global south african news wrap

7/30/2019 Global South African News Wrap

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Global South African News Wrap 30 November 2012

Zuma calls on ancestors

DA ready to focus on 2014 elections

Hostility towards DA seems to be slowly withering away

DA plan to elevate new generation

Plan to clean up fruit industry

Moment of truth for secrecy bill authors

State underspends works minister

Ndebele warns of drift as Zille sets sights on 2014

Let's learn from Brazil

'No political speeches please'

SA is failing its heritage

Zille holds DA rivals at bay

ANC branches revolt

ANC Womens League backs Zuma for president

Ministers pay pledge backfires

MPs walk out as ANC passes secrecy bill

Gordhan vows to reduce deficit, regain confidence

Situation on farms waiting to explode

Ramaphosas candidacy, economic policy

African lessons for ANC


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25 November 2012Cape TimesPage 4

Bongani Hans and Sipho Khumalo

Zuma calls on ancestors

KwaZulu-Natal - President Jacob Zuma, who faces mounting criticism and astrong attempt to remove him as ANC leader, has turned to his ancestors forhelp before Mangaung.

Zumas family slaughtered 12 cows and burnt traditional incense at hisNkandla homestead, at a ceremony in which Zulu warriors danced, sangsongs and brandished traditional weapons.

ANC leaders were nowhere to be seen, but Zuma, in leopard skin, lifted hisspear and danced as thousands prayed for him to win a second term as ANCpresident.

Inkosi Bheki Zuma gave him a Zulu shield and spear, and told him to use theweapons to protect himself from his ANC opponents.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe is expected to challenge Zuma. Theceremony came as various provinces, including KZN, held provincial generalcouncils to nominate leaders for Mangaung.

Zuma and his secretary-general, Gwedwe Mantashe, were overwhelminglynominated by KZN to keep their current positions.

The ceremony at Nkandla appeared to be a repeat of what Zuma did in therun-up to the 2007 Polokwane conference, when he visited King GoodwillZwelithini to get his blessing. The meat, cooked on a fire, was dished out toguests, who also enjoyed traditional beer.

We are here to give our father a send-off to Mangaung. With this ceremonywe are now sure he is protected and he will come back to celebrate with us,said Nomthandazo Zuma.

Buses transported family members and relatives from around KZN. Theceremony started at the homestead of the Nxamalala clans Bheki Zuma,where traditional incense was burnt, a symbol of communicating with theancestors. Zuma then led armed warriors to his old homestead, Entembeni.


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The ceremony ended in his luxurious homestead, where his brother Michaeland other elders continued to talk to the ancestors. Michael gave a rundownof Zumas credentials as a freedom fighter who had spent time in prison andin exile. Towards the end of the ceremony, Zumas son Edward instructedpolice and bodyguards to escort journalists, including those from The

Mercury, out of his homestead.

Who invited you? Who told you to come here? he asked.

At the nomination conference in Durban, Cyril Ramaphosa was nominated fordeputy president. However, this had to go to the vote because other branchesnominated Motlanthe. When these nominations went into voting Ramaphosaemerged strongly.

For deputy secretary-general, party veteran Jessie Duarte was nominated.Baleka Mbete was nominated for national chairwoman, the position she

currently holds.

While Premier and ANC chairman Zweli Mkhize was nominated for treasurer-general this had to go into voting as other branches nominated currenttreasurer-general, Mathew Phosa, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor andformer finance minister Trevor Manuel.

26 November 2012Cape TimesPage 1Gaye Davis

DA ready to focus on 2014 elections

Johannesburg -DA leader Helen Zille pledged on Sunday that when her partymeets for its next congress in three years time, South Africas politicallandscape would be fundamentally altered.

Zille was speaking after the end of the partys fifth national congress in

Boksburg over the weekend, where she was re-elected as party leaderunopposed.

Party federal council chairperson Wilmot James won his contest with fellowMP Masizole Mnqasela, but votes for the hotly contested three positions ofdeputy chairpersons did not go entirely according to the plans of his backers.

While incumbent Anchen Dreyer MP was returned and DA nationalspokesperson Mmusi Maimane was voted in, DA youth leader MakashuleGana took the third spot.

Zille welcomed his election, but Jamess backers had been hoping MP JoeMcgluwa would make the cut.


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Results of the elections, which saw 1 466 voting delegates casting theirballots from 6.30am on Sunday, were announced to general jubilation ataround 3pm.

Maimane will remain DA national spokesperson and leader of the Joburg DA

caucus, while Gana will continue as youth leader until its elective congress.

The congress was designed to supercharge the activists and councillors,members of provincial legislatures and Parliament for the DAs big push forthe 2014 elections.

It has its sights set on winning the Northern Cape and possibly also Gauteng the countrys economic hub in the 2014 national and provincial elections.

A constitutional amendment carried unanimously allows for the party to holdits next congress in 2015 instead of in two years time, allowing it to focus

efforts on winning over voters.

Zille pledged she would spend the next three years working to complete herpromise when first elected party leader in 2007 of bringing about arealignment in South African politics.

This would comprise building a non-racial centre on the foundation of a set ofbasic values: respect for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary,a market economy, redress and reconciliation and delivery.

And you have given me three more years to realise that vision, she said. Iwill strive and work every day to have earned your confidence.

While the politics of realignment was never easy, the DA had learned from itsmistakes in the past and would not repeat them, Zille said.

The partys underpinning principles were non-negotiable and would not besacrificed for numbers, she said.

The DA has been in talks with minority parties for some time and has helpedlaunch a multiparty forum in Parliament. Zille has offered dual membership

which brought the ID on board ahead of local government elections to Cope,the United Democratic Christian Party and the Minority Front.

But this is unlikely to bring voters in sufficient numbers to achieve the DAsgoal of unseating the ANC and entering the Union Buildings in 2019.

Zille said on Sunday it was pointless for people to beg her to bring the DAhere when what was needed was for voters to exercise their choice andsupport the party at the ballot box when it contested by-elections inmunicipalities across the country.

You cant govern unless you win an election, she said. Its up to you.Numbers are important.


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She sad the DA understood that making headway as a party required morethan a founding congress, a constitution and a good speech.

Dubbed the blue machine, the DA is setting up networks of activists in wardsacross the country.

We are focused outwards, on voters, and not inwards on internal powerstruggles, Zille said.

It also had strong structures to mediate where there were conflicts betweenindividuals.

She said while 2014 seemed a short distance away it was a long time inpolitics, especially when the situation was as fluid as it was in South Africa.

On Sunday, resolutions were passed that committed DA members to learning

other official languages as well as the simultaneous translation of futurecongress proceedings.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 4Stephen Grootes

Hostility towards DA seems to be slowly withering away

THE Democratic Alliances (DAs) federal congress held at the weekendraised many questions about its future and role in our politics.

