition for the position, welcomed
Mazibukos challenge. Unlike the ruling partys
leadership contestations, this one seems to be
public and unfolding in a collegial manner, for
now. But by throwing her hat into the ring,
Mazibuko has split the party into a younger
faction that supports her and an older, more
conservative faction that supports Trollip. The
time between now and the mid-term caucus
elections on 27 October will reveal whether the
contest will remain as clean as it has begun.
The strongest and most valid criticism
Mazibuko will face is that she is light on
experience and too young to command the
respect of opposition MPs who are wise to
the ways of Parliament. On this she said, I
intend to use my youth as a strength. My age
and experiences represent the vast majority of
experiences in the country. The President and
the governing party should be ready to face
young South Africans.
Her running mates federal chairman
Wilmot James and leader in the National
Council of Provinces Watty Watson sat
fanking her at the press conference, but were
mostly silent, giving Mazibuko the glory.
The trio said that they will be engaging
with caucus members over the coming weeks
before presenting a detailed plan that will
change how the DA functions in Parliament,
and how Parliament positions itself in South
African politics.
I dont have my eye on Helens job at the
moment. And I believe that Helen is the
right leader to take us to the next election,
Mazibuko said. But with Zille herself having
tipped Mazibuko as the partys future leader,
this seems the next natural evolution if she
lands this job.
Mazibuko said that the
partys leadership should
represent south africas
diversity and insisted
that white males still had
a role to play.
dr death south africa
sas angel of death, deconstructed
We had been promised that the man who took
over from Basson in running the militarys
biological weapons programme would testify on
day two. But, unfortunately, the evil sorcerers
apprentice didnt take the stand in the end.
Theres still paperwork to be flled in. And that
cleared the space for the main witness being
brought by the council. It took prosecutors
about half an hour just to read into the record
the qualifcations and experience of Professor
Steven Miles. Hes from Minnesota, a fact you
can hear every time he pronounces Bassons
name Dr Bassoon. As someone who claims
that narcotics are part of my daily work, we
should take him seriously. Miles has sat on
Were now into the main meat of the case against Dr Wouter Basson. That means were hearing about
biological weapons, weaponised mandrax mortars and a factory of death. Unfortunately, its not a
case involving judges, but the slightly lesser mortals of the Health Professions Council. They want him
prevented from working as a doctor, because of the role he played in leading the apartheid governments
biological weapons programme, bringing his ethics into play. And those ethics took a real pasting on day
two of the inquiry that could see him struck off the doctors roll. By STEPHEN GROOTES
Photo: REUTERS
virtually every medical ethics body there is, and
it shows.
In any proceeding when the prosecution
brings its main expert witness, you know that
that person has been coached to the max. The
same has happened here. Miles is someone used
to testifying in court theres a big market for
that sort of thing in the US. And hes used to
the high stakes game as well. Clearly hes done
his research on this matter. Hes looked into
what Basson did, and how he tried to clear it
with authorities. Part of his job is to make sure
that Bassons arguments are headed of at the
pass. To do it, he reads through a part of the
testimony Basson gave during his criminal trial,
and then provides a sort of commentary on the
ethics of the act.
One of the main philosophical points of this
case is likely to be whether an order given to
a doctor who is also a soldier will trump that
persons duty to the medical profession. For
Miles, this is easy: it just doesnt. A doctor is
a doctor frst, foremost and always. There can
be no question about it. He cites international
treaties the view of the World Medical
Association came up a lot. He starts with the
development of medical ethics and that chap
Hippocrates in Ancient Greece. We moved
through to Nuremberg and then ended up with
the Geneva Convention.
Basson, according to Miles, falls foul of
every one of those when you consider that he
developed toxic substances with no thought
to their therapeutic use. In other words, he
developed terribly bad stuf, and wasnt going
to use it to treat or help people. Bassons entire
enterprise was premised on weakening human
beings employing medical knowledge to
imperil health or destroy life. Surely, that must
be true, even on Bassons own evidence.
One of the other roles of the expert
prosecution witness is to take the court, or
panel in this matter, through the main facts
of the case to literally read through what
actually happened. Weve heard much if not
all of it before; fascinating nevertheless. There
was a substance that Basson manufactured
called BZ. Its hectically toxic, and difcult to
control. The Americans stopped using it in
the 1970s because they couldnt predict how it
afects people in the battlefeld. But secretly,
Basson got tonnes of it, he weaponised tonnes
of it. The same is true for ecstasy. Essentially,
Basson was getting hold of these drugs, and
fnding a way to use them on the battlefeld.
In one case, he got around 200,000
Mandrax tablets, had them ground up, and
made into a gas. That gas was then put into a
mortar shell, so it could be fred from around
7km away. The results would have been
impossible to predict. Some soldiers would
have felt distinctly odd and disorientated, but
others could have died. Were talking here
about the type of tactics that were supposed to
stop after the First World War.
Then there is the claim, which could be
crucial, that Basson didnt just develop these
weapons, he actually oversaw their military
deployment. He essentially made sure they
were used properly on the battlefeld by going
into the theatre of war and supervising the
in one case, he got around 200,000 Mandrax
tablets, had them ground up, and made into a gas.
that gas was then put into a mortar shell, so it
could be fred from around 7km away.
process. Quoting from Bassons testimony at
his criminal trial, Miles explained how Basson
had watched as apartheid defence force troops
in Angola had used them when one group of
tanks was pinned down in a minefeld. Basson
has always claimed that he developed these
weapons, but didnt actually use them himself.
This could be the game-changer.
Then we have another claim that Basson
knowingly broke virtually every biological arms
treaty there is, because he actually exported
these weapons. These mortars with tear gas were
sent to Angola for use by guerilla leader Jonas
Savimbi. They were given to his bodyguards with
instructions to use them as a last resort if he were
ever pinned down and couldnt escape. According
to Miles, this makes Basson an exporter of
biological weapons, and thus doubly evil.
There is something about biological weapons
that gives you the creeps, the nape of your neck
twitches uncomfortably. The thought of our
country exporting them just makes it all worse.
And then we have Bassons cyanide problem.
He gave the poison to commanders of SADF
special forces to give to their soldiers as a suicide
pill. Theres no question here that the soldiers
didnt know what the pills were, or what they
were for. They absolutely did. But Miles has real
issues with the ethics involved nonetheless.
Firstly, how can a doctor help someone
healthy to die? Then theres the actual death.
Apparently, its not pleasant. He says you can
forget television dramas and Agatha Christie
novels, its not like that. Cyanide is a chemical
asphyxiation in which the cells of your body
are not able to use the oxygen you breath in. Its
agony all over your body. It also takes around
six minutes. So for Basson to willingly prescribe
such agonising death is simply wrong.
Theres also a technical problem for Basson
here. He has previously admitted to keeping
his cyanide in his medicine cabinet with all his
other drugs. So his poison was literally next
to his antibiotics. As Miles puts it, that has
to be a violation of regulations. It has to be a
violation of common sense. This is the kind of
technicality that could haunt Basson, because
it doesnt really go to his acts as apartheids
Dr Death, but to his actual competence. For
a man who seems to pride himself on exactly
that, a fnding against him here could be
doubly stinging.
Miles has now fnished with the testimony
he prepared. Now comes the real test of his
coaching. The previous time the council tried
to stop Basson from practicing, things went
swimmingly until the cross-examination by
his advocate Jaap Cilliers. Cilliers is back at his
side, and would appear to relish the prospect
of forcing another witness to admit Basson
had done nothing wrong. But Miles does seem
to be made of stern stuf. It should be an
interesting third day.
Grootes is an EWN reporter.
there is something about
biological weapons that
gives you the creeps, the
nape of your neck twitches
uncomfortably. the thought
of our country exporting them
just makes it all worse.
samantha vice south africa
the Great White Debate
samantha vice WeiGhs in aGain
It was Eusebius McKaiser, an associate at the
Wits Centre for Ethics, who let South Africa on
to Samantha Vices paper.
Titled How Do I Live In This Strange
Place, the paper explored what the appropriate
Samantha Vices paper on whiteness in South Africa wasnt originally meant to be disseminated
outside of philosophy circles. As it was, the paper did make it into the public sphere, where it caused a
tremendous uproar. On Tuesday afternoon, Vice attempted to dispel some of the fears and concerns her
frst paper evoked by clarifying some of her positions. By SIPHO HLONGWANE
Photo: Sipho Hlongwane for iMaverick
response to being white in South Africa might
be, given the history of oppression of blacks
on the one hand, and the privilege aforded to
whites on the other.
McKaiser responded with an article
in Mail & Guardian which was broadly
supportive of Vices views.
Most respondents werent. The FW de
Klerk Foundation accused Vice of racism.
Some of the kinder responses said that
she was blind to the good done by whites
since 1994, and most misinterpreted her call
for silence to mean that whites should retreat
from South African public life to wallow in
gratuitous self-pity behind high walls.
That, the diminutive Rhodes lecturer and
philosopher said to a small audience at the
University of Witwatersrand, was a wrong
reading of what she was advocating.
She began her talk by distinguishing
between whiteness and whitelyness.
Whiteness is a biological construct, but
whitelyness is a quality of consciousness
that assumes whiteness is the norm.
In South Africa, whitelyness manifests
partly in not questioning the privilege and
better position that the system of apartheid
gave to whites. Vices position is that it is
appropriate for whites to feel shame for this,
even if they are not personally responsible for
apartheid.
White shame is therefore about the
individual recognising that there had been
a failing of some legitimate moral code.
She admitted that she could have been
more nuanced, and not have appeared
to assume that there was only one type
of white person in South Africa, but all
forms of whiteness in South Africa come
with privilege.
The responses to my paper show an
insidious failure to recognise whitelyness
and shows a lack of insight, she said. I
dont think of shame as a self-indulgent
wallow that brings some perverse
pleasure. It is an emotion that someone
how is connected to a value system.
Shame is occasioned by self-knowledge.
The silence that she is advocating for is
not a complete withdrawal from society,
but an active engagement that works to rid
whites of whitely habits.
I fnd it very distasteful for whites
to make comments about corruption
as if such things couldnt stem under
apartheid and cannot even be as a result of
apartheid, she said.
We should get our own house in order
she admitted that she could have been more nuanced,
and not have appeared to assume that there was only
one type of white person in south africa, but all forms of
whiteness in south africa come with privilege.
reaD more:
1. The Whiteness debate in Mail & Guardian
2. Eusebius McKaiser: Confronting whiteness in Mail & Guardian
3. Samantha Vice: Why my opinions on whiteness touched a
nerve in Mail & Guardian
4. Samantha Vice: How do I live in this strange place
before criticising those who were the victims
of apartheid.
Ward Jones, a professor of philosophy at
Rhodes University, spoke after Vice. He also
agreed with the premise presented in Vices
earlier paper, and his own paper sought to
sharpen her argument and un-blur some of
the lines which had been blurred.
He gave some examples of what
whitelyness is. Expecting other people to
follow ones norms of etiquette, making
no efort to step outside of ones system
of norms to judge other people and their
performances, and also expecting others to
speak ones language and expecting them to
accept ones pronunciation of theirs were all
traits of whitelyness.
He compared whitelyness to the
dominating behavioural habits of men.
The humility and silence that Vice was
asking for from whites meant recognising
that those with money (only 1% of white
South Africans live in poverty, compared to
50% of black South Africans) have louder
political voices, which means that they would
be heard out of proportion to their numbers.
