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As expected, the race for control of the South African provinces of the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal remains tight. In the Western Cape, with 23% of the votes counted, the African National Congress was only slightly ahead of the official opposition Democratic Alliance, with figures indicating that a hung legislature could result.
Special Report: Elections 2004
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>Initial results from South Africa’s national election released early on Thursday morning indicated that the African National Congress (ANC) was heading for an unsurprising victory of near two-thirds of the vote, with 63,77%. Working off a low base of votes counted at 16%, the official opposition Democratic Alliance, with 19,75%, appears to be faring far more strongly than in the 1999 national election.
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Despite being disillusioned about the lack of service delivery in their area, residents of Diepsloot, a sprawling settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, turned out in their thousands to cast their votes on Wednesday. The voting mood was also fairly upbeat in Alexandra township in Johannesburg.
Special Report: Elections 2004
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>South Africa’s third democratic election was running smoothly late on Wednesday afternoon at the almost 17 000 voting stations around the country, despite long queues and some complaints from parties in the Western Cape, a bomb scare in Gauteng and allegations of fraud in KwaZulu-Natal. Read it all in our continually updated election event rundown.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=34154">Diepsloot, Alex residents make their mark</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=34151">Western Cape voters out in force</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=34145">PAC laughs off Mbeki’s comments</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=34148">ANC activists ‘caught red-handed'</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=34135">Queue talk: What voters are saying</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>The elation that marked the 1994 elections was mostly absent on Johannesburg’s West Rand on Wednesday, 10 years later. Voting got off to a punctual start and queues, although long, did not resemble the kilometres of people waiting to cast their ballots in the first election. Several people in the queues commented on the elections.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>Although long queues were reported across the country on Wednesday morning, South Africa’s third general elections got off to a smooth start, with no major logistical problems reported, says Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Dr Brigalia Bam.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille has emerged as the favourite opposition politician in South Africa, according to a Markinor survey. The survey also showed the ANC has the backing of 72,3% of registered voters.
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The 2004 elections in Gauteng will be a lot better run than in 1999, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in Gauteng said on Monday. Provincial IEC electoral officer Gugu Matlaopane said the number of voting stations in the province had increased, and more than 30 000 election workers would be employed on the day around the province.
Wet and windy conditions are set to make driving over the Easter long weekend even more perilous, Arrive Alive said on Thursday. Spokesperson Wendy Watson said traffic was expected to increase on all major routes as worshippers and holiday makers made their way to various destinations.
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The rest of Africa can learn much from South Africa’s election process, the visiting Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum said on Thursday. ”We have observed nine elections throughout the SADC since 1999 and realised how much other countries can learn from South Africa,” said the mission leader.
Special Report: Elections 2004
The results of a survey conducted to find out whether President Thabo Mbeki is doing a good job show that sentiments vary according to race, location and age — but the bottom line is that Mbeki’s popularity is improving. According to the research, 47% of respondents said Mbeki is doing a good job, compared with 27% in February 2002.
The fight against terrorism often conflicts with the imperatives of human rights and democracy. Where rights are concerned, as they always are in South Africa after 1994, the freedoms of religion, belief, opinion, expression, assembly, demonstration, picket, petition and association come to mind.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>The Independent Democrats said it has whisked away seven Democratic Alliance members on the eve of elections, although the DA says the ID is guilty of "double-counting defections". Themba Sono, deputy leader of the ID, welcomed "senior registered members of the DA" at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
South Africa’s social delivery systems are facing a crisis and need urgent funding from the government, the National Coalition for Social Services (Nacoss) said in Johannesburg on Tuesday. It said there is inadequate funding and care for adults and children with HIV/Aids, while homes for children and for the elderly are closing.
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille challenged political leaders on Monday — including President Thabo Mbeki — to a test to ascertain their HIV status. But presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said: ”We are not interested in responding to these silly shenanigans by Patricia de Lille.”
