Imaverick 06 September 2011

tuesday 6 september 2011
Index
a day In pIctures
It happened overnIght
south afrIca
afrIca
World
BusIness
lIfe, etc
sport
Index
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monDAY 5 september 2011
A DAY IN PICTURES - ThEmb'ElIhlE
Themb'elihle souTh africa
TUEsDAY - 06 sEpTEmbEr 2011
service delivery anger flares in lenasia
The Themb'elihle squatter camp has seen
service-delivery protests before but never, those
who live around the area later told us, anything
like the violence they saw on Monday.
By late Monday night a car was burning on
the major road that divides the township of
shacks inhabited by black people from the neat
Service delivery protests just outside Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, fared into violence on
Monday. PHILLIP DE WET spent the day talking to the protesters, and the night steering clear
of their hurled rocks.
Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
brick houses of Lenasia, primarily an Indian
part of town. At least three other cars had
been destroyed and several more damaged.
Two people had been bloodied, several more
battered and bruised, and township residents
Themb'elihle souTh africa
said that would only mark the beginning.
"It's like fucking Baghdad here," one Lenasia
resident said, surveying the road that had
become a battleground. With burning tyres
sending up black plumes of smoke and the sound
of gunfre competing with the Muslim call to
evening prayer, it was not an entirely unfair
comparison. That same man would later join an
armed group standing watch against what they
believed would be an inevitable invasion by their
black neighbours though "black neighbours"
was not one of the descriptions hurled across the
road. Like others who live just a hundred metres
away from the car that had been set alight,
that group said it would be getting no sleep on
Monday.
Across the road, in Themb'elihle, there was
probably even more fear. Earlier the afternoon,
before the rocks and rubber bullets had started
fying again, many township dwellers had
expressed their concern: a dark night, high
emotions, some drunkenness and, perhaps, some
kangaroo justice. It would make for a potent
combination, they said. What actually happened
we can not say; the area was most decidedly a
no-go, from which even armoured police vehicles
retreated.
Those who live in Themb'elihle say they only
want electricity. Electricity they'll be happy to pay
for (instead of the parafn they currently use),
electricity they say they've been promised for years.
"Why do rural areas have power and we don't?"
several asked. "Why do these malls and those
people [in Lenasia] have power and we don't?"
Arguments that the township is built on
dolomite, making it inherently unsafe, are
roundly dismissed as nonsense; just look at the
big buildings that have been approved on every
side. That gives rise to any number of conspiracy
theories about the real reason for the condition
of their township, many involving a land-grab by
Lenasia's Indian residents and fecklessness of a
local government which, they say, deals only in
empty promises.
So it was perhaps inevitable that tempers
would fare. On Monday morning, that resulted
in injuries to a young boy and a police ofcer.
On Monday night, a young woman took a rock
to the face and another woman was trampled as
the crowd stampeded. That is the cost, one local
leader later said, of making a point. In between
children played soccer in the street, but it was
the peace that was transient, rather than the
anger.
That gives rise to any number of conspiracy
theories about the real reason for the condition
of their township, many involving a land-grab by
lenasia's indian residents and fecklessness of a
local government which, they say, deals only in
empty promises.
Themb'elihle a day in picTures
wednesdAY 31 AUGUsT 2011
Despite an early morning of violence, leaving several people injured by rubber bullets,
the late morning was characterised by discussion. Vehement, emotional, and sometimes
shouted discussion, but police and protesters were talking in the streets. That was not to
last. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
Make-shift shields: after the frst round of rubber bullets on Monday morning, protesters
tore down the plastic holders used for street pole ads nearby. These, they assured us,
would stop a rubber bullet while being light enough to manage. Photo: Phillip de Wet for
iMaverick.
As things settled down, women and children joined the protest again. Photo: Phillip de Wet
for iMaverick.
The littlest protester, 18 months old. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
By mid-afternoon the mood had changed to one of anticipation. As a larger crowd gathered
again, fresh tyres were rolled out for new fres. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
Residents never put away their make-shift weapons: sticks, bottles, broken chairs, at least
one panga. The threat of violence was clear. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
"We want electricity," residents told us all day. Flushing toilets too, and maybe better
housing, but electricity was the main gripe. Stories of fres caused by overturned paraffn
stoves abound in the township. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
Trying to address the residents and assure them action will be taken. All such attempts
ultimately failed. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
A girl, injured by a rock thrown during the late afternoon fracas, is tended to. She was one
of two injuries in the incident; another woman was trampled as the crowd beat a hasty
retreat. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
Police stand watch over the intersection that had seen violence fare up in the early morning
as well as later that evening. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
Township residents gather around one of several fres lit on the main arterial that runs past
the township. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
A policeman fres rubber bullets at a determined man throwing rocks from behind a shack
in the township. It was neither the frst nor the last shots to be fred. Photo: Phillip de Wet
for iMaverick.
Residents gather together shoes that had been left behind in the mad scramble away from
the rubber bullets and water cannon. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
An ambulance arrives to remove the injured girl. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
A family emerges from their car after running the one kilometre gauntlet that the road next
to the township had become. They escaped with minor cuts from the broken glass of two
windows. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
A group of residents lifted the car off the ground to extract a piece of concrete stuck
underneath, in an attempt to get it further away from the worst trouble. Like with several
other vehicles, it took a tow truck to remove it from the scene, though. Photo: Phillip de Wet
for iMaverick.
Another car that attempted to run the gauntlet. The driver, who works at a nearby hospital,
emerged shaken but unscathed. She had simply been on her way to work, she said, and
had not been aware of the protest until the frst rocks started raining down. Photo: Phillip de
Wet for iMaverick.
A police Nyala patrols the road separating the informal settlement from Lenasia itself,
strewn with rubble, burning tyres and make-shift barricades. Photo: Phillip de Wet for
iMaverick.
The braver children of the neighbourhood emerged, once or twice, to dance around the
faming car. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
By late night, the most die-hard of the protesters gathered around the burning vehicle they
had set alight earlier, unmolested by police. Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
IT hAPPENED OVERNIGhT
briefs it happened overnight
tuesday - 06 september 2011
ANC & Youth League violence (iMaverick)
politics
iran
Iran has agreed to open its
nuclear programmes to fve
years of scrutiny by the United
Nations if the global body will
drop sanctions. Tehran has,
however, refused to draw back
on its uranium enrichment
programmes. Last month Iran
invited International Atomic
Energy Agency inspector, Her-
man Nackaerts to view its ura-
nium production which west-
ern diplomats reckoned was
merely to show of.
india
Indias land reform laws have
passed through cabinet and
are set to move into parliament
by Wednesday. Indias massive
infrastructure boom is being
slowed by rural landowners
hesitance to part with their as-
sets, often in exchange for val-
ue below market rates decided
by government. This reform
is to over-compensate poor
landowners. This is also a pre-
emptive election issue with the
current administration seek-
ing the support of farmers, and
elections in very infuential Ut-
tar Pradesh state (where land is
a major issue) next year.
south africa
The ANC has complained
about the ANC Youth League
protests outside Luthuli House
last week, calling it un-ANC
to throw rocks and burn T-
shirts with President Jacob
Zumas face on the front, just
six days after the protests hap-
pened.
ethiopia
The Ethiopian government has
arrested 29 people, including
members of the opposition, on
terrorism charges, suspicion
of plotting to commit criminal
acts contrary to anti-terrorism
legislation, according to a gov-
ernment spokesman. It sounds
like bull, as this wouldnt be the
frst time Meles Zenawis reps
have used these kinds of ac-
cusations to hush opposition
mouths. Naturally, the collec-
tive accused have denied being
terrorists.
usa
Mitt Romney announced his
plan to save jobs (which sounds
remarkably like the same
thing everyone else, including
the current President Barack
Obama, has said before) by
cutting taxes, removing red
tape, hating on China etc. etc.
While Romneys plans may
stick out as much as a black
shirt at an Orlando Pirates
game, his insistence that he is
not a career politician may dif-
ferentiate him from the politi-
cal cowboys of this world.
President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete (Reuters)
pakistan
The Pakistani government said
on Monday it had arrested
three highly ranked al-Qae-
da operatives a week earlier.
This will hopefully get Paki-
stan back into the USAs good
books. Relations lately have
been, well, frostier than a Jo-
hannesburg lawn in June.
tanzania
The current President of Tan-
zania has denied accusations
of bribery which were reported
in a WikiLeaks cable in 2006
when he served as foreign af-
fairs minister. President Jakaya
Kikwete, according to the
cable, was taken to London for
a shopping trip and received a
large donation from an Emirati
hotelier to facilitate two new
hotels in the country. Kikwetes
spokespeople asked the then
ambassador to Tanzania, Mi-
chael Retzer, to provide evi-
dence of the claim.
Yemen
The Yemeni government will
discuss a UN proposal to trans-
fer power from current Presi-
dent Ali Abdullah Saleh to his
deputy, who would be tasked
with forming an interim gov-
ernment until elections could
be held. Saleh remains in Saudi
Arabia while he recovers from
a blast at his presidential com-
pound in Sanaa.
libYa
A new glut of speculation sur-
rounding Colonel Gaddaf and
his whereabouts hit the wires
this morning, but until we get
something concrete, the only
thing that happened in the last
few hours was that British dip-
lomats began returning to the
country.
haiti
Haitian President Marcel Mar-
telly has picked a new Prime
Minister, the third such selec-
Carla Bruni criticises Dominique Strauss-Kahn (Reuters)
a name change to try to toss its
nasty reputation post civil war.
The name will revert to the one
used after independence, the
National Armed Forces of the
Cte dIvoire, from the current
Republican Forces of the Cte
dIvoire. Well, I feel much bet-
ter already.
israel
A senior Israeli military
spokesman said that Israel will
become more tolerant of Pales-
tinian protests because of new
riot control training and equip-
ment. Although, by defnition,
less dead people would imply
more tolerance, shooting pro-
testers with rubber bullets isnt
exactly our idea of tolerance.
Maybe its just semantics.
business
Nigerias central bank has ap-
proved a policy of holding
investments in yuan, ending
the days of assets remaining in
dollars, euros and sterling. The
bank governor, Malam Lamido
Sanusi, said, We have already
allowed Nigerian companies
who want to import from
China to settle in renminbi
(the fancy term for yuan). The
Chinese government recently
allowed Chinese companies to
actually outfow investments
in RMB (Renminbi), and we
would allow investments to
come in RMB. Nigeria is not
the frst and will not be the last
to adopt this. Nigeria is only
expected to hold yuan reserves
totalling around 5%-10% of its
total.
tion in his four-month old gov-
ernment. The new PM, Garry
Conille, has worked as a legis-
lator in government before.
france
The wife of French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, star Carla
Bruni has criticised Dominique
Strauss-Kahn who is now back
in France and is expected to
assist the opposition party in
its election campaign. It must
be purely coincidental that the
wife of the ruling partys nu-
mro un is taking on the So-
cialists most famous face, but
then again, DSKs party must
have expected some kind of
reaction, surely?
colombia
The new defence minister in
Colombia has promised in-
novative solutions to illegal
armed groups, drug trafckers
and guerrillas. Although secu-
rity in Colombia has increased
alongside the countrys econ-
omy, President Juan Manuel
Santos is undergoing a drop in
the polls, largely due to a per-
ception in dropped national
safety.
cte divoire
The Ivorian army will undergo
Novak Djokovic (Reuters)
South Koreas revised economic
growth for the second quarter
dropped to 0.9%, indicating
that fears of another global re-
cession may not be unfounded.
South Korea, like most of Asia,
is battling infation and its ex-
port-dependent economy, while
still on the increase, is falling
below forecasts made last year.
The countrys trade surplus
dropped to $821 million last
month from $6.3 billion in July.
Italian President Giorgio Na-
politano has warned against
alarming debt signals that
his country is facing, including
Mondays debauchery in stock
exchange performance. Italys
austerity reforms are currently
undergoing approval in the
senate and the president wants
them to be fast and reinforced.
Upcoming testimony by two
NewsCorp executives may de-
termine the future of James
Murdoch, Rupert Murdochs
son, as their testimony in front
of the committee to investigate
phone-hacking allegations is
expected to contradict his. In
other words his P45 could ar-
rive quite soon.
sport
Football: Manchester City will
investigate claims of hacking
after the clubs chief executive,
Gary Cook, accidentally sent
a rude email to the person he
was ridiculing, using her can-
cer sufering distastefully in the
email. Cook has told the press
his email account was hacked.
It didnt work for Anthony
Weiner, mate. We doubt it will
work for you.
Tennis: Novak Djokovic won
a marathon tie-break in the
frst set of his match against
Alexandr Dolgopolov, 16-14,
before going on to beat the
Ukrainian in straight sets. Jo-
Wilfreid Tsonga knocked out
home favourite, Mardy Fish,
while Janko Tipsarevic made
his frst ever Grand Slam quar-
ter fnal when he beat ex-world
number one, Juan Carlos Fer-
rero. In the womens draw, An-
astasia Pavlyuchenkova upset
Francesca Schiavone, Serena
Williams drilled Ana Ivanovic
and Andrea Petkovic wrapped
up a good win against Carla
Suarez-Navarro. World num-
ber one Caroline Wozniacki is
currently a set and two breaks
down against former champion
Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Olympics: Team GB (what
the British call their Olympic
squad) has unveiled its mascot
for the 2012 competition next
year: A lion. Called Pride. Pride
the Lion. Indeed.
Golf: Webb Simpson won the
Deutsche Bank Champion-
ship in a playof against Chez
Reavie. Simpson only quali-
Salvatore Licitra (Reuters)
taminated evidence. Meredith
Kercher was murdered four
years ago and Amanda Knox
and her boyfriend, Rafaele
Sollecito, found guilty. This
current court appearance is an
appeal.
Wildfres rampaging through
Texas have destroyed up to 500
homes and killed two people
a mother and her child. The
fres have burnt more than
12,000ha of land and 5,000
people have been evacuated
from sites in central and east
Texas. According to a forest
spokesman, this is the worst
fre season in the state.
Salvatore Licitra, the famed
Italian opera singer has died at
the age of 43 after injuries to
his head after an accident on
his scooter. He died in Catania,
Sicily. Licitra rose to fame when
he replaced Luciano Pavarotti
in two performances of Tosca
at the end of the Met season in
New York in 2002.
South African actress, Gloria
Mudau, has died at the age
of 84 after a long illness. She
is best known for her role on
SABCs Sgudi Snaysi series
and the comedy-drama Khu-
luleka in 1994.
Japan will seek advice of the
International Atomic Energy
Agency before turning its nu-
clear power stations back on.