It means recognising that domineering
whitely habits are going to infect the
public sphere, meaning again that white
South Africans are going to be heard out of
proportion to their numbers, Jones said.
He also very controversially stated that
humility and silence from whites means
recognising that they (as a group) set the
previous, unjust agenda for South Africa,
and as such should be suspicious of their
own abilities to contribute to the unjust
agendas reversal.
Judging by the questions that were raised
during the question and answer session, the
ideas espoused by Vice, McKaiser and Jones
are far from being fully understood, let alone
being accepted by white South Africans.
The topics under discussion are
enormously complicated and will inevitable
continue to rub many up the wrong way.
The one answer posited to the original
question of how one is to live in this strange
place is still very contentious.
the humility and silence
that vice was asking
for from whites meant
recognising that those
with money (only 1% of
white south africans live
in poverty, compared
to 50% of black south
africans) have louder
political voices, which
means that they would be
heard out of proportion to
their numbers.
aFrica
africa briefs
Egypt's elections begin on 28 November (Reuters)
sahara tense following
clashes on sunday
Ethnic clashes in Dakhla,
Western Sahara on Sunday
have claimed seven lives, ac-
cording to Moroccos Map news
agency. Two policemen are said
to be among the dead. The
clashes between residents of
Sahrawi and Moroccan origin
broke out after a soccer match,
prompting police to fre tear
gas to disperse the crowds.
Reports say that the clashes
continued through to Tuesday
morning as the groups moved
to other parts of the city.
two dead in police
crackdown of opposition
protests in guinea
At least two people are dead
in Guinea following a police
crackdown on opposition party
protests in the capital. Opposi-
tion leader Cellou Dalein Dial-
lo, who organised the protests,
was quoted by Reuters as say-
ing that he has bullet castings
that prove that police were us-
ing live rounds. Diallo narrowly
lost last years presidential
election and has vowed to pre-
vent the November parliamen-
tary election from taking place
because he claims President
Alpha Cond would rig it.
central somalia residents
report increasing al-
shabaab desertions
According to residents in So-
malias central regions, al-Sha-
baab militants operating in the
area have been deserting the
groups cause and returning to
their home districts in droves.
The countrys national security
agency had on Monday publicly
rewarded two teenage desert-
ers with $300 in a bid to lure
more deserters, Africa Review
reported. Suggestions are that
in the countrys central region,
at least, al-Shabaab is losing its
control over its fghters.
un: thousands of families
in kenya still displaced
Following a nine-day mission
to Kenya, the UN has called on
the countrys government to re-
settle thousands of people dis-
placed by violence following the
countrys disputed 2007 presi-
dential elections. The number
of families still displaced is
estimated to be higher than the
ofcial 6,713, with children be-
ing the worst afected according
to the UNs representative. Six
Kenyan politicians are currently
at the International Criminal
Court on charges related to
post-election violence.
egypts parliamentary
elections to begin on 28
november
Egypts ruling military coun-
cil issued a decree on Tuesday
announcing the dates for the
countrys parliamentary elec-
tions, according to the state-
owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
The elections will begin on 28
November for the lower house
of parliament followed by elec-
tions for the upper house on 29
January next year.
africa guinea
fears of ethnic
clashes in guinea
as pre-poll
violence mounts
read more:
1. Guinea Police Clash With Protesters, 2 Dead in Voice of
America
2. Guinea elections: Three die as police break up protest in
BBC News
3. TIMELINE-Political tensions rise again in Guinea in AlertNet
Pre-electoral tension spilled onto the streets of
Conakry in Guinea on Tuesday as security forces
cracked down on an opposition protest. At least
three people were said to have been killed in
clashes between security forces and protesters,
and concerns are rising that the violence could
spark ethnic clashes ahead of elections scheduled
for December. By KHADIJA PATEL
The clashes in Guineas capital, Conakry,
occurred after police and paramilitary forces
prevented opposition supporters from gathering
for a protest march against the governments
handling of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Opposition leaders allege that the electoral pro-
cesses have been skewed in favour of President
Alpha Conde. Tensions have been simmering in
Guinea for months and in July, an attempt was
made on Condes life, seeding mistrust between
the President and the opposition. Conde ac-
cused the main opposition party of orchestrat-
ing the assassination attempt and in turn, the
opposition accuses Conde of abusing his pow-
ers to gain an illicit advantage in the upcoming
parliamentary elections. Dialogue between the
two camps has failed to resolve the dispute and
the opposition proceeded to stage a protest on
Tuesday.
Reuters reports Guineas security minister
Mamadouba Toto Camara defended the pres-
ence of the police at the rally, saying police had
the right to supervise the rally. He claimed the
police were obstructed from gaining access to
the September 28 stadium, where the rally was
to be held. The resulting violence is however
set to further embitter the opposition to the
government. Rather worryingly, there are also
increasing incidences of political mobilisation
along ethnic lines in Guinea in recent weeks.
Coupled with ferce anti-government sentiment,
ethnic chauvinism will lead to a blood soaked
run-up to the parliamentary elections.
AfricA somAliA
BlAck HAwk Down:
THe Drone version
reAD more:
1. US spy drone crashes in South Somalia on Reuters Africa
The last time a US aircraft crashed in
Somalia, the world watched in horror as
the corpse of a US soldier was dragged
through the mean streets of Mogadishu.
This time when an American drone
went down in Al-Shabaab territory,
hardly anyone noticed. Its a convincing
argument for the effectiveness of
unmanned bombers, especially if youre a
military man. By SIMON ALLISON.
This plane was a spy for the American
government and, by the will of Allah, it
crashed near the airport, said an Al-Sha-
baab ofcial on Monday after a US un-
manned aerial vehicle, otherwise known as
a drone, went down over the Somali port
of Kismayo. We did not target it, but it fell
down, he said.
The USAs highly sophisticated drones
conduct high-altitude surveillance and
precision bombing, controlled video game-
style from a base in Nevada. Theyre used
most frequently in Pakistan, but are also
seen regularly in the skies above Somalia. Recently
leaked plans indicate the US is activating a circle of
drone bases around the Horn of Africa to monitor and
target Al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
But despite their $4 million price tag, the US wont
really mind the loss of a drone over Somalia. Although
it happened 18 years ago, the memory of the notorious
Black Hawk Down incident remains fresh. Two Black-
hawk helicopters went down over Mogadishu during a
US raid on a tribal warlord, US forces were pinned down
overnight in a frefght and 18 troops were killed. The
incident is credited with making the US very wary of
foreign involvement, and explains why they refused to
intervene in other situations, such as in Rwanda.
The US drone programme was designed to prevent
exactly such problems, allowing American troops to
remain safe in their bases while their machines do the
dirty work. The latest loss of such a machine shows
that they work, which is why there will be plenty more
drones circling over Somalia and potentially other Af-
rican countries in the coming years.
Photo: Predator drone (REUTERS)
africa libya
New libyas
Tuareg headache
read more:
1. Tuareg tribes clash with new Libyan
forces on Reuters Africa
2. The Tuareg people and the mystery of the
Niger convoy on the Daily Maverick
As if they dont have enough to
do, Libyas new leaders have the
headache of how to handle the
Tuareg, the desert nomads who were
such staunch Gaddaf supporters.
And to highlight the urgency of this
problem, clashes between Tuareg
and new Libya forces erupted on
the Algerian border this week a
warning of just how much trouble
the militant minority could cause. By
SIMON ALLISON.
Libya is fnding that fnishing of a revolution is just as dif-
cult as starting one. Despite assuming the trappings of power,
they havent been able to announce a new government, they
still cant fnd Gaddaf and theyre already having problems
with a minority group whos not that pleased that their prima-
ry benefactor is no longer distributing his legendary largesse.
Under Gaddaf, the Tuaregs the nomadic, militant desert
tribe who are fercely independent and have little to no re-
spect for borders enjoyed ofcial support, which went as far
as sponsoring attempted Tuareg rebellions in Mali and Niger.
Understandably, theyre concerned about their prospects in a
post-Gaddaf Libya.
Worryingly for Libyas new leaders, these fears have mani-
fested themselves in violence against the new dispensation.
Reuters reported that skirmishes this weekend, initially
blamed on pro-Gaddaf forces, were actually between the Lib-
yan interim government fghters (formerly known as rebels)
and Tuaregs. A Tuareg leader contacted by Reuters said that
the clashes were sparked by victimisation threats: The Liby-
ans wanted to clean up the city from its Tuareg. This is how it
all started. They provoked our brothers saying they are with
Gaddaf, and that Gaddaf is over now, so they have to disap-
pear too. This is why the clashes erupted.
The Tuaregs are heavily armed and have historically been
unafraid to use their weapons. They have the potential to seri-
ously destabilise any new Libyan government, not to mention
the region as a whole. An anti-Gaddaf commander based in
Libya said that the interim government would attempt to or-
ganise a reconciliation meeting soon. Libyans will be hoping
it works.
africa hiv prevention
africa's hiv
prevention slows,
due to lack of
support for
circumcision
read more:
1. Zimbabwean ministers to be circumcised in The Nation.
Circumcision could avert 4 million HIV infections and
save $20 billion across east and southern Africa by
2025, says a new report. But only if African leaders
support the snip. By GREG NICOLSON.
Circumcision has a defnite role to play in
preventing the spread of HIV. Its clearly
the most obvious, most cost-efective inter-
vention we could use to drastically change
the course of HIV in the future, Stefano
Bertozzi from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation told The New York Times.
While infection rates have been declining
or stabilising in most parts of eastern and
southern Africa, levels remain dispropor-
tionally high.
In 2007, UNAids and the World Health
Organisation launched a programme to
circumcise 80% of 15- to 49-year-old men
in 14 African countries by 2015. All there is
to circumcision is availing your male organ
for the foreskin to be removed, like ting
and its all over, Kenyan Prime Minister
Raila Odinga, a Luo with no tradition of the
snip, said when the drive started. Kenya is
ahead of schedule to meet the target, but
the increase across the 14 countries has only
reached 2.7% far short of the target.
Progress has halted in a number of coun-
tries as leaders distance themselves from
the procedure. Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni recently disputed that circumci-
sion can reduce HIV infection. The pro-
gramme has reached only 0.2% of young
Ugandan males.
Attempts to engage young men in other
countries, such as Zambia, found cultural
taboos obstructive, while others were lim-
ited by policies that required doctors rather
than nurses to complete the procedure. The
report views South Africas programmes as
promising, earning signifcant support and
securing future funding.
obiang prize africa
obiang prize returns to trouble unesco
Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang
is the longest-serving ruler in Africa (if you
discount Cameroonian President Paul Biya's
time as Prime Minister before ascending to his
current position). Obiang took power in a coup
in 1979 and, since then, his administration has
gained a reputation for corruption and human-
rights abuses.
This hasn't stopped the de facto dictator
(a 95% win in the 2009 elections doesn't
exactly scream free and fair), from setting
up the Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Foundation
for the Preservation of Life, a curious title, as
his regime's penchant for kidnappings and
Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang is hellbent on seeing his plans for the Unesco-Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences come to fruition. He has
the backing of that bastion of hypocrisy, the AU; the rest of the world, not so much. By THERESA
MALLINSON.