Its planners are ambitious, and leader Helen Zille said on Saturday that it waspossible for the party to take Gauteng in 2014 when the next nationalelections are held. "Its a stretch, but its possible."

This seems fanciful at first glance, considering the African National Congress

(ANC) still has more than 65% of the national vote.

But an examination of the last five years shows the DA has changeddramatically and the situation it finds itself in has changed significantly too.

Some of this relates to the changing face of the economy, but it also hasmuch to do with the differences between President Jacob Zuma and formerpresident Thabo Mbeki.

Ms Zille was elected leader in 2007. The leader before her, Tony Leon, had tolearn to speak Afrikaans on the job. In the 2007 leadership election, all three

candidates Zille, Joe Seremane and Athol Trollip could speak Xhosa,which was a major change in itself.


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However, more was to come. When Mr Leon met Mr Mbeki, in their onlyofficial meeting while the former was official leader of the opposition, he did soat a time when the SABC had, up to that point, refused to carry parts of theDA's conference live on radio and TV.

This weekends conference was covered by SABC2, SAfm and, perhaps mostsignificantly, Ikwekwezi FM which does not broadcast primarily in English.

Ms Zille has been fulsome in her praise of the SABC, saying it has been fullyprofessional throughout the process. This lack of hostility appears to bemirrored in parts of the country where the DA has not been welcome before. Ithas become common for DA leaders to visit some of the poorest parts ofSouth Africa, and in areas where inequality is stark.

Part of this process has seen experienced white DA councillors going intoareas such as the Kya Sands informal settlement, and using their knowledge

and experience to be seen to make a difference. Some of these communitiesappear to have become less hostile to the partys message and in some areaseven seem to welcome it.

Other strategies have included trying to move the debate away from identity.The youth wage subsidy was a major example of this. The DA tried, it seemswith some success, to show that the ANC was preventing jobs being createdby not instituting the subsidy.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions reaction during a DA march onits headquarters played right into the partys hands. Instead of a debate aboutidentity, it was about economics in which the DA has the ANCs record topoint to.

But perhaps the biggest change has been Mr Zumas leadership of the ANCand the antics of the partys former ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema.Ms Zille has always claimed that Mr Malema would push the "realignment ofour politics". After last years local government elections, the ANC itselfblamed Mr Malema for its poor showing in minority communities, after he hadclaimed that "whites are criminals", in what may have been an attempt to getthe young black vote.

But for the opposition party, Mr Zumas leadership has provided a usefulsymbol under which to claim the ANC is corrupt. His Nkandla residence,failure to appoint a Special Investigating Unit head and his appointment ofBheki Cele as national police commissioner are some of the instances the DAhas been able to use to back its claim the ANC is not fit to lead. The allegedinaction by Mr Zuma on the economy is another.

The DA campaign appears to have had its biggest effect on urban, youngerand well-educated black people who appear to be questioning their loyalty tothe ANC. But the DA still has a long road ahead.


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For many, it still appears "too white" and there is still a large liberationdividend held by the ANC. The 2014 national elections are likely to show justhow much further the party has to go.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 4Karl Gernetzky

DA plan to elevate new generation

DEMOCRATIC Alliance (DA) federal chairman Wilmot James was re-electedto his position in the partys highest decision-making structure on Sunday, and

as the DA steps up efforts ahead of the 2014 national election, delegateshave put two young, energetic black men into positions of deputy federalchairmen.

The DAs new executive will need to guide the party for the next three yearsahead of the next federal congress and through the 2014 elections, in whichthe DA hopes to gain 30% of the vote.

On the final day of the DAs two-day federal congress in Boksburg on Sunday,national spokesman Mmusi Maimane gained the most votes in the contest forthe three deputy federal chairman posts, after facing eight other contenders.

Public works spokeswoman Anchen Dreyer was re-elected as deputy federalchairwoman, and the third post went to DA youth leader Makashule Gana.

Mr James was able to retain his position despite an aggressive challengefrom DA MP Masizole Mnqasela.

Mr Maimane said on Sunday : "The DA is not about race, it is a party for allSouth Africans." Because of the DA, "a child from Soweto can today standbefore you as your deputy chair," he said.

Mr James said on Sunday the "promise" was that the DA would win one moreprovince possibly two as well as get 30% of the national vote. "The onlyway we can accomplish this is if we push in the same direction," he said.

DA leader Helen Zille retained her position, which went uncontested.However, Ms Zille said on Saturday she hoped this represented a vote ofconfidence in her policies, including that of elevating a new generation ofparty leadership.

On Sunday, she said the core focus of the team would be to accelerate

"delivering opportunities for all South Africans, particularly those who remaindisadvantaged by our divided past", as well as a "realignment of politics".


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Closing the congress On Sunday, Ms Zille said this "realignment of politics isnot easy. We have learned some very important lessons."

The post of DA federal council chairman also went unchallenged and wasretained by James Selfe.

Mr James told Business Day in the run-up to the congress he would campaignon a platform of further strengthening the DA through increasing participationwith civil society, faith-based organisations and labour unions.

This was needed to present policies that would be of demonstrable benefit ifimplemented, he said.

This year has seen the DA push its alternative platforms, having conducted asix-week campaign to increase awareness of the partys newly formulatedGrowth for Jobs Plan.

Mr James said the DA would also shift its focus to the creation of "second-generation" policies, including those on environmental matters and energy.

He had also been involved in the DAs drive for a "realignment" of theopposition, presenting the proposal of dual membership such as had beeninstituted with the Independent Democrats in the Western Cape. This hadbeen rejected, notably by the Congress of the People and the UnitedDemocratic Movement, with leadership from both parties expressing concernsof being "submerged".

This role, however, had been transferred two weeks ago to DA parliamentaryleader Lindiwe Mazibuko, who said on Saturday that lessons had alreadybeen learnt through the joint action by minority parties on issues such as theProtection of State Information Bill.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 3

Hopewell Radebe

Plan to clean up fruit industry

FACING threats of an international boycott of its produce, the fruit industryhas introduced a programme, the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa, tosupport growers and employees in the improvement of working conditions onfarms.

Steps to introduce the programme have been in the making since 2008 and if

all fruit farming parties had come on board earlier, some in the sector believethe De Doorns violent labour protests could have been prevented.


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However, the reluctance by some organised farming bodies in the industry tosupport the programme on the grounds that it s benchmark s were too strictand that it was imposing international ethical codes on workers livingstandards, had prolonged its negotiations and consultation period and,subsequently, its implementation.

Fruit South Africa ethical trade co-ordinator Colleen Chennell said it was mostunfortunate that the Western Cape problems started just as the industry wasreaching consensus and was preparing itself to engage in a structuredmanner.

"We plan to launch the programme throughout the fruit farming community ina bid to support growers and employees with the continuous improvement ofworking conditions on farms and we will soon roll it out throughout country.