The roll-out of treatment for HIV/Aids in Gauteng started smoothly on Thursday, with five hospitals in the province dispensing free anti-retroviral drugs to patients. Patients treated for HIV/Aids with anti-retrovirals will receive extensive counselling on how the drugs have to be taken and possible side effects.
Aids clinics ready to receive patients
As the national roadshow by the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Charter working group draws to a close, the group has started collating public comments received so far before drawing up a final draft. In Johannesburg in early May, the group will host a "consolidation of information event".
Twenty-seven facilities had met the basic requirements for accreditation to provide quality care for Aids patients, the national Department of Health has announced. The 27 facilities will begin admitting patients and performing HIV testing and medical examinations.
Gauteng transport minister Khabisi Mosunkutu on Tuesday launched a multimillion-rand project aimed at upgrading the Randfontein taxi rank in the West Rand. The project forms part of a R2,5-billion programme to transform existing taxi and bus ranks around the country into diversified retail and service outlets.
How healthy is South Africa’s public health system? And how big are the gaps between promises and practice? We visit the provinces to determine South Africa’s real state of health. This week the <i>M&G</i> looks at Limpopo, the most northerly of South Africa’s nine provinces, where the extreme poverty of the local inhabitants is constrasted starkly with world-famous luxury game lodges.
The number of man days lost in South Africa due to strike action fell from 945Â 000 in 2002 to 700Â 000 in 2003, according to labour analyst’s Andrew Levy strike report for 2003. The report says strike action in the country has levelled off significantly since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Wesbank CEO Ronnie Watson on Tuesday announced a joint venture between the South African National Taxi Council and WesBank, to be called the South African National Taxi Finance Company. The primary aim of the joint venture is to facilitate the financing of new taxis under the government’s taxi recapitalisation plan.
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Ten percent to 12% of the vote — that is what Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille predicts her party will get in next month’s general election. The fiery party leader, called the one-woman-show by many of her opponents, on Tuesday introduced her provincial leaders and premier’s candidates to the media.
Special Report: Elections 2004
Thousands of Capetonians participated in Monday’s Freedom Parade, the public launch of the 10 Years of Freedom celebrations in the Western Cape. The parade saw two processions parading from opposite sides of the Cape Flats to converge at Athlone Stadium.
President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday opened two huge wooden doors to signal the inauguration of Constitutional Hills, the new and final home of the country’s highest court. The massive doors, at least six metres tall, have carved on them the numbers, one to 27 — the length of former president Nelson Mandela’s prison term.
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The African National Congress won six of nine municipal by-elections held on Wednesday — just four weeks before the national election for provincial and national government on April 14. Two of the seats went to the ANC, two were won by the official opposition Democratic Alliance and one by the Inkatha Freedom Party.
Special Report: Elections 2004
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The African National Congress in Gauteng on Wednesday lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission, accusing Inkatha Freedom Party leaders of obstructing it from campaigning for the upcoming election.
Special Report: Elections 2004
"I take strong exception to being lumped together with the so-called ‘Bantustan stooges’ and in fact these averments by your newspaper are defamatory per se." Minister of Home Affairs and president of the Inkatha Freedom Party Mangosuthu Buthelezi responds to the <i>M&G</i>.
The Minister of Health has until close of business on Wednesday to respond to a letter of demand from the Treatment Action Campaign, or face litigation. The letter, sent on March 10, gave her seven days to authorise the immediate procurement of anti-retroviral drugs.
Gauteng province’s roll-out of antiretroviral drugs for HIV/Aids patients will begin on April 1, health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said on Monday. The province hoped to treat about 100 new cases a week, starting in five hospitals, and expanding to 23 institutions by this time next year.
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The DA on Monday called on Deputy President Jacob Zuma to retract and apologise for ”offensive” religious remarks he made while on the campaign trail. The DA said Zuma told a crowd of people ”the ANC will rule South Africa until Jesus comes back”.