Photo: Teodoro Obiang with Thabo Mbeki (REUTERS)
summary executions hardly points to a respect
for human life.
In 2008, Obiang established a $3 million
science prize, to be funded by his foundation,
and called the Unesco-Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the
Life Sciences. This was approved by Unesco's
executive board, but the agency's association
with the prize has been roundly criticised.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was
among those to express censure in a letter in
June last year . The United Nations Educational
obiang prize africa
Scientifc and Cultural Organisation is a beacon
for hope and development around the world.
I am appalled that this organisation, which
holds such promise, is allowing itself to burnish
the unsavory reputation of a dictator, Tutu
wrote. The Unesco-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
International Prize for Research in the Life
Sciences was created to recognise 'scientifc
achievements that improve the quality of
human life'. Yet the rule of President Obiang
the prize's namesake has been marked by
corruption and abuse.
To date, the prize has never been awarded
it was suspended in 2010 after criticism from
Tutu, as well as other prominent individuals
and human-rights organisations. But now the
prize has been put back on the agenda and is
set to be discussed by Unesco's executive board
later this week, at the request of Ivory Coast
and Congo.
Just in case you might not realise the full
extent of what's been going on in Equatorial
Guinea under Obiang's watch, Human Rights
Watch has drawn up a handy list of some of
the country's human-rights violations, which
include: willful neglect of its international
obligations with respect to the rights to
education and health; longstanding violations
of the rights to freedom of expression and
association; deeply entrenched political
repression; rampant torture in detention; and
extensive corruption and mismanagement.
Not the values of Unesco, which aims to
promote global understanding through culture,
education and science.
A coalition of nine human-rights
organisations has called on Unesco to reject
the prize, citing the contrast between the
mandate of Unesco to promote human rights
along with its work to defend free expression,
and the record of severe repression and ofcial
corruption that have marked President Obiangs
32-year rule.
In the June 2010 deliberations about the prize,
before it was not-so-fnally suspended in October,
Unesco director-general Irina Bokova said: I
have heard the voices of the many intellectuals,
scientists, journalists and of course governments
and parliamentarians who have appealed to
me to protect and preserve the prestige of the
organisation. I have come to you with a strong
message of alarm and anxiety... We must be
courageous and recognise our responsibilities, for
it is our organisation that is at stake. These words
apply equally in October 2011, and it's hard to see
how Unesco could justify endorsing the prize
(why it was ever approved in the frst place casts
enough of a slur on the organisation).
to date, the prize has never been awarded it was suspended
in 2010 after criticism from tutu, as well as other prominent
individuals and human-rights organisations. but now
the prize has been put back on the agenda and is set to be
discussed by unesco's executive board later this week, at the
request of ivory coast and congo.
obiang prize africa
The reinstatement of prize does, however,
have the backing of the African Union (of
which, surprise, surprise, Equatorial Guinea
currently holds the rotating chairmanship). At
an AU meeting in Malabo in June, delegates
unanimously voted on a resolution calling on
Unesco to support Obiang's prize. Never mind
that Obiang's human-rights record also goes
strongly against the African Charter on Human
Rights it's not as if he's the only president
of an AU member country with a fagrant
disregard for the charter.
It's about time the AU realises that
promoting such prizes does not boost our
continent's reputation, but in fact causes it
further damage. Africas politics is synonymous
with corruption, human rights abuses and
embezzling state funds, so it is little wonder
that the African Union is ready to take on the
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo $3 million
life sciences prize, was the lede of a New
Science Journalism story last year and, despite
the generalisation, it's pretty damn hard to
argue against the author's statement.
Last year Jean-Pierre Ezin, the AU
commissioner for human resources, science,
and technology, told SciDev.net that: If
Equatorial Guinea sends us an application
to consider the awards, we will accept that
application. However, like any proposal
from member states, that application will
be studied, and we will see if the content is
appropriate to move ahead. Considering the
AU is currently supporting Obiang's bid for his
prize to be recognised by Unesco, there's no
reason to think that it won't take on the prize
itself, if the UN agency withdraws endorsement.
If the AU is indeed put in a position of
considering Obiang's application, members
would do well to refect on Bokova's words.
We must be courageous and recognise our
responsibilities, for it is our organisation that
is at stake. Odds are, they won't it's not as if
the AU is known for its courageous behaviour.
The fact that the AU is headquartered in
Ethiopia, itself ruled by a dictator with no
respect for human rights, is illustration
enough of the organisation's lack of political
will to enforce the values it claims to support.
And with Obiang as its current head, what
options does the AU have regarding his prize?
The real question the organisation has to face
up to is not whether it should endorse a prize
sponsored by a dictatorial, corrupt human-
rights abuser, but why and how such a person
is able to be elected chairperson of the AU in
the frst place. Don't expect that to happen any
time soon.
it's about time the
au realises that
promoting such prizes
does not boost our
continent's reputation,
but in fact causes it
further damage.
food & water africa
New report waters dowN shortage fears
Theres more than enough water on this
earth, and if we use it properly we can easily
double food production. This is the reassuring
headline fnding of the fnal report from the
Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF),
a research body established under the auspices
of the United Nations, after conducting an
immense fve year survey across 30 countries.
This is not an unfamiliar refrain, of course.
Food and water shortages are historically nothing
to do with absolute scarcity, but rather to do with
politics, distribution and resource management.
As CPWF director Alain Vidal commented:
Water scarcity is not afecting our ability to grow
enough food today. Yes, there is scarcity in certain
areas, but our fndings show that the problem
overall is a failure to make efcient and fair use
Score one for the optimists: a UN report has defed doom and gloom predictions that the world is
running out of food and water, saying that theres enough water in river basins to more than double food
production, even accounting for a surge in population. That doesnt mean that all people will get fed and
watered, but a solution is at least possible. By SIMON ALLISON
Photo: REUTERS
of the water available in these river basins. This
is ultimately a political challenge, not a resource
concern. Huge volumes of rainwater are lost or
never used, particularly in the rain-fed regions of
sub-Saharan Africa. With modest improvements,
we can generate two to three times more food
than we are producing today.
Easier said than done, of course. The
CPWF identifes Africa as one of the regions
that should make far better use of its water
and land, with some regions producing only
10% of the food that they possibly could. But
rainfall doesnt fall evenly across the continent,
explains Guy Pegram, managing director of
Pegasys, a consultancy which specialises in
food & water africa
high level water strategy. Rainfall in Africa is
concentrated mainly in the centre of Africa,
with the periphery (particularly the southern
and northern areas) receiving relatively little.
Where it does fall, its often in inconvenient
locations, such as in the middle of a dense
rainforest which is difcult to access and
environmentally fraught to chop down. And
rainfall is also unreliable; while in Europe it
rains with regularity, much of Africas rainfall
is dumped on the continent in huge downpours
of the type that cause fooding, and Africa just
doesnt have the infrastructure in place (such as
dams and reservoirs) to catch the deluge.
There are also plenty of political obstacles to
solving food and water issues. African countries
are still working on the concept of sharing,
and its not going very well. The Nile River is a
good example; for decades, Egypt and Sudan
have enjoyed 90% of the Nile water thanks to
a colonial-era treaty, refusing to countenance
changing its terms. But a handful of downriver
countries, led by Ethiopia, are threatening
to change this unequal situation, leading to
tense and delicate negotiations between the
respective governments. It actually makes
sense for countries like Ethiopia to use and
store more water, rather than keep it at vast
expense in desert countries like Egypt where
some of the water just evaporates anyway.
This, however, is a difcult argument to sell
to the Egyptian government whos principal
industry agriculture relies exclusively on
the waters of the Nile.
So theres a long way to go before Africa,
and the world, can solve water shortages
and the associated food scarcity. But, if the
CPFW report is accurate, the difculties
are to do with politics and infrastructure
seemingly intractable problems, but not
insurmountable. Imagine if the report had
concluded that the world was running out
of water, full stop. This would have had
massive implications for every facet of
human existence, from the cost of food to
population control to what countries go to
war about. And, ultimately, there wouldnt
be anything we could do about it.
So take hope: theres enough water to go
around, and if the world fgures out how
to distribute it properly, theres no reason
for anyone to go thirsty. And because
theres enough water, there will be enough
food, so no one should be hungry either.
A utopian ideal, perhaps, but one worth
drinking to nonetheless.
huge volumes of
rainwater are lost or
never used, particularly
in the rain-fed regions of
sub-saharan africa. with
modest improvements, we
can generate two to three
times more food than we
are producing today
read more:
1. River basins could double food production: study on Reuters Africa
2. We have enough water to survive the 21st century after all on io9.com
WOrLd
briefs world
Alexei Kudrin (Reuters)
CHiNA
We all knew that China wasn't
going to be happy about the US
agreeing to upgrade Taiwans
feet of fghter jets, and their
initial response has confrmed
this. China's foreign minister
Yang Jiechi met with his US
counterpart, Hillary Clinton,
on Monday in New York to
urge the US to reconsider its
decision. A senior State De-
partment ofcial indicated that
China was likely to suspend
some military ties with the US
over the deal. Clinton report-
edly responded by reminding
the Chinese diplomat that US
weapons sales are authorised
under the Taiwan Relations Act
to help preserve stability in the
region. It's not yet clear what
the total fallout will be for Si-
no-US relations.
UsA
The UN Security Council has
said that Wednesday's the
day for it to formally consider
Palestine's bid for statehood.
The announcement was made
by the Council's president,
Lebanon's Nawaf Salam, but
he didn't divulge any further
details. At the moment, both
US and Israel are furiously lob-
bying behind the scenes. The
non-permanent members who
have yet to say how they'll be
casting their votes are Bosnia,
Colombia, Gabon and Nige-
ria all of whom consequently
fnd themselves very popular at
the moment. It could be more
than a month before the Coun-
cil actually votes, however.
rUssiA
Russia's fnance minister Alexei
Kudrin is out of the Kremlin,
and it's slightly unclear to what
degree it was a push or a jump.
Kudrin's ofcial line is that he
resigned because of thee fscal
risks taken by the government,
and he also says that he tried
to resign last February but that
Putin wouldn't accept it at the
time. It's hard not to be suspi-
cious of the timing, though,
since it comes days after Ku-
drin announced that he would
refuse to serve under Putin if
Vlad assumes the presidency
again next year. Its unclear
who will replace Kudrin.
UK
Six men from Birmingham
have been taken into custody
by UK police over an alleged
terror plot. The six are accused
of planning a suicide bombing
campaign, and may have re-
ceived training in Pakistan. Si-
multaneously, Norwegian pros-
ecutors have fnally got round
to charging three individuals
over their attempt to commit
terrorist acts against the Dan-
ish cartoonist who published
an image of Mohammed. They
were arrested in Norway and
Germany last year, and will be
tried next month.
THAilANd
Amnesty International has
called on insurgents in South
Thailand to stop targeting
briefs world
Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines (Reuters)
insurgents. They claim that
two-thirds of the almost 5,000
casualties in the struggle be-
tween Muslim guerrillas and
Thai security forces have been
civilians. The attacks began
eight years ago, and Amnesty
says many of them fall under
the defnition of "war crimes".
