Imaverick 31 August 2011

sisulu defends yengeni violence in nigeria sa's renewable energy puzzle china & youtube
By PHILLIP DE WET, CARIEN DU PLESSIS & STEPHEN GROOTES

sa's daily tablet newspaper for people with brains and money wednesday, 31 august 2011
beta
violence, inc
TUESday 31 aUGUST 2011
Index
It happened overnIght
joburg's vIolence 24
south afrIca
afrIca
World
busIness
lIfe, etc
sport
Index
ThurSDAY 25 AuGuST 2011
IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT
wednesday 31 aUGUsT 2011
IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT BRIEFS
POlITIcS
RuSSIA
Twin suicide bomb attacks in
Chechnyas capital, Grozny,
killed seven people and injured
18. Five of those killed were
police ofcers. The frst attack
took place when police tried to
arrest a man suspected of be-
ing a militant, and the second
on the scene while the frst ex-
plosion was being investigated
30 minutes later.
uSA
The head of the house foreign
afairs committee, Republican
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has in-
troduced a change in the way
aid and funding is dished out
to the United Nations. This
would include withdrawing
assistance to any UN entities
which support Palestinian dip-
lomatic elevation within the
UN, particularly in light of a
vote being scheduled to deter-
mine Palestines statehood. It
would also make funding de-
pendent on the cancellation of
a permanent investigation into
Israels human rights record.
The US government is opposed
to manipulating UN decisions
with funding. Its nice that they
dont like blackmail.
SOuTH AFRIcA
Opposition to the Protection
of Information Bill argued
yesterday to remove legislation
which would allow intelligence
agents to classify any part of
their work. The Right2Know
campaign said the clause per-
mitting this undermined the
mutual gains made in recent
weeks, and that the bill should
limit secrecy to strictly-de-
fned national security matters
and no more. Representatives
of the IFP and DA both wanted
the clause removed.
lIBERIA
A referendum to push Liberias
election date into November
has failed after 99% of the
votes were counted. Other
proposals such as residency
requirements for presidential
candidates and raising the
retirement age for judges also
fell short of the required two-
thirds majority. Incumbent,
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
will go into the 11 October polls
as the favourite in spite of pro-
posing the referendum which
she lost.
KENyA
The International Criminal
Court will proceed with a case
against six Kenyan citizens
accused of post-2008 election
violence in which a total of
1,200 people died in spite of an
appeal by Kenyas government.
The BBC reports the accused
are all allies of current Presi-
dent Mwai Kibaki or Prime
Minister Raila Odinga. The
African Union has previously
endorsed Kenyas application
for the ICC to drop the case.
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki (Reuters)
FRANcE
French president Nicolas Sar-
kozy has received a boost for
his election campaign as polls
reveal that his plans to reduce
the European nations public
defcit, and limit it in the fu-
ture, are backed by most of the
population. Its a brave move:
cutting the public defcit with-
in a year of elections is risky,
particularly when Sarkozy fnds
himself behind the Socialists in
the polls.
AFGHANISTAN
A British ofcial accidentally
leaked details of an ofcial
memo in which the UK wel-
comed the decision of Afghan
President Hamid Karzai to step
down at the end of his second
term. The memo also confrms
that Britain wants Afghanistan
and the International Mon-
etary Fund to begin talking
again after communications
broke down in June. The of-
cial walked out of a building, in
front of the media, holding the
document in his hand. Natural-
ly, everyone took photos of it.
MExIcO
A second Mexican journalist
has been granted asylum in the
USA. Alejandro Hernandez Pa-
checo, a cameraman has been
granted permission to live in
El Paso, Texas, after being kid-
napped, allegedly by drug traf-
fckers, in July 2010. Hernandez
is one of many northern Mexi-
cans to seek asylum in the USA
since President Felipe Calder-
ons military crackdown against
drug cartels began in 2006, in
which more than 40,000 peo-
ple have died.