"It is timeous that the fruit industrys ethical trade programme is being

launched in a bid to support growers and employees with the continuousimprovement of working conditions on farms throughout South Africa," shesaid.

Agriculture, and the fruit industry in the Western Cape in particular, has facedthe serious challenge of violent worker protests in the past three weeks.

Ms Chennell said the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa programme wouldhave growers audited by independent auditors on a locally developed andinternationally recognised standard, which would enable them to provideevidence of ethical compliance to all parties, including retailers, thegovernment, nongovernmental organisations and unions.

"The formal establishment of (the programme) is the culmination of four yearsof industry consultations, engagement with a broad range of stakeholders anddocument and resource development."

She said there was now broad support for the programme from theDepartment of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Confederation of SouthAfrican Workers Unions, and international and local retailers.

The fruit industry project comes almost a year after the wine industry initiatedmoves to clean up its tarnished international reputation after a Human RightsWatch study last year said workers were being exploited on wine farms.

Responding to criticism and threats to its international market, the industryestablished a seal to be used by qualifying wine producers as part of a peer-review audit system of labour-related practices in wine estates and suppliersfarms aimed at encouraging fair labour practices.

The Sustainability Initiative of South Africa is therefore a locally driven ethicalprogramme by the fruit industry which has aligned its social standards to

South African labour law and benchmarked this against international


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requirements through a process managed by the Global Social ComplianceProgramme.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 2Wyndham Hartley

Moment of truth for secrecy bill authors

AFTER years of bitter political wrangling, this week is crunch time for the"secrecy bill", with the African National Congress (ANC) in Parliaments upperhouse apparently determined to use its majority to push it through.

The ANC will also be at the centre of the other major issue this week as morebranches and provinces complete their nominations for the party leadershipfor the Mangaung elective conference next month. The process concludes onFriday.

Opposition parties and civil society have battled with the ruling party for yearsto get some of the more offensive provisions of the Protection of StateInformation Bill changed or removed. While the bill bears little resemblance tothe one originally tabled by State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, acoalition of civil society organisations have vowed to challenge it in court if it isapproved in its present form.

Last week chairman of the National Council of Provinces ad hoc committee onthe Protection of State Information Bill Raseriti Tau issued a statement saying:"Members of the multiparty committee have agreed on most of the proposedamendments. They have also agreed to disagree on some amendments."

The bill will be finalised at a meeting of the ad hoc committee tomorrow and isdue to go before a plenary of the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.

But the Right2Know campaign said it remained committed to fighting for a justclassification law that governs how the state should keep limited secrets.

"If Parliament fails to introduce the necessary amendments and PresidentJacob Zuma signs it into law, the Right2Know will take the fight to theConstitutional Court."

The key issues in the nominations process for the ANC are how manybranches will endorse Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and whether CyrilRamaphosa will agree to run for the deputy presidency on a "Zuma ticket".

Political commentator Adam Habib, writing in the Daily News, has describedthe branch nominations as fraught with controversy. "Branches are struggling


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to get quorums, having sometimes to meet three or four times before they caneven have the required numbers of people to legally make nominations.

"But even more worrying is the suggestion that the nomination process is notfree and fair. Branch membership lists are said to have paid up phantom

members.

"In many cases intimidation and violence accompany the nominationsprocess."

Mr Habib concluded that while the ANC has said it will deal firmly with anymember who is involved in such acts, all indications are that this warning hasnot been heeded and that the process is fraught with threat and fear.

It will further be of interest to see whether National Assembly speaker MaxSisulu heeds a call from the Democratic Alliance to have Parliament recalled.

The partys parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, has called for such amove after further revelations appeared in the weekend press that Mr Zumaknew about the nearly R250m being spent on his Nkandla property.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 1Mark Allix

State underspends works minister

WHILE acknowledging a "rising underspend" by the government, PublicWorks Minister Thulas Nxesi says the pace of transformation in SAsconstruction sector is far too slow.

He says this is particularly evident among listed construction and engineeringgroups and higher-tier subcontractors.

In response, the government has said it intends to criminalise fronting, boost

supply chain diversification in state procurement, and monitor black economicempowerment verification agencies more closely all of which is in line withthe states amended empowerment codes.

The minister, however, says accelerated change in equity and ownershipmust be driven by "all sectors" of society, and lead to a "globally competitiveindustry".

Many blacks are represented in the lower levels of the construction sector,along with steadily increasing ownership. But registered built-environmentprofessionals and technical staff are still mostly white males. South Africa

faces critical skills shortages as insufficient black graduates are beingproduced to replace them.


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At a construction industry "transformation summit" in Johannesburg on Friday,agencies in the Department of Public Works acknowledged "risingunderspend" by the government. They also indicated that poor-qualityconstruction projects cost the state R3.5bn annually.

But the racial and spatial history of apartheid presents great challenges. Inthis regard, the government has adopted a more militant tone on blackeconomic empowerment, driven by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Mr Nxesi said he understood amendments to broad-based black economicempowerment codes to be mandatory. "But whether they are being enforced,or are enforceable, is another matter," he said.

Construction Industry Development Board chairman Bafana Ndendwa saidempowerment was vital to growing SAs economy. "Fronting deserves specialattention and not because the fraud laws in SA are inadequate."

He said all construction companies in SA had been invited to take part ininfrastructure development. But few large firms had wanted to build low-costhousing, schools and clinics, until the poor economic climate had hit theirpockets.

Authorities were considering "clustering" such projects, enabling bigcontractors to build 20 schools at a time. But Mr Ndendwa said this woulddisadvantage smaller competitors. To this end, the state was considering"ring-fencing" upper-tier infrastructure contracts to promote higher levels ofempowerment.

Mr Nxesi said the amended empowerment codes were "not intended todestroy companies", but the government needed to be able to conduct"proper estimates".

He acknowledged a crisis in SAs construction sector. This stemmed not onlyfrom global instability, but because the governments "supply chainmanagement processes are horrible". But the private sector was also toblame. "We come from a history of corruption, overpricing and collusion."

Port Elizabeths Herald newspaper said this month the metro employed onlyone registered professional engineer. At one time it had 50. This deepenedgovernment reliance on consultants. There was also a heightened risk ofdeclining quality control, fraudulent tendering, and the decay of road, waterand sewage systems.

26 November 2012Business DayPage 1

Karl Gernetzky


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Ndebele warns of drift as Zille sets sights on 2014

SOUTH Africa faces "drift" with an "absent referee who is not in the field ofplay", University of Johannesburg chancellor Njabulo Ndebele told theDemocratic Alliances (DAs) national congress on Sunday.

Prof Ndebele, a guest speaker at the congress at which party leader HelenZille was elected unopposed, said the symptoms of this lack of leadership and"scant regard for the rules" were a busy but underfunded public protector,continuing stress in parastatal companies, problems with basic education, andinstability in the labour sector.