Wed imagine this is solely to
cover its arse if something hap-
pens to go wrong.
fed for the playof, with the
pair tied at -15, because of his
performance on the back nine,
saving par three times and
making a 30-foot birdie putt
on the last regulation hole.
Simpsons putter remained
his weapon of choice, holing a
15-footer on the second playof
hole to seal victory. Ernie Els
fnished A tie 16th at -8 and
Charl Schwartzel a shot further
back.
life
A 12-year old boy was killed
when a 6.6 magnitude earth-
quake hit the Indonesian
island of Sumatra (the one
Jakarta isnt on). The quake
struck 100km south of Medan.
Some hospitals were evacuated
and people fed their houses,
but initial reports claim the
only infrastructure damage was
electricity poles falling onto
houses.
Police have defended their fo-
rensic methods in the Amanda
Knox trial which is still being
carried out in Italy. This was in
response to a panel of experts
who said the police had con-
SOUTh AFRICA
briefs south africa
Thabo Mbeki (Reuters)
Moeletsi Mbeki: capital
flight biggest threat to
econoMic freedoM
Political analyst Moeletsi
Mbeki told a Democratic Alli-
ance meeting that the biggest
danger to economic freedom in
South Africa was the fight of
capital to foreign destinations.
He said that this left entrepre-
neurs with no capital to create
jobs. He also cautioned against
dismissing nationalisation as
a way of attaining economic
freedom, but said that nation-
alising mining would adversely
afect foreign exchange reserves
and entrepreneurial activity.
and thabo wept...
According to a Wikileaks cable,
former president Thabo Mbeki
cried when he told members
of his Cabinet that he would be
stepping down. The cable de-
tails meetings between US con-
sulate staf and members of the
presidents policy unit, where
the two groups held discussions
of a post-Mbeki South Africa.
One of Mbekis stafers, Thabi-
leng Mothabi, is also reported
to have expressed dim views
of Jacob Zuma and Kgalema
Motlanthe calling the former
dumb and the latter an idiot.
wikileaks: Zille offered to
stop down should Manuel
defect
Another Wikileaks cable al-
leged that the Democratic Al-
liance leader Helen Zille was
prepared to step down if min-
ister in the presidency Trevor
Manuel were to defect and take
the top seat in her party. Man-
uel however did not respond
to the DAs advances. The DAs
Athol Trollip, who was named
as a source in the cable, said
the reference to Manuel was
a metaphorical example, ac-
cording to News24.
protection of inforMation
bill heading to national
asseMbly
The ad hoc parliamentary com-
mittee on the protection of
information bill has voted on
and accepted a draft bill, which
will be tabled in the national
assembly in the coming weeks.
The vote was split seven to four,
with the DA, the ACDP and the
IFP voting against it. The fnal-
ised bill crucially lacks protec-
tion for those who disclose clas-
sifed information if it is in the
public interest and could face a
constitutional challenge.
boy in hospital following
service-delivery protests
south of Johannesburg
An 11-year-old boy was alleged-
ly shot in the face with a rubber
bullet by police during service-
briefs south africa
Service delivery protests in Thembelihle, Johannesburg. (iMaverick)
delivery protests in Thembeli-
hle, Johannesburg, Eyewitness
News reported. The boy is said
to be in hospital and police
are investigating the incident.
Three hundred people blocked
the road and set fre to tyres in
the protest, and police say they
fred the rubber bullets to stop
stone throwers. Twenty people
were arrested.
bees roux Murder case
postponed to wednesday
The judge in the murder trial
of Blue Bulls player Bees Roux
has postponed the case to
Wednesday to allow time for
further discussion between
prosecutors and the defence.
Roux has been charged in the
murder of metro police ofcer
sergeant Ntsimane Mogale,
who had pulled Roux over for
drunk driving. Roux has plead-
ed self-defence, alleging that
Mogale had tried to rob him.
rea vaya loses bid to end
drivers strike
The Rea Vaya bus company has
lost a labour court bid to end
a strike by its drivers, who are
demanding that their salary be
tripled from R5,000 to R15,000
and have been on strike since
1 August. The company told
Sapa that it has dismissed 20
drivers who failed to report for
work and would be calling an
urgent management meeting
to decide on the next steps.
pale ya rona carnival
draws 17,000
Soweto this weekend held its
annual Pale Ya Rona carnival,
drawing a crowd of more than
17,000 people. The carnival,
held on the historic Vilakazi
Street, is a colourful celebra-
tion of the history of Johan-
nesburg through music, dance
and performances.
da lays charge against
youth league violence
ringleader
The Democratic Alliance has
laid charge of incitement to
public violence against Jacob
Lebogo, secretary of the ANC
Youth League in Limpopo.
Lebogo, a childhood friend of
Julius Malema, is said to have
bussed in youth league mem-
bers from Limpopo and led
them in violent protest in the
Johannesburg CBD against
Malemas disciplinary hear-
ing. The DA wants Lebogo and
the youth league to be held
responsible for the damage
and chaos caused during the
protests. The league has admit-
ted to sending the buses, but
denied that Lebogo had incited
the crowd to violence.
ANC south AfriCA
TUESDAY - 06 SEPTEMBER 2011
ANC leAders slAm Youth leAgue protests some more
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe looked
even more bouncy than usual as he waltzed into
the Food and Allied Workers Union conference
on Monday night, following all-day meetings
with his fellow ANC leaders.
Mantashes talk to the unionists, like that
of SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy
Cronins earlier in the day, centred around the
battle against ANC Youth League leader Julius
Malema. Mantashe referred to UDM leader
Bantu Holomisa, who was expelled from the
ANC after he failed to attend a disciplinary
hearing, saying the ANC took action no matter
how popular people were.
Having won most battles so far in their disciplining of the ANC Youth League, ANC bosses are on a roll
and condemned last weeks violent protests on the sidelines, promising further action against trouble-
makers, which is likely to include Julius Malemas best buddy. CARIEN DU PLESSIS reports.
We must at a point put (foot) down and
say do[sic] what is in line with the cultures of
the movement, and not blink, and not finch.
The ANC is like an elephant and when it comes
down you mistake the stump for a tail, and it
puts down (its foot), there is nothing left of you.
The day it wakes up and comes for you, it walks
over you. You can ask many people, you can ask
(UDM leader) Bantu Holomisa, many people,
who thought the ANC was their domain because
they commanded the biggest vote in the ANC. It
ANC south AfriCA
is not like that. Once you are in the ANC you are
ordinary.
This is perhaps a hint that the ANC was
planning to come down hard on the youngsters.
Mantashe said the mistakes of ill-discipline the
ANC made before its 2007 Polokwane conference
shouldnt stop it from trying to restore discipline
now.
When people say (other) people were allowed
to say certain things in the run-up to Polokwane,
you cant say no now, (or) you cant talk about
slates now because you are the product of a
slate, that is wrong, he said.
Mantashe also gave a long explanation on the
ANCs policy on Botswana, presumably after the
League last week challenged being charged for
wanting to efect regime change next door by
working with opposition parties there.
Mantashe said the ANC at Polokwane resolved
to cement relations with former liberation
movements. It says look for all progressive
parties and analyse the ideology. It says work
with other parties in government that do not
necessarily share your vision.
Right-wing movements had to be pulled to
the left, not punched. He said in this way the
ANC and other liberation parties persuaded
Botswana not to agree to the Americans
establishing a military base, Africom, in the
neighbouring country.
Mantashe apparently has the backing of the
partys national working committee, which in a
statement last night declared it had discussed
the recent violent protests outside Luthuli
House. There was no talk, however, of stories
that Zuma had wanted to appoint interim
leaders for the League, as had been reported,
Mantashe said.
It didnt refer to the ANC Youth League,
which organised the protests even if it claimed
it didnt and concluded that the protest was
uncalled for and that it was calculated to
undermine the internal organisational processes
to uphold disciplined conduct of its members.
The NWC also condemned the burning of
the T-shirt bearing (Zumas) face and the fag of
the ANC. This was viewed as totally un-ANC
and a breach of everything that the ANC stands
for. It called for action to be taken against
those who are implicated in acts of violence and
criminality.
About the displays of posters by Youth
League members on Friday asking for deputy
president Kgalema Motlanthe take over from
Zuma at the partys elective conference in
Mangaung next year, there was no word.
Some provincial leaders from the League
told the crowd on Beyers Naude Square, next
mantashe apparently
has the backing of
the partys national
working committee,
which in a statement
last night declared it had
discussed the recent
violent protests outside
luthuli house.
ANC south AfriCA
to Luthuli House, that they wanted to see
Motlanthe and sports minister Fikile Mbalula
elected to the ANCs top leadership.
This was in clear contravention to the ANCs
declaration two weeks ago, via Mantashe, that
the partys leadership debate was not open yet.
Mantashe, when asked about this last night, was
his usual cryptic self: I dont get into the mud
with people. When you play in the mud, you get
muddied, he said.
What that meant is either the ANC did not
reckon these incidents important enough to
consider for discipline, or it had made a decision,
but didnt want to talk to the media about it now.
Either way, the DA in Gauteng wasted no time,
and laid a charge against the ANCs Limpopo
secretary, Jacob Lebogo, also a bosom buddy of
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, for the
mayhem and damage caused in the city centre
last week, and specifcally on Tuesday.
Lebogo was reported to have been the one
who organised the battle.
Cronin, in a long speech, on Monday spoke
out against racism and sexism in the tripartite
alliance. He said non-racialism cannot be
earned by merely putting the right faces on
election posters, as the DA was doing. The
ANC must uphold the values that unite it as an
alliance, otherwise we dont have an alliance.
The ANC must stand frmly for non-racialism.
Anybody who stirs up racism is not part of
our alliance. It must have people who uphold
non-sexism. If anybody is guilty of dreadful
behaviour towards women, they do not belong
in our organisation, he said.
He said the SACP and the Youth League
joined forces before Polokwane because they
both wanted to be rid of former president
Thabo Mbeki, but for diferent reasons. The
SACP was concerned about the policies Mbeki
represented, while the League and some others
within the ANC were in trouble with the law,
and they thought it was their chance to eat.
But it was these other forces which were
unprincipled and which believed they were
the kingmakers, although they were actually
right-wing demagogues.
He said those in the alliance should provide
better leadership. People are fghting for scraps in
the townships. This tells us that we in the alliance
are not providing leadership, he said.
reAd more:
1. Youth League to party even as its world is ending, in Daily
Maverick
"i dont get into the mud with people. When
you play in the mud, you get muddied."
gwede mantashe
JSC grooteS aSSeSSment
JudiCial ServiCe CommiSSion, a body
now firmly in the anC handS
The heady mixture of judges and politicians
is always a volatile one, rather toxic at times.
Particularly when presidents past have used the
law, and judges, to do some of their dirty work.
It gets even worse when a serving President still
has an outside chance of appearing in a dock
somewhere for events that transpired when he
was the Deputy President. For a politician in
trouble, the solution is obvious. You nobble the
judges.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is designed to be one of the pillars of our democracy, a body that
literally appoints the people who judge over us. It is, rather unsurprisingly, in the spotlight at the moment
because of this last weekends public interview of Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng, President Zuma's nominee
to the post of Chief Justice. While the Constitution went to great lengths to ensure that the ruling party
of the day doesnt get a full blown majority control of JSC, it does it look like the ANC has it frmly in its
grip. By STEPHEN GROOTES..
Photo: REUTERS
But the constitution has made that hard.
It provides for a mixture of people to serve on
the JSC. Its not just left up to the politicians.
Its a long mixture of people, but the short
version is this:
The JSC consist of: The Chief Justice (who
presides and chairs meetings, hence the real
power Mogoeng will have), the President of
the Supreme Court of Appeal, a provincial
Judge President, the justice minister, two
advocates representing the profession, two
attorneys representing the profession, one law
professor, six MPs (of whom three must be
from opposition parties), four people from the
National Council of Provinces and four people
appointed by the President.
In times past, this meant there was a very
real debate. Its one of those commissions that is
really a product of the people appointed to it. So,
for example, when George Bizos was appointed
by President Thabo Mbeki, we got a man of real
stature. You could not predict which way he
would vote. Those days are no more.
For a start, the justice minister, Jef Radebe,
and deputy correctional services minister
Ngoako Ramathlodi, make it their business to
protect their favoured candidates from tough
questions. Ramathlodi in particular protected
Judge John Hlophe during his 2009 interview
for the Constitutional Court. He was at it again,
straight out of the blocks on Saturday. Hes a
great electoral manager for the ANC. But a true
democrat who sees the other side, hes not (if you
think thats too harsh, read his opinion piece in
The Times last week, and the reply by Professor
Pierre de Vos on his agenda-setting blog,
Constitutionallyspeaking.co.za ). Every chance
he gets, he will stop the debate.
Accordingly, you would expect more from
Radebe. A man who served in Mandelas frst
Cabinet, you would think that that generation
of people is somehow diferent to the current
generation. Well, we all know to whose wagon is
his hitched these days.
Then we have the nominees from the
professions. For some reason, the legal profession
has really battled with transformation. It is
unacceptable that there is only one black female
senior counsel. Mogoeng was absolutely right
when he said at his hearing that government
only seems to brief white counsel. You see it time
after time in big cases, people who need the best
go for the mlungu. Even Zuma himself. While
thats partly because many of the black advocates
are running the country (i.e. in parastatals, in
government itself, and in Parliament) its also
because the profession simply hasnt caught
up with the rest of the us. As a result, both the
attorneys and the advocates professions send one
white representative and one black. Its a little
childish, but its the best they can come up with.
Then we have the presidential appointments.
These are still people of stature. Its hard to
think that advocates Vas Soni (an acting judge
on many occasions), Ishmael Semenya, Dumisa
Ntsebeza (chair of Advocates for Transformation
i.e. the black advocates and former Truth
Commission evidence leader, among a varied
life) and Andiswa Ndoni (head of the Black
Lawyers Association) as anything but. There is
for a start, the justice
minister, Jeff radebe,
and deputy correctional
services minister ngoako
ramathlodi, make it their
business to protect their
favoured candidates from
tough questions.
something else at work here though. It came
to light when Ntsebeza sent an email that was
leaked. Essentially, he wanted Deputy Chief
Justice Dikgang Moseneke to be Chief Justice,
but he didnt want another black judge to be
thrown to the wolves. It was a lengthy email,
but possible interpretation has to surely be
that he was saying the colour of Mogoengs
skin was more important than the content of
his character.
