The African National Congress (ANC) Women’s League is to discuss claims that the new National Intelligence Agency (NIA) boss, Manala Manzini, allegedly abused his wife. A senior league official also told the Mail & Guardian that ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe and the presidency were aware of the allegations.

The suspension of National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli will further dent staff morale in an organisation already battered by scandals and a staff exodus. And insiders say it could hamper the Scorpions’ ability to deal with complex cases, including those involving the arms deal and ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma’s alleged corruption.

Trade union federation Cosatu believes the “Special Browse Mole Consolidated Report”, implicating Jacob Zuma in a plot to overthrow President Thabo Mbeki, was engineered by National Directorate of Public Prosecutions (Scorpions) operatives as part of a conspiracy to stymie Zuma’s presidential ambitions.

Trade union federation Cosatu has called on its members to “recapture” the ANC, echoing the South African Communist Party’s call last weekend for a major transformation and renewal of the ruling party. Cosatu’s statement, after a central executive committee meeting this week, signals an open campaign by the two ANC allies this year to shape the outcome of the ANC conference in December.

African National Congress politician-turned-businessman Bulelani Ngcuka has emerged as the latest in a slew of politically connected people who stand to benefit from the R23-billion Gautrain project. Meanwhile, the South African National Defence Force might have to fork out about R7-million for the deputy president’s recent trip to London.