Nobody is 100% sure what the
fghting is for, but there is a
perception that ethnic Malays
are discriminated against in
that part of Thailand. Some
of the violence isn't political,
though it's also linked to the
trafcking of drugs, weapons
and people.
boliViA
Sheryl Cwele is in good com-
pany. The former head of Bo-
livia's anti-narcotics police has
just been jailed for cocaine
trafcking. Rene Sanabria was
head of the country's anti-
drugs agency until 2009, and
at the time of his arrest was
still a government adviser. In
court he pleaded guilty to ship-
ping hundreds of kilos of co-
caine from Bolivia to Miami via
Chile. The US District Judge
gave him 14 years in jail, saying
he was making an example of
him to send a message to other
government ofcials.
CHiNA
A collision on Shanghai's Met-
ro system yesterday afternoon
injured at least 260 people,
20 seriously. A signal failure
was responsible for two trains
colliding on a line which had
only been open for 18 months.
It's only two months since an-
other Chinese subway crash
which killed at least 40. On the
Shanghai Metro website, they
posted a statement calling yes-
terday "the darkest day in the
history of the Shanghai Metro".
Curiously, they later deleted it,
possibly because they remem-
bered a bunch of equally dark
days.
PHiliPPiNes
A powerful typhoon Nesat has
struck the Philippines, with
downtown Manila particularly
badly hit. The capital sufered
waist-deep foodwater as waves
as tall as palm trees crashed
over sea walls. At least 16 peo-
ple had been confrmed dead
by late Tuesday, with many
more injured. Soldiers evacu-
ated thousands of people in
low-lying areas. The fooding
came one day after Manila had
held a two-year anniversary
memorial for the 500 people
killed during a 2009 cyclone on
that date.
UsA
It's always awkward when one
of your employees is accused
of running an illegal spy ring,
and even more so if you're the
US Air Force. An investigation
into employee Michael Fur-
long's activities in Afghanistan
has begun, following his res-
ignation in July. The New York
Times frst exposed the illegal
covert spying network that
Furlong was running. He main-
tains the network was legal and
that its purpose was to gather
information like a foreign news
network. The government's
point is that then the informa-
briefs world
tion gathered becomes the as-
set of a private company rather
than the US military.
sYriA
Government troops have
stormed a town in central Syria
which was identifed as a hot-
bed of dissent, according to
activists. Tanks and armoured
vehicles reportedly entered the
town of Rastan, with govern-
ment troops fring machine
guns. At least 20 people were
wounded, with no reported
deaths as yet. Syria's foreign
minister told the UN on Mon-
day that the violence in Syria
was the fault of "external crit-
ics", and blamed the protestors
for forcing the government to
put the brakes on a bouquet of
democratic reforms they were
just about to introduce, right
up until the moment those
pesky protestors ruined ev-
erything. Doesn't he get a bit
queasy telling so many lies?
libYA
Some of the largest oil com-
panies have moved back into
Libya, albeit in reduced cir-
cumstances. Production has
begun again for Italian oil giant
Eni and French rival Total. Oil
producers still face an uphill
battle to get Libya's produc-
tion back up to its previous 1,6
million barrels a day. Currently
one of their biggest issues is
labour: foreign workers are,
understandably, wary about
returning to Libyan oil refner-
ies just yet. When the oil in-
dustry is back up to strength,
though, there are hopes that it
may be more proftable than
ever if the new leadership can
avoid the corruption endemic
to Gaddaf's regime.
PAKisTAN.
Here's some news that will be
grist to the mill of all the Re-
publicans wanting to bomb the
hell out of Pakistan. According
to a new report in the New York
Times, Pakistan was behind an
ambush of the US army in 2007
that left a US Army major dead.
The report claims that US of-
cials knew fully well that Paki-
stan was behind the attack, but
covered it up because relations
between Washington and Is-
lamabad were already so tense.
Now they allege that the attack
was the work of one "rogue"
Pakistani soldier. Like the "one
rogue" phone-hacking journal-
ist in News Corp.
GerMANY
Hope springs eternal for Euro-
pean investors. The idea that
Europes leaders are on the
verge of hitting upon a magic
bullet to solve all of Europe's
debt crisis caused stocks to
rally on Tuesday in advance of
meetings between Greece's Pa-
pandreou and Germany's An-
gela Merkel. Papandreou and
Merkel were both in spin-doc-
tor mode ahead of the meeting,
with Papandreou telling a Ger-
man conference that Greece
was making a "superhuman ef-
fort" to slash debt, and Merkel
reassuring investors that "we
don't have a euro crisis, but a
debt crisis".
UsA
The stock of computer giant
Hewlett Packard has sunk to
its lowest level in six years with
the announcement that new
CEO Meg Whitman would
be taking over from Leo Apo-
theker. Apotheker lasted just
11 months, which is a sign of
the dissatisfaction with him,
but it doesn't seem that inves-
tors have much more faith in
Whitman. Whitman was pre-
viously CEO of eBay for ten
years, and largely responsible
for its growth into one of the
most dominant e-commerce
companies. But doubters point
out that she has no experience
outside the consumer sphere,
and that HP is many times the
size of eBay.
UsA
The US has ofcially congratu-
lated Saudi Arabia for allowing
women to vote at some point
many years from now. On Sun-
day King Abdullah granted
women the franchise as well as
the right to run for municipal
ofce. In a statement on Mon-
day, the White House said that
they welcomed the announce-
ment, which they said repre-
sented "an important step for-
ward in expanding the rights of
women in Saudi Arabia".
world japan/greece
japan may help avoid
grecian default
read more:
1. Japan may consider being part of Greece bailout plan in BBC News
2. Japan stocks drop to two-year low as Europe delays Greece aid in
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Everyone, it seems, is terrifed of a
Grecian default. But Japan may swim
against the stream and says it is very
possible it could be part of a global plan
to bail the beleaguered nation out of its
debt crisis. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
Japans Nikkei 225 index
fell to a two-and-a-half-
year low amid fears Eu-
rope would fail to resolve
its debt crisis, prompting a second worldwide recession.
The focus is currently on Greece, teetering on the brink
of a default and which many fear will tip all of Europe
back into a recession.
Japans fnance minister Jun Azumi said a rational
plan needed to be found to fx Europes debt crisis. If
there is a scheme that is based on a frm process, in-
volves a reasonable amount of money and could provide
the world and markets with a sense of security regard-
ing a Greek bailout, I would not rule out the possibility
of Japan sharing some of the burden, he said.
Japans concern for Europe stems from the fact that
the region is a major importer of Japanese goods. An
economic slowdown will hurt Japans own growth
which has been almost non-existent for a decade now.
Some commentators believe Greece should simply
default and exit the eurozone.
Photo: Japan's Jun Azumi (REUTERS)
world australia
australian
military to
women: yes,
you can!
read more:
1. Women win right to fght on frontline, in the Sydney Morning
Good news for Australian women itching to
get their heads blown off in war or vice
versa! The Australian defence force announced
yesterday the removal of all restrictions on
roles of women in the military. By REBECCA
DAVIS.
Women are currently not allowed to do 7% of jobs
in the Australian military because they are consid-
ered too dangerous. These include roles in infan-
try, artillery and naval clearance diving (where div-
ers remove undetonated explosives underwater). It
won't be a case of women just strolling into these
posts, however. They will be required to pass the
same physical tests as men applying for the posi-
tions, and no quota system will be introduced to
ensure female representation. New Zealand, Cana-
da and Israel are currently the only other countries
that allow women to perform all roles in their mili-
taries without restrictions.
The arguments against women in certain army
roles have traditionally harnessed a mixture of
physical and psychological factors. It's been sug-
gested that women's bodies are less able to handle
an increase in G-force pressure as fghter pilots, for
instance. In terms of the psychological factors, of-
ten these relate more to the male soldiers respons-
es to having female soldiers around than anything
to do with women as such. For instance, between
1948 and 2001, the Israeli defence force removed
women from close combat fghting because the
male soldiers would crack up after witnessing a
woman injured, falling prey to uncontrollable pro-
tective instincts.
There is a huge gender discrepancy in the Aus-
tralian military, with only 8,000 out of the total
60,000 troops being female, and perhaps defence
chiefs hope that new opportunities will get all the
women queuing up to join. Not too much intel-
ligence is available on whether Annies getting her
guns yet.
Photo: REUTERS
world diplomatic immunity
diplomats and their
Get out of Jail free
card
read more:
1. Strauss-Kahn claims diplomatic immunity, in the Financial Times
First our own minister of international
relations played the diplomatic
immunity card as the reason her bag
shouldn't be subjected to security checks,
and now Dominique Strauss-Kahn is
citing it as the reason why his civil rape
case should be dropped. But what exactly
does diplomatic immunity entail? By
REBECCA DAVIS.
The concept of diplomatic
immunity dates back to the
use of messengers in ancient
times to carry messages be-
tween settlements. For them
to perform their tasks, mes-
sengers needed to be able to
move back and forth without
fear of harm - that old "don't
shoot the messenger" princi-
ple. The practice was codifed
by the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention
on Consular Relations of 1963, and the rest is history.
Whats important to realise about diplomatic immu-
nity is that it is not designed to give diplomats special
privileges, but to enable them to do their jobs properly.
This is particularly vital during periods of strained rela-
tions between two countries to ensure the individuals'
protection. There are distinct limits to the principle: if
you commit a crime unrelated to your diplomatic role,
your home government is likely to whip that rug from
under your feet faster than you can whisper, "but I'm
a diplomat". Sometimes it's a grey area, though the
American consul general to Russia was involved in a car
accident in 1998 that left a young man disabled. The US
Court of Appeals ruled that he could not be sued civilly
because he was using his vehicle for a diplomatic mis-
sion at the time.
In Strauss-Kahn's case, lawyers for the rape plaintif
have dismissed his defence because they reject the idea
that he qualifes as a diplomat. Theyre right - diplomatic
immunity is only for diplomats.
Photo: Dominique Strauss-Kahn (REUTERS)
life, etc bbc
is the bbcs shock
trader a hoax?
read more:
1. Is Alessio Rastani actually one of The Yes Men? on The Journal
It's a video that confrms everyone's worst
nightmares about what traders are like. The
BBC screened an interview on Monday with
"independent trader" Alessio Rastani which sent
shivers down many spines. Now speculation is
growing that the appearance was an elaborate
hoax. By REBECCA DAVIS.
"Governments don't rule the world. Goldman
Sachs rules the world," trader Alessio Rastani
told the BBC on Monday.
In comments that visibly shook the BBC
interviewer, he went on to say that traders like
himself have no interest in repairing damage to
the economy. "Our job is to make money from
it." Rastani said traders were relishing the cur-
rent situation: "I go to bed every night and I
dream of another recession".
The clip instantly went viral, with the pub-
lic outrage pouring on Rastani for seemingly
epitomising the archetype of the soulless Gor-
don Gecko fnancial fat-cat. But the plot thick-
ens. Rumours are fying now that Rastani is a
hoax, a character created by culture-jamming
group the Yes Men. On their website, the Yes
Men state that their business is impersonat-
ing big-time criminals in order to publicly hu-
miliate them. Our targets are leaders and big
corporations who put profts ahead of every-
thing else.
One of the Yes Men's previous stunts also
involved a BBC appearance. One of its mem-
bers talked his way on to the BBC a few years
ago claiming to be a spokesman for the Dow
Chemical company and then announced that
they accepted "full responsibility" for the Bho-
pal chemical disaster and would be ofering
compensation.