Having watched the hearing, I cant help
but feel that this was a feeling shared by
many of the commissioners. Gauteng Judge
President Bernard Ngoepe, a man of great
independence and towering intellect (who,
incidentally, recused himself from hearing
the Zuma Rape Trial), seemed to spend much
of the weekend passing up easy deliveries
for Mogoeng to hit for six. Why? He is the
president of the biggest judicial division, he
must have a few views of a person from the
SA's smallest division, the one from North
West. Perhaps he might think that for a Chief
Justice to have been picked by God may be
problematic.
Then we have the representatives of the
National Council of Provinces. Well, there
should be four, but theyre only three at the
moment. For some reason, they all come from
the ANC. So its pretty easy to work out how
they vote.
So lets do some maths. After Mogoeng
is appointed this is really how the ANC, or
Zuma, will have stacked the deck. Or made
the appointments that he is legally allowed to,
depending on your point of view. These are the
people he would appear, on a rough and ready
lets-hope-we-dont-have-to-testify-to-it-in-court
thinking, to be able to rely on.
The JSC Chair, Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng,
the Justice Minister Jef Radebe, one advocates
representative, one attorneys representative,
three MPs, three members from the
National Council of Provinces, and his four
appointments. That gives him at least fourteen
votes. Out of a total of the commissions current
total of 23.
There are many lessons from all of this. But
surely the one that has to stick out is this: when
it comes to judges, as with so many other things
in South Africa, identity matters more than
anything else. And control of the playing feld is
now frmly in the ANCs hands.
Grootes is an EWN reporter
..... as with so many other things
in South africa, identity matters
more than anything else.
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da south africa
Tuesday - 06 sePTeMBeR 2011
da ropes in younger Mbeki on
econoMic freedoM
Academic and author Moeletsi Mbekis name on
the programme made the DA Gauteng caucuss
discussion on economic freedom on Monday an
easy sell to journalists at least. Seeing a Mbeki
The ironies in South African politics never cease to amaze. While former president Thabo Mbeki is the
ANC Youth Leagues new best friend, his little brother Moeletsi is cosying up to the DA. CARIEN DU
PLESSIS heard out his tips to the opposition party on economic freedom in our lifetime.
Photo: Pan MacMillan
at a DA event was a frst, although Moeletsi
has surprised us in the past, such as when he
rocked up at the convention where Cope was
da south africa
found, at the Sandton Convention Centre, very
close to three years ago.
Mbeki the Younger, smiling disarmingly
throughout, broke the ice by telling the
intimate audience of about 50 journalists and
DA politicians that I never thought in my
wildest dreams Id be addressing a conference
of the DA, but as Chief Justice nominee
Mogoeng Mogoeng said about his criticism
during his weekend interview, it shows that
there is a democratic play, Mbeki quoted with
a smile.
And we all giggled, some even gufawed.
When interrogated about it afterwards
Mbeki told Daily Maverick it was his frst
invite to a DA event: I have no problems with
the DA. They are a legal party and the ofcial
opposition. They sit in Parliament, they are
practically part of the government of South
Africa. Helen Zille as Western Cape premier sits
in the Cabinet.
Mbeki had two tips (he called them
motions) for the DA: Support the ANC Youth
Leagues economic freedom campaign; and
come out strongly against the capital fight by
big corporations.
The DAs guys agreed with him, kind of, but
lets frst hear from Mbeki.
This has been one of the most important
threats to economic freedom in South Africa.
It is not (ANC Youth League leader) Julius
Malema, it is capital fight, Mbeki said.
This was because capital fight means
there is no capital and savings in South Africa
for entrepreneurs to develop their businesses.
He added that there had never been an
explanation for why companies like Anglo
American Corporation, Old Mutual and South
African Breweries had been allowed to list on
the London Stock Exchange.
On what basis did (the government) allow
them to go, to move their primary listing from
South Africa to London. Why did they approve
it, what did they get out of it? he asked. This
is proving to be one of the largest removal of
capital gains, with the dividends being paid
into another stock exchange.
He later clarifed, saying he didnt believe
there were kickbacks for the move, but he
said there was never an explanation. (Some
might suggest that he look no further than his
brother, Thabo.)
He said capital fight happened when
owners of assets felt vulnerable because of
instability, possible seizure of their assets
for nationalisation as well as nepotism,
this was because capital fight means there
is no capital and savings in south africa for
entrepreneurs to develop their businesses.
da south africa
read More:
1. Capital fight, not Malema a threat on Fin24
2. Forget naitonalisation and BEE, SA needs entrepreneurs, in
Mail & Guardian Online
3. Malema to join the DA in Mail & Guardian Online
and they then tried to buy political leaders
through corruption or through black economic
empowerment deals, which Mbeki equated to
corruption.
Capital fight was the biggest threat to
entrepreneurship, which was necessary to
create jobs. Economic development wasnt about
bribing political leaders, but about creating
jobs, he said.
As for the DAs support to the ANC Youth
Leagues economic freedom programme, he said
the DA promoted opportunities for individuals,
which is what economic freedom was all about.
Economic freedom is about promoting
entrepreneurship. You can talk to the Youth
League about whether nationalisation is the
right way, he said.
But nationalisation wasnt all bad.
Nationalisation cannot be excluded when
you have an economy of cartels that block
the entry of new players into the economy,
he said. What Malema wants to nationalise,
is the wrong thing (if the aim is to) promote
economic freedom. Mines are not an
obstacle to entrepreneurship, but an asset for
entrepreneurship in that they are the largest
earners of foreign exchange for South Africa.
The DA agreed with him on most points, but
it doesnt seem theyre about to form an alliance
with the Young Lions any time soon (although
some might argue that the Youth League now
needs all the friends it can get.)
DA MP Dion George, who spoke after
Mbeki and after the tea break, said the big
corporations were not to blame for capital
fight. It is government which had to create a
favourable climate for investment, he said.
He also gave a presentation of the DAs plan
for the South African economy, which includes
a very ambitious 8% growth target.
DA MPL Jack Bloom, one of the organisers,
afterwards said retired businessman Bobby
Godsell was also supposed to have been there
for the debate, but he couldnt make it.
We wonder who will be taking part in the
DAs conference next? Malema, maybe?
What Malema wants
to nationalise, is the
wrong thing (if the aim
is to) promote economic
freedom. Mines are
not an obstacle to
entrepreneurship, but an
asset for entrepreneurship
in that they are the
largest earners of foreign
exchange for south africa.
judiciary south africa
Mogoeng Must thank the Lord and MaLeMa
Even if President Jacob Zuma wanted to change
his mind about fnally appointing Justice
Mogoeng Mogoeng as Chief Justice, as the DA is
urging him to, hes unlikely to do so now.
This disciplinary hearing against ANC Youth
League leader Julius Malema has inspired him
and some of his close friends to assert his
authority like never before.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said
as much on Monday night, when he addressed
the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu)
conference in Braamfontein.
Fresh from marathon meetings at Luthuli
House with the partys ofcials and national
working committee, including Zuma, the
When Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng goes down on his knees to thank God for his appointment, the
faithful pastor would do well to spare a thought for ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema. Without
him, the DA and others might still have been able to change President Jacob Zumas mind.
CARIEN DU PLESSIS reports.
buoyant round-bellied uncle told a sea of red
golf shirts and hats: Attacks against (Justice
Mogoeng Mogoeng) is a proxy war against
Jacob Zuma. It doesnt matter who is appointed,
it would be challenged because there is an
alliance of forces that seek to undermine our
movement, and they have sought to undermine
any decision taken by the ANC government.
He told the unionists, in that straightforward
steamrolling Gwede-speak that the position of
their labour federation, Cosatu, on Mogoeng is
wrong.
Cosatu has positioned itself wrongly on
opposite sides of the movement. The critics
want to prove to the world that Zuma cant
take proper decisions, but unfortunately he
keeps on surprising them. And the element of
surprise is very important in any strategy. You
must surprise those and give them fresh air and
(have them) clutch straws, then they dont know
what to do.
He complained that nobody retorted that
Justice Ishmael Mahomed was a Muslim when
appointed to the Constitutional Court bench,
or that retired Justice Arthur Chaskalson was a
Jew. When Mogoeng is appointed, they say he
is conservative.
This could also be a cue for the fght
between the ANC/SACP and Cosatu about the
labour federations civil society conference last
year to resurface, and it might crack the new-
found anti-Malema unity between the ANC and
Cosatu a bit.
When a Fawu member questioned
Mantashes view on Cosatus wrong stance, he
got some metaphoric Gwede-speak:
Im not challenging the right of Cosatu
saying where to place itself, but Im saying
the decision is on the wrong side. The train is
moving out of the station, it is going to lose you
as an ally. That train is moving with speed, it is
going to lose you. There is an emerging strong
coalition of forces which is opposing everything
the organisation does. It is an issue that we
must continue debating.
This comes after civil society lobby group
Section 27, Cosatus new best friend, threatened
to challenge the appointment of Justice
Mogoeng in court, calling for more candidates
to be put forward. Cosatu on the frst day
of Justice Mogoengs grilling on Saturday,
issued a statement saying they objected to his
appointment because of his attitude to the
rights of women and other vulnerable groups
based on his previous judgements, which
havent exactly been groundbreaking.
Cosatu and Section 27 arent alone. DA leader
Helen Zille, in her submission on Monday to
Zuma in which she asks him to reconsider, she
lists about 15 organisations, Cosatu included,
which opposed or didnt support Justice
Mogoengs nomination.
Only three organisations on her list the
Black Lawyers Association, the KwaZulu-Natal
Bar Council, the Johannesburg Magistrates
Organisation and fve lawyers supported the
nomination.
Zuma has readily agreed to hear Zille out in
Pretoria on Tuesday evening about why the DA
objects to the appointment of Justice Mogoeng
possibly to buy some time, and possibly to
im not challenging the right of cosatu saying
where to place itself, but im saying the decision is
on the wrong side. the train is moving out of the
station, it is going to lose you as an ally
read More:
1. Mogoeng: A divine choice and other worrisomes in
Daily Maverick
2. Haters and sycophants split over Mogoeng at hearing in
Daily Maverick
dispel criticism that he isnt consulting properly
about his decision.
Zille on Monday at a press conference in
Parliament said she believed Justice Mogoeng
is not suitable for the position, because the DA
believes:
Justice Mogoeng does not posses the
outstanding legal skills (as opposed to
usual or adequate) required of a Chief
Justice
In his history as a judge he has failed to
display the unwavering adherence and
commitment to the Constitution required
of a Chief Justice
He has not shown himself, in his past
judgments, to be suitably defensive of the
independence of the judiciary
He doesnt enjoy the support, both
intellectually and collegially, of the
majority of his colleagues on the
Constitutional Court, and of the wider
legal fraternity
He doesnt possesses the requisite
administrative, accounting and personnel
management skills.
Zuma nominated Mogoeng for the
position last month, and the Judicial Service
Commission (JSC) agreed to calls to subject
him to a public interview as part of the pre-
appointment consultation process required by
the Constitution.
The JSC is expected to inform Zuma soon of
their vote on Sunday to give Justice Mogoengs
appointment their blessing. If Zuma had second
thoughts, they made it terribly difcult for him
to change it.
One politician who attended the hearing
also said Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang
Mosenekes scathing sarcasm and patronising
grilling of Justice Mogoeng might have swayed
commissioners on the JSC in his favour, if they
werent certain before.
As for legal action, constitutional expert
from the University of Cape Town, Professor
Pierre de Vos, said on his blog on Monday it
might not change the outcome.
One of the grounds for a legal challenge
could be that the JSC had failed to engage in
proper consultation with Zuma, as required by
the Constitution.
DA MP Hendrik Schmidts request to the
body to consider more candidates, were turned
down over the weekend.
De Vos wrote that the Constitution still gave
Zuma the power to appoint a judge, so any
challenge would only afect the procedure.
Besides, legal action might further damage
the credibility of our judiciary, he said. Long
drawn out litigation may well turn into a highly
politicised and partisan matter, pitting staunch
defenders of the President and the candidate
against those who believe the JSC must act as a
check on the exercise of power by the President
when he appoints a Chief Justice.
Civil society groups lobbying against Justice
Mogoengs appointment might do well to
continue with the one hand, but with the other
to start working to get him on their side. They
might need his ear for their cause in future.
south africa oil spil
a strangely complicated quandary of seli 1
Seli 1, the Turkish bulk carrier stranded of
Blougbergstrand in Cape Town since 2009,
started leaking oil again last week, causing a
bit of a stir and concerns that there could be a
major spill.
Fortunately for the Mother City, disaster
management was able to respond swiftly
enough to minimise the damage caused by the
slick. Also, it helped that the wrecked ship has
already sufered oil leaks before, depleting the
amount of oil that is contained in the wreckage.
The Panama-registered ship ran aground in
September 2009 due to heavy winds, engine
Some bits of Blougbergstrand have been sullied, and a few animals bathed in oil as a slick moved from
the remnants of Seli 1 towards the Cape Town coastline. But the Mother City has been spared a major
environmental disaster this time around. At what point do the authorities salvage the wrecked ship to
prevent this sort of thing from recurring? By SIPHO HLONGWANE
Photo: Sea Rescue boats monitor the stranded bulk coal carrier Seli 1 as it
burns off Cape Town's Blouberg beach, June 3, 2010 after a salvage operation.
The Turkish registered ship ran aground in September. REUTERS/Mark Wessels
failure and a snapped anchor cable. Most of the
fuel onboard either leaked or was removed at the
time, but some of it was left behind and started
leaking again last week again due to battering
from heavy winds. According to several reports,
Seli 1 is now actually breaking apart.
The City of Cape Towns disaster management
team said that there were only a few animals
that had been imperilled by the oil slick. Wilfred
Solomon-James told Sapa that they had found
oil spill south africa
two dead birds, two dead seal pups and two
live seals that had been sent in for cleaning
and rehabilitation. He said that the SPCA
and the Southern African Foundation for the
Conservation of Coastal Birds had been notifed.
One kilometre of the famous Blougbergstrand
has been afected by the oil spill, and disaster
management has closed the area of for cleaning.
The Koeberg nuclear power station was also
placed on high alert for fear that the oil slick
could poison its water basin.
The only remaining question now is what to
do with the Seli 1 wreckage. Leaving it there is
very evidently not good for the sea life and the
kite surfng. In fact, the question of why it is still
there in the frst place is the most intriguing
one and it apparently has no answer. When
the ship was frst grounded, it should have
been a relatively simple job to refoat it, yet
the concerned parties dilly-dallied just long
enough for the rough winter seas to seriously
compromise the integrity of the hull, making a
re-foat impossible.
