Mutasa said Jonathan Moyo is an asset to ZANU-PF

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa has described former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo as an “important asset” to the party.

He said this when Moyo, who left the party in 2005 and won the Tsholotsho seat as an independent, applied to rejoin the party in September 2009.

Moyo has since been readmitted and has risen to the powerful politburo.

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¶1. (SBU) Written in partnership with the Open Source Center’s

Pretoria Bureau, the POL newsletter is open to contributions from

officers in the Embassy or in the Consulates who wish to highlight

political trends. Contact Madeline Seidenstricker or Jonathan

Smallridge for more information, or to make contributions. The

newsletter also is available on the Political Section’s blog, “A

View from South Africa,” found on intelink.gov.

————-

Domestic News

————-

Nzimande Blames Mbeki for ANC Turmoil

¶2. (U) South African Communist Party (SACP) Secretary General Blade

Nzimande has blamed former president Thabo Mbeki for some of the

woes facing the African National Congress (ANC) and the country. In

a discussion paper for the SACP congress in December, Nzimande

accused Mbeki of “hijacking and frustrating the ANC developmental

agenda and replacing it with a pro-business program that has

frustrated the ANC’s efforts of transforming the country.” Nzimande

called on government to review all agencies established during the

Mbeki era and to close down irrelevant ones. He also warned that

remnants of Mbeki’s supporters within the tripartite alliance could

frustrate President Jacob Zuma’s service delivery agenda. (Sowetan,

September, 14, 2009)

Human Settlements Minister Visits Informal Settlement

¶3. (U) Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale visited residents

of Phola Park-Thokoza informal settlement on September 13 to learn

about service delivery challenges. The visit was in response to

calls by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in Ekurhuleni for the

dismissal of the executive mayor Ntombi Mekgwe and her mayoral

committee. The Minister held a special meeting with ANCYL leaders

at the Thokoza Hostel to discuss challenges concerning the residents

and then met with residents. The residents of Phola Park-Thokoza

complained about a lack of water, electricity, houses, jobs and

sanitation facilities in the area. This marked the sixth visits

Sexwale has made to informal settlements. In August, Sexwale

launched a nationwide fact-finding mission to uncover the reasons

behind the service delivery protests that rocked the country and to

assess the massive backlog in housing. (Buanews, September, 13,

2009)

Presidential Hotline Up and Running

¶4. (U) The presidential hotline went live on September 14.

Officers at the Union Buildings call center will handle calls and

respond to public inquiries. Citizens will be able to lodge their

queries by dialing the toll-free number. The Presidency says that

the next few weeks will be spent “perfecting the service and

ensuring that all technical and operating aspects work efficiently”.

(The Star, September, 14, 2009)

Auditor-General to Turn Up the Heat on Delivery

¶5. (U) Auditor-General Terence Nombembe will put government

departments on the spot in March 2010 when his office releases a

report highlighting five years of service-delivery monitoring. The

report will provide the first detailed information on the extent to

which the government has delivered. The Auditor-General’s office

has been gathering information for five years, long before this

year’s formation of a Monitoring and Evaluation Department in the

Presidency under Collins Chabane. Nombembe declined to give any

hints of which departments were likely to feel the heat. (The

Times, September, 14, 2009)

SACP Leads the Eastern Cape

¶6. (U) Phumulo Masaulle of the SACP has been elected chairman of

Q6. (U) Phumulo Masaulle of the SACP has been elected chairman of

the ANC in Eastern Cape. Masualle, who is also Minister in the

Executive Committee for Health in Eastern Cape, secured 1041 votes,

beating Mcebisi Jonas by 930 votes. The provincial conference was

dominated by leadership contests, leading Zuma to issue a stern

warning to the delegates that the national executive committee would

take over the running of the province if “it failed to get its act

together.” (Sowetan, September, 14, 2009)

ANC in Eastern Cape Plans to Recall Premier

¶7. (U) The ANC in Eastern Cape plans to recall Premier Noxolo

Kiviet following Phumulo Masualle’s election to the position of

party provincial chairperson. The Sowetan reported that Masualle’s

supporters plan to push a conference decision through a provincial

general council before December and recall Kiviet. The ANC’s

provincial executive committee plans to devise a strategy to diffuse

tension between the parties to ensure there would be not be “two

centers of power” between the premier and the chairperson.

(Sowetan, September, 14, 2009)

——————

International News

——————

South Africa-China Dialogue to Proceed

¶8. (U) International Relations and Cooperation (DICO) Deputy

Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim will co-chair the SA-China Strategic

Dialogue Forum on September 17. Minister Ebrahim will host his

PRETORIA 00001921 002.2 OF 002

Chinese counterpart, Assistant Minister Zhai Jun. This session will

focus on reviewing bilateral relations, African Issues and China’s

policy towards Africa, and multilateral cooperation and

international developments. The Dialogue also allows for the two

countries to discuss the status of structured bilateral engagements

such as the SA-China Bi-National Commission. (DICO Briefing,

September 15)

DICO Minister Visits Sudan

¶9. (U) DICO Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane visited Sudan September

¶17. She was accompanied by Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation

in the Presidency Collins Chabane and senior government officials.

During her visit, the Minister was expected to hold discussions with

her Sudanese counterpart on Post Conflict Reconstruction and

Development (PCRD), the conflict in Darfur, the 2010 election and

other matters related to the implementation of the Sudan

Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Minister Nkoana-Mashabane

returned to South Africa on September 17 ahead of the 64th Session

of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. (DICO Briefing,

September 14)

Kenyan Electoral Commission visits South African Electoral

Commission.

¶10. (U) Five members of the Kenyan Electoral Commission beginning

on September 14 visited with members of the South African Electoral

Commission in order to learn how to conduct free, fair and

transparent elections. The Kenyan Electoral Commission is

reorganizing itself following post election violence over a year ago

which left over 1,000 people dead. Kenya has also sent missions to

Ghana, Rwanda, India and Brazil. (Eyewitness News, September 16).

RSA’s International Relations Minister to Call on Sudan’s Al-Bashir

ZANU-PF to Discuss Moyo’s Application for Readmission

¶11. (U) Zimbabwe’s pro-government newspaper The Herald reported on

15 September that the Zanu-PF Politburo will deliberate on an

application for readmission into the party by independent House of

Assembly Member for Tsholotsho North constituency and former

Information and Publicity Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo when it

next sits. In an interview on 14 September, Zanu-PF secretary for

administration Cde [Comrade] Didymus Mutasa confirmed the

development and described Prof Moyo as an “important asset” to the

party. [Harare The Herald Online in English — Website of

pro-government newspaper published daily except Sunday; URL:

http://www.herald.co.zw]

RSA Minister Briefs Media on US Climate Change Talks

¶12. (U) Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said it was unrealistic

for developing countries to commit to carbon emission targets

because of their economic status, reported privately-owned daily

Business Day 16 September. Briefing reporters in Kempton Park,

Sonjica said the government would not sign any deal at the upcoming

climate change conference that would compromise SA’s economic

development chances. “We know we are culprits in emitting carbon

because we generate our energy from coal (but) SA is a country

with…socioeconomic issues. A sizeable amount of our population is

without electricity so you have to factor all those issues before

you can move away from coal completely.” [Johannesburg Business Day

Online in English — Website of privately owned regional newspaper;

URL: http://www.bday.co.za/]

Gips

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