Muddying the waters in this case a little
is the fact that Rastani has a Twitter account
which dates back to 2009, a Facebook page and
a blog. But since the Yes Men are known for
their dedication, this hasnt put the rumours to
bed just yet.
egypt world
As egyptiAns demAnd higher price for their
gAs, pipeline sAbotAges set to continue
Gas exports to Israel are an emotive issue
in Egypt and many Egyptians are believed
to favour ceasing the supply line to Israel
altogether. As a result, gas exports to Israel are
On Monday night at least two people were injured after a section of the pipeline that supplies Israel and
Jordan with gas from Egypt was blown up. The attack is the latest of a series of acts of sabotage on the
pipeline in recent months; it has been attacked by unknown assailants a total of six times since former
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February. By KHADIJA PATEL
Photo: Flames rise from an Egyptian pipeline distribution station after an
attack in the Sinai peninsula July 12, 2011 REUTERS
under both armed and political attack in Egypt.
The 100 kilometre El-Arish undersea pipeline
egypt world
that connects the northern Sinai district in
Egypt with a gas import facility in Ashkelon
on Israels Mediterranean coast, also forms
a tributary of the larger Arab Gas Pipeline
(AGP), which pumps Egyptian gas onward to
Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is the export
agreement to Israel, however, that is a grinding
issue today, as Egyptians contend that prices
fxed by Egyptian and Israeli ofcials during
Mubarak's rule are well below market value. A
criminal investigation is underway into the gas
deal that is alleged to have been orchestrated
by Mubarak and his friend, gas magnate
Hussein Salem. The deal is reported to have
cost Egypt tens of millions of dollars in lost
revenues, further increasing already-high
mistrust of their Israeli neighbours.
Egypt was, of course, the frst Arab nation
to sign a peace accord with Israel in 1979 and
the 20-year natural gas deal signed between
Israel and Egypt in 2005 has been a hallmark
of good contemporary relations between
the two countries. A majority of Egyptians
however remain suspicious of Israel, and the
vacuum of security that has emerged after
the popular uprising has left the El-Arish gas
pipeline particularly vulnerable to attack.
The frst attack against the pipeline
occurred on 5 February 2011 and targeted a
pumping station some 30 kilometres from the
Israeli border. As attacks against the pipeline
continued, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam
Sharaf, under pressure to reform the countrys
policies, ordered a comprehensive review of the
gas contacts with Israel and Jordan, demanding
a higher price for exports. According to Sharaf,
increasing prices paid by Israel and Jordan
could raise revenue from natural-gas sales by
US$3 billion to US$4 billion per year.
The attacks against the pipeline have
continued regardless of the eforts of the
Egyptian government.
Egypt has been providing Israel with
about 40% of its natural gas since 2004. The
remainder of Israels gas is sourced from its
own ofshore Mari-B feld, which is expected to
be depleted by 2013. Israel has though recently
discovered the Tamar and Leviathan gas felds,
which may plug the gap left by the Mari-B feld,
leading to a question of whether the discovery
of these gas felds could eventually curtail
Israels need for Egyptian gas.
Daniel Fink, writing in the Journal of Energy
Security, points out that Israel currently relies
on gas to meet around 36% of its electricity
compared to 0% in 2004. Fink quotes Dr Amit
Mor, CEO of the Eco Energy consulting frm,
who forecasts that Israels reliance on gas could
egypt was, of course, the frst Arab nation to sign
a peace accord with israel in 1979 and the 20-year
natural gas deal signed between israel and egypt
in 2005 has been a hallmark of good contemporary
relations between the two countries.
egypt world
reAd more:
1. Assailants blow up Egypt gas pipeline to Israel in The Mail
and Guardian
2. Blast destroys Egypt gas pipeline to Israel for sixth time in
Haaretz
raise to 70% by 2020, making gas imports from
Egypt a strategically important source of energy
for Israel.
From their side, Israelis refuse to meet
Egypts demands that it cough up more for the
gas. Israel contends that the price it pays is on
par with the international market standard and
refuses to enter into negotiations over prices it
claims were already increased a year ago.
Jordan, however, has caved in to Egyptian
demands and will now pay a higher price for the
gas under a new contract. The gas agreement
between Egypt and Jordan was signed in 2004
and stipulated that Egypt would supply the
kingdom with 2.4 billion cubic metres annually
for a period of 15 years. Exports to Jordan were
resumed just this month but the most recent
incident of sabotage along the pipeline may
have caused another interruption to the gas
supply. As Jordan is more dependent than Israel
on Egyptian gas to meet its energy needs, the
interruption incurred by the latest attack on the
pipeline will prove costly to the impoverished
country.
Israel has, of course, also been afected
by the intermittent stoppages in gas
supply incurred through the attacks on the
pipeline and the Eastern Mediterranean
Gas Company, the Israeli company handling
gas imports from Egypt, indicated last
month that they would seek US$8 billion in
reparations from Egypt for the continuous
supply disruptions.
With no resolution to the price dispute in
sight, the most recent attack on the pipeline
will further endanger already testy relations
between the two countries. Crucially, the
Egyptian Prime Minister, speaking on
Turkish television earlier this month, noted
that Egypt's peace deal with Israeli was not
sacred and was always open to discussion
or change if that would beneft the region or
enhance peace.
The El-Erish pipeline is symbolic of
Egyptian relations with Israel but for
Egyptians disgruntled with their new
military rulers, it is also a constant reminder
of everything that was wrong with the
Mubarak government. The pipeline reeks of
dishonesty, cronyism and short-changing the
Egyptian people, and attacks on the pipeline
may continue whatever the outcome of
haggling over gas prices.
Jordan, however,
has caved in to
egyptian demands
and will now pay a
higher price for the
gas under a new
contract.
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business
briefs business
Brazil's Alexandre Tombini (Reuters)
south AfricA
Mining stocks on the JSE ral-
lied as copper prices rebound-
ed from a 14-month low. The
JSE All Share Index rallied 3.4%
to close at 30,712. Kumba Iron
Ore jumped 6.5%, closely fol-
lowed by Exxaro Resources up
6.4% and Anglo American up
5.4%. Media company, Avusa,
fell 2.1% with gold producer
Goldfelds down 1.5%.
Steel producer ArcelorMittal
SA reconfrmed its intention to
pursue an empowerment deal,
after a controversial black em-
powerment transaction with
Imperial Crown Trading fell
through. ArcelorMittal SA an-
nounced last August that one
of its subsidiaries would buy
ICT for R800 million, as long as
ICT was awarded mining rights
for the portion it held in the
Sishen mine in Northern Cape
-- one of the world's largest and
richest iron ore mines.
The Rand rallied more than 3%
against the dollar, on the back
of positive news out of Europe,
where ofcials moved closer to
containing the debt crisis. The
Rand followed the euro cur-
rency frmer, to revert below
R8.00/$ and traded at R7.80
late in the day. The euro and
emerging market currencies
took a hammering last week as
Greek default fears escalated.
uK
The FTSE 100 index climbed
for a third day as speculation
grew that European policy
makers would increase ef-
forts to contain the regions
debt crisis. The index was up
4% to close at 5,294 as mining
stocks led the index higher on
the back of increased copper
prices. Vedanta Resources was
up 9.5% with Antofagasta PLC
up 9.3%, two counters both
heavily correlated to the copper
price. In a rare occurrence, not
one share listed in the Top 100
on the FTSE ended the day in
negative territory.
emerging mArKets
Stocks in EM regions advanced
amid speculation European
leaders were closer to control-
ling the regions debt crises.
The MSCI Emerging Market
index recorded its biggest gain
since 2009 as it added 4.5%.
Speculators are banking on
Brazilian Central Bank presi-
dent Alexandre Tombini to cut
interest rates by the most in
two years to shield the coun-
briefs business
UBS under pressure (Reuters)
trys economy from the global
fnancial crisis. The yield on
interest rate futures fell 64
basis points as investors ex-
pected policy makers to cut
the benchmark Selic rate by 75
basis points, when the commit-
tee next meets on 19 October,
marking the biggest rate cut by
any country this year. This fol-
lows an unexpected 50 basis
points cut in August.
europe
UBS employees retrenched
as part of a post-rogue trad-
ing shakeup, may struggle fnd
alternative opportunities as
rival investment banks look to
follow suit and slash jobs. The
Swiss bank said it would be
reducing its risk exposure and
use less capital after the bank
uncovered an unauthorised
$2.3 billion trading loss.
us
July home prices in the US de-
clined less than expected, an
indication that slow process-
ing of bank foreclosures had
masked the slump in property
values. The S&P/Case-Shiller
index of 20 cities fell 4.1%
from the July 2010 measure-
ment.
Stock in Apple, the worlds
largest technology company,
fell 3.2% after a research report
out of Asia, indicated that raw
material supply orders for the
iPad had fallen by as much as
25%, indicating slower sales.
However, US analysts rebuked
claims issuing reports to the
contrary, maintaining their
buy ratings. JP Morgan Chase
analysts held frm on their es-
timates that between 11 million
and 12 million iPads would be
sold in the fourth quarter.
Amazons much-rumoured
new Kindle will be called the
Fire, according to market
rumours. The device, set to
launch on Wednesday in New
York, will begin to ship in early
November, and run a version
of Googles Android operating
system. It will use a 7 touch-
screen and look similar to
BlackBerrys PlayBook tablet,
with which it will also share a
processor.
Blackstone Group LP, the
worlds largest private equity
frm by assets was named this
year' busiest buyout dealmak-
er. The New York-based frm
topped the list of most active
frms, with $20.3 billion in
transaction values for the year
as compiled by Bloomberg.
Second on the list, was Avista
Capital Partners with $14.2 bil-
lion in transaction value.
groupon business
Dear groupon, You shoulD have taken
the $6 billion from google
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason may soon go
down in history as being the man who presided
over the biggest rise and collapse of any
company in the history of the world.
The magnitude of Groupons impending
crash is on Charles Ponzi levels.
If Groupon cant be likened to a ponzi
Ah, hubris. When Google offers you $6 billion for your too-good-to-be-true company, you take it. You
dont tell them up yours and then try and put your company on the stock market for couple of bucks
more. But thats exactly what Groupon CEO Andrew Mason did. Does he feel stupid now? Probably
that feeling is not as strong as the relief Google must be feeling for not buying the overpriced poisoned
chalice. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
Photo: Andrew Mason of Groupon accepts the Breakout of the Year award
during the Webby Awards in New York, June 13, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
scheme, it cant exactly pretend to be a normal
company either.
The group buying company was founded in
Chicago in 2008. It distributes a daily email
featuring discount coupons from participating
groupon business
merchants within a designated area. The
coupons expire fairly quickly and are unlocked
only if a certain number of people respond.
Groupon (group plus coupon) takes a cut,
and the seller supposedly gets the exposure.
The result has been 44 million subscribers
across the globe, 500 markets in 30 countries,
projected revenue of $500 million and an initial
$1.75 billion market valuation (as of January
2011). Forbes predicted that it would reach
$1 billion in revenue quicker than any other
company in the world.
For the moment, Groupon was the darling of
online. Everyone wanted a piece! Google ofered
an astonishing $5.3 billion acquisition ofer,
with an additional $700 million earnout. Mason
said no. He decided hed go it alone.
That was then. Things have gone rather
pear-shaped at Groupon since.
Retailers have started questioning) how exactly
the deal with collective buying site help them.