Apparently the hands of the City of Cape
Town were tied in the matter (the relevant
legislation allowing them to intervene in the
salvage doesnt exist, they say), but they have
now decided to act. The City is in the process
of calling an urgent meeting with the South
African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA)
regarding the fate of the vessel; and to establish
what other preventative measures need to be
implemented to avoid further oil pollution, the
citys safety and security mayoral committee
member J.P. Smith said in a statement. The
City believes that SAMSA and the National
Ports Authority are legally responsible on behalf
of the Department of Transport to ensure the
safety of life and property at sea and within the
port area; and to prevent and combat pollution
of the marine environment by ships. However,
the existing maritime legislation does not
currently ofer a solution to the crisis. It does
not compel SAMSA to manage the wreckage.
The City has engaged its legal advisers on
the matter of using the Disaster Management
legislation to address the current crisis, Smith
said.
At some point, someone is going to have to
take charge. That grotesque wreck cant be left
there forever, occasionally inconveniencing
Cape Town by leaking oil or bursting into
fames.
the question
of why it is still
there in the frst
place is the most
intriguing one
and it apparently
has no answer.
read more:
1. Seli 1 oil cleanup continues in News24
2. 1km of Cape Beach affected by spill in IOL News
jane duncan south africa
rhodes' jane duncan on how the anc
created 'that monster', the ancYL
Johannesburg is counting the cost of last weeks
destructive ANCYL protests, and inner-city
law frm BDK is threatening to form a business
A failure by the ANC to take its own politics seriously has spawned the unruly mess that is the ANCYL,
say Duncan, who believes that when it comes to discipline the ruling party is doing too little too late.
By MANDY DE WAAL.
Photo: REUTERS
coalition that will launch legal action to ensure
the Luthuli House disciplinary hearing against
Julius Malema and co is moved out of the city
centre. As police investigate who organised
the protest and whether the violence was
premeditated, many South Africans are asking
how the ANC let things get so out of hand.
Jane Duncan, Highway Africa Chair of Media
and Information Society at Rhodes School
of Journalism says the unchecked, unruly
power that is the ANCYL exists because of a
contradiction within ANC politics. Historically
the ANC has produced excellent leaders
who have extremely high levels of political
sophistication, but at the same time it is a
populist organisation, says Duncan.
While the ANC delivered excellent leaders in
the past, the drive for critical mass has seen the
adoption of the lowest common denominator
because building party membership takes
precedence over everything else. Duncan says
this realises a ruling party more concerned
with numbers than the quality of party
political membership.
The ANC is focused on critical mass and it
will not expel members because it doesnt want
to afect that critical mass in any way, says
the former head of the Freedom of Expression
Institute. The ANC has emphasised the width
of numbers rather than the depth of its politics,
and has also done precious little to educate the
partys ranks. In this it hasnt taken its own
politics seriously, which has enabled the rise of
demagogues like a Julius Malema.
In stark contrast Duncan ofers the example
of the New Unity Movement, which she says is
an extremely tight, disciplined organisation.
The New Unity Movement inducts people into
politics, has reading groups and is very serious
about ensuring clarity on what the organisation
stands for. This ensures that members know
how to take the politics of the New Unity
Movement forward, says Duncan. We dont
see this in the ANC, which doesnt do much to
ensure members understand and respect the
political traditions of the ANC. By not having
done its groundwork with members, the ANC
has created the monster that is the ANCYL.
Duncan says the extent of Julius Malemas
support is questionable as evidenced by the
scale of protests outside of Luthuli House where
the ANCYL leadership faced of against the
ANCs national disciplinary committee. But
what supporters lacked in numbers they made
up for with brutal force.
City Press reports that Jacob Lebogo, ANCYL
general secretary of Limpopo and a staunch
Malema supporter, organised what has been
called the most violent ANC protest since
1994. Lebogo denies he was the man behind
the violent protest, but a police investigation
into the matter may reveal greater clarity.
When questioned about discipline and
while the anc delivered
excellent leaders in the past,
the drive for critical mass has
seen the adoption of
the lowest common
denominator because
building party membership
takes precedence over
everything else.
unruliness within the ANCYL, Duncan says
that there is a good argument to be made
that the ANC has left matters too late. With
discipline you need to be consistent. When
it comes to politics you have to maintain
consistency in terms of when you discipline
and how you discipline. The ANC has allowed
so much to slip through the net that it creates
conditions for anarchy in the organisation. It
has failed to stem the growing trend (towards)
anarchy and has shot itself in the foot, because
it has made it exceedingly difcult to do
something about this now.
The ANC has instituted disciplinary hearings
against Malema and co in an environment
where there is rampant unemployment, the
poverty gap is widening, leadership largesse
is continually exposed, and where South
Africa looks set to face a second back-to-
back recession. The youth feel the efect of a
recession more readily than other parts of our
society. Given how alienated South Africas
youth are feeling this creates conditions for
the Malemas of this world to thrive, Duncan
says. These conditions are going to make it
difcult for the ANC to stop the mobilisation
of demagogues.
Duncan says the lack of diversity in the
South African media landscape makes Maelmas
voice the loudest. Because the majority of
South Africans arent given a voice in the media,
the Malemas of this world speak on their
behalf. Duncan says the lack of media diversity
is something that local civic organisations and
media policy makers need to tackle, if they
dont want this issue to be hijacked by the
ANCYL for its own end.
The ANCYL statement which recently called
for a boycott of Media24 is very opportunistic
in that it attacks Media24s dominance but for
all the wrong reasons. I too share concerns that
Media24 dominates the landscape, but it is a
very delicate condition and merely raising it
could give the ANCYL even more ammunition
to fre at Media24, she says.
We all have to confront the issue of media
dominance and Media24, which commands just
under 40% of total circulation of print media
in South Africa, for democratic reasons. The
bigger media groups grow, the more difcult it
is for the transformation of the landscape and
for the growth of diversity. This issue must be
raised by those of us who are concerned about
democracy and transformation, says Duncan.
The tragedy is that in South Africa we havent
even begun discussions about media-ownership
caps. This discussion needs to start because the
current environment makes it very difcult for
the anc has allowed so much to slip
through the net that it creates conditions for
anarchy in the organisation.
independent media to thrive, she says.
Duncan cites the example of GoldNet News,
a Welkom paper which couldnt compete
against Media24 and whose case is to be heard
by the Competition Tribunal. The founder of
GoldNet News alleges that Media24 abused
its dominant position in the market by
undercutting advertising to such a degree that
it forced GoldNet News to go under.
There are also many cases of independent
newspapers that have struggled to survive
and closed in the face of Caxton. We may not
like what the ANCYL has to say, but we cant
run away from the fact that we have a very
concentrated media. We need to raise these
issues to defend the democratic content of
media diversity so as not to allow this issue
to be hijacked or exploited by the likes of the
ANCYL, says Duncan.
Duncan says the League and the ANC are
interfering in issues they shouldnt interfere in,
and abandoning important crusades that they
should address. The ANC is trying to control
media content through the Media Appeals
Tribunal and the Protection of Information
Bill, and the ANCYL is merely following this
example. The ANC professes to be committed
to media diversity but it hasnt even raised the
possibility of intervening with regulations that
could promote diversity.
As the ANC tries to muzzle inconvenient
content that exposes the underbelly of the
organisation, community newspapers are
dying like fies in the face of the recession and
an independent, grass-roots media is under
threat. If big media groups are struggling with
the recession, smaller players are struggling
much, much more. It is perfectly acceptable for
governments to intervene in media ownership
in order to guarantee diversity, because if they
dont you get a situation where large groups
dominate and the smaller guys get squashed,
Duncan says.
But the ANC and the ANCYL seem to be
more interested in regulating information
fow and controlling media content because
fourishing media diversity would spawn a new
slew of voices demanding to be heard. And the
messages new independent media may bring
could be even more inconvenient than what is
currently being presented by the established
media.
read more:
1. Juju's general, in City Press
2. Meet Jujus chief enforcer, in City Press
3. Violence Inc: Luthuli House scenes a bitter taste of
Polokwane fruits, on Daily Maverick
4. Media groups to be probed for collusion, in Mail & Guardian
we may not like what
the ancYL has to
say, but we cant run
away from the fact
that we have a very
concentrated media.
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AFRICA
briefs africa
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (Reuters)
scuffles as Mubarak
trial opens for witness
testiMony
A scufe broke out during the
trial of former Egyptian presi-
dent Hosni Mubarak on Mon-
day, prompting Judge Ahmed
Refaat to call a recess and ban
live television coverage in the
chamber. Reuters reported
that a pro-Mubarak supporter
held up a photo of the former
president, to the consterna-
tion of families of the victims
of the uprising. Outside the
courtroom, more pro-Mubarak
supporters chanted, saying
the former president should
hold his head high, while anti-
Mubarak protesters clashed
with police as they demanded
that Mubarak be hanged with-
out delay.
ZiMplat negotiates
indigenisation with
ZiMbabwe governMent
Implats spokesperson Bob
Gilmour told Reuters that ne-
gotiations with the Zimbabwe
government over Zimplats
indigenisation plan were on-
going. Zimplat, the Zimbabwe
unit of the platinum producer,
had previously submitted plans
to increase the number of its
shares held by black Zimba-
bweans to 51%. The govern-
ment however rejected the
plans on 17 August, saying Zim-
plat was not doing enough and
gave the company 14 days to
comply. Other companies also
had their plans rejected and
with the deadline now passed,
fnd themselves in an uncertain
position.
wikileaks: businessMan
bought favours froM
tanZanian president
Tanzanian president Jakaya
Kikwetes ofce denied that he
had received gifts and a cam-
paign contribution from Ali
Albwardy, owner of the Kem-
pinski Hotel chain, in exchange
for being allowed to build two
hotels on the edge of the Ngon-
goro crater and on the Seren-
geti plains overlooking animal
migration routes. The cable
claims the businessman few
Kikwete to London for a shop-
ping spree on Savile Row and
contributed $1 million to the
Chamacha Mapinduzi party.
allegation: Marks offered
in exchange for Money and
sex at naMibia university
African Review reported that
lecturers at the University of
Namibia are ofering to com-
plete students assignments in
exchange for exorbitant fees.
The lecturers are said to be
charging as much as $882 per
assignment. African Review
also reported that students
are being ofered marks in ex-
change for sexual favours.
briefs africa
President of Algeria, Abdelaziz Boutefika (Reuters)
ZaMbia denies calling on
help of ZiMbabwe police
Zambian police have denied al-
legations that they have invited
members of the Zimbabwean
police force to help them keep
law and order during the gen-
eral elections in September.
Civil society groups demanded
an explanation after Zimba-
bwean police ofcers were
spotted in the country. A Zam-
bian police spokesman said the
police ofcers from neighbour-
ing Zimbabwe must have been
in transit and the countrys
presidency said its own law
enforcement ofcials were of
sufcient calibre that external
help was not needed.
unconfirMed report of
new boMb plot in nigeria
A security alert issued by Nige-
rian authorities says that Boko
Haram, the Islamist group that
claimed responsibility for the
recent UN bombings in Lagos,
held a secret meeting where it
discussed plans for its next at-
tacks. It is said that the group
claimed it had received fve
cars and over $60,000 from
two sources for use in the at-
tacks, and has named at least
three targets. The authenticity
of the security alert could not
be confrmed. In recent weeks,
President Goodluck Jonathan
has sought to assure the west
African nation that his govern-
ment is doing everything it can
to combat the recent terrorist
attacks.
kenyan Mps face the icc
Kenyan MP William Ruto and
two others are at the Interna-
tional Criminal Court in The
Hague to face charges relat-
ing to their involvement in the
2007 post-election violence in
the country. The trial began
last week with Ruto and his
co-accused saying they are glad
to have their day in court. The
three are accused of plotting
to kill, evict and torture op-
position supporters in Kenyas
Rift Valley.
naMibian president: dont
spend Money on adverts
to wish Me happy birthday
Namibias president said in a
statement that his country-
men should not spend money
to buy newspaper ad space to
wish him well on his birthday.
President Hifkepunye Poham-
ba said they should instead
spend the money on charities.
His statement was prompted
by a letter from a civil rights
campaigner who estimated
that government departments
and private companies had
spent over $82,000 to wish Po-
hamba well.
algeria announces plans
for anti-terrorisM foruM
Algeria has announced plans
to launch a 35-member anti-
terrorism forum. The countrys
delegate minister for African
and Maghreb afairs made the
announcement ahead of a con-
ference on regional partnership
and security in Algiers. The
members of the forum, which
is a response to recent devel-
opments in the region, will
come from in and around the
Sahel region.
africa south sudan
new country, new capital:
south sudan ditches Juba
The idea of changing capitals had been mulled
over for some time, but the decision was nonethe-
less momentous. Juba, the current capital, had
been the primary base of the south for decades,
and had seen a huge construction boom in the
last few years as corporations, aid agencies and
returnees rush to establish themselves near the
seat of government. Already, Juba had become
journalistic shorthand for referring to the govern-
ment of South Sudan (as opposed to Khartoum
in the north). But Juba isnt a very suitable capital.
Shortages made land very expensive and difcult
to come by, and indigenous groups were unwilling
to make space for the large plots required by the
national government. Local government was also
reluctant to let the city become some kind of fed-
eral area under national rather than local jurisdiction.
The new capital will be in Ramciel, located
near the middle of the country and almost com-
South Sudan is keeping African cartographers and GPS programmers busy. In addition to having
to update maps to include the boundaries of Africas newest state, they now have to refect South
Sudans decision to change its capital city only two months after independence. By SIMON ALLISON.
pletely undeveloped. Its envisaged that a new city
will be created over the next fve or six years, with
government operating from Juba until then. The
choice of Ramciel was partly symbolic, thanks to its
central location, and partly in deference to South
Sudans liberation icon, John Garang, who, before
his death, declared that was where the South Su-
danese capital should be. There are rumours that
Ramciel might even be renamed John Garang City.
The location of its capital city is a headache for
any new nation. While some countries already
have established government centres, others create
them from scratch. Nigeria built Abuja to escape
the Lagos chaos, for example. South Africa fudged
the issue completely with our unique (some would
say ridiculous) three-capital system, where
the three branches of government are spread
around the country.
read more:
1. South Sudan relocates its capital from Juba to
Ramciel,40027 in the Sudan Tribune
Photo: REUTERS
zimbabwe africa
TUESDAy - 06 SEPTEMBER 2011
mugabes cancer spreads: is the
nightmare's end in sight for zimbabwe?
The latest round of Wikileaks revelations
include the sensational claim that Robert
Mugabe is sufering from prostate cancer, and
that doctors think he could be starring in his
own his state funeral anytime between now
and 2013.
Bobs sick, and despite indications to the contrary its not syphilis (or not just syphilis). Unconfrmed
Wikileaks cables indicate that the Zimbabwean president has prostate cancer, and its spread. If true,
this means hes not much longer for this world, and might go some way to explaining why Zanus been
so fractious recently. By SIMON ALLISON.
