Even the most disinterested observer would have picked up that the South African legal fraternity has been through trying times in the past few months. While women lawyers have used the year to reassert their place in the profession — launching the South African Women Lawyers’ Association in October — black and white lawyers have been at one another’s throats.

The education department plans to increase the university student population to 820 000 by 2010, 82 000 more students than in 2005. It also plans to increase the number of graduates from 120 000 to 150 000 a year by 2010. In a report to the portfolio committee for education Education Minister Naledi Pandor outlined the student enrolment and output plans for the period to 2010.

Mary Malete, the newly elected president of the South African Confederation of Trade Unions, will have her job cut out bringing workers together from different cultural backgrounds to strengthen responses to changes in the country’s workforce and labour practices. Sacotu was launched two weeks ago as a precursor of a super federation to be formed from a merger between the Federation of Unions of South Africa.

The decision by President Thabo Mbeki to address the issue of presidential pardons during his most recent speech to Parliament this year has been seen in some ANC circles as an attempt to polish his image before the party’s elective conference that starts in just more than three weeks.

Fired Rapport columnist Deon Maas slays holy Afrikaner cows with the skill of an abattoir boss, but that is not to say the cows will not put up a fight. And some especially vicious ones bite back, as Maas found out last week. Recently Maas still exhibited the scars from his fight with Rapport readers, which ultimately led to his dismissal.

With weeks to go before the ANC national conference, Cosatu has toned down its radical rhetoric against alliance partner ANC. After its central executive committee meeting this week, the trade federation tabled policy proposals about socio-economic matters that it believes the ANC should consider at the conference.

Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool is likely to face his biggest credibility crisis after revelations that he ordered the Auditor General’s staff out of the offices of a provincial government department where they were set to begin a special investigation into suspected financial maladministration and fraud.

Two more senior officials within the Department of Labour are being ”forced” to vacate their positions following the department’s disastrous performance in the past three years. Masodi Xaba, the deputy director general responsible for corporate services, and chief financial officer Chris van der Merwe have resigned.