Instead of bringing new customers by the hordes,
the group buying phenomenon merely bred
coupon whores, or shoppers who use multiple
group buying sites to shop at discounts only.
Groupon employees began speaking out
against the companys practices. In one email
leaked to TechCrunch, a former employee
described the predatory nature which in which
they were told to treat merchants, their true
clients.
One very common phrase [within Groupon]
is in regards to the merchant freaking out, and
this happens every single day, the ex-employee
wrote. What this is almost always in reference
to is a merchant who cant handle the trafc
that they end up getting, forcing a live cap of a
deal (almost always because it benefts the sales
people not to cap it, obviously, and they advise
merchants to sell more Groupons than the
business is able to handle, mostly by low-balling
the estimate of how many will sell). There are
also constantly issues with the terms changing,
because, as you said, the merchants are sold on
the Whos Who pitch, and they agree to terms
they should never have agreed to.
In May this year, Groupon announced that it
would be foating an initial public ofering (IPO)
that would value the company at $25 billion.
This fgure was based on the $760 million
revenue fgure for 2010.
In August, Groupon was forced to modify
its IPO fling after it admitted to some creative
accounting that boosted its revenue and proft
fgures.
Groupon's initial IPO fling highlighted a
nonstandard metric called adjusted consolidated
segment operating income, CNN Money said.
The unwieldy ACSOI stripped out Groupon's
steep costs for marketing and acquiring new
subscribers and it made a big diference in the
for the moment,
groupon was the darling
of online. everyone
wanted a piece! google
offered an astonishing
$5.3 billion acquisition
offer, with an additional
$700 million earnout.
mason said no. he
decided hed go it alone.
groupon business
numbers. In Groupon's original fling, its ACSOI
accounting showed operating income of $60.6
million for all of 2010 and $81.6 million for the
frst quarter of 2011.
When the company refled its paperwork,
using standard accounting procedures, the
numbers suddenly looked very diferent.
Groupon made a $420 million operating loss
for 2010 and a $117.1 million loss in the frst
quarter of 2011.
In response to the markets scepticism,
Mason penned a three-page jeremiad in which
he derided his critics in the media as insane
and hilarious.
While we've bitten our tongues and
allowed insane accusations to go unchallenged
publicly, it's important to me that you have
the context necessary to brush this stuf of,
Mason wrote.
He airily dismissed two concerns that
Groupon was efectively buying customers
through its expensive marketing campaign,
and that the business model was too easy to
replicate, meaning that Groupons success
would be diluted to mimics.
Even if we wanted to continue to spend
at these levels, we would eventually run out
of new subscribers to acquire, Mason wrote.
The real point is that our business is a lot
harder to build than people realise and our
scale creates competitive advantages that even
the largest technology companies are having
trouble penetrating.
Still, Groupons troubles didnt end.
Last Friday, the companys chief operating
ofcer Margo Georgiadis left abruptly. She will
now be Googles head for the Americas. Her
predecessor Rob Solomon left the company in
March this year.
Worst of all, initial investors are feeing.
Papers with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, which examines IPO requests,
said investors and executives were trying to
withdraw some $946 million of the $1,1 billion
already invested in the company.
Groupon is now efectively a credit card that
is about to max out very soon.
Had Mason accepted that $6 billion in
December last year, this would all be Googles
problem now. Surely there's a business lesson
there somewhere?
When the company refled its paperwork, using
standard accounting procedures, the numbers
suddenly looked very different. groupon made
a $420 million operating loss for 2010 and
a $117.1 million loss in the frst quarter of 2011.
reaD more:
1. Online emperor is naked in TimesLive
2. Groupon updates IPO fling, admits its unproftable in CNN
Money
3. Notes on Groupon in Reuters
4. Groupon worth $25 billion? Nope: source in Reuters
media business
sa's big media puts the squeeze on
press independents
Naspers didnt have too shabby a fnancial year.
The media empire that Koos Bekker built raked
in R33 billion for the fnancial year ending 31
March 2011, up 18% over the year before. Much
of Naspers takings came from smart internet
investments in China, Russia, and India. But
Naspers also has that pay television cash cow
that keeps churning in revenue.
While Naspers internet operations showed
year on year revenue increases of 65% (Tencent)
and 71% (mail.ru), the media monoliths print
operation has been treading water. Media24,
South Africa's Competition Commission is taking a good, hard look at Media24 after complaints of
anti-competitive behaviour and predatory pricing practices against the Naspers-owned operation.
Independent presses in the community sector say Media24 is up to dirty tricks, but its not just the
regulator that has big media in its sites. Government says it may look at bringing in a charter to prevent
the decimation of SAs independent presses. By MANDY DE WAAL
Photo: Hardin Ratshisusu of the Competition Commission (REUTERS)
which is 85% owned by Naspers, achieved a
4% increase in revenue as stated in the global
media giants fnancials, which in growth
terms is little more than a fat line.
With the Audit Bureau of Circulation for
South Africa (ABC) showing that newspaper
circulation is dropping, big media houses are
looking for signs of life in the old printing
press. And life is to be found in community
and free newspapers, which are doing quite
media business
well. Well enough for Media24, Caxton and
Avusa to muscle in on the action, and the
Competition Commission says the big boys
arent playing nicely.
Media24 in particular is accused of using
an anti-competitive arsenal of dirty tricks to
stick it to the little guy, and to make a bigger
margin from a market sector that once was
well populated by independents. Media24 is
currently being investigated by the Competition
Commission for predatory pricing and other
unfair business practices.
We have received a number of complaints
pertaining to the abuse of market dominance
through predatory pricing tactics, at least
since 2004, says Hardin Ratshisusu of the
Competition Commission, who adds that the
regulator has major concerns about the ability
of smaller newspapers to compete efectively
with big media houses.
There are currently two investigations of
predatory pricing against Media 24. There is
also an ongoing investigation of price fxing
or the fxing of trading conditions against
members of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
of South Africa. The gist of the investigations
is that the members agree that prices of
newspapers cannot be discounted below a
certain level. These ABC members include
Media24, Avusa, and Caxton.
The Competition Commissions view is
that the media market is highly concentrated
in the print sector, particularly in areas
like distribution, printing, publishing and
advertising procurement, says Ratshisusu.
The Competition Commission says
independent printers are being threatened
by strategic reactions by the big players
who are abusing their dominance. We
have received a predatory pricing complaint
against Media24 from an independent
newspaper in Welkom, and we have had
a further complaint by Capital Media in
Pietermaritzburg who has accused Media24
of pricing advertising space below cost. This
means that smaller community newspapers
cannot compete efectively with media owned
by Media24 on the sale of advertising space.
The Association of Independent Publishers
(AIP) shows that the grassroots press
landscape has been steadily eroded since
2008, and that 43 independents have lost the
struggle for survival because of diminished
advertising revenues and increased
competition from bigger players.
The recession has brought a downturn
in circulation in national and provincial
newspapers for the big groupings who have
clearly stated that they are moving into local
markets where all the independents operate,
says Louise Vale, executive director of AIP.
the Competition
Commissions view is
that the media market is
highly concentrated in the
print sector, particularly
in areas like distribution,
printing, publishing and
advertising procurement,
says ratshisusu.
media business
Caxton is moving into Limpopo, Mpumalanga
and the North West, while Media24 is spreading
into local markets in the Cape and Gauteng.
The circulation of weekly and community
newspapers is doing well, and this is because of
hyper-local news. However the problem now is
that the little guys have to compete with bigger
players that are able to cross-subsidise, and the
smaller presses just dont have deep enough
pockets and cannot survive, says Vale.
The huge problem in squeezing
independents out of local markets is that
these papers serve communities of interest,
the most important of which are communities
of language. There has been a surge in the
readership of vernacular newspapers, and
bigger players have quickly entered this
growing market. These newer market entries
are typically in Zulu, but its the smaller players
that are printing in Sotho, Venda and languages
that dont have the reach that Zulu has.
Another reason for nurturing a vibrant
independent press is that the people who start
and run these papers live in the communities
these newspapers serve.
Andries Tatane was trying to establish a
newspaper called Your Voice before he was
killed. He said We are the voices behind the
mountain and our voices need to say this. The
implication was that all voices need to be
heard, says Vale, who adds that independents
operate from three story buildings or Zozo
huts and shacks.
The Competition Commission, which
regulates economic activity, says it will be
watching the impact big players have on
independents very closely. There has to be
more competition by way of introducing new
players, especially those owned by historically
disadvantaged individuals and by removing anti-
competitive bottlenecks in printing, distribution
and the procurement of advertising. As we
investigate complaints and we fnd problems,
this could be one way of enhancing competition,
says Ratshisusu. Another way could be the
recommendation of structural remedies, a
more far-reaching cure which the Competition
Commission meted out against Sasol to address
problems in the fertilizer industry.
When approached for comment, Media24s
response was that it was a proudly South
African company that played by the rules
and that no evidence to the contrary had
ever been proven. Company spokesman
Ashoek Adhikari, who is general manager of
corporate, legal and innovation, obviously
wasnt around when Media24s circulation
scandal rocked the industry.
andries tatane was trying to establish a
newspaper called Your Voice before he was killed.
he said We are the voices behind the mountain
and our voices need to say this.
media business
Media24 does not engage in predatory
pricing tactics, to do so would be illegal,
says Adhikari pointedly, adding that Media24
was a separate commercial and legal entity
to Naspers, and as such Naspers's fnancial
situation was not relevant to the performance
of Media24. But a quick look at the Naspers
website shows that Media24 is an operation that
Naspers has an 85% majority shareholding in.
Media24 does not engage in aggressive and
dominant behaviour, says Adhikari. The two
investigations against Media24 commenced
in January 2009 and March 2010 respectively.
In both matters, the Competition Commission
has neither made a fnding nor referred either
matter to the Tribunal despite the considerable
amount of time that has passed. Media24
believes there is no merit in these complaints.
Adhikari emphasises that Media24
welcomes competition. Growing activity in
the community newspaper markets signifes
that print is alive and well, and the stifer
the competition the bigger the incentive to
ensure your publication is of the highest
possible quality. Apart from the fact that we
have indicated to the portfolio committee on
communication that we are more than willing
to assist with training independent grassroots
publications who require it, we do not have a
position in respect of independents. We are, of
course, a commercial entity and our community
newspapers rely on advertising income to
survive. So decisions on individual titles are
made on a case by case basis in relation to
prevailing market conditions.
But the Competition Commission and
AIP arent alone in their concerns about
media diversity and dominance. Last week
Parliament had a somewhat rushed indaba
on transformation and diversity in the print
media industry. The parliamentary committee
on communications asked for input from
government organisations including the Media
Development and Diversity Agency; ICASA
and the Government Communication and
Information Services among others.
During the sessions held over two days,
government agencies and media organisations
looked at players in the industry, the press value
chain, barriers to entry, measuring diversity in
the media, the concentration of ownership and
the need for a transformation agenda.
Once the indaba was over, committee
chairman Eric Kholwane said Parliament would
look into the possibility of a media charter
to address issues of abuse, anti-competitive
behaviour, and the abuse of dominance.
With a political agenda that conspires
against access to information and press
freedoms, a charter would hardly be welcomed
by the press. But if a charter that regulates
transformation and diversity in the press sector
is introduced, the likes of Nasperss Media24
will only have themselves to blame.