Photo: REUTERS
Before everyone gets too excited, a few
reservations should be expressed. The
claims were made in 2008 by the governor
of Zimbabwes Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono,
zimbabwe africa
in comments made to the US Ambassador to
Harare. Gono is a Zanu-PF stalwart, close to
Robert Mugabe, and his comments havent
been independently verifed; Gono has denied
them outright. The story frst broke in the
pages of Zimbabwes Sunday Mail, a government
mouthpiece not exactly known for its absolute
commitment to the truth. And because this
cable is apparently part of the tranche of
unredacted cables released accidentally last
week, its difcult to verify whether its a genuine
cable at all.
According to the leaked diplomatic cable,
President Robert Mugabe has prostate cancer
that has metastasised [spread] and, according
to doctors will cause his death in three to fve
years. Written in 2008, this would put Mugabes
estimated time of death somewhere between
2011 and 2013. This would account for Mugabes
frequent medical trips to Singapore, which have
been previously explained away as surgery for
the presidents cataracts or to accompany his
wife Grace after she hurt her back.
The new revelations dont end there.
Apparently, Gono who was in a talkative mood
also claimed that Mugabe was obsessed with
staying longer in ofce than retired Zambian
president and nemesis Kenneth Kaunda, who
lasted 27 years. He achieved this feat in 2009.
But he was also very worried about ensuring
an orderly handover of power, and looked in
an unlikely direction for guidance: (Mugabe)
agreed with Tony Blair on one thing the time
to step down was after leading one's party to
victory, thereafter giving it time to consolidate
before the next election, said a US diplomat in
the cable, paraphrasing Gono.
True or not, the timing of the claims is
interesting. First, as Judy Smith-Hohn, senior
researcher at the Institute for Security Studies
told the Daily Maverick, you have to question
why such a potentially explosive cable, of
obvious interest, was left out of the frst round
of Wikileaks releases. Why would it not have
been leaked earlier? Its also interesting that the
claims come so soon after Mugabes somewhat
controversial announcement of the timing of
the next elections; an announcement which
didnt please certain factions within his party.
Then theres the means by which the claims
were released. Zimbabwes state-owned Sunday
Mail is a Zanu-PF mouthpiece, with little
scope for independent journalism, and none
whatsoever when it comes to news about the
president himself. This means someone in the
party someone high enough to have sufcient
the story frst broke in the pages of zimbabwes
sunday mail, a government mouthpiece not exactly
known for its absolute commitment to the truth.
zimbabwe africa
read more:
1. Mugabe has prostate cancer: Wikileaks on TimesLIVE
2. Mugabe obsessed with outlasting Kaunda on New Zimbabwe
3. MDC-T Top Brass mocks Tsvangirai in Zimbabwes The Herald
authority either okayed or planted the story.
Was it Mugabe? It seems unlikely that he
would have encouraged a story which portrays
him as weak and near his end, except as some
kind of Machiavellian double bluf to confuse
his opponents (and suitors). Or was it one of
the factions fghting to succeed him? Perhaps
the one led by Vice-President Joice Mujuru,
fghting for its political future after the
death of kingmaker Solomon Mujuru under
suspicious circumstances. Or the one headed
by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa,
unhappy that the president ignored pressure
to hold early elections this year.
Either way, the elections scheduled for
March 2012 and its aftermath are set to be an
almighty tussle for the future of Zimbabwe
as Zanu fghts for control of the post-Mugabe
era. Not that Mugabes necessarily fnished
yet, not by any means; divide and conquer is
his favourite method of asserting control, and
the party infghting might be exactly what
hes trying to achieve in order to keep a frm
grip on his own power. But as Zanu fragments,
and its internal problems surface more publicly,
their uneasy partners in government and bitter
opposition the MDC will be hoping they, rather
than Mugabe, might be able to conquer the
divisions.
Not that the MDC is perfect on the unity
front. Already the partys ofcially separated
into two smaller parties, with two diferent
leaders: Morgan Tsvangirai for MDC-T and
Welshmen Ncube for MDC-M. And more
supposed Wikileaks cables released recently in
Zimbabwes state-run daily The Herald appear
to show the problems go even deeper than that.
According to the cables, MDC bigwigs and
prominent Tsvangirai supporters Roy Bennet
and Tendai Biti were both critical of Tsvangirais
leadership and decision-making in the wake of
the post-election violence which erupted after
the presidential elections of 2008. Bennet is
alleged to have said that Tsvangirai does what
the last person tells him to do, while Biti is
reported to have his eyes frmly on taking over
Tsvangirais position.
Confusing and dangerous times ahead for
Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans can only hope that
whatever happens, it will be an improvement on
three decades of Mugabes cancerous rule.
either way, the elections
scheduled for march
2012 and its aftermath
are set to be an almighty
tussle for the future
of zimbabwe as zanu
fghts for control of the
post-mugabe era.
libya/china africa
TUESDAY - 06 SEpTEmbEr 2011
china and the new libya: the plot thickens
The Globe and Mail of Toronty revealed on
Monday the documents implicating Chinese
arms frms who ofered to sell weapons worth
about $200 million to Colonel Muammar Gaddafs
besieged forces in July this year. According to these
Libyan government memos discovered in a pile of
trash on a curb in a Tripoli neighbourhood known
as Bab Akkarah, representatives of Gaddafs
government travelled to Beijing through Tunisia
where they met with senior ministers of the
Chinese government who facilitated contact with
Chinese arms manufacturers. The documents
indicate that Chinese companies ofered to sell
rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles and other
arms to Gaddafs forces, despite a United Nations
embargo on such sales to the Gaddaf government.
Signifcantly, the memos do not specifcally
The Chinese government has confrmed that Gaddaf did indeed seek Chinese arms in July this year
but they stress no shipment was made. While aspersions grow on the roles played in South Africa and
Algeria in the Libyan war, the de facto government of Libya is taking the fght to Beijing, insisting that
they will be made to pay for aiding Gaddaf. By KHADIJA PATEL.
Photo: REUTERS
incriminate South Africa, or Algeria, for duping
the international community with a veneer of
neutrality while secretly aiding the Gaddaf
regime. Rather, the memos reveal that the
Chinese manufacturers suggested to Gaddafs
emissaries that either South Africa, or Algeria,
could be used as possible proxy to receive the
arms from China and then channel it to Gaddaf
in Libya. According to the memos, the Chinese
manufactures further recommended that the
contracts be made with either Algeria or South
Africa, because those countries previously
worked with China. It is unclear whether South
Africa has specifcally worked with China on
arms trafcking, or whether that discussion
libya/china africa
TUESDAY - 06 SEpTEmbEr 2011
references more innocently the congenial
relationship between Beijing and Pretoria.
South Africas Department of International
Relations and Co-Operation (Dirco) declined
to comment on the report, insisting that any
hint of arms was the place of the Department
of Defence to comment. The South African and
Algerian roles in the emerging melee between
the new Libya and Gaddafs old friends remain
a complement to the main attraction of a severe
threat to the infuence of China in Libya. While
there is no evidence to suggest the Chinese did
in fact deliver the arms in question, The Globe
and Mail report that Omar Hariri, the head of
Libyas rebel National Transitional Councils
(NTC) military committee, reviewed the memos
and concluded that these documents explain the
presence of new weapons on the battlefeld.
Im almost certain that these guns arrived and
were used against our people, Hariri said. The
relationship between the new Libyan rulers and
the NTC remains testy as the rebels insist that
nations who aided Gaddaf with arms will be
excluded from doing business in the new Libya.
The head of the NTC, Mustafa Abdel Jalil has
also accused China of obstructing the release
of more of Gaddafs frozen assets. Although
China had agreed to a partial unfreeze of $15
billion of Libyan assets abroad at the United
Nations, it opposed handing control of the funds
to the interim ruling council. On Monday the
NTCs fnance minister, Ali Al Tarhouni, told
Al Jazeera: If indeed the Chinese government
agreed to sell arms to Gaddaf only a month
ago, defnitely it will afect our relationship with
China
After refusing to comment on the report,
the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Afairs
spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, quoted by Bloomberg
denied on Monday that state-owned
companies ofered to sell arms to Gaddaf. The
spokesperson did however admit that Gaddaf
had in fact sent emissaries to Beijing to source
arms for his battered troops. The Gaddaf
regime sent people to China to make contact
with certain individuals of relevant Chinese
companies in July without the knowledge of
government departments, she said, Chinese
companies have not signed any military trade
contracts with Libya, let alone sold arms to
Libya. It remains to be seen however if the
Chinese denial will be enough to appease Libyas
de facto leaders. Libyas new leaders have the bit
between their teeth but Chinese are not likely to
let go of their business interests easily. .
the south african and
algerian roles in the
emerging melee between
the new libya and
Gaddafs old friends
remain a complement
to the main attraction
of a severe threat to the
infuence of china in libya.
read more:
1. China, like the UK, talks with a forked tongue to secure
business in Libya in The Daily Maverick
2. Beijing Says Qaddaf Offcials Sought Chinese Arms Supplies
in The New York Times
malawi africa
malawi: Economic hardship wEakEns
thE alrEady-squEEzEd mEdia
Malawi media is under the cosh, as the
recently introduced 16.5% VAT on newspapers
starts to bite. The countrys oldest media group,
Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL), publishers
The 16.5% VAT that the government slapped on newspapers in June has had a devastating impact on
an industry that was already fnding it tough going, with 250 journalists losing their jobs in the last few
months. Malawi's president is no big fan of the media, and there are fears that he is using the economic
meltdown as an excuse to exercise greater control over the country's press and broadcasting industries.
By JIMMY KAINJA.
Photo: President Mutharika, REUTERS
of four titles (one daily and three weeklies), has
been forced to lay of 44 of its 260 workers. It
malawi africa
is not yet clear how many of the retrenched
staf held editorial positions but they include
some senior journalists such as James
Mphande, editor of the groups Sunday title,
Sunday Times.
Leonard Chikadya, managing director
of Blantyre Print & Publishing (BP&P),
which owns BNL, spoke of his regret for
the loss of jobs but emphasised that it was
a necessary decision for the organisation,
as it is struggling to cope with the new tax
regime. The redundancies will certainly
weaken BNL, but the major cause of concern
must be catastrophic consequences the new
tax system will have on freedom of speech
and the press. Self-censorship and some
degree of paranoia are almost inevitable
when there are more unemployed journalists
chasing very few jobs jobs that may not
even be there in the frst place.
After the announcement of the job cuts
at BNL, one journalist reportedly said: We
live to fght another day. This is the feeling
for the journalists who have kept their jobs.
These journalists are working in a tense
environment and they cannot aford to take
risks, which is something journalists have
to do at one point or another. Keeping ones
job is now the main priority and everyone
will inevitably play it safe. This has negative
consequences on the kind of news stories
covered and angles such news stories take.
The situation is much worse considering
that the state-owned broadcaster Malawi
Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has also
sacked more than 200 people (it is also not
yet known how many of these are editorial
positions). MBC too has fallen victim of the
countrys faltering economy, but the decision
is also structural, as the redundancies
follow the recent merger of MBC and
a state television station, Television
Malawi. Government initially promised to
relocate all these workers into civil service
departments. This is now a promise that
cannot be fulflled, as the country's economy
has nosedived.
Yes, the world economy is turmoil but it
is worth pointing out that Malawis current
economic situation has been exacerbated
by arrogance of its President, Bingu wa
Mutharika. The President decided to
pick unnecessary fghts with some of his
countrys biggest donors, when 40% of
Malawis annual budget is donor-funded.
In April Britain, the countrys largest
bilateral donor, pulled the plug on its 19
million annual budget support, forcing
... keeping ones job is
now the main priority and
everyone will inevitably
play it safe. this has
negative consequences
on the kind of news
stories covered and
angles such news stories
take...
malawi africa
the government to introduce a zero-defcit
budget an ambitious plan to spend no more
than could be raised locally. The idea itself is
brilliant; I would support it if were properly
implemented and executed, without much
burden on ordinary people. Yet it is foolish
to implement such policy when 72% of your
people are living on less than $2 a day. In
the end the government has been forced to
introduce tax on some basic items such as milk.
Governments desperation for cash to meet
the zero-defcit budget has piled pressure
on Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), the
countrys revenue-collecting body. It is reported
that MRA is demanding that BNL pays its
outstanding 180 million Malawi kwacha in full,
despite the two parties' previous agreement
that the money would be paid in monthly
instalments of MK3 million. The lack of clarity
on the issue has inevitably led to speculation
that the government is using its economic
problems to suppress the media. The role of the
media is particularly crucial at the moment,
given that Mutharikas administration is facing
constant protests from civil society demanding
economic and human-rights reforms, and the
provision of basic necessities such as fuel and
foreign exchange, among other things.
Since Mutharikas re-election in 2009,
his administration has used legislation, its
near monopoly of advertising placements
and outright intimidation in attempts to
control the media. The administration has
introducing a regulation that empowers a
Minister of Information to ban the publication
or importation of any material that he or
she deems to be contrary to the public
interest. Journalists have been harassed and
intimidated for simply doing their job. Last
November, Mike Chipalasa, a journalist from
BNL was harassed by Mutharikas party youth
wingers in the full view of the president for
asking him a difcult question at a press
conference as he returned from a foreign trip.
Police arrested Chipalasa to protect him. The
youth wingers walked free.
Yes, media is business, owners make proft
from it and it has to contribute to the public
purse, but there are fears that the efects of
the dwindling economy are being used as a
smokescreen this administration has always
been eager to weaken the media.
since mutharikas re-election in 2009, his
administration has used legislation, its near
monopoly of advertising placements and outright
intimidation in attempts to control the media.
WORlD
briefs world
tuesdAY - 06 september 2011
UsA
US employment growth stalled
unexpectedly in August, ac-
cording to a report released at
the end of last week. No new
jobs were added over the last
month the frst time theyve
had such a result since 1945.
Its had the efect of raising
fears that the US may be on the
verge of slipping into another
recession, two years after the
last one ended. This will add
to the pressure on Federal Re-
serve Chairman Ben Bernanke
and President Obama to kick-
start the slugging economy. We
await Obamas big jobs speech
this week with bated breath.
frANCe
Former French president Jacques
Chirac's corruption trial opened
in Paris on Monday, without the
78-year-old in attendance. Chi-
rac wasn't present because of ill
health: a mysterious condition
called "anosognosia", where the
patient is unaware of the disabil-
ities they have. It also prevents
one from answering questions
about the past, which is just
a leeetle convenient. Chirac is
standing trial for fnancial mis-
management: he is accused of
using state funds to pay salaries
for friends who did absolutely
nothing, while he was mayor of
Paris, before becoming Presi-
dent. If he's convicted, he faces
ten years in jail.