GulF OF GuINEA
The United Nations has ex-
pressed concern about piracy
on the west coast of Africa
after a Cameroonian captain
claimed he was released by
a group of seven pirates who
abducted him near the coast
of Nigeria. The UN Security
Council is to launch an inves-
tigation into the matter due to
the escalation of such crimes
in the area in the last eight
months.
lIByA
Libyan rebels have given
Muammar Gaddaf and his
forces until Saturday to surren-
der, or face full military might.
The transitional national coun-
cil, who may or may not be
a government, has promised
fair trials to all those who sup-
ported the Gaddaf regime and
repeated their calls for extradi-
tion for those Gaddaf family
members who escaped to Alge-
ria. Incidentally, the Algerian
foreign ministry confrmed
that Aisha, Gaddafs daughter
gave birth en route to Algeria.
BOlIVIA
The Bolivian Supreme Court
has found fve senior military
men guilty of killing 64 people
during protests eight years ago
regarding natural gas exports.
The fve will each spend be-
Hamid Karzai (Reuters)
tween ten and 15 years in pris-
on, sentenced on charges which
amount to genocide. This is the
frst time the countrys highest
court has convicted people for
human rights abuses.
BuSINESS
uS
US consumer confdence plum-
meted in August, its lowest level
since 2009. According to the
ratings system used to establish
this, a reading of 90 is supposed
to exemplify healthy attitudes to
the economy, jobs and related
matters. The US fell from 59.2
in July to 44.5 in August. Oddly,
this came a day after consumer
spending rose 0.8%. On Friday
the government will announce
the ofcial unemployment rate,
which is expected to remain
stagnant at 9%.
Googles Android software
strengthened its grip on the
US market as industry tracker
comScore announced it pow-
ered 42% of handsets. Apple
saw its share of the market
solidify at 27% while RIMs
share dropped again, by 4%, to
21%. Microsoft and Symbian
made up the rest of the smart-
phone also-rans. Samsung and
LG were the two most popular
handset makers.
Huang Nobo, a Chinese tycoon
has sealed a provisional to buy
a 300 square kilometre portion
of Iceland 0.3% of the coun-
trys total area for $8.8 billion.
Although Nobo has claimed
he wants to build a $100 mil-
lion tourism project on the site,
critics claim it is nothing more
than a strategic point in the
north Atlantic for China. Under
Icelandic law, it is illegal for a
foreigner to buy land from the
government, so it remains to be
seen how much arm-twisting
Nobo can do with his dosh.
SPORT
FOOTBAll
Goalie Moeneeb Josephs and
Tlou Segolela have withdrawn
from the Bafana Bafana squad
to face Niger in an away Afri-
can Nations Cup qualifer on 4
Brother Leader has until Saturday. (Reuters)
September. The Pirates duo are
both dealing with injury con-
cerns. Josephs will be replaced
by Ajax stopper Sean Roberts.
The League Cup draw took place
last night, with some cracking
matches to come. Manchester
United will travel to Elland Road
to play Leeds, south London
rivals, Chelsea and Fulham will
square of, Spurs will be forced
to take on Stoke at the Britan-
nia Stadium and Liverpool will
travel to Brighton. Manchester
City will be at home to Birming-
ham City and Shrewsbury might
fancy their chances of progres-
sion as they take on Arsenal at
the Emirates.
Sepp Blatter has demanded that
the opening fxture of the 2014
Fifa World Cup be held at the
famous Maracana Stadium in
Rio de Janeiro, and not in Bra-
zils biggest city, Sao Paolo, like
everyone thought. As, solely
on Sepps whim, we built a new
Cape Town Stadium in Green
Point instead of Athlone, were
fairly certain the Brazilians will
cave in. Blatter also criticised
disagreements within the Bra-
zilian political system which
he said complicated the tour-
naments organisation. The
great governance model at Fifa
should be an example.
