Polity - News this Week

South Africa

JOHANNESBURG - The election date can change pending the outcome of a Constitutional Court hearing on citizens voting abroad. University of the Western Cape law professor Pierre de Vos says that there are provisions in the Electoral Act for a postponement of the election if the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is "not ready" to proceed with the poll. While the option is available, de Vos says that it is unlikely to happen. As with the last election when the Constitutional Court ordered the IEC to take the necessary steps to register prisoners for voting in time for the election, it is likely in the current case that the IEC will be ordered to make the necessary arrangements for expatriates to vote in time, rather than change the election date. University of South Africa professor and Constitutional law expert Shadrack Gutto says that while it is possible that the poll can be moved, he agrees that it is very unlikely. The matter will be heard in the Constitutional Court on May 4.

DURBAN - Speaking at the Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge memorial lecture in Durban, African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer Mathews Phosa says that South African minority groups also need to be empowered to play their rightful role in the economy and the public sector. South Africa faces substantial global challenges that will not be helped by bickering about the sins of the past. Phosa says that the ANC will repeatedly re-look the basis on which empowerment policies are managed. He explains that the ultimate goal of empowerment is to ensure that the South African ownership profile changes and that in the interim, more black people will either own business, or have substantial share in commercial ventures. The challenge is how to streamline the institutions that make available financing to black entrepreneurs and to consider something along the lines of a BEE bank, says Phosa.

JOHANNESBURG - At a public debate hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, the panelists come to the conclusion that election manifestos do not sway voters. Participants in the debate agree that election manifestos constitute "sound and fury signifying nothing". Professor Daryl Glaser of the University of the Witwatersrand's politics department says that election manifestos are meaningless because they are not read or taken into consideration by the electorate. Political journalist Justice Malala, reiterates Glaser's point concerning the inaccessibility of election manifestos. His argument is that party manifestos do not form the basis of a voter's decision. Rather, he claims it is the actions and media image of a candidate that count. Chris Hart, a well-known economist, speaks on the economic dimension of political policy. His objection to the election manifestos currently in circulation is that parties are introspectively focused while they should be offering views on how to deal with the economic crisis.

CAPE TOWN - The contentious Broadcasting Amendment Bill has been amended after President Kgalema Motlanthe refused to sign it into law. Chairman Ismail Vadi of the African National Congress (ANC) says that the Parliamentary committee on communications has effected two amendments to the bill which, in effect, provide for "proper enquiry by parliament" before a decision to remove any members of the SABC board is taken. The bill has been slammed by opposition parties who claim that the post-Polokwane ANC leadership want to use it to get rid of the current board, which was appointed by former president Thabo Mbeki shortly before he was ousted as party president by Jacob Zuma. The bill makes it possible for Parliament to sack either individuals on the SABC board or the board as a whole. The Democratic Alliance (DA), who along with the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Freedom Front Plus petitioned the President to send the contentious bill back to Parliament, cites the amendments as a victory.

Africa & the world

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia supports new African Union (AU) chairmperson Muammar Gaddafi's efforts to mediate between it and border rival Eritrea and is open to peace talks, says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Relations between the feuding Horn of Africa neighbours have been at an impasse since they fought a 1998 to 2000 border war. A peace agreement signed in Algiers in 2000 says that both sides will have to abide by an independent ruling over the 1 000 km frontier, but it has never been implemented since Ethiopia initially rejected it. Meles doubts, however, whether Gaddafi can succeed in unravelling the long-running issue, as he believes that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki is unlikely to change his colours.

LONDON - Britain is ready to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe if the new unity government releases political prisoners and pushes through economic reforms, says Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Since the unity government was formed, Western governments have taken a cautious approach, waiting to see if the new government will bring about real change in the country suffering an economic breakdown. Miliband explains that the Zimbabwean government needs to be judged by its actions and deeds before the international community will engage. Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that Britain cannot treat Zimbabwe as an "ordinary country" for now, as he fears that President Robert Mugabe will stand in the way of change. Britain has been a fierce critic of Mugabe, accusing him of destroying the country's economy and using militias to suppress opposition. Mugabe's government in turn blames Britain and other Western nations for Zimbabwe's meltdown.