South Africa

CAPE TOWN - The African National Congress (ANC) played the race card to defend Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille says. "Bobby Godsell was given a mandate to turn Eskom around. When he tried to address one of the biggest stumbling blocks to delivery - poor management of the utility - the ANC played the race card to defend their cadre," she says, reacting to the resignation of Godsell, the Eskom board chairperson. "Not once did government consider the facts, weigh the evidence or judge on the merits of the case," she adds. Zille says the power parastatal is failing to deliver on its mandate and is subjecting citizens to large power price increases as a result of this failure. This requires government to act decisively, but "instead it chose to fuel a tirade of racial rhetoric which resulted in the resignation of Bobby Godsell. . .". Zille says: "This had nothing to do with the ANC at all. It should have been a decision of Eskom's board. The fact that politicians overrode the board shows that the ANC is totally ignoring the boundaries between party and State." The "real story" behind Godsell's resignation will reveal "the full extent of the ANC's abuse of power", she says.

CAPE TOWN - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) backs Trevor Manuel's leadership of government's National Planning Commission (NPC), dealing a blow to the party's trade union allies, who want the former Finance Minister sidelined. Labour federation the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) wants Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, a former trade unionist, to be responsible for policy direction as it seeks to push the country towards a leftist economic stance. It says Planning Minister Manuel is too close to business and that a team of Cabinet Ministers should lead the NPC - formed in May but yet to start work - tasked by President Jacob Zuma with guiding policy. Patel's inclusion in Cabinet's economic cluster over Manuel has sparked concern that Manuel is being sidelined and his influence in decision-making is waning. But the endorsement from the ANC shows that he should remain a key policymaker. ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says the party's top leaders agree that the commission, consisting of experts that Manuel will oversee, is the best way to develop "neutral" government strategies.

PRETORIA - African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema's life is in danger and VIP protection guards will now guard him around the clock to ensure nothing befalls him, the Police Ministry says. Spokesperson Zweli Mnisi says a threat analysis conducted by Crime Intelligence officers reveals that the ANCYL leader needs to be protected. "He wrote us a letter saying his life is in danger. Our crime intelligence then investigated and sent recommendations to the Police Commissioner. Based on those findings, VIP protection was then decided on," Mnisi says. The ANC says that it is "worried" about the threats and that Malema is entitled to VIP protection despite opposition parties saying it is an "outrageous waste of taxpayers' money". ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu says: "It is unthinkable that these opposition parties could equate the security threat towards comrade Julius as a ‘status thing and a waste of resources'. Prominent leaders of political parties are entitled to VIP protection as and when their personal lives are under threat."

Africa & the world

HARARE - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he will stay in government and challenge President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF to implement last year's political deal in full. Tsvangirai says his Movement for Democratic Change is suspending last month's Cabinet boycott, which it imposed in response to what it says is Mugabe's refusal to abide by the provisions of the agreement. Tsvangirai says the boycott is a wake-up call for Mugabe not to regard his party as a junior partner in the fragile nine-month-old coalition. "We will not leave; our people told us that we should fight from inside. Why should we leave when we are the majority party?" says Tsvangirai. He has not said what his party would do if Mugabe failed to meet its demands but political analysts say the two rivals have little choice but to work together.