Prof Ndebeles address to the gathering may help deflect criticism that the DAremains a party of whites, a charge repeated at the weekend by South AfricanCommunist Party chief Blade Nzimande, who called the DA a party of "whitemadams and baases".

Ms Zille said on Sunday she was optimistic about the 2014 elections. Thefederal congress, she said, had shown the DA forging ahead, while"fundamental flaws" in the African National Congress (ANC) would hasten itsdisintegration.

The DA has targeted 30% of the vote in 2014, continued control of theWestern Cape, as well as one possibly two more provinces, newly re-elected federal chairman Wilmot James said.

Ms Zille refused to be drawn on time frames for realigning the opposition,saying such alignment would come only with the careful management of the"catalytic moments" that would characterise the ANCs decline.

Newly elected deputy federal chairman Mmusi Maimane said he would workto grow the party in Gauteng, his home province.

A resolution on Sunday reaffirmed the partys "liberal democratic values", andcalled for promotion of the partys values in order to protect the institutionalculture even as membership grows. Ms Zille said while the DA would notfocus on membership numbers, unlike the ANC, the party could only

implement its policies if it were elected. "We can only govern according to ourprinciples and policies," and this was the message the DA would take "toevery community," she said.

26 November 2012The TimesPage 15Jay Naidoo

Let's learn from Brazil


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'The biggest legacy of my presidency is not the programmes that took30million Brazilians out of absolute poverty and created 15million jobs. It isthe accountability of the public institutions and the real partnership withbusiness, labour and civil society that brought hope to the people. We put theneeds of the people first, not ours."

This was the fundamental point that former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvamade when we met this week. It was a meeting that will be difficult to forget.

"I was not the president. The people were the president. The foundation of the'Brazilian Miracle' is not mine. It is that of the people. If I failed my people whoelected me, it would be the people failing, and the poor would be proving theircritics right that we did not have what it takes to rule," he said.

The challenges of his first term were tremendous. Faced with hyper-inflation,an unfriendly bureaucracy and a suspicious military, the Lula administration

faced difficult choices. The Workers' Party, led by Lula, represented only 17%of the members of a fragmented and chaotic congress dominated by powerfulvested interests that would more often than not oppose his policies.

He recognised the need to stabilise the macroeconomic environment throughpragmatic policies that established stability. But he did that through atransparent dialogue, even with his fiercest critics.

Lula is the antithesis of the "big man" syndrome of political arrogance thatdominates so many governments. He criss-crossed the country; engaged thelandless movements, trade unions, civil society and social movements.

His first term was defined by the launch of the "Zero Hunger" campaign, witha commitment that every Brazilian family should have a meal three times aday.

The Zero Hunger programme covers more than 12million families, a quarter ofBrazil's population of 190million; it provides conditional direct cash transfers toreduce short-term poverty and places an obligation on parents to ensure thattheir children are in school and vaccinated. Breaking the inter-generationalcycle of poverty was the hallmark of the Lula presidency.

But the long-term goal was to improve the human capital. Lula is convincedthat the right to quality education and social inclusion are the most importanttools for building a globally competitive economy for any country. He prideshimself on creating the most universities and technical schools.

"By tackling poverty, improving skills and investing in education, thegovernment was critical in accelerating the rise of the poorest to decent jobsand to the middle class."

One of his first actions as president was to set up the presidential advisory

body Consea, in which civilians were integrated into the design and


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implementation of the Zero Hunger programme. It allowed non-state activiststo influence government policy.

Special credit lines to small farmers, who account for 70% of food production,grew an entire industry around tractors for small farmers, and facilitated their

access to seed, finance, water, land and fertiliser.

Consea lobbied Congress to pass a bill obliging local governments to buy atleast 30% of the family farmers' produce and linked them to the government'sschools feeding programmes, thereby boosting family farmers' income andgiving them vital access to markets. The immediate effect was theimprovement in health, education and nutrition of their children.

The trade unions negotiated a special programme with state banks ofresponsible borrowing against pay cheques, which cut out unscrupulousmoney lenders and avoided a debt trap for millions of workers. For the first

time, countless Brazilians saw hope and opportunity materialise, andconsumption grew in the economy as lifestyles improved. A staggering50million people moved up into the ranks of the middle class.

The current president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, replaced the previous head in2006. She unified social programmes, instituted management systems andcentralised monitoring, planning and accountability.

Lula's second term was defined by the Growth Acceleration Programme, aproject of more than $350-billion which aims to remove barriers to growth anddrive infrastructure development.

The leading roles of the Brazilian National Development Bank and otherparastatals were critical in taking the risks that drove an industrial andinfrastructure strategy that opened up new sectors and crowded in privatecapital. In 2011, the national development bank disbursed close to $100-billion.

And what happened when Lula left? In office for two years, Rousseff hastaken a tough line, firing seven ministers for corruption, misuse of funds andinfluence peddling. She has exceeded Lula in popularity.

As the political temperature rises at home as we approach Mangaung and thenext general election, I hope Rousseff's no-nonsense approach togovernance will be instructive for those wanting to learn from the "LulaMoment".

Lula is not a saint. There are legitimate criticisms of his failure to implement amore radical agrarian-reform programme and for not being tougher oncorruption.

But as I listen to the instructive voices from Brazil, I understand what it takes

to be a servant leader. Such a leader unifies a hurting nation, listens to thedesperate voices of the marginalised, and lowers toxicity in public debate


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while maintaining the robustness of public discourse. It is a return to the spiritof service, reconstruction and development that inspired our nation at birth,guided by our oath to deliver a better life to all our people.

And the servant leader in South Africa could push for our own Lula Moment.

The steps are not so difficult to formulate: we need to make transparency ourstarting point and priority, then make a social contract to establish trustbetween business, government and unions. Only then will the forgotten sensehope. And only then will we bring the best and brightest among us to servethis hurting nation and pull it out of the morass that is South African realitytoday. When do we start?

26 November 2012The TimesPage 9Quinton Mtyala

'No political speeches please'

ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman was yesterday prevented fromspeaking at the funeral of a Wolseley farmworker - the first to have been killedduring protests about farmworkers' wages two weeks ago.

On Friday the provincial ANC announced that Fransman would speak atMichael Daniels' funeral.

Daniels, 28, was killed, allegedly by the police, as protesters rampagedthrough Wolseley on November 14 demanding that their minimum wage beincreased from R70 to R150.

Yesterday Fransman sat quietly in the Uniting Reformed Church after greetingDaniels' mother. But instead of speaking to the mourners he left after aboutan hour. The mourners were told that he had to be at a meeting elsewhere.

Earlier, the church's council had decided that there would be no "politicalspeeches" at the funeral service.

But the ANC's Boland chairman, Pat Maraan, said the decision by the churchwas against the wishes of the family and Fransman was not told about thechange of plan until just before the service started.

