Clocks of all shapes and sizes, wine, whiskey and the odd Cuban beverage, cellphones and/or free airtime and pens are the most likely gifts to our politicians, the 2002 Register of Members’ Interests shows. Gifts are described as ”cultural artefacts”, ”cultural souvenirs” or ”art objects”.

South Africans stand to gain greater control over personal information held by the state, banks, insurers and credit bureaus under a contemplated privacy and data protection law currently being researched by the South African Law Commission.

”The first time I met Baby Tshepang, the waterworks just turned on,” says Clifford Bestall, co-producer of a BBC documentary on baby rape slammed by ANC MPs — until some saw it this week. Bestall told parliamentarians what he discovered in making the film during public hearings on child abuse.

The Democratic Alliance is to take no action against its Western Cape leader, Gerald Morkel, after an audit failed to show conclusive proof that he accepted cash from German tax fugitive Jurgen Harksen.

A joint team of the SABC and the communications ministry is to thrash out amendments to the controversial Broadcasting Amendment Bill ahead of next month’s public hearings on the legislation. The team will meet from next week to discuss and draft possible amendments.

State-owned Telkom donated almost R58 000 to the ANC in Parliament for a strategic planning session. Telkom this week said it viewed the sponsorship as not being for a party political event but for ”an organ of Parliament know as the Chief Whippery”.

The Freedom of Expression Institute this week accused the government of using the SABC’s failure to meet its public mandate to tighten its grip through the controversial Broadcasting Amendment Bill. The Bill is seen as key to redressing the lack of language diversity on television.

Exhibit ”MM”, tabled this week at the Desai inquiry into the Western Cape political funding scandal, has further underlined the murky dealings between German tax fugitive Jurgen Harksen and the Democratic Alliance. The cheque counterfoil shows R500 000 in favour of the DA.

Exhibit ”MM”, tabled this week at the Desai inquiry into the Western Cape political funding scandal, has further underlined the murky dealings between German tax fugitive Jürgen Harksen and the Democratic Alliance.

” Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi announced a national indaba of ministers, mayors and council managers to deal with the ”staggering” municipal debt — estimated at between R12-billion and R22-billion. The meeting is set for later this year after a study on municipal debt is presented to the Cabinet.