UsA
Fittingly, Monday was Labour
Day, which Obama celebrated
in Detroit at a labour union
rally. He was giving them a
sneak preview of the much-
anticipated speech about em-
ployment that he will deliver to
Congress on Thursday night.
Today Mitt Romney gets a
march on Obama, giving his
own jobs speech in Nevada.
Romney called the recent un-
employment report "proof that
President Obama has failed".
Jacques Chirac's corruption trial opens in Paris. (Reuters)
briefs world
Obama in Detroit. (Reuters)
CUbA
In the latest attack on me-
dia freedom in Cuba, Spanish
media group El Pais said this
weekend that their long-time
correspondent in the country
has had his media accredita-
tion revoked. The journalist
in question, Mauricio Vicent,
has been reporting from Cuba
without problems for 20 years,
and is also married to a Cuban
woman. Cuba's government
would not comment on why
they had taken this step, but
its the latest in a series of at-
tempts to silence foreign jour-
nalists on the island.
libYA
The Libyan rebels are com-
ing under increasing criticism
for their treatment of black
Africans. Associated Press re-
ported that the rebels have
begun rounding up and arrest-
ing black Africans and accus-
ing them of collaborating with
Gaddaf (without any evi-
dence). The AU, Amnesty In-
ternational and Human Rights
Watch have all protested these
actions. The majority of the
Africans are from Chad, Sudan
and Niger. A HRW director
said: "It's a dangerous time to
be dark-skinned in Tripoli".
CHiNA
They keep fnding highly in-
criminating documents left
behind by the Gaddaf regime.
Hot on the heels of the revela-
tions about the cosy relation-
ship between the CIA and
Gaddaf's government comes
the revelation that Chinese
companies ofered to sell
weapons to Gaddaf in the last
weeks of his battle against
the rebels. The companies
involved are state-controlled,
but the Chinese foreign min-
istry said on Monday that they
had operated behind their
back. Experts say this is plau-
sible because the foreign min-
istry has little control over the
largest state companies, which
is a bit scary.
UK
Prime Minister David Cameron
has called for an inquiry after
the discovery of papers indicat-
ing that it wasn't just the CIA
that had close ties to Gaddaf's
regime, but also the UK's own
MI6. The suggestion is being
given credence by the claims of a
former anti-Gaddaf terror sus-
pect, who says he was arrested in
Bangkok and then sent to Libya
by a joint CIA and MI6 operation
for torture. The UK has previ-
ously denied its involvement in
rendition, the process of send-
ing terror suspects to countries
where their torture under inter-
rogation is legal.
HAiTi
Uruguayan peacekeepers work-
ing for the UN in Haiti have
been recalled amid allegations
that they were involved with the
briefs world
sexual assault of a teenage boy.
The authorities were alerted
after a clip was leaked on to
the internet which appears to
show several men in uniform
laughing as they pin down a
teenage boy in an apparent
sexual assault. It's not the frst
controversy to attach to the UN
peacekeepers in Haiti last
years Nepalese peacekeepers
were accused of being respon-
sible for a cholera outbreak
which killed 6,000.
MeXiCo
Mexican President Felipe
Calderon has vowed to step
up his national crackdown on
drug cartels in his state of the
nation speech. 400 police of-
fcers have already been dis-
missed as part of the campaign,
and Calderon proposes a full
vetting of all mid- to high-level
police ofcers. He also called
on the USA to cooperate with
Mexico in the fight against
the cartels, pointing out that
the US is the biggest market
for the drugs.
PAlesTiNe
Palestine's Prime Minister
Salam Fayyad has blamed
Israel for an arson attack
on a West Bank mosque on
Monday. Burning tires were
thrown into the frst foor of
the mosque, in Qusra, and the
names of two Israeli settle-
ments were spraypainted on
the external walls. This news
is not likely to help the USA's
attempts at brokering peace
between the two notions to
stop Palestine's bid for state-
hood at the UN.
UsA
It was revealed this weekend
that a small aircraft was in-
tercepted near Camp David
in Maryland on Friday, where
President Obama was spend-
ing the weekend. Flight re-
strictions are currently in place
for the airspace around the re-
treat due to Obama's presence.
There was no indication that
the plane had approached CD
on purpose, but it comes days
after authorities warned that
their major terrorist threat con-
cerns currently revolve around
small aircraft.
UsA
President Obama has disap-
pointed US environmental-
ists by withdrawing a plan to
toughen up smog laws. Health
campaigners wanted smog laws
tightened because smog has
been proved to contribute to a
host of lung problems. Obama
pulled the proposal in the end
because he said it would put too
big a burden on business. Those
expedient Republicans ap-
proved of him ditching the idea,
but still slammed him anyway,
saying the decision was an in-
dictment of the economic col-
lapse under Obama.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon (Reuters)
world Italy
Foxy Knoxy
bacK In the
docK For
the last tIme
Knox has been in jail in Perugia since 2007,
when she was found guilty of the murder of
her 21-year-old roommate, Meredith Kercher,
The claim of the prosecution in the original
trial was that Amanda Knox and her Italian
boyfriend, Rafaele Sollecito, slashed Kercher's
throat because she refused to participate in an
orgy with them. The subsequent trial gripped
the attention of the international media, with
the US press tending to staunchly defend Knox's
innocence, and the UK press more inclined to
paint her as guilty.
Knoxs appeal has now been given a boost by
the claim of independent experts who say that the
DNA evidence originally used to put her behind
bars was contaminated and invalid. They say that
the traces of DNA found on Kercher's bra and the
The appeal trial of Amanda Knox, the 24-year-old American student convicted of killing her
British roommate in Italy, resumed yesterday. This is the fnal phase of the appeal, so there's a lot
at stake for the young woman the media has dubbed Foxy Knoxy. By REBECCA DAVIS.
murder weapon may have got there after the fact.
But this suggestion has been met with outrage
by Meredith Kercher's family, who have written
to the Italian judges to express their concern and
scepticism. In their letter, the Kerchers say: "It is
extremely difcult to understand how evidence
gathered with care and presented as valid at the
original trial now risks becoming irrelevant". They
appealed to the judges to remember who this
case is about: a daughter brutally taken away four
years ago and a day does not pass when we do not
think about her.
The trial is expected to wrap up by the end of
the month. If Knox loses, she faces a further 22
years in jail.
read more:
1. Meredith Kercher family questions new appeal
evidence, in The Guardian
Photo: REUTERS
world israel
NetaNyahu promises quick actioN
oN social coNcerNs
This weekend saw record numbers of Israelis take
to the streets to protest against the high cost of
living in the country. Organisers initially billed it
as a million-person march, but eventually tried
to lower expectations in the days preceding the
protest, claiming it would be a success if the turn-
out equalled the 300,000 people who took to the
streets in August. According to Israeli police,
430,000 people participated in the protests across
the country. The biggest march was in Tel Aviv,
where up to 300,000 took part, while an unprec-
edented 50,000 people took to the streets in Jeru-
salem and another 40,000 marched in Haifa.
This weekends protests were the culmina-
tion of 50 days of protests that have reshaped the
political landscape in Israel. The movement was
inspired by the uprisings in the Arab world and
marks a frst for the Israeli middle-class. In mid-
July protesters raised tent camps in Tel Avivs posh
neighbourhoods and organised rallies to drum
up dissent against the economic conditions in the
These are diffcult days for Israel. Currently embroiled in plans to thwart the Palestinian bid for statehood
while at the same time suffering the defection of Turkey, domestic strife will prove an added challenge to
the embattled government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. By KHADIJA PATEL.
country. An example of the sentiments driving the
protests was found in banners that read The Land
of Milk and Honey but not for all. Economic pro-
tests were previously unheard of among the Israeli
population, but the protest movement has succeed-
ed in advancing social issues in the Israeli govern-
ments clogged agenda.
In response, Netanyahu says his government is
committed to making tangible social change. He
said he would act on recommendations from a pan-
el headed by Tel Aviv University economist Manuel
Trajtenberg that are due by the end of September
and promised to provide cheaper housing and low-
er the prices for food, day care and transportation.
After receiving the committees recommendations,
I will act quickly to bring about the correct balance
between social concern and fscal responsibility, he
said on Israeli radio.
read more:
1. Timeline: Israel Protests in Al Jazeera:
2. 430,000 Turn Out in Israeli Protests in ABCNews
3. Summer of Protest in Israel Peaks With 400,000 in City
Streets in The New York Times Photo: REUTERS
world wikileaks
Public oPinion turns against Julian assange
WikiLeaks latest stunts, publishing a huge
cache of unredacted cables, thus endangering
the sources named in them, and subsequently
announcing its intention to sue its former ally
The Guardian, have served to alienate many
of the Australian hacktivists previous sup-
porters. As Gawker points out, despite the fact
that Assange has styled himself as a "martyr
for transparency", that hasn't stopped him be-
ing fercely protective of his own information,
choosing only to drip-feed select cables from
his huge stock. It was only when The New York
Times released its own copy of detainee fles
from Guantanamo Bay that he was forced to
release his fles. He's held back on internal Bank
of America fles to the point where they are now
almost certainly out of date.
Writing in the UK's Independent yesterday,
How times have changed for Julian Assange. The man once feted as a hero and a
game-changer is now facing the music from commentators who are increasingly fed up
with his publicity-seeking antics. By REBECCA DAVIS .
James Harkin casts doubt on the value of the
WikiLeaks project in the frst place. Harkin makes
the point that, as fascinating as access to online
data is, it is only useful if you know how to make
sense of it. "Access to online information is not
power," Harkin writes. "Power is power, and the
obsessive Western focus on social media and
online data is a symptom of our inability to
think politically.
The man who came within a whisker of win-
ning Time's Man of the Year award for 2010 still
has his rape cases in Sweden pending, and as
Gawker points out, his website has stopped func-
tioning as a whistleblower site. Meanwhile, one
of the real victims of this all, former intelligence
ofcer Bradley Manning, continues to sit in jail.
Assange owes him, big time.
read more:
1. Bye Bye, Julian, on Gawker
2. Assange is deluded about power, in the Independent UK
Photo: REUTERS
bUSINESS
briefs business
Easyjets founder, Stelios Hadji-Ioannou (Reuters)
south AfricA
The JSE All Share Index ex-
tended its losing streak to fn-
ish down over 2% and close at
29,888. Mix Telematics, the
stolen vehicle recovery compa-
ny lost 6%, whilst the JSE Lim-
ited company also lost 5.5%,
after trading ex-dividend today.
Anglo-American fell 5.4% to
lead the Top 40 shares lower.
Coal producer, Optimum Coal,
gained another 7% as it consid-
ered the takeover bid by UK-
based Glencore International
PLC. Fishing company, Oceana
Group, gained 5.2%.
uK
The FTSE 100 fell 3.6% as
the London Stock Exchange
buckled under global jitters to
close at 5,103. The Royal Bank
of Scotland fell 12.3% leading
the crash of fnancial stocks as
Lloyds Banking and Barclays
also fell around 7%. Only one
counter Randgold Resources
managed to end the day in the
black, up 1%.
News Corp is to sell the home
of News of the World, in Wap-
ping, England. Initial plans to
remodel the 15-acre site in East
London have been ditched in
favour of a sale. Attempts to
sell the property for GBP
200 million in 2008 failed
to materialise.
Easyjets founder, Stelios
Hadji-Ioannou, has called for
shareholders meeting with a
view to removing independent
non-executive director Rigas
Doganis. The two have been
engaged in long-standing feud
whilst leading the company.
Hadji-Ioannou has blamed
Doganis for placing a large or-
der with Airbus, just two weeks
after the company issued a
proft warning.
Pension funds in developed
countries are facing added
pressure as the market turmoil
further increases the defcit
levels of these institutions. As
developed market funds move
away from the risky assets, the
opportunity to generate long-
term gains diminishes, causing
the defcits to increase.
emerging mArKets
The MSCI Emerging Markets
Index fell 2.4% to 998 points.
The Shanghai composite index
fell 2% while the benchmark
indices in Hungary and Poland
also fell 1.7%
briefs business
The New York Stock Exchange (Reuters)
us
Wall Street was closed for the
Labour Day holiday, but senti-
ment would have most likely
seen further losses as global
markets continued to slide
after poor jobs data released in
the US on Friday.
Oil prices fell, dipping below
$84 per barrel of brent crude.
Speculation of stagnating or
slowing economies in the
US and China, are driving
down prices as the worlds
two biggest oil consumers
face decreased levels of
consumption.
europe
Markets across the continent fell as
much as 3% as the euro fell against
the dollar. Worries over public
debt in Greece and Italy, with the
bailout kings, Germany undergo-
ing regional elections, have raised
further concerns whether the euro
zone crisis could be resolved.
A constitutional court hearing
on Wednesday in Berlin will
rule on the legality of Germanys
bailouts to struggling euro coun-
tries Greece, Ireland and Por-
tugal. The court is not expected
to rule against past bailouts but
rather on how future bailouts
should be treated and approved.
The cost of insuring against Eu-
ropean sovereign and fnancial
debt default surged to record
levels as market fears caused
indices to slide, measured by an
index of credit-default swaps.
JApAn
Honda will recall almost one
million FIT Subcompacts and
other models around the world,
due to repair defects. A Honda
spokesperson said no accidents
had been reported due to the
defects.
business news corp
The weird world of news corp
The Murdochs have a month to get their sto-
ries straight. In October, Rupert and James will
be questioned under oath in the High Court
about phone hacking. In the meantime, James
Murdoch has chosen to turn down a bonus
of almost $6 million as a result of the phone-
hacking scandal, saying he felt it was "the right
thing to do". This comes as The Guardian re-
ports a growing rift within News Corp about his
suitability to take over his father's empire.
Elisabeth Murdoch, James's sister, is reportedly
gatvol of the whole afair, with rumours continu-
ing to circulate that she told friends at a book
launch in July that Rebekah Brooks and James
Murdoch together "fucked the company". She said
last month she would not be joining the board
of News Corp, so she's clearly not willing to take
James Murdoch declines his bonus, it turns out Tony Blair is godfather to Ruperts youngest child and
the family is increasingly divided over recent scandals. Heres your latest daily dose of the News Corp
soapie. By REBECCA DAVIS.
on the role of Ruperts successor if James is con-
sidered unft.