Abuse of dominance, predatory pricing,
collusion and price fxing may make big media
houses a little more money on their balance
sheets, but at a terrible cost to our democracy,
our public discourse and the interests of local
communities, who ironically have always been
ignored by big media groups.
read more:
1. Charter to control print media proposed in Business Report
2. Media24, Avusa probed for price fxing at the SABC
3. Watchdog to hear Caxton on Witness deal in Business Report
4. Watchdog to probe SA media in Business Report
Visit vw.co. za
Sheer genius. New Passat.
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LiFe, etc
briefs life, etc
Amanda Knox (Reuters)
UK
The Globe Theatre has for many
years tried endearingly to widen
access to Shakespeare. Now
speakers of Maori and Farsi,
among 35 other languages,
will also have the opportunity
to pretend not to be bored by
Troilus & Cressida and the
Comedy of Errors. The Globe
has announced that next year
it will stage Shakespeare plays
in 37 diferent languages. There
will be no subtitles for any of the
performances, with the Globe
hoping that "cultural curiosity"
will be enough to get bums on
seats. Nice idea we'll see.
UsA
A fundraiser for Barack Obama
held at Hollywood venue the
House of Blues took a turn for
the weird on Monday night
when a heckler started shout-
ing "Jesus Christ is the son of
God!" Obama tactfully replied
"I agree", before the crowd
drowned out the heckler with
a chorus of "Four more years,
four more years!" As the loon
was removed by security, he
yelled "You are the Antichrist".
Well, as long as he believes
the Antichrist was born in the
USA, Obama probably wasnt
too fazed.
UsA
There's intense media inter-
est around the opening of
the trial of Michael Jackson's
doctor Conrad Murray, which
began in LA yesterday. Mur-
ray is up on manslaughter
charges, accused of adminis-
tering a fatal dose of anaes-
thetic to the singer, while the
defence is arguing that Jack-
son OD'd himself over pres-
sures relating to his fnancial
strain and the 50 comeback
concerts he had agreed to do.
Enormous crowds of Jackson
supporters gathered outside
the courtroom on Tuesday,
and also within the court-
house there were rumours
that at least two-thirds of
the jurors admitted to being
Jackson fans.
itAlY
Meanwhile, in Europe, another
fascinating trial was closing
up on Tuesday as the prosecu-
tion and defence presented
their closing arguments in
the Amanda Knox case. Knox,
24, is appealing against her
conviction for murdering her
21-year-old English room-
mate in Perugia in 2007. And
while mindful of the fact that
a young woman's future is on
the line, we must report that
the trial has been a total corker.
In the fnal days, the prosecu-
tion called Knox an "enchant-
ing witch" and a "double soul".
The defence hit back by saying
Knox is more like Jessica Rab-
bit: not bad, "just drawn that
way". Are Italian lawyers always
this creative?
briefs life, etc
Caption (Reuters)
NOrtHerN irelAND
Rihanna may think it's okay to
strut her stuf around in LA or
Barbados, but that same stuf
doesnt fy in Northern Ireland.
The pop star hired a grain feld
in Bangor to flm her latest
music video in, but when the
farmer who owned the feld
saw her stripping down, he
intervened to stop proceedings,
telling her it was "inappropri-
ate". He said Rihanna seemed
to accept this, shaking hands
with him. He also said he had
no idea who Rihanna was and
if he had been told her name,
it still wouldn't have meant
anything. You've got to admire
such staunch commitment to
prudishness.
GerMANY
A speeding ticket made out to
one A Hitler has been found in
a Bavarian archive. The Fuhrer
was gunning down the auto-
bahn in his personal Mercedes
in 1931 when he was stopped
by trafc cops and booked,
two-and-a-half years before
he became Chancellor. Hitler
claimed it was his lookalike
chaufeur Julius Schreck at the
wheel at the time. Haven't we
all used that old line before?
UK
The largest ever bounty from
a shipwreck has been recov-
ered of the coast of Ireland:
200 tons of silver worth about
150 million. It was found in
the wreck of the SS Gairoppa, a
UK cargo ship which was sunk
by a German U-boat in 1941.
First phase of digging the loot
out has been completed, and
they're about to start using re-
mote-controlled submarines to
bring the bullion to the surface.
Here's the kicker: the shipwreck
was found by a private Ameri-
can exploration frm, Odyssey
Marine, who gets to keep 80%
of the spoils. Shouldn't we all
quit our jobs and go looking for
buried treasure?
the public fgures he dislikes,
and on occasion in the past
the tactic has worked. Wonder
if Perry has anything to sweat
about.
UsA
It used to be the case that to
feature on an American stamp
you had to have been dead
for at least fve years, no mat-
ter how famous you were. But
now the US Postal Service has
announced a major change of
policy: they're going to start
putting living people on their
stamps. They have announced
that they will consider actors,
athletes, musicians, writers in
other words, any public fgure.
They are asking for public sub-
missions (from Americans, of
course) via their website, Face-
book, Twitter, or, if you live in
1820, snail mail.
UsA
Reporting this news will no
doubt get us pelted with tofu,
but there's just no way around
it: a new study has found that
vegans may have smaller brains.
Wait, before you start hurling
raw vegetables: the study, by
scientists at Rush University
in the US, has found that low
levels of vitamin B12 are linked
to smaller brain volumes and
lower scores on cognitive tests.
Foods high in vitamin B12 in-
clude fsh, meat, poultry, eggs
you see why we're concerned,
vegans? Go on, have a steak: it'll
make you cleverer.
UsA
Hustler magazine publisher
Larry Flynt is putting his politi-
cal convictions where his money
is. He has ofered $1 million to
anyone who can supply him
with proof of an "illicit sexual
liaison" with Republican presi-
dential candidate Rick Perry.
Flynt took out full-page ads in
the Austin Chronicle and, oddly,
The Onion, with copy reading:
"Have you had a gay or straight
sexual encounter with Governor
Rick Perry?" This is Flynt's stan-
dard method of embarrassing
life, etc SA firSt lAdieS
Welcome to the 21St
century, firSt lAdieS
reAd more:
1. First Ladies send frst tweets in Mashable
President Jacob Zuma has two Twitter
accounts, and just before he delivered
this years state of the nation address,
he was photographed fddling with an
actual iPad. Pity this enthusiasm hadnt
trickled down to his wives. Until now! By
SIPHO HLONGWANE.
Happy to send my frst tweet
and support #socialgood.
That was the frst-ever
tweet sent by First Lady
Thobeka Madiba Zuma. Dis-
appointingly, she doesnt have
a Twitter account just yet. She
sent her tweet from the @UN-
Foundation account.
Ida Betty Odinga, the wife
of Kenyas Prime Minister Raila Odinga, sent her frst
tweet from Mashables @socialgood account. She
now has a Twitter account: @idaodinga.
The two First Ladies sent their frst tweets last
week from the stage at the Social Good Summit or-
ganised by Mashable and the United Nations.
The singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka (currently un-
connected to any known First Citizen) joined Madiba
Zuma and Odinga on stage, where she reminded
them that there was more to this tweeting malarkey
than broadcasting to the world what you had for din-
ner, and exchanging lols with friends.
She encouraged the First Ladies to carry the ban-
ner of womens health.
As a woman, it is important for these frst ladies
to nudge their husbands, Chaka Chaka said. You
hold the power.
Photo: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma's
wife Thobeka Madiba smiles during a ceremonial
welcome on Horse Guards Parade in London
March 3, 2010. REUTERS/Chris Jackson
life, etc UK
An Advice to JohAnn
hAri: fess Up,
completely
Earlier this month UK journalist Johann
Hari said he was sorry for the two wrong
and stupid things he'd done. It's hard
to believe him, when his very apology
contained further lies. By THERESA
MALLINSON.
When The Independent's Johann Hari
apologised for his plagiarising and sock-
puppetry tendencies earlier this month,
few people were impressed. Forbes, for
example, characterised his apology as
overdue, dishonest, and meaningless.
If you weren't of this viewpoint be-
fore, the Orwell prize committee's state-
ment on the afair shows just how insin-
cere Hari's so-called apology was. The
really damning bit is this: The Council
considered one article submitted by
Hari in 2008, How multiculturalism is
betraying women (The Independent,
30 April 2007), on the basis of the evidence which had
been received. The Council concluded that the article
contained inaccuracies and confated diferent parts of
someone elses story (specifcally, a report in Der Spie-
gel). The Council ruled that the substantial use of unat-
tributed and unacknowledged material did not meet the
standards expected of Orwell Prize-winning journal-
ism.
You see, in Hari's mea culpa, he specifcally stated:
(E)ven though I stand by the articles which won the
George Orwell Prize, I am returning it as an act of con-
trition for the errors I made elsewhere, in my inter-
views. Does he never learn? It seems not, and that's why
we remain unconvinced that Hari's commitment to un-
dergoing journalism training will make the slightest bit
of diference to his professional practices.
Instead, his time would be better spent meticulously
going through every single word he's written or stolen
over the last ten years. Wherever he's used someone
else's words, he should mark that passage, and insert the
correct attribution, before sending copies of his amend-
ed work to all the publications in which it has appeared,
as well as publishing them in full on his blog. That
would be an apology worthy of the name.
Photo: Johann Hari
africa rwanda
@paulkagame loses
the plot on twitter,
again
There's nothing quite as cringeworthy as
watching a Twitter meltdown unfold on
your timeline especially when it involves
scant regard for grammar. Think before
you tweet, you want to DM the offender,
but if it's the Rwandan President Paul
Kagame, who follows exactly zero people,
this isn't a possibility. By THERESA
MALLINSON.
First of, we're assuming that the
person manning the @PaulKagame
Twitter account is, in fact, the man
himself. For one thing, it's a verifed
account. For another, surely anyone
less senior than the President him-
self would've been fred long ago,
given the aggressive drivel that's
posted?
Kagame's explosive Twitter persona frst came to
general attention back in May, when he engaged in a
very public spat with British journalist Ian Birrell. And
it seems the memory of this encounter is still a sore one
for Kagame.
Returning to Twitter on Tuesday, after an absence
of ten days, Kagame frst apologised for not having en-
gaged on the social media network for the last while,
and then inexplicably referenced his run-in with Birrell.
.there is a tweet b4 this one which didn't come thru-
I asked if u rembr the debate and name-calling by a
guy(jrnalist) from London...
Following this, he commented on the UK phone-
hacking scandal, before lambasting Western hypocrisy
about presidential term limits Then the issue of legacy
..I follod some1 talking about pple in power and term
limits(the famous debate)! There r countries btw in the
West/ That don't have term limits..to begin with,some
leaders can run fr.top l/ship postns for as many time as
their p/parties choose them or win/.,elections! These
shd normally not be the ones to give lectures on term
limits! Having said this I also subscribe to term limits!
Right then. We're holding Kagame to his tweet, and
trust we'll see the back of him come 2017.
Photo: Paul Kagame (REUTERS)
life, etc robotics
could a robot
do your job?
read more:
1. Will Robots Steal Your Job? on Slate
It's a serious question: ever-more sophisticated
robots are being built with highly-advanced
problem-solving capacities. Over the next
decade, it's likely that robots will replace
humans in a wide range of industries. By
REBECCA DAVIS.
