South Africa

CAPE TOWN – Two people have been arrested following violence during President Jacob Zuma's African National Congress (ANC) centenary address in Cape Town, police say. "We arrested two people. For now, it's charges of assault. The incident was put under control as quickly as it started," national police spokesman Colonel Vish Naidoo says. "There was a commotion, which was noticed by our members who were deployed there. As they went to calm it down, they discovered that two people were injured, one of them a journalist." Several ANCYL members were thrown out of the Good Hope Centre when they started singing during Zuma's speech, SABC radio reports. An SABC cameraman was hit with a chair while filming an anti-Zuma protest outside the venue. ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu told the broadcaster the protesters had clearly intended to disrupt Zuma's speech. Speaking in Johannesburg earlier in the day, Zuma says the ANCYL is not a "spare wheel", but part of the ANC. It should present ideas to the ANC itself and within ANC structures, and that, unless its proposals are accepted by the ANC, they are not ANC policy On February 16, ANCYL deputy president Ronald Lamola said the league's president Julius Malema would not be removed from his position by anyone other than the structures of the league. Malema, his spokesman Floyd Shivambu, league secretary general Sandiso Magaqa, Lamola and two other league officials were found guilty in November last year of bringing the ANC into disrepute and of sowing division in the party. They were awaiting the outcome of arguments in mitigation and aggravation of their suspensions.

JOHANNESBURG – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says his department will use the 2010/2011 District Health Barometer (DHB) to reflect and reassess its interventions for the coming years. Speaking at the launch of the report, which presents snapshots of how the country’s health districts provide primary care to the population, Motsoaledi says has it confirmed progress in a number of government policies and interventions. The DHB, which is issued annually by the Health Systems Trust, a research NGO, does not provide any form of complex analysis or in-depth research but rather points to districts that need improvement and support while identifying those doing well. Albeit far from the World Health Organisation’s target, the report indicates that the country’s districts are making progress in HIV testing and prevention, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, TB cure, malnutrition and communicable diseases. However, this largely depends on where one lives in the country’s 52 districts. For example, a man living in Cape Town received an average of 48 free condoms in 2010/2011, while a man living in Dr Kenneth Kaunda in the North West, only received four condoms. Another inequality presented by the report was the spending in the districts. Districts in the Western Cape are spending more on primary care, while districts in the Free State are spending far less. On the upside, there is progress on the country’s maternal and child health by ensuring that pregnant mothers get tested for HIV to prevent mother-to-child transmissions. The country’s districts have also made progress in saving children as severe malnutrition has decreased and rates of diarrhoea among children of under the age of five have also come down. However, about 25 districts were still characterised by a high burden of maternal deaths.

CAPE TOWN – Political parties and others have broadly welcomed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's proposed 2012/13 Budget tabled in the National Assembly. It exceeds R1-trillion – R1.06-trillion – for the first time ever – with the bulk of spending, R615.7-billion, earmarked for social services. Revenue is expected to be about R904.8-billion. Democratic Alliance spokesman Tim Harris says the money allocated for infrastructure and growth is "not good enough". "I don't think we got it today, but let's give the Minister credit because he managed to bring the budget deficit down. The fact that he managed to do that shows us that we have more space to be bold on growth and on infrastructure particularly. We want to see far more on growth. Those numbers aren't good enough," he says. Nick Koornhof, of the Congress of the People, says that government should lead the way and show it can spend taxpayers' money properly. It is also important for the Congress of SA Trade Unions to support the budget. "It is very important that Cosatu supports him [Gordhan] now. If they don't do it, we are going to have trouble with regards to the State wage Bill," Koornhof adds. Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi says the budget is "somehow predictable, both in terms of what it addresses and in terms of what it fails to address". Much will depend on whether, this time around, declarations of policy will materialise into programmes of action. The most concerning aspect is the insufficient emphasis on economic growth, he says.

CAPE TOWN – The Department of Health has embarked on a massive audit of clinics and hospitals in preparation for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi says. Briefing media in Parliament, Motsoaledi says that, so far, the audit, which looks at cleanliness, safety and security, drug stock count, long queues, infection control and the attitude of staff at clinics, has addressed 3 336 of the department’s 4 200 health facilities. The attitude of staff and cleanliness are two of the biggest problems, he says, adding that the department has trained a team of 40 health experts to prepare them to provide assistance in improving health facilities. Motsoaledi says the department will start with four districts and 214 facilities in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Free State and the Northern Cape. These districts are: Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal), Sedibeng (Gauteng), Motheo (Free State), and Pixley ka Seme (Northern Cape). He says his department is also refurbishing nursing colleges and homes to increase the capacity of these colleges to produce more nurses. In all, 122 colleges have been targeted and 49 colleges are already being refurbished.

Africa & the world

CAIRO – The Muslim Brotherhood voices its strongest criticism yet of Egypt’s army-appointed government, saying it is failing to deal with crises in security and the economy, and reiterates a call for a new national unity cabinet. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Brotherhood’s political wing and the biggest group in the newly elected Parliament, also states its opposition to the government’s request for a new World Bank loan. “Egypt is suffering from escalating economic and security crises, which confirm the failure of the government,” the FJP says in a wide-ranging statement on domestic and foreign policy issues. “There is a desire that has become clear to export more crises to any future government.” Brotherhood leaders have made repeated calls for a new coalition government representing the parties in Parliament. The existing cabinet is led by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, a 79-year-old, who served in the post under Hosni Mubarak and was appointed by the military council in November. Ganzouri is due to stay in office until midyear, the end of the period of interim rule being overseen by the generals due to hand power to an elected President at the end of June.

HARARE – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe praises the coalition pact that has seen him share power with his political enemies, saying, in an interview, that he and long-time foe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai can now share a cup of tea. Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, but has shared power with Tsvangirai’s rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) since 2009 under a coalition after violent and disputed elections. Despite the agreement, Mugabe and Tsvangirai have continued to fight over government posts and policy, including Mugabe’s drive to seize foreign-owned companies, which the MDC says will ruin the economy. Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and the MDC are also quarrelling over a new Constitution, which seeks to limit Presidential powers and Presidential terms to ten years and which Mugabe says is meant to stop him from running in the next election.

NEW YORK – The World Bank has launched the nomination process to select a new president to succeed Robert Zoellick when he steps down in June, inviting names from any of its 187 member countries. The board says in a statement that nominations have to be submitted by March 23, and it hopes to select its top choice by the time of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in April. It says it will short-list three candidates and publish their names if they agree. Zoellick says he will leave his post at the end of June, when his five-year term ends. The World Bank provides loans and grants to emerging and developing countries to fight poverty through projects that also help to develop their economies. Developing countries have for years pressed for a greater voice in leading global financial institutions and are likely to stress the importance of a competitive process, but the US is still widely expected to retain its hold on the job.