At Daniels' home earlier, mourners were told that he had been the solebreadwinner of his family and that though his circumstances were difficult hehad not lost hope.


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Witzenberg's DA mayor, Stefan Louw, said the family had been counselled bylocal leaders.

"He seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," Louw said.

Asked about relations between the farmers and their workers, almost twoweeks since the violent protests, Louw said "overall it was normal but hereand there we had problems".

He blamed the violence on outside forces, saying the ANC had bused in itssupporters to cause trouble.

"You can see [that this protest] was connected to politics," said Louw.

Food and Allied Workers' Union general secretary Katishi Masemola said theunion would continue to support farmworkers and their demands for higher

wages. He said there had to be a negotiated settlement to avert a repeat ofthe violence of two weeks ago.

"For a majority of farmworkers there hasn't been a 1994 [advent ofdemocracy] but we will plead with them to accept an extension to thenegotiations," said Masemola.

The government, agricultural unions and farmworkers' representatives arelocked in talks for an improvement to the current sectoral wage determinationbefore the December 4 deadline.

Sarah Claasen, president of the Sikhula Sonke Farm Workers' Trade Union,said it was unlikely that a deal would be struck by then.

Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said the defence force should becalled in to protect farmworkers from armed militias hired by farms.

The union federation has blamed the death of Prince Albert Hamletfarmworker Bongile Ndeni on security guards hired to protect farms followingthe violent protests in which several Ceres vineyards were torched.

26 November 2012The TimesPage 5Schalk Mouton

SA is failing its heritage

With their tough stance, effective regulations and legislation against rhinopoaching, Namibia and Botswana might soon become Africa's only rhinosanctuaries.


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South Africa's rhino farmers have started to export their rhino to thesecountries for safekeeping. But once they are there it is virtually impossible toget them back.

Botswana's President Ian Khama has taken a zero-tolerance approach to

rhino poaching. It is believed that he has issued "shoot to kill" orders againstpoachers but his spokesman, Jeff Ramsay, denied this.

"We have at times killed poachers," said Ramsay. "But we certainly don't havea shoot to kill policy."

Earlier this year Khama said: "We are using our security forces to protect ourrhino and [other] wildlife. They should be warned that coming into Botswanato poach would be a very high risk undertaking. I n this country, wildlifeprotection is a national priority ."

In 1992 Botswana had only 19 white rhino and the black rhino was classifiedas "locally extinct". In March, it had 140 white rhino, most of them privatelyowned. Realising that most of his country's GDP is generated throughecotourism, Khama has introduced a hunting ban on public land.

"As of January 1 2014, there will be no commercial hunting on public lands,"said Ramsay.

Mark Prangley, a wildlife capturer, said last week that eight rhino had beenmoved to Namibia. He would not say where the animals were from.

Ramsay said Botswana's strategy was effective because of cooperationbetween the community, the police and the army.

Pelham Jones, chairman of the SA Rhino Owners' Association, said Namibiahad a similar approach.

"When we take our kids to show them [rhino], all we will be able to say is: 'Weused to have them'," said Mark Lappeman, on whose farm eight rhino werekilled at the weekend.

26 November 2012The TimesPage 2Thabo Mokone

Zille holds DA rivals at bay

The DA camp aligned with party leader Helen Zille retained tight control when

its members were re-elected at the party's fifth federal congress, in Boksburg,on the East Rand, yesterday.


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DA rebel MP Masizole Mnqasela, who does not agree with Zille's leadershipstyle, failed dismally in his bid to be elected to the high echelons of the party.

Mnqasela was trounced by incumbent federal chairman Wilmot James.

Mnqasela, who once enjoyed a cosy relationship with Zille, was defeated bywhat is believed to have been a large margin of votes.

The DA would not release the numbers of votes cast, saying that to do sowould widen divisions in the party.

But DA youth leader Makashule Gana, who is part of the Mnqasela group,was elected as one of three deputy federal chairmen of the party in WesternCape, which it governs.

The other deputy federal chairmen are DA national spokesman Mmusi

Maimane and MP Anchen Dreyer, both of whom are said to be close toJames and Zille.

They both hail from Gauteng, which the DA wants to win in the 2014 election.

It became apparent late on Saturday night that Mnqasela stood no chance ofousting James when his proposal to amend the DA constitution to allow forthe election of a deputy leader was overwhelmingly rejected.

He said he would revive his constitutional proposals at the next DA federal

congress, in 2014.

Mnqasela arrived at the congress with a group of supporters clad in yellow T-shirts bearing his face but they were no more than a sprinkling in a sea of blueDA T-shirts.

Zille, re-elected unopposed for a three-year term, appeared to extend an olivebranch to Mnqasela and other losing candidates.

"Everyone who did not make it today is as much a valued and treasuredmember of the DA team, with unique attributes to contribute to our progress,"

she said.

Zille said she would use her renewed term in office to continue her drive toforce a realignment of South African politics and expand her party's supportbase.

But she said there would be no compromise on the DA's principles ofconstitutionalism, non-racialism, a properly regulated market economy, anindependent and capable state, and redress and reconciliation.

"Those are the non-negotiable foundations of the DA and we will not sacrifice

them in order to grow our numbers," said Zille.


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"We need to get down to work, to show each and every South African that weare in their corner, that they can trust us with their vote and with the future ofour country.

"As we end this congress we begin our campaign for election in 2014.

"It is no coincidence that this congress is in Gauteng," said Zille.

26 November 2012The TimesPage 1Sibongakonke Shoba and Amukelani Chauke

ANC branches revolt

ANC members are refusing to accept directives from the top on whom tonominate for party leadership positions, and provincial party branches aredivided over nominating Jacob Zuma or Kgalema Motlanthe, his deputy, forthe most powerful jobs in politics.

When the KwaZulu-Natal ANC held its provincial general council meetingyesterday only Zuma and party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe werenominated unopposed despite an expectation that branches would toe the lineand nominate luminaries listed on the slates circulated by Zuma lobby groups.

With less than three weeks to go before the party holds its elective conferencein Mangaung, a similar trend appears to be unfolding in other provinces -party branches are ignoring provincial pronouncements and sticking with theirpreferred nominees.

Zuma wants to be re-elected for another term but Motlanthe - with the backingof the ANC Youth League - is believed to be quietly challenging him.

In KwaZulu-Natal a significant number of party branches nominated Motlanthe

though he had been removed from the lobbyists' slate and replaced bybusinessman Cyril Ramaphosa. It emerged at the KwaZulu-Natal provincialgeneral council meeting that about 300 branches in the province nominatedMotlanthe as Zuma's deputy. Also nominated for the position was HumanSettlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale. But early indications were thatRamaphosa would emerge as the province's preferred choice for the deputypresidency.