Let's get one thing straight: when we say "ro-
bots", we're not just talking about the mechanical
androids of sci-f flms or South African trafc
lights. The autopilot function on a modern aero-
plane is a robot and so are ATMs. A robot is sim-
ply a machine capable of carrying out a complex
series of actions automatically. And the question
weve posed in the headline is one that is receiv-
ing serious attention.
The New America Foundation is hosting a Fu-
ture Tense seminar in Washington on Thursday
to answer the question of how much of a foothold
robots are likely to get in the job market. Their
line-up includes intriguing panel discussions on
questions like "Can robots do nuance?" and "Can
the economy survive a robot uprising?"
Slate technology columnist Farhad Manjoo
has spent the last few months investigating the
encroachment of robots on human employment
and his fndings are pretty pessimistic (for hu-
man job-seekers, that is). "They might not know
it yet, but some of the most educated workers in
the nation are engaged in a ferce battle with ma-
chines," he writes. He quotes software developer
Martin Ford as saying that in the future "all but
the most non-routine-type jobs won't be there
anymore".
In an interview with Wired two years ago,
Marshall Brain, who founded the website How-
StufWorks, predicted that robots will have
largely replaced humans in jobs in the fastfood,
cleaning and retail industries by 2030. It's already
happening - check out this video of a robot-
stafed restaurant in China.
Best you get busy doing the one thing you may
be able to out-perform a robot in: sucking up to
your boss. Or better yet being the boss.
spOrt
briefs sport
monday - 28 september 2011
Davis Love III (Reuters)
rugby
Italy secured a four-try 27-10
win over the USA at Trafalgar
Park on Tuesday in a result that
means Pool C will go right down
to the wire on Sunday. The fve-
point success sees the Azzurri
go level on points with the Wal-
labies - who play Russia on Sat-
urday - and just three behind
Ireland. It wasn't pretty from
the Italians, but they will not be
losing sleep over that as it was
a case of mission accomplished
before they go down to Dunedin.
John Kirwan revealed he could
resign as Japan's coach after his
side's 23-all draw with Canada
in their fnal Rugby World Cup
match in Napier. Kirwan said
he was left "fat" by the result
in Japan's fnal pool game, add-
ing he thought they had done
more than enough to win.
Australian referee Stuart Dick-
inson has retired from interna-
tional rugby.
Blue Bulls fanker Dewald
Potgieter will not play in the
remainder of the Currie Cup
competition after injuring
his ankle. Potgieter's injury is
quite serious and he will not
be able to complete the season,
said the Blue Bulls team doctor.
Potgieter has shown fne form
during the Currie Cup and
his absence will be felt by the
Bulls, still in a desperate race
to qualify for the semi-fnals of
the Currie Cup.
golf
While the US captain Davis
Love III is holding out hope
of qualifying to take part
in next year's Ryder Cup as
a player-captain, his Euro-
pean counterpart Jose Maria
Olazabal has made it clear
that he entertains no such
idea. Speaking at a press con-
ference on Monday, some
12 months before the event
begins at Medinah Country
Club in Illinois, the two veter-
ans confrmed they hold op-
posing views when it comes
to the possibility of being in-
volved both as a player out on
the course, and as a captain
behind the scenes.
tennis
Marcos Baghdatis notched up
his 200th career win by seeing
of Alex Bogomolov Jr in the
frst round of the Malaysian
Open. Although the Cypriot
wild card claimed a straight-
sets win, it was anything but
easy. Sixth-seeded American
Bogomolov pushed Baghdatis
hard in the frst set before going
down 7-6(3) 6-4 in one hour
and 46 minutes. The 26-year-
old Baghdatis, hit six aces and
won 72% of his service.
World number two Maria
Sharapova eased into the
third round of the Pan-Pa-
cifc Open on Monday with a
straight-sets win over Tama-
rine Tanasugarn. The Russian
overcame the Thai veteran
6-2 7-5 in one hour and 31
minutes to claim her frst
victory following her third-
round exit at the US Open
early in September.
briefs sport
monday - 28 september 2011
Dirk Kuyt (Reuters)
Andy Roddick believes pro
tennis players should consider
forming a union to tackle the
sports issues with a collective
voice. Prompted by weather
issues that played havoc with
the US Open this month, Rod-
dick suggested that the players
should think about creating a
union similar to those in other
major pro sports, even ofering
his services to lead the charge.
football
Dirk Kuyt is determined to
earn a starting berth for Liv-
erpool this season, but he has
accepted it won't be easy. The
Dutch international has had to
play second-fddle to the likes
of Luis Suarez and Jordan Hen-
derson in both attack and mid-
feld thus far. But Kuyt, who
was on the bench for Saturday's
win over Wolves after starting
and scoring in the Carling Cup
against Brighton, insists he
won't let his disappointment
get him down.
Yaya Toure believes Manchester
City need to be realistic in their
expectations in their frst UEFA
Champions League campaign.
While the midfelder is conf-
dent City can advance from the
competition's group stages, he
insists the real test awaits them
in the knockout rounds.
Sir Alex Ferguson still expects
Dimitar Berbatov to perform
for Manchester United despite
being utilised as a back-up
striker. The Bulgarian was last
seasons joint leading scorer in
the Premier League and has
spent the opening weeks of the
campaign warming the bench
for United. But Ferguson is
adamant the 30 year old is still
very much part of his plans
and wishes for Berbatov not to
become despondent due to the
limited game-time thus far.
CriCket
England will on Tuesday name
their ODI and Twenty20 Inter-
national squads for their tour
of India, with Kevin Pietersen
set to return to the fold. Bats-
man Pietersen, who featured
in the one-of T20I against
India last month, but was
rested from September's fve
one-dayers in England and the
back-to-back T20Is against the
West Indies, was rumoured to
be toying with retirement from
limited-overs cricket.
Troy Cooley will act as Austra-
lia's interim coach for their tour
of South Africa after the resig-
nation of Tim Nielsen last week.
The 45-year-old Cooley has
been promoted by Cricket Aus-
tralia after serving the national
team in several roles. The for-
mer seamer also worked as Eng-
land's bowling coach in 2005.
Two-test Proteas fast bowler,
Friedel de Wet, has signed with
the KZN Dolphins franchise for
the 2011/12 season. Coach Gra-
ham Ford announced the sign-
ing at a press conference ahead
of the start of the new season.
The Dolphins squad now boasts
three ex-Highveld Lions players,
including Robbie Frylinck and
Vaughn van Jaarsveld.
Former Pakistan leg-spinner,
Danish Kaneria has hit out at
court-room delays that have
stalled his attempts to re-
vive his international career.
Kaneria and fellow Essex bowl-
er, Mervyn Westfeld, were ar-
rested for spot-fxing following
a pro-40 match against Dur-
ham in 2009.
sport rwc
robinson says its time for
scotland the brave
Although the Scots only have a slim chance of
maintaining their proud record of reaching the
Scotlands coach Andy Robinson has called for his troops to dust themselves off and focus
on their next challenge of beating England. By PlanetRugby.com
Photo: Andy Robinson. (REUTERS)
last eight at every Rugby World Cup, Robinson
rwc sport
says they're still optimistic.
A late try by Lucas Gonzalez Amorosini
earned Argentina a 13-12 win on Sunday and
made the Pumas favourites to advance to the
quarter-fnals alongside Pool B leaders, England.
But Robinson is not prepared to throw
in the towel just yet. Scotland must beat
England by eight points or more - thus denying
England a losers bonus point - to be certain
of advancing to the quarter-fnals from Pool B.
The alternative is hope for an unlikely win by
Georgia over Argentina.
"There is a real vibrancy about the team ...
Everybody understands that it is still in our
control," says Robinson.
Robinson has taken comfort from last
November when Scotland were beaten 49-3
by New Zealand before bouncing back a week
later with a 21-17 defeat of world champions,
South Africa.
"We know what we need to do and there is
total trust in the whole squad that mentally
and physically they are able to rise to the
challenge. Everybody understands that it is
still in our control and we've got to go out
and put in a top performance on Saturday
against England."
The former Bath fanker was assistant
coach when England won the World Cup
in 2003, but was relieved of his role as head
coach in November 2006 following nine wins
in 22 games.
Asked whether he will be making contact
with any of his former colleagues in the
England camp in the lead-up to the game,
Robinson said: "I don't speak to people at the
best of times."
His reputation was restored in Scotland,
frstly with Edinburgh, before he was
persuaded to succeed Frank Hadden in 2009.
After a number of memorable wins,
including over the Springboks, Robinson must
now mastermind an escape from an early
elimination to avoid his side becoming the
frst not to progress to the World Cup knock-
out stages.
The focus, initially at least, is merely on
winning. "The frst thing we have to do is
win the game. We will all take heart in what
Ireland did against England at the end of
the Six Nations and the way we played at
Twickenham against England."
Robinson is set to name his team on
Thursday, with Kelly Brown the main concern.
The Saracens number eight's participation
depends on how he recovers from a head
knock sustained late on against Argentina.
Richie Gray had to come of with a hamstring
injury and could also be in doubt.
after a number of
memorable wins, including
over the springboks,
robinson must now
mastermind an escape
from an early elimination
to avoid his side becoming
the frst not to progress to
the world cup knock-out
stages.
sport ryder cup golf
ryder cup venue
under scrutiny
Jose-Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III,
the respective 2012 European and US
captains for next year's Ryder Cup battle,
have allayed fears about the condition
of the Medinah Country Club in Chicago,
venue for the contest. By Golf365.com
A month or so ago, reports began circulat-
ing that the condition of Medinah's three
courses were worse than most other courses
in the Chicago region, but Love and Olaza-
bal blew away all such fears after an inspec-
tion on Monday of the Club's No 3 course
where the Ryder Cup is to be staged.
Love said: "You look at that golf course
every day, and it looks like a major champi-
onship is ready to happen. It'll be an incred-
ible place to have a tournament.''
And Olazabal added: "I can't imagine a
better place for this event. It's the perfect
host venue. The facilities are extraordinary and, with
the change made at No. 15, those last few holes will be
very interesting.''
The two Ryder Cup skippers, along with spokesmen
for both Medinah and the PGA of America, assured re-
porters the club was more than ready for the start of the
one-year countdown to next year's Trans-Atlantic battle
The latest renovation of Medinah's No. 3 course in-
cluded adding a pond to the 15th hole and making it a
driveable par-4 - something this storied layout had been
said to be lacking.
Now the players in next year's Ryder Cup will fnish
their rounds with two risk-reward holes - the new 15th
and the 17th, a par-3 over water - as well as two difcult
par-4s (the 16th and 18th holes).
Conditioning had been the biggest concern after last
month's Illinois PGA Championship on Medinah's No.1
course required players to invoke the lift, clean and
place rule on all three days of the competition, despite
stunning weather
Three weeks of heavy rains and extreme heat had
drastically reduced the amount of grass on the fair-
ways, with some club professionals opting to hit into the
rough in hopes of getting better lies.
Photo: 2012 European Ryder Cup Captain Jose
Maria Olazabal hits a golf ball from the 16th foor
of the Trump Tower in Chicago, September 26,
2011. He is trying to make a 220-yard landing
onto a golf green on a 35 feet by 75 feet barge
foating in the Chicago River below as part of a
charity event. REUTERS/Jim Young
Support the team that saves lives.
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42511 NSRI Percy Print_285x210.indd 1 2011/05/09 12:32 PM

Imaverick 28 September 2011

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wednesday 28 september 2011

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