Marianne Merten

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Penuell Maduna appears to have distanced the government from the idea of a blanket amnesty for political criminals

Former deputy social development minister David Malatsi will this Friday join former Western Cape premier Peter Marais on charges of corruption for soliciting two donations of R300 000 and R100 000.

The question of who is responsible for what in Parliament remained unresolved this week, after an unprecedented public spat that put Speaker Frene Ginwala at odds with her own party, the ANC. Parliamentarians suggested that the fight was symptomatic of larger problems.

Police and members of Cape Town’s gay community now believe the gory massacre at the Sizzlers massage parlour in Sea Point last week was a message from Cape Town gangs who felt their turf was being invaded. The massacre occurred shortly after a bumper tourist festive season.

Decriminalising adult prostitution would free up millions of rands for the overburdened criminal justice system, says the Sex Workers’ Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat). This money could be redirected to fight the growing sexual exploitation of children.

"Careerism", graft, faction, lack of accountability and indiscipline are the recurring nightmares of the African National Congress.

There was free iced tea and croissants for stall-holders, which included Standard Bank, Investec and ARMgold. Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, Johnnic Publishing CEO Connie Molusi and Nail chief Saki Macozoma were there.

Logistics prompted the African National Congress to hold its 51st conference in oaktree-lined Stellenbosch. But the main venue is the DF Malan Memorial Centre, erected with National Party funds to honour the architect of apartheid, and the conference has taken on a symbolic dynamic that is hard to ignore.

* A hacker left top management at Independent Newspapers with egg on their faces after he distributed a confidential e-mail that discussed the incompetence of some reporters and editors. The hacker broke into the e-mail accounts on Tuesday and then mailed the letter to all the staff, as well as some outside recipients. Peter Davis, editor of the Sunday Tribune and The Independent on Saturday, sent the e-mail to Graeme King, MD. Davis has since gone on indefinite leave. "It was clear that it was never intended that this e-mail should become public and it is very regrettable that this occurred," King said. Debbie Reynolds was appointed acting editor of the Sunday Tribune for three weeks, until deputy editor Shami Harichunder returns from overseas. In the e-mail Davis said that "for the good of the organisation, we ought, if possible, to get rid of the following who are either destructive or useless". He said he compiled the list after consulting with Bruce Colly, the chief of staff at Independent Newspapers KZN.

Solar eclipses mean different things to different people — a mystical natural phenomenon to New Age hippies, a fascinating scientific event to amateur astronomers. But for the people of the isolated Karoo town of Sutherland, an eclipse means jobs.

Mention Common Agricultural Policy to anyone in the European Union and the most likely response is one defending current caps on agricultural spending and various other market access initiatives as steps in the right direction.

The future of the South African Union of Journalists hangs in the balance. A call for a referendum on whether to dissolve the union was formally submitted to union leaders, while discussions were under way this week to ensure sufficient funds for the union’s day-to-day operations.

Minister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour wants transformation charters for cricket and other sports by the middle of next year to avoid having to legislate racial transformation. This was confirmed by his spokesperson Graham Abrahams, who said legislation would be the last resort.

From hosting the World Summit on Sustainable Development to the African Union inaugural summit and mediating in the Burundi ceasefire negotiations, taxpayers are picking up the tab — just short of an extra R427-million over and above February’s budget allocations.

Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel’s "surprise gift" of R400-million for food security could be used to extend the food parcel programme, take over the subsidised mealiemeal project once the private-sector contribution ends and stockpile maize, say government officials.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa must urgently reverse its scrapping of quotas because that decision had been based on "inadequate assessment" and "erroneous analysis" of information, the ministerial committee of inquiry on transformation in cricket said.

Court action to compel political parties and blue chip companies to provide details of their political funding could ensue if they do not respond within the 60-day period set down under the Promotion of Access to Information Act to requests by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa.

A key focus of the African National Congress conference in December will be the relationship between the party and the government, including the deployment of members and their accountability and effectiveness.

"The news of my death is greatly exaggerated …" Author Mark Twain’s response to a premature obituary applies to the recent public demeanour of NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk. He is gleefully heading a PR campaign to welcome defectors from the DA back into the NNP fold.

Cape Town will impose a six-month moratorium on evictions for rates and rent arrears when the African National Congress-New National Party coalition takes power in the unicity early next month.

Initial signs are that the New National Party fared better than anticipated in the first few days of floor crossing — particularly in areas outside its traditional Cape strongholds.

Spin doctor Ryan Coetzee’s return to active politics as a Democratic Alliance "strategist" has been clouded by his alleged unauthorised appointment as consultant to the Western Cape administration. Coetzee has been unable to shake this bugbear for 18 months.

South Africans have a high opinion of the voting system, but are less enthusiastic about their elected representatives in Parliament and provincial legislatures, according to research before the Electoral Task Team, currently reviewing the electoral law.

A good deal of Bible-punching, cliches like "going back to basics" and calls for law, order and discipline marked Parliament’s debate on moral regeneration, which could have been mistaken for one on corruption and crime. Violence against women, baby rape and lack of respect for human life were cited.

Former Western Cape finance MEC Leon Markovitz has admitted he did not issue a receipt for the DM99 000 at the heart of the Western Cape political funding scandal. A recent forensic audit by the DA ducked the issue of the donation, conceding that the exchange was irregular.

Five bank deposit slips for R269 000 appear to have finally sunk Cape Town mayor Gerald Morkel’s repeated claims that the DA never received a cent from Jurgen Harksen. With the damaging testimony emerging in the Desai commission, Morkel’s political career may end at the Western Cape DA congress.

African National Congress MPs and Cabinet ministers deflected criticism of the industrial offsets linked to South Africa’s arms package in Parliament this week, insisting the deal was strictly a defence matter and the offset benefits merely a "bonus".

Three senior e.tv editorial staff have resigned as staff relations become even more tense at the free-to-air broadcaster. A recent punch-up did little to improve morale. Former political reporter Marion Edmunds and investigative reporter Faizel Cook worked their last day on Wednesday.

The Americans have an uneasy, tense ceasefire with the Taliban — not in Afghanistan, but the gang-infested Cape Flats. And the Boston Kids finally made peace with the Mongrels after the death of an eight-year-old boy hit the headlines.

A formal investigation into possible disciplinary steps against the Western Cape regional director of the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) will get under way next week. The probe to determine whether internal disciplinary action should be taken against Riaz Saloojee is scheduled to begin on Monday.

The enforcement of South Africa’s controversial new mining regimen depends on the speed with which national Treasury can produce the money Bill on the proposed royalty system. Parliament this week passed the historic Bill amid fear and loathing in the mining houses.

As the United Democratic Movement’s lawyers filed papers at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg to have the floor-crossing laws declared unconstitutional, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa in Cape Town called on government to withdraw the legislation.