It also emerged that the province was not united on Premier Zweli Mkhize'snomination as treasurer- general of the party. Some branches nominatedPlanning Minister Trevor Manuel, Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor,

Deputy Correctional Services Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi or treasurer-general Mathews Phosa.


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As Zuma lobbyists were campaigning for national executive committeemember Jessie Duarte for the position of deputy secretary-general, somebranches expressed support for incumbent Thandi Modise; others nominatedSports Minister Fikile Mbalula and some SA Communist Party generalsecretary Blade Nzimande.

Branches nominated Baleka Mbete to stay on as national chairman, orModise or KwaZulu-Natal legislature Speaker Peggy Nkonyeni.

In Gauteng, the provincial executive committee chose Motlanthe as itspreferred presidential candidate. Most branches are said to have heeded theprovincial pronouncement but one region, Ekurhuleni, nominated Zuma. Its 54branches gave Zuma the thumbs up; Motlanthe was nominated by 21.

In North West, where the province has endorsed Zuma's second-term bid,divisions are said to be worse.

A provincial executive committee member said yesterday that though it wasnot known if the majority of branches supported Zuma or Motlanthe, thenational executive committee's failure to resolve infighting in the province wasthe determining factor.

"What is clear is that 90% of the branches want [North West Premier] ThandiModise to replace Mbethe as national chairman.

"[And] the branches want Mbalula to replace Mantashe as secretary-general.

In Eastern Cape, the provincial executive committee said that it wanted Zumafor another term.

According to an ANC member in the province, the Sarah Bartman regionnominated Motlanthe because of the influence of an ANC Youth Leagueexecutive member.

27 November 2012Business Day

Page 3Staff

ANC Womens League backs Zuma for president

THE African National Congress (ANC) Womens League has nominatedPresident Jacob Zuma to retain his position as ANC leader at the partysnational conference in Mangaung.

"President Jacob Zuma has never failed us as women in terms of the thingsthat we want to achieve," the leagues president Angie Motshekga told

reporters in Johannesburg on Tuesday.


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The league chose Cyril Ramaphosa to take over from Deputy PresidentKgalema Motlanthe.

Several ANC branches, as well as the ANC Youth League, had nominated MrMotlanthe for president. He had not yet stated whether he would accept the

nominations.

Ms Motshekga said because the league had nominated Mr Ramaphosa, it didnot mean it was trying to malign Mr Motlanthe.

"It is just a choice ... it has nothing to do with him (Motlanthe) as a person. Soit is not an anti-Motlanthe vote."

The league wanted to retain Baleka Mbete as ANC chairwoman and GwedeMantashe as secretary-general.

Jessie Duarte was nominated as deputy secretary-general and KwaZulu-NatalPremier Zweli Mkhize as treasurer.

Ms Motshekga said the league supported Mr Zuma, despite criticism byothers of his traditional views.

The leagues president, who also served as basic education minister, deniedrumours that Mr Zuma had not fired her for the late delivery of textbooks inLimpopo because he needed to secure the leagues vote in Mangaung.

28 November 2012Business DayPage 1Carol Paton

Ministers pay pledge backfires

THE possibility of further labour unrest on Western Cape farms next weekwas on Tuesday heightened when Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant

announced that the minimum wage for farm workers could not be raisedbefore March next year because of legal constraints.

This contradicts an undertaking Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries MinisterTina Joemat-Pettersson made to striking workers in De Doorns two weeksago. She promised them that the government would raise the minimum wageby December 4, as farmers had turned down an opportunity to negotiate.

Ms Oliphant said in Pretoria on Tuesday that the Basic Conditions ofEmployment Act, under which the government made wage determinations forcertain sectors, allowed for only one such declaration every year.


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The last determination for farm workers pay took effect on March 1 and runsuntil February 28 next year.

Ms Oliphant said, while being aware of Ms Joemat-Petterssons statement toworkers, her colleague "did not understand the processes" involved. "The

deadline of December 4 is practically impossible to achieve, consideringlimitations as per the act, which is that the minister can only review thesectoral determination once it has been in place for at least 12 months ."

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) reacted with fury to MsOliphants explanation. By saying nothing could be done before March nextyear, she had undermined negotiations under way between unions andemployers, Cosatu argued.

This heightened the possibilities for violent conflict. "What we have seen(since the strikes) is farmers arming themselves," said Tony Ehrenreich,

Cosatus Western Cape secretary. "Things are going to blow up on December4 and there will be bloodshed.

"The minister is not responding to that."

The continuing negotiations in Cape Town involve unions, employerorganisations and the Department of Labour. Cosatu and other unions want tosecure "an interim arrangement" to raise farm worker wages immediately, butemployers have not yet committed to this.

Ms Oliphant said she was uncertain the negotiations would yield a result thatwould avert the resumption of the strike. "I cant guarantee there will be astrike or there wont be a strike."

Ms Oliphant appealed to the workers not to use violence or to destroyproperty, as this would necessitate police action and destroy jobs. " When youdestroy property, it is a criminal act."

Ms Joemat-Pettersson had told the farm workers they would not suffer anyconsequences for violent behaviour as they would be shielded from the law.But yesterday Ms Oliphant emphasised criminal behaviour would result in

police action and prosecution.

It has been said that Ms Joemat-Pettersson was criticised for her commentsat last weeks C abinet meeting.

Agri Wes-Cape CE Carl Opperman on Tuesday applauded Ms Oliphant.

"She has brought some leadership to the debate and expressedaccountability to the law and the constitution."

28 November 2012Business Day


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Page 1Wyndham Hartley

MPs walk out as ANC passes secrecy bill

THE African National Congress (ANC) in Parliament has once again placeditself on a potential collision course with the countrys highest courts by usingits majority to force the "secrecy bill" through while there are stilloutstanding contested issues.

The ANC in the National Council of Provinces ad hoc committee on theProtection of State Information Bill voted for a report that effectively adoptsthe bill, and agreed that it would be debated in the council on Thursday.

Opposition parties were only given the report shortly before Tuesdays

committee meeting. In protest, they walked out of the committee and did notparticipate in the vote on the report.

Once the council has approved the bill it will have to return to the NationalAssembly for the council amendments to be endorsed by the assembly, whichhas already approved it.

Opposition parties and the Right2Know campaign have vowed to continue tofight the bill all the way to the Constitutional Court if necessary.

Committee chairman Raseriti Tau (ANC) told a news conference after themeeting that "as the committee we believe we did everything we could toensure that we build on the work of the National Assembly and ensure that wehave a constitutionally sound piece of legislation that is informed by the viewsof our people and bears resonance to the principles of our democracy".

He also launched a stinging attack on opponents of the bill, saying that "theprocessing of the Info Bill was characterised by half-truths, distortedconflations and mischievous political deportment, especially by those whoremain fiercely opposed to the bill".