And then theres the latest delicious titbit from
the family melodrama: the revelation, published
in yesterdays Telegraph, that former British PM
Tony Blair is the godfather of Rupert Murdochs
youngest child. This is a very embarrassing disclo-
sure for Tony, and it only emerged because Ru-
pert's feisty wife Wendi spoke a little too freely to
a journalist from Vogue magazine. It is suggested
that this could go some way towards explaining
why it was alleged in July that Blair had asked
Gordon Brown to put pressure on Labour MP Tom
Watson to drop the phone-hacking investigation.
Well, thats what friends are for.
read more:
1. Murdoch family divided as News Corporation crisis
comes to a head, in The Guardian Photo: REUTERS
business APPLe
ALLeged iPhone thieves diAL ng for
not guiLty
Last year, the tech blog Gizmodo ran an exclu-
sive story, in which they claimed to have can-
nibalised an iPhone 4 prototype, and revealed
all sorts of details about it. The story mentioned
the phone had been found in a bar in Red-
wood City.
It later transpired that two men had found the
phone after an Apple employee left it in the bar,
cottoned on to the fact that they werent hold-
ing an ordinary device in their hands, and sold
it to Gizmodo.
And that, the prosecutors over at San Mateo
county say, constituted a misdemeanour. CNet
said the applicable law provides: Any person who
fnds lost property and knows who the owner is
Two men suspected of selling an iPhone 4 prototype they found in a San Francisco bar pleaded
not guilty to the misdemeanour theft charges. Its not clear what their defence is. Perhaps they will
suddenly reveal that they work in Apples marketing department? By SIPHO HLONGWANE.
likely to be--but appropriates such property to his
own use--is guilty of theft. In addition, a second
state law says any person who knowingly receives
property that has been obtained illegally can be
imprisoned for up to one year.
Prosecutors declined to charge Gizmodo.
It becomes curiouser and curiouser when you
realise this is playing out against the backdrop of
a search for a second lost iPhone prototype, this
time the upcoming iPhone 5 also presumably
left in a pub. Were just going to go ahead and say
it: Apple is deliberately losing the phones.
reAd more:
1. Suspects in iPhone prototype case plead not guilty
in CNet Photo: REUTERS
dave duarte buisness
TUEsday - 06 sEPTEMBER 2011
dave duartes nomadic Leadership
productivity during digitaLLy distracted times
Your mobile phones ringing. Youve got a
meeting with investors later on that you need
to prepare for. Someones taken fre at you on
Twitter now social medias very important for
your personal brand and theres the issue of
the recession. Sales are down marginally, youve
lost some of your best talent and email is piling
up in your inbox.
Being a business leader has always been
demanding, but social networks are making
it tougher. Digital media has dissolved the
Chinese walls between customers, companies
and CEOs, and an always-on news media is
making leadership ever more challenging. Not
Time is a scarce commodity for leaders who are bombarded by electronic stimuli which demand attention. In
a digital world where there is so much that can distract, how can Nomadic Leaders cultivate a focus that
enables productivity and effciency? Dave Duarte believes he has the answer. By MANDY DE WAAL.
only is it tough leading out in the open, but
social networks and electronic communication
is putting the squeeze on productivity, because
theres so much more to attend to in what
seems to be much less time.
Dave Duarte, who lectures on leadership
at UCTs Graduate School of Business, says
research from Stanford shows that less is more
when it comes to multitasking. Stanford
researchers compared people who focus on one
task at a time with people who multitask and
the result showed that focus is everything when
it comes to productivity, says Duarte. What
these research scientists discovered is that if
you bombard your mind regularly with too
much electronic stimuli your mind suferers,
and then of course the tasks you are doing
sufer too.
For a long time it was thought that people
who multitask actually fair better than those
who prefer to focus on one task at a time. But
the Stanford research negates this by saying
that the minds of media multitaskers are
distracted by multiple sources of information
and these people eventually have trouble with
fltering which slows them down in the long
run. While multitasking may be great in very
short bursts, it is defnitely not the solution to
sustained productivity.
Duarte says that if social media is an
aid to procrastination and interferes with
productivity, theres a way of working around
it. Duartes simple tips for managing social
media so that it doesnt afect productivity is
to close social media networks and shut down
applications like Tweetdeck when you need to
be in a high productivity mode. The same goes
if you feel that your attention is getting over-
crowded.
People use social media as a side stream,
but I suggest they use it as they would in face-
to-face time. Rather employ social media as an
opportunity to meaningfully connect, and you
cant do that well if you have hordes of business
challenges you need to deal with competing for
your attention. What I suggest to people who
lead businesses is to set time limits for dealing
with social media, because it can so easily eat
into time and productivity.
Duarte doesnt recommend cutting out web-
browsing and social media from your work day
though, as recent research from the National
University of Singapore has shown that free
web-browsing between bouts of concentrated
work is a highly efective way to refresh your
attention and focus.
But email can be a major productivity sucker.
Its crucial for communicating, but Duarte says
it can take a big chunk out of a productive day
both in terms of time and energy if it isnt
dealt with smartly. The biggest gift you can
give to your organisation is to adopt an email
charter that makes sense for your company. A
popular template for this is The Email Charter
which evolved out of a blog post that was
written by Chris Anderson. A former journalist,
and founder of Future Publishing, Anderson is
best known for TED, the non-proft focused on
spreading ideas, which he has helped turn into
a global phenomenon.
The charter is basically a ten-point plan
that tries to help people by ofering practical
While multitasking may be great in very
short bursts, it is defnitely not the solution
to sustained productivity.
read more:
1. TThree Self-Delusions That Infuence Your Decisions And
Productivity in Fast Company
2. Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study shows
at Stanford University News
guidelines to ensure that the world doesnt
drown in email. The premise is all about
respecting peoples time and delivering emails
that are short, clear, not open ended and not
ccd to everyone and their dog.
Whats brilliant about this charter is the
central premise that if everyone was more
efcient and considerate when it came to email,
thered be a lot less clutter and a lot more space
for the important things like productivity,
innovation, imagination, strategy and other
time investments that grow businesses, says
Duarte.
A practical tip Duarte has for increasing
productivity is what he calls judgement
heuristics. Think of a heuristic as a rule
of thumb or a means of making complex
decisions simpler. Basically this is all about
using common sense or intuition when it
comes to decision-making so that an inordinate
amount of time isnt spent on making a decision
that could literally take minutes.
There are a couple of heuristics I use in
my own business life to make things simpler
and easier for me. The frst relates to problem
solving. When I feel that I am faced with a
business problem that doesnt have a solution,
I imagine it already solved and then work
backwards to try to discover how I might have
gotten there. When it comes to new business
opportunities I prefer not to work with people
who share my core values, and I dont take on
new business opportunities that arent aligned
with mine. Experience has simply shown me
these dont work out in the long term, and arent
worth the stress and irritation.
Duarte says another useful application of
heuristics is in not reinventing the wheel.
If someone has launched a similar business
model or product, or solved a similar business
problem, then it makes sense to model their
process. Break down the complex challenges
into defnable steps that you can follow and try
to improve on these with your own thinking, or
customise this thinking for your own market.
By simply managing social media well so
that it is not a distraction, putting an email
charter in place in your organisation and
simplifying decision making, leaders could save
themselves an hour or two a day.
This is part of an on-going series on Nomadic
Leadership and management practices for a
digital age.
When i feel that i am
faced with a business
problem that doesnt have
a solution, i imagine it
already solved and then
work backwards to try to
discover how i might have
gotten there.
world US PoStal Service
the PoStman cometh not: on the imminent
financial collaPSe of the US PoStal Service
On the staggeringly impressive James Farley
Post Ofce building in New York, the following
excerpt from Herodotus Histories is
inscribed along the marble faade: It is said
that as many days as there are in the whole
journey, so many are the men and horses that
stand along the road, each horse and man at
the interval of a days journey; and these are
stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor
darkness from accomplishing their appointed
course with all speed.
This is a description of the courier
service of ancient Persia, a system of carrying
messages that was ceaseless and brutally
efcient. Herodotus cited this as one of the
primary reasons for the Persian Empires
regional dominance. Information and
The US Postal Service is more than $9 billion in debt and counting. If it doesnt slash its defcit, it could
close shop for good. How did the mail carrier get mired in this much red ink? By RICHARD POPLAK.
Photo: REUTERS
communication were commodities, even in the
days of swords and sandals.
In the context of the US Postal Service, the
inscription has become a creed, which is often
falsely cited as, Neither snow nor rain nor heat
nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the
swift completion of their appointed rounds. This
was the rallying cry of the American century
when a vast nation linked itself, not just by rail
and interstate highway, but by a reliable mail
service that operated through crisis after crisis,
stalwart ballast of the Dream. The services
vaunted efciency reminded America that
whatever disaster came down historys pipe, its
mail carrier would be there to deliver the news.
heading Section
Or maybe not. According to Patrick R
Donahue, the postmaster general, the mail service
is on the verge of defaulting on a $5.5 billion
payment to its employee health beneft fund. If
the payment isnt made next month, then the
service has a very real chance of shutting at some
point in the next year. Republican-led Congress,
as weve learned, has no appetite for bailing
out anything or anybody anymore, and will be
especially resistant to buoying up an agency that
counts labour costs as 80% of its budget. Indeed,
the postal service is Americas last union paradise,
with some of the most generous pay packages,
retirement and health benefts and no-layof
clauses to be found outside of the 1970s.
By comparison, labour costs FedEx about
32% of its budget. Courier companies share other
high tabs with the Postal Service, including the
rising price of fuel, which has had a crippling
efect on the industry. The postal service is also
forbidden by law to increase the price of postage
stamps higher than the rate of infation. In other
words, it has become a metaphor for modern
America: an institution that can no longer aford
to operate in the manner in which it was set up
to operate.
This year, the service will deliver 167 billion
pieces of mail (down 22% from fve years ago).
In 10 years, that number will drop to 118 billion.
Electronic mail and the web have obviously
destroyed the growth of the service, but because
of ironclad union contracts, it has not been
able to respond by reducing its manpower or its
labour costs. Snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom
of night may not stop the postal service, but
ideology certainly will. So, what happens next?
Increasing revenue, especially with the
spread of the Internet, seems unlikely. Donohue
has plans to sell advertising on the side of trucks,
and to do last-mile deliveries for FedEx and UPS.
But very simply, the service has to cut costs.
With a $9.2 billion defcit looming at the end of
the year, small fxeslike recovering the extra
billions the service insists it has dumped into
retirement fundsarent going to do the trick.
It is also hamstrung by the fact that it is legally
obliged to deliver mail to every last address in
America, no matter how remote.
Thus the downsizing shall begin. Donahue
hopes to slash 220,000 jobs in the next 10 years,
shut post ofces and get rid of more than half of
all sorting facilities. The service will ask Congress
to kill its no-layof clause and allow it to cease
mail delivery on Saturdays. These requests will
probably pass, even though there is vigorous
Republican opposition to the Saturday initiative.
Less forthcoming, however, will be any bail-out
funds. Donahue is on his own and he has a fght
coming from the unions which will argue that
it is illegal for him to scuttle a contract that was
negotiated on fair terms.
Ah, the nostalgia for the postman! He
who battles the elements to deliver news, fair
or foul! He who belongs to a stable institution
impervious to the vicissitudes of history! Sadly,
those days are over. History marches on, and
it seems as if Postman Pat (or Kevin Costner
depending on your flmic proclivity) may be
forced to sit the next round out.
We have further cost-cutting measure for
Donahues consideration: Perhaps the postman
should only ring once.
read more:
1. Postal service is nearing default as losses mount in
The New York Times
lIFE, ETC
briefs life, etc
Black Eyed Peas (Reuters)
UsA
Lucky, lucky US high school
goers. As American learners
return for the new school term,
Apple ofcials have confrmed
that over 600 school districts
are phasing out textbooks in
favour of distributing iPads to
students. Schools have said
that the iPads actually repre-
sent a cost-cutting measure
because they no longer have
to provide students with re-
sources like calculators and
dictionaries. Other benefts
they list are the ability to watch
videos and immediately email
quizzes to teachers. Were not
convinced. If kids get an iPad
in grade eight, what will they
aspire to in later life?
UsA
For the frst time in 45 years,
comedian Jerry Lewis did not
headline the annual Muscular
Dystrophy Association Tele-
thon, having retired this year
after hosting the charity drive
every year since 1966. Co-hosts
paid a gushing tribute to him
which featured giant photos of
his face as a backdrop for the
stage. The telethon raised $61
million in six hours, the most
since the recession hit. Lewis
is 85, so it's only fair he gets a
break.
UsA
Police in LA are refusing to
return a stolen sketch that its
owners claim is a Rembrandt.
The picture was stolen from an
exhibition in a Californian ho-
tel on 13 August but recovered
from a church 20km away a few
days later, after an anonymous
tip-of. The Linearis Institute,
which staged the exhibition,
said they own it and that it's
a Rembrandt, but police are
holding on to the picture until
the gallery provides them with
proof of ownership and proof
of authenticity.
itAlY
An American student has been
caught chipping stones of the
Colosseum, in the latest of a
spate of vandalism on Rome's
monuments. The other inci-
dents involved the Trevi Foun-
tain and a marble statue on a
fountain in the Piazza Navona.
It's unknown if the events were
linked or what the motiva-
tion was other than that the
American student wanted a bit
of the Colosseum to take home
as a souvenir. You cant take
Americans anywhere, hey?
UsA
Bless actor Josh Duhamel and
the Black Eyed Peas. They
raised $1 million for the vic-
tims of Hurricane Irene this
briefs life, etc
weekend through a concert
held in his home city of Minot,
North Dakota. Duhamel's wife
is Black Eyed Peas singer Fer-
gie, which is why the group got
involved. Twelve thousand fans
paid $100 for a ticket, with all
proceeds going to the rebuild-
ing efort and food victims.
siNGAPOre
A contender for most ghoul-
ishly poignant story of the year.
A woman whose boyfriend
choked to death on an airplane
proceeded to sit next to him for
nine hours. The couple, who
had been living in Singapore,
were on their way to Auckland
on budget airline Qantas when
the man began to choke on his
meal. Other passengers at-
tempted to save him without
success. The body was then
moved to the crew rest area,
where his girlfriend received
permission to sit next to the
body for the next nine hours.
UsA
Google turned their homep-
age on Monday into a tribute
to Queen frontman Freddie
Mercury, who would have been
65 on that day. The elaborate
"doodle" featured music and
graphics commemorating Mer-
cury, and is one of a series of
progressively more elaborate
doodles. The frst Google doo-
dle dates back to 1998, when
its co-founders posted an "out
of ofce" note informing us-
ers that they were heading to
the Burning Man Festival. The
doodles only last a day, but
they live online at www.google.
com/logos.