TENNIS
Li Na was the only big casualty
on day 2 of the US Open, going
down to Romanian teenager,
Simona Halep, 6-2,7-5, mean-
ing she hasnt won a Grand
Slam match since taking the
French Open title. And with
54 unforced errors in two sets
of tennis, its not surprising
shes on her way home. The top
four womens seeds all made it
through, and are joined by men
Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
lIFE
A man tried to board a fight
from Miami to Brazil with
snakes in his pants. And no,
this aint no metaphor. He was
busted at security and staf
found seven snakes and three
tortoises wrapped in nylon
bags in his brooks.
Land Rover will produce a new
version of its Defender model in
2015. The model will make its de-
but at the Frankfurt motor show
next month. Housewives every-
where are said to be excited.
Sepp Blatter (Reuters)
joburg's violence 24
wednesdAY 31 AUGUsT 2011
south africa joburg's violence 24
Monday night: the frst of the busses of supporters from far afeld arrive, with the North
West and Free State provinces getting to the neighbourhood of Luthuli House at around
11pm. Their addition was important; at the time only 50 Malema supporters were gathered
for the planned all-night vigil leading up the disciplinary hearing. PHILLIP DE WET for
iMaverick.
As dawn broke over Johannesburg early Tuesday morning, the growing number of
demonstrators focused on getting their message out. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
By 8am, smaller groups of protesters were regularly breaking away from the main
gathering, circling the cordoned-off area around the ANC headquarters, and testing police
lines. Things don't get physical, though. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
Things get physical. After police set off a fash-bang crowd-control device, the crowd frst
turns on police, then on journalists. Bricks and beer bottles (left over from the vigil the
previous night) rain down. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
Things get physical 02. After police set off a fash-bang crowd-control device, the crowd
frst turns on police, then on journalists. Bricks and beer bottles (left over from the vigil the
Things get physical 03. After police set off a fash-bang crowd-control device, the crowd
frst turns on police, then on journalists. Bricks and beer bottles (left over from the vigil the
Several blocks away from the main gathering, one of the splinter groups comes under
rubber-bullet fre. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
In their path, overturned rubbish bins left litter scattered across major intersections. That
was to set the trend for the rest of the day; besides city rubbish bins, there was little
property damage, and very little indeed that was intentionally done. PHILLIP DE WET for
iMaverick.
Police remained behind their barricades (concertina razor wire, in the hottest spots), used
water cannons very sparingly, and used neither tear gas nor rubber bullets on the main
group. Though they regularly lost track of groups roaming the city, they ultimately prevented
the crowd from reaching Luthuli House. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
Popular items for burning: Jacob Zuma's face on posters and T-shirts, and the ANC fag.
The latter in particular upset MK veterans, describing it as an attack on the history of the
struggle. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
The main barricade, the scene of most trouble, came under attack with various unusual
weapons. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
Some of them became permanent parts of the barricades. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
10:05am. A little after the peak of the excitement, a small group of people lean over the
parapet on the roof of Luthuli House to watch the closest protesters. Some of the faces
are familiar. Nobody else can be seen inside or on top of the building. PHILLIP DE WET for
iMaverick.
By midday, school children are streaming towards Luthuli House, ultimately numbering
several hundred and, for a while, taking over on the front lines while their elders take a
break. Many of those school children would later roam the CBD, staying ahead of police by
moving fast through dense traffc. PHILLIP DE WET for iMaverick.
3:15PM. Julius Malema appears to address the crowd. He chews gum, channels Che
Guevara (at least in facial expression), wears a funky beret, and asks for militant yet
peaceful protest, with a special word about not stoning journalists. PHILLIP DE WET for
iMaverick.
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souTH AFricA
WEDNESDAY 31 AUGUST 2011
SOUTH AFRICA BRIEFS
MAdOnSElA TAkES On MORE
wORk
It looks like public protector
Thuli Mandoselas busy schedule
will not ease up. Her roadshow is
in Cape Town this week, and on
Tuesday, she heard from Manen-
burg residents who complained
about the land claims process.