Democratic Alliance MP Alf Lees complained about the late tabling of thecommittee report. "It was agreed that the committee would meet onWednesday to table this report; however, the report was only handed tomembers half an hour after the meeting was due to begin. There is nopossible way that committee members would have had sufficient time toexamine this report and check that it was in line with rule 211."

The Right2Know campaign said despite the changes, the bill still did not fullypass the bodys seven-point freedom test. It said the call for the power toclassify to be limited to security departments had largely been met, but thatlimiting secrecy to strictly defined national security matters had only been

partly met.


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The call for penalties to not be applied to society at large for disclosure ofstate secrets had not been addressed by amendments.

The call for a public interest defence to be included in the bill had been partlymet, which was a significant victory, it added.

28 November 2012Business ReportPage 21Andres Martinez and Robert Brand

Gordhan vows to reduce deficit, regain confidence

South Africas history in keeping the budget deficit under control shouldassure investors the government would reject any populist push within theruling party, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Monday.

Grant us our fiscal credibility, Gordhan said. Where have we responded toinappropriate pressure from any side in this administration?

The ANC, at its elective conference next month, is due to consider proposalsto nationalise mines and boost social spending, worsening investors riskperceptions as South Africa struggles with the most violent mining strikessince apartheid ended.

Gordhan has pledged to narrow the budget gap to 3.1 percent of grossdomestic product in 2015 from 4.8 percent this year and freeze spendingincreases.

The ANC leadership is very aware that it needs to move onto a newtrajectory and sustain its credibility both in South Africa and abroad, he said.

Gordhans pledge comes as credit rating companies threaten to downgradethe nations debt close to junk. Moodys Investors Service cut the credit rating

one level on September 27 and Standard & Poors (S&P) lowered it by thesame amount on October 12, maintaining a negative outlook.

The cost of protecting South African debt against non-payment for five yearsusing credit default swaps rose 35 basis points to 162 since August 9, the daybefore a wildcat strike began at Lonmins Marikana mine. Swaps in similarlyrated Brazil, Russia and Mexico have declined in the same period.

A slump in mining is undermining economic growth as Europes debt crisiscuts exports.


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Gordhan said last month in his medium-term budget that the economy wouldgrow 2.5 percent this year, the slowest pace since a 2009 recession. Thathampers the governments ability to dent a 25.5 percent jobless rate.

The mining industry would probably keep losing jobs in the next 12 months

before it started rebounding, Gordhan said.

Clearly, we are going to lose ground over the next year, but we will recover,he said.

While the government would struggle with its goal of 7 percent economicgrowth, we are not sitting on our laurels.

The Lonmin strike spread to other mines and strikes also disrupted output atfarms and transport companies.

Investors were ignoring that the ANC-led government produced the firstbudget surpluses since the 1960s and had kept budget deficits within targetssince then, Gordhan said. The ANC conference would not change thegovernments commitment to meet budget targets and preserve the nationsinvestment rating, he added.

Gordhan widened his targets for the fiscal shortfall in his medium-term budgetas slower growth curbs tax revenue. The deficit is set to widen to 4.8 percentin the 12 months to March next year and reach 4.5 percent the following year.

We need to get our act together as South Africans and restore confidence,Gordhan said.

28 November 2012Business ReportPage 21Donwald Pressly

Situation on farms waiting to explode

Governments failure to find a solution to the minimum wage for farmworkersin the Western Cape looks set to blow up in early December, Cosatu warnedlast night.

Tony Ehrenreich, the Western Cape regional secretary of Cosatu, said thatthe government and Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant had done nothing toavert the crisis.

Instead of looking to the current negotiations between employers who arerepresented by AgriSA, and workers who are represented by Cosatu and

others, to find a way to end slave wages on Western Cape farms,


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Ehrenreich said that the minister had said the minimum wage determinationcould only be implemented in April.

Oliphant told a media briefing in Pretoria: I hope that it is quite clear that thedeadline of December 4 is practically impossible to achieve, considering the

limitations as per the Basic Conditions of Employment Act in that the ministercan only review the sectoral determination once it has been in place for aperiod of at least 12 months. Workers want their pay increased from R69 toR150 a day immediately.

The date of December 4 had been pencilled in to achieve a settlement, butEhrenreich said if there was no deal by December 3, then they are going onstrike on December 4.

The ministers statement doesnt in any way help with the challenges wehave to deal with. We all know there are technicalities around sectoral

determination

but the R69 a day minimum wage has been condemned byeveryone in society. Yet the minister says there is no urgency. We should beaverting a crisis.

Asked if she then expected a flare-up of strike action and possible violencebreaking out again in the winelands and table grape region in December,Oliphant said: I cant guarantee that one I cant say that there will be astrike and no strike. It will be guided by the negotiations going on.

Pressed on her colleague Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Petterssonspromise to workers that she would be asking the authorities not to prosecutethem for any transgressions of the law related to recent strike violent onfarms, Oliphant said: That statement was made by the minister ofagriculture I dont know why she made that statement.

Let me start [on] whether workers destroyed [property] whether the courtscome in or whatever. I cant stand in the way of the justice system.

Ehrenreich said that the minister was sounding more like the minister forfarmers than a minister for labour.

Oliphant appealed instead to those who went on strike not to destroy property.

Meanwhile, public hearings are currently taking place as a process towardsthe reviewing of the sectoral determination, Oliphant reported.

The hearings have been scheduled until December 13, after which a reportwill be compiled.

This report will be forwarded to the Employment Conditions Commission onwhich business, worker representatives and government sit which will thenmake recommendations advising the labour minister on the amendments to

the sectoral determination.


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Wouter Kriel, a spokesman for the Western Cape Agriculture Ministry, saidthat there was no new information regarding any action in the winelands butwe are watching the possibility of a strike around December 4.

28 November 2012Business ReportPage 17Donwald Pressly

Ramaphosas candidacy, economic policy

Analysts believe it is likely that President Jacob Zuma will be easily re-electedat the ruling partys upcoming elective conference in Mangaung, but apossible upset for the post of deputy president would not necessarily end the

current wishy-washy economic policy positions of the ANC.

Political economist Steven Friedman said he was not convinced thatbillionaire businessman Cyril Ramaphosa would leave Shanduka andMcDonalds and take up the political reins of deputy president of the ANC. If,however, he did choose to do so, it would not lead to fundamental changes ineconomic policy.

KwaZulu-Natal branches of the ANC selected Ramaphosa as their favouritefor deputy president of the party over the past weekend.

They represent the biggest block of the ruling partys delegates to Mangaung.

If Ramaphosa the countrys richest black African after Patrice Motsepe,according to the Sunday Times is elected to the post, it would put him in lineto replace Zuma in 2019.

Ramaphosas selection by branches in Zumas heartland province is seen asa snub to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, who recently supported thecall for a parliamentary debate and a vote of no confidence in the president.