UK
Once bitten, twice shy? Not
so for the English couple kid-
napped by Somali pirates, who
are planning to sail around the
world again. The couple, Paul
and Rachel Chandler, were kid-
napped by the pirates in Octo-
ber 2009 of the coast from the
Seychelles and kept hostage for
over a year. But within weeks of
their release, in November last
year, they were repairing their
boat, it's now been revealed.
Apparently they plan to avoid
the Indian Ocean this time.
You'd assume so, anyway
HOllAND
A new game show has
launched in Holland in which
failed asylum seekers compete
for cash to spend back home
after they have been deported.
The show is called Weg van
Nederland, which is a pun
meaning either Leaving the
Netherlands or Mad About
the Netherlands. The winner
takes away about 3,500, and
the losers get hilarious booby
prizes like bulletproof vests.
A spokesman for the Refugee
Support Group said: "The pro-
gramme is sick, but let's face it,
the reality is sick too".
Freddie Mercury (Wikipedia)
books life, etc
TUESDAy - 06 SEpTEmbEr 2011
confirmed: the end of the paperback era
The history of the paperback is, to a large
extent, the history of the twentieth century
or at least the history of the American century,
which is kind of the same thing. Pioneered
by German publisher Kurt Enoch in 1931, the
experiment proved instantly popular but, for
various reasons, was cut short by the Nazi
In 1935, when Allen Lane of Penguin Books built on the idea of an innovative German publisher
whose business had been appropriated by the Nazis, a revolution occurred in the publishing industry.
Throughout the 20th century and into the frst few years of the 21st, cheap paperbacks entertained
hundreds of millions of people across the world. But not for much longer, according to a recently
released survey. By KEVIN BLOOM.
Photo: Secret Pilgrim
government. In 1935, when Penguin Books in
the United Kingdom cottoned onto the fnancial
possibilities of the mass-market format, it again
found immediate traction. Under the guidance
of founder Allen Lane, Penguin instigated
books life, etc
a revolution in the English-language book
market, imitating and building on the
innovations of Enoch. With the objective of
producing cheap books in huge print-runs,
Lane quickly realised that hed need to sell
the units in non-traditional locations when
Woolworths bought the idea, placing a large
order, he was away.
Over in the US, four years later, Robert
de Graaf perfected the model. Partnering
with Simon & Schuster to create the Pocket
Books imprint, De Graaf outstripped Lane
by utilising the distribution networks of
newspapers and magazines. By the end of
its frst year in operation, Pocket Books had
sold more than 1.5 million copies; its editorial
policy of focusing on reprints (like Lane, De
Graaf was adept at negotiating rights from
other publishers) of light literature, popular
non-fction and mysteries fed the burgeoning
American hunger for easy entertainment. The
books were priced at 25 cents, and soon, when
De Graaf began to refne his catalogue, the
emphasis shifted heavily to the mystery genre
and movie tie-ins.
The rest of the century, and the shape
of the market, was defned in the main by
Pocket. The publisher was the frst to release a
paperback reprint while the hardback original
was still on the bestseller list (Dale Carnegies
How to Win Friends and Infuence People),
the frst to release the so-called instant book
(a tribute to Franklin Roosevelt, published six
days after his death) and the frst to recognise
the market for themed light non-fction
(with the Bennet Cerf humour books). Pocket
also published many of the highest-selling
paperbacks of all time, including Doctor
Spocks The Common Sense Book of Baby and
Child Care (released in 1946, it sold 500,00
copies in its frst six months, within a decade
was selling more than a million a year, and by
1998 had sold a total of over 50 million).
But that was then. A survey put out last
month by the Association of American
Publishers reveals that the era of the
paperback may well be over. While net
sales revenue for trade hardcover and trade
softcover books increased slightly over the
three years from 2008 to 2010, at 0.9% and
1.2% respectively, sales of mass-market
paperbacks plummeted, down 13.8% at
$1.28 billion. In unit terms, net sales for the
category were 319 million in 2010, a decline of
16.8% on 2008.
The reason for all of this is not hard to
... but that was then. a survey put out last month
by the association of american publishers reveals
that the era of the paperback may well be over.
books life, etc
read more:
1. Association of American Publishers BookStats survey, 2008
2010
2. The Dog-Eared Paperback, Newly Endangered in an E-Book
Age, in the NYTimes
glean. Heres what the survey said about
e-books and other non-physical formats:
e-books have grown from 0.6% of the total
Trade market share in 2008 to 6.4% in 2010.
While that represents a small amount in
the total market for formats, it translates to
1274.1% in publisher net sales revenue year-
over-year with total net revenue for 2010 at
$878 Million.
There was more that the survey said, in
gushing prose not usually found in these types
of reports the equally impressive net unit
sales growth in e-books, for instance, which
increased 1039% over the three-year period,
and the explosive rise in the format for the
adult fction category, where e-books now hold
13.6% of net revenue market share.
This last fgure seems to correlate with the
phenomenal success of porn on the Internet:
where anonymity is a prerequisite, the digital
world fourishes. Still, commenting on the
stats in a lead piece, the New York Times
identifed recession-minded consumers as
another culprit in the sharp drop-of of mass-
market paperback sales. The article further
noted that shelf space in major book retailers
has recently become the province of more
expensive and elite editions, like hardcover
and trade paperbacks.
For decades, the piece continued, the
mass-market paperback has stubbornly held
on, despite the predictions of its death since
the 1980s, when retail chains that edged
out independent bookstores successfully
introduced discounts on hardcover versions
of the same books. The prices of print formats
are typically separated by at least a few
dollars. Michael Connelly, the best-selling
mystery writer best known for The Lincoln
Lawyer, said he worried that book buyers
would not be able to discover new authors very
easily if mass-market paperbacks continued to
be phased out.
Which seems like an odd statement to
make. If theres one thing that has historically
and consistently sold more books than any
retail store promotion or media campaign
ever did, its been word-of-mouth. And to
recommend a new author to a friend, if you
happen to be reading the book on your iPad,
all you have to do is send an email.
the shelf space in
major book retailers
has recently become
the province of
more expensive and
elite editions, like
hardcover and trade
paperbacks ...
SPORT
SECTION HEADING
Sachin Tendulkar (Reuters)
US
For the frst grand slam in ages,
three American male tennis
players have made the fourth
round of a major. Stalwart
Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and
Donald Young have all made it
past US Open Sunday, winning
in straight sets to form a quar-
ter of the fourth round feld.
UK
Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar's
100th international hundred
will have to wait for another
series after he was ruled out of
the remainder of India's tour of
England.
Tendulkar sat out the frst one-
day international on Saturday,
when India saw a promising
position drowned out by the
rain, after a long-standing
toe injury fared up in the
morning.
The Board of Control for
Cricket in India has promised
to speak to the England and
Wales Cricket Board about
former England captain Nasser
Hussain's donkey comment.
Hussain compared some of In-
dia's players to donkeys in rela-
tion to their poor felding after
Parthiv Patel dropped Kevin
Pietersen during England's
Twenty20 victory over India
last Wednesday.
F1: Bernie Ecclestone has ruled
out the BBC showing full re-
runs of races next season, say-
ing it will only be extended
highlights. F1 fans in the UK
have expressed disgust after
Sky bought the rights to show
all Formula One grand prix live
as of next season.
Football: John Terry has voiced
his support for Chelsea and
England teammate Frank Lam-
pard, whose international fu-
ture has been questioned. The
Blues' star midfelder didn't
start England's 3-0 win over
Bulgaria on Friday but came on
as a substitute in the second
half. However, Terry is con-
vinced the 33-year-old still has a
lot to ofer the England setup
an opinion echoed by manager
Fabio Capello after the game.
EUrOpE
F1: Bruno Senna is confdent
he will be successful at Renault
after being called up to replace
the ousted Nick Heidfeld.
Senna made his F1 debut last
season with newcomers HRT.
However, it was anything but
a success for the Brazilian and
his team. The two parted ways
at the end of the campaign
with Senna being snapped
up by Lotus Renault GP, who
brIEfS SpOrT
England's John Terry and Frank Lampard (Reuters)
signed him as their third and
reserve driver.
Golf: World No 1 Luke Donald
was still sitting on top of the
Race to Dubai standings this
Monday morning despite not
having played at Crans-sur-Si-
erre at the weekend. Donald is
currently among the front-run-
ners in the chasing pack in the
Deutsche Bank Championship
at the TPC Boston. Regardless
of where he fnishes there this
Monday and how much money
he earns, it will help only to
boost his position on the US
PGA Tour's FedEx Cup play-
off standings and do noth-
ing for him on the Race to
Dubai Table.
NEw ZEAlAND
Rugby: England captain Lewis
Moody is out the World Cup
opener against Argentina, as
he failed to recover from a knee
injury. Mike Tindall will re-
place the fanker as captain for
Saturdays encounter.
Ronan O'Gara admitted he
couldnt predict how Ireland
will perform in New Zealand,
saying "anything can happen"
at a Rugby World Cup. Ireland
have struggled to build on
their 2009 Six Nations Grand
Slam and will go into the global
showpiece on the back of four
warm-up defeats. And with
their performance at the 2007
World Cup still on the minds
of many Irish supporters,
O'Gara said it could be another
month of ups and downs.
SrI lANKA
Australian batsman Shaun
Marsh is looking forward to
the opportunity to show the
cricket world that he has the
quality to play Test cricket as
he prepares to face Sri Lanka
in Pallekele. Marsh has made a
name for himself in Twenty20
circles with his big scores in
the Indian Premier League, but
at the age of 28 he's yet to earn
a Test cap.
sport bafana bafana
pitso proud of losing team
Niger, who now top Group G with nine points,
prevailed through strikes on either side of the
break from Dankwa Kof and Ouwa Moussa
Maazou, while Andile Jali was on target for
the visitors.
The defeat, Bafana Bafana's frst of the cam-
paign, leaves them a point behind Mena with the
fnal round of matches to play.
Mosimane's men now need to beat Sierra Le-
one at home next month and hope that Egypt,
who worryingly felded an experimental side in
Saturday's loss to the Leone Stars, either draw or
South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane is proud of his charges despite their 2-1 loss to Niger in a 2012
Africa Cup of Nations qualifer in Niamey on Sunday. By Football365.com
defeat Niger in Cairo.
"Everyone knows we went there to collect three
points, but it was not to be," Mosimane said after
the team returned on Monday.
"To be honest with you, the players did very
well and I am proud of them."
The former SuperSport United boss feels
Bafana had the better of the chances with Teko
Modise hitting the woodwork and Bernard Parker
and substitute forward Lehlohonolo Majoro also
coming close.
"Niger are a very, very lucky team," Mosimane
said. "We had more chances than them, but we
just could not score to win." Photo: REUTERS
cricket sport
Who's the best cricketer in the World, ver 2011?
What's more important? Stats? Star
performances? The way you get runs or when
you get them? When it comes to awards, it looks
like it's still a batsman's game
The nominees for the main prizes refect
the sea of change at the top end of the game.
Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott are both
shortlisted for ICC Player of the Year and Test
Player of the Year. While South Africa and, until
this week, Australia, have been parked on the
bench awaiting fve-day action since January.
England have followed up Ashes glory with the
most comprehensive demolition of India. Ricky
Ponting might not like it, but it's England who
have the aura now.
Why Ian Bell is not included as one of the
top four on either major award is something of
a mystery. Here is a batsman whose run-making
The 2011 ICC Awards take place in London on 12 September. The shortlist for the main prizes has
been in the public domain for a week now and, as usual, has sparked heated debates. By TIM ELLIS.
Photo: REUTERS
has been as relentless as Cook or Trott, but far
more pleasing to watch, if not with the same
obvious game-changing efects. Perhaps the
panel didn't want too many Englishmen lording
it over the international community.
And there is the little matter of the Little
Master for the main ICC Garry Sobers Award.
Sachin Tendulkar notched up more than 1,500
runs in Test cricket in 2010, the majority of those
against the big cricketing nations.
Cook has been a phenomenon waiting to
happen since his super-smooth introduction to
Test cricket in 2006. He deserves the prize in at
least one of the categories as his achievements
refected the stamina and concentration that
Test match addicts have not seen since opening
cricket sport
became more of an onslaught than an art.
Why score 100 in a session and lose your
wicket? As his mentor Graham Gooch used to
say: "Bat them out of the game". To come of 766
runs in Australia and then plunder Sri Lanka
for a couple more 100s in a scrappy, non-starter
of a series shattered by weather is testament to
unrelenting powers.
Jacques Kallis is in with a shout to sneak Test
Player of the Year from under English noses. In
half of the 12 Test matches he has played since
January 2010, Kallis managed an aggregate of
150 runs plus, including six centuries and one
double.
For all of Hashim Amla's considerable
achievements within the same timescale, Kallis
has shown how to play within the spirit of
the game too. Twice during the World Cup he
walked when checking with the felder that
he had been caught legitimately. No fuss. No
drama. It was refreshing to see and deserves the
"Spirit" trophy more than MS Dhoni's delayed
reaction gesture at Trent Bridge.
Kallis' Test average of 57 at the age of 35 is
astonishing and he continues to take high value
wickets, although not as often. Neither Trott nor
Cook, much younger men, can claim to have his
workload.
Amla is also nominated in the ODI section.
Gautam Gambhir has been seeing the ball a lot
better in that form of the game than he was in
the Tests against England. He hit four 50s in the
World Cup, none more crucial than in the World
Cup fnal when he fell three short of a deserved
century.
Many people doubted Gambhir, but he came
good under intense pressure. For that reason, he
ought to get the nod over Kumar Sangakkara.
Shane Watson has played some blistering innings,
memorably the 161 in an ODI against England,
but lacks a certain fexibility in approach.
The Emerging Player of the Year is an
interesting one. After showing considerable talent
and technique in English conditions against
Australia, Azhar Ali has continued to build on his
reputation slowly and steadily, but still promises
more than he delivers. He lacks a top gear at the
moment.
Darren Bravo must be tired of comparisons
with Brian Lara already - his grandfather and
Lara's mother are brother and sister - but in each
of his eight Test matches, Bravo has had a start,
notching up six 50s already at the age of 22. He
talks like someone who believes he can go all
the way. Bravo should take the prize because he
possesses an X-factor and a classy impudence that
represents the swagger of youth.
With the Rugby World Cup in full swing by
the time the awards take place, hopefully therell
be some good Protea news to accompany Bok
performances down under.
Jacques kallis is in with a
shout to sneak test player of
the Year from under english
noses. in half of the 12 test
matches he has played since
January 2010, kallis managed
an aggregate of 150 runs plus,
including six centuries and
one double.
Support the team that saves lives.
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