Taswell Papier has become the first attorney from Africa to receive the global Lawyer of the Year award from Legal Business — a United Kingdom-based, worldwide industry publication — for his pro bono work and for getting leading local law firm Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galombik to set up South Africa’s first township pro bono office. He speaks to the Mail & Guardian.

The African National Congress’s rigid negotiation strategy cost it the city of Cape Town and seats on the mayoral committee. Newly elected Democratic Alliance executive mayor Helen Zille will not invite the party to her mayoral committee. ”We considered a formula to bring the ANC in, but their demands were just out of proportion.”

The Pan-Africanist Congress has scuppered an opposition pact to control Cape Town involving seven smaller opposition parties and the Democratic Alliance — out of frustration over haggling for positions. On Thursday the DA was ready to table the opposition party deal at its top executive structure and prepare to trade its mayoral candidate Helen Zille for control of the city it lost in the October 2002 defection period.

The Democratic Alliance failed to regain most of the hinterland municipalities in the Western Cape it lost to the African National Congress through floor-crossing, despite its aggressive ”Take back your city” campaign. Instead, Patricia de Lille’s Independent Democrats emerged as potential queenmakers in several finely balanced rural municipalities.

No clear winner has emerged in Cape Town’s municipal poll, opening up the prospect of negotiations for a unity government, with smaller parties such as the Independent Democrats and the African Christian Democratic Party in the pound seats. At 1pm on Thursday, the count of 40% of the overall vote showed the Democratic Alliance in the lead at 51% and the African National Congress with 24,6%.

The Democratic Alliance failed to regain most of the hinterland municipalities in the Western Cape it lost to the African National Congress through floor-crossing, despite its aggressive ”Take back your city” campaign. Instead, Patricia de Lille’s Independent Democrats emerged as potential queenmakers in several finely balanced rural municipalities.

Power cuts have become a factor in Cape Town’s municipal poll, with the Democratic Alliance climbing in on a succession of blackouts this week. ”I have never seen such outrage. Now whites are going to vote,” said a senior Western Cape DA member, who admitted the levels of enthusiasm fell short of the intensity of the December 2000 poll that clinched the city for the DA.

With her Sandton background and black suit and high heels, Joy Cole seems more like a typical Democratic Alliance local government election candidate than a DA hate object. But the tide of DA election posters proclaiming ”Take back Knysna” is aimed at her.