The vote and debate were sought by eight opposition political parties butturned down by the ANC parliamentary caucus. Motlanthe backed the debatein his capacity as leader of government business.

As the candidate selection process hots up, Friedman said the ANC must beconcerned that the infighting within branches and structures would do politicaldamage.

In order to minimise this fallout, a likely outcome would be that a slate ofcandidates, including Motlanthe as deputy and Zuma as president, would bepresented to the conference for unopposed selection.

This would prevent upsetting the apple cart.


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Mike Schussler, the director of economists.co.za, said ANC economic policypositions had been wishy-washy for some time. South Africans spend moretime in Cuba looking for investment than they do at home, he said.

As ANC deputy president, Ramaphosa would draw a lot of support from

business, particularly white business. South Africa is in need of economicconfidence it has a lot to do with political leadership, Schussler said.

He believed that there would be a confidence dividend.

Ramaphosa would underpin the reputations of Planning Minister TrevorManuel and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

However, Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt said, while there wereclear benefits [to] having someone like [Ramaphosa] as he is an experiencedbusinessman, he did not believe Ramaphosa would have much of an impact

on the ANCs policies.

There would probably be efficiency improvements by governmentdepartments and better governance, but I am not so sure there would be achange in the things that are done [by the government].

It was unlikely that Ramaphosa would, for example, stop the drift towardsgreater state involvement in the economy, including mining. He wouldprobably also be able to do little to resolve the impasse over a youth wagesubsidy.

There will just be a continuation of what we have seen, Roodt maintained.

Manufacturing Circle executive director Coenraad Bezuidenhout, whoseorganisation will table policy positions ahead of Mangaung to influenceindustrial policy, in particular, said it was hard to say how either Motlanthe orRamaphosa would influence the government.

Ramaphosa is respected more in business circles but Motlanthe is respectedin policy circles, Bezuidenhout said.

Ramaphosa would not yet say whether he would stand for office at nextmonths party elections, his spokesman, Steyn Speed, told Bloomberg.

Nicholas Maweni, the Black Management Forum managing director, said hisorganisation had made a clear decision on such issues of not involving itselfin political matters.

We are a professional organisation. We dont want to get involved in thepolitics of the ruling party. Our members come from various organisations.

Biography


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Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born November 17, 1952) is a lawyer, unionleader, politician and businessman. His Shanduka Group owns a stake inmines operated by Lonmin, a venture with Glencore International, and theMcDonalds South Africa franchise. He is the chairman of MTN and Bidvestand sits on the board of SABMiller and Standard Bank.

28 November 2012The TimesPage 21S'Thembiso Msomi

African lessons for ANC

The current political state of affairs and the growing uncertainty over thedirection our country is taking has made an increasing number of patriotswonder where our young nation went wrong, and what it needs to do to returnto the correct path.

Naturally, this search for answers tends to be inward-looking, focusing mostlyon how the decisions and actions of our political elite over the past 18 yearsdrove us to the edge of the precipice we seem to find ourselves on today.

But there are those South Africans who have begun looking beyond ourborders for answers and possible solutions. These patriots have come torealise that one of our greatest flaws as a young nation has been our failure tolearn from our neighbours and many others who have travelled down the pathtowards a post-colonial society.

Our relative wealth often made us dismiss the many lessons the rest of thecontinent had for us. Our sense of South African exceptionalism, and thenotion that our freedom came about as a result of a "miracle", caused many ofus to arrogantly think we were "not another African country".

Well, as it turns out, we are.

To avoid the many pitfalls that hindered the development of so many Africanstates before us, the patriots I am speaking of argue that we have to listen tothe voices of those who witnessed the nearcollapse of potentially greatnations soon after independence.

One such voice is that of renowned Nigerian-born novelist and scholar ChinuaAchebe.

The US-based intellectual has written extensively about how the dream offreedom and prosperity in Nigeria and other newly independent states quickly

turned into a nightmare for the majority of citizens as a result of rampantcorruption and abuse of state power.


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In a 1983 booklet titled The Problem With Nigeria, Achebe could have easilybeen talking about South Africa in 2012.

Nigeria, he argued, "has been less than fortunate in its leadership". Heblamed this "misfortune" on the "seminal absence of intellectual rigour in the

political thought" of the country's founding fathers and subsequent leaders.

In its place, Achebe continued, was a "tendency to pious materialisticwooliness and self-centred pedestrianism".

He then quoted Nigeria's first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, who once said heplanned to "utilise my earned income to secure my enjoyment of a highstandard of living and also to give a helping hand to the needy".

Another Nigerian founding father, Abafemi Awolowo, had similar ambitions: "Iwas going to make myself formidable intellectually, morally invulnerable, to

make all the money that is possible for a man with brains and brawn to makeit in Nigeria".

For Achebe, this kind of thinking is "more likely to produce aggressivemillionaires than selfless" nation-builders.

Can we confidently say, given our current state of affairs, that our nation is notfacing the prospects of a "disorderly growth"?

With the ANC's Mangaung conference around the corner, some of ourpolitical leaders have unfortunately become too defensive - painting everyonewho dares point out the weaknesses in the current regime as a "liberal sniper"and even of being "anti-majoritarian".

Though it is self-evident that there would always be those who don't readilyaccept the legitimacy of majority rule, most of those who criticise the rulingpolitical class do so precisely because they seek to see our democracy thrive.

All they want is to see our country not go the same sad route followed bymany of our neighbours post independence. They know that once a nationhas gone down the path of massive corruption, political instability and general

lawlessness, it is difficult to get back on track.

Instead of viewing criticism as disloyalty and disrespect, those in powershould see their critics as important partners in the process of nation-building.The ANC and the government should regard them as true patriots.

After all, Achebe, regarded as anti-colonialist by the ANC, describespatriotism thus: "Patriotism is an emotion of love directed by criticalintelligence. A true patriot will always demand the highest standards of hiscountry and accept nothing but the best for and from his people. He will beoutspoken in condemnation of their short-comings without giving way to

superiority, despair or cynicism."


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When the public demands answers as to how the government can justifyspending R240-million upgrading President Jacob Zuma's private home, thequestions are in most cases not out of hatred for Zuma. It is because weexpect better from leaders of a liberation movement in power.

We assume that such leaders have long learned that the self-enrichmentdoctrine of the likes of Azikiwe and Awolowo only serves to stuntdevelopment.

We expect a liberation movement in power to turn to the likes of Tanzania'sJulius Nyerere for exemplary and selfless leadership.

Nyerere's economic policies were not always the best for his country, but fewcan question his commitment to building a just and corruption-free Tanzania.

Contrary to being "anti-majoritarian", the majority of those who demand that

our head of state chooses Nyerere's route over those of his West Africancounterparts do so precisely because Africa teaches us that a different path tothe one followed by too many of our sister countries is possible.

global south african news wrap

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