” African National Congress members say there could be a clash over whether the party should continue its coalition with the Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu-Natal when the ANC national executive meets in a fortnight’s time. Two weeks ago, five members of various parties in KwaZulu-Natal defected to the ANC, giving it the majority it needs to run the province on its own.
” In order to stamp its authority on the Western Cape administration, the New National Party/ African National Congress cooperative government has announced a wide-ranging restructuring of the provincial administration from August 1.The current 10 departments will be divided into 13, each serving one MEC. There will be no changes to the make up of the provincial cabinet — five NNP MECs plus the premier and six ANC MECs. The restructuring will incur a once-off cost of R5,3-millon and R25-million a year until it is completed. The cash will be raised through savings elsewhere like cutting the current R16-million communications budget and the sacking of 11 security consultants.
” The Western Cape Democratic Alliance accused Community Safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane of undermining municipal policing in four rural municipalities. The MEC refused permission for police services in the areas because of concern over the councils’ financial capacity. However, 55 people completed the municipal training course in Cape Town and now face being employed as traffic wardens.
” The Cape Town Convention Centre has been given a clean bill of health by a forensic audit commissioned in the wake of claims by alleged German fraudster Jürgen Harksen. Western Cape Finance MEC Ebrahim Rasool said the audit showed cash channelled to the project had been used properly.
” The Constitutional Court is to deliver judgement on Friday on the government’s appeal against the Pretoria High Court ruling on universal access to nevirapine. The government had questioned whether the judiciary had the authority to intervene in government policy. The high court had ruled in favour of the Treatment Action Campaign application demanding that all HIVpositive pregnant women be given access to the anti-retroviral.
” Three major transport unions have rejected the Cabinet decision to concession the Durban container terminal. The unions — the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union, the United Transport and Allied Trade Union and the South African Logistics Services Transport and Allied Workers’ Union — warned that if the government goes ahead with its concessioning plans no concessionaire will be allowed into the ports. The unions said the Cabinet decision was being imposed on them without any meaningful consultation or analysis.
” Former Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) head Martin Coetzee said this week that there is no final report of the body in the offing. Coetzee said the former TRC officials were going to produce only volumes six and seven of their findings in the next few weeks. The deadline for these reports is August 9. Volume six will contain the summaries of the 22 000 victims’ statements, while volume seven deals with the amnesty process. He shot down Inkatha Freedom Party claims this week that the TRC had given written assurances to Inkatha that the commission’s 1998 findings about the party and its leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi will not be carried into its final report. The TRC in 1998 had judged Buthelezi responsible for atrocities committed by his followers. Coetzee said the commission’s 1998 findings still stand.