Madonsela promised to investi-
gate their complaints urgently.
Last week, Madonsela said that
her department is running low
on funds to investigate corrup-
tion cases, but service delivery
complaints were to continue.
COUnCIl dEREgISTERS
FRAUdUlEnT HEAlTH
pROFESSIOnAlS
The Health Professionals Coun-
cil of South Africa has deregis-
tered over 400 people who ob-
tained their qualifcations from
fraudulent training agencies.
The council expects to deregister
1,000 more graduates from the
Limpopo Ambulance and Train-
ing Academy and other fraudu-
lent training centres following an
investigation by the Hawks. The
board warned prospective stu-
dents to do their due diligence on
training centres.
AnCYlS vIOlEnT pROTESTS
COndEMnEd wIdElY
Media bodies, political par-
ties, trade unions, members of
the public and the ANC Youth
League were among those who
condemned youth league mem-
bers for violence and damaging
property during their protest
against Julius Malemas disciplin-
ary hearing in the Johannesburg
CBD on Tuesday. The youth
league members, some of whom
were singing Zuma is a rapist,
threw stones at police and jour-
nalists covering the protest.
pOlICE TO SET Up dEdICATEd
pROTEST COnTROl UnIT
Police minister Nathi Mthetwa
announced timely proposals
to change how police deal with
protests and public gatherings.
He said a dedicated public order
policing unit will be set up with-
in the South African Police Ser-
vice to ensure that the police are
formulating proper responses
to protests. Recent ANCYL and
trade union protests, and the
shooting of Andries Tatane by
police during a service delivery
protest, highlight the need for
such a unit.
STATSSA: MORE SOUTH
AFRICAnS HAvE ACCESS TO
SAFE wATER
According to Statistics South
Africas latest general house-
holds survey on water and sani-
tation, 93% of households had
access to safe water in 2010. The
Joburg protests (iMaverick)
BRIEFS
fgure is up from 88.7% in 2002.
However, only 45% of those who
had access to water had it in
their households. The number
of households with fush toilets
increased from 56% in 2002 to
59% in 2010, while households
with no toilets dropped from
10 to 5%. Access to safe water
and basic sanitation is a basic
human right and one of govern-
ments objectives under its out-
comes-based approach.
pOlICE OFFER REwARd FOR
MpS kIllERS
Police are ofering an R20,000
reward to anyone with informa-
tion that leads to the arrest and
conviction of the four men who
killed Jack Tolo, a Cope MP in
Limpopo. Tolo was shot and
killed during a robbery at his
home. His wife and two chil-
dren, who were tied up during
the incident, were not hurt.
TRAdE UnIOnS: dO nOT SEll
TRAnSnET RAIl ASSETS
Trade union federations Fedusa
and the United Transport and
Allied Workers Union called on
the departments of transport
and public enterprises to work
together to devise a strategy for
transport instead of privatis-
ing rail transport, according
to Sapa. Their appeal comes as
Parliament considered selling
of Transnets rail assets to help
right the troubled state-owned
enterprise.
CApE TOwn TO CElEBRATE
THE ARCHS 80TH
Cape Town has planned several
events to celebrate the 80th
birthday of Archbishop Des-
mond Tutu in October. Among
the celebrations will be a launch
of Alistair Sparks biography,
Tutu: The Authorised Portrait,
and the inaugural Desmond
Tutu International Peace Lec-
ture, which the Dalai Lama is to
attend.
dEFEnCE dEpARTMEnT TO
pUSH FOR YOUTH SERvICE
pROgRAMME
During the launch of the Defence
Review Committee on Tuesday,
defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu
told members of the media that
her department would push hard
to create a voluntary national
youth service programme. She
said the department had tried
to get buy-in for the programme
from youths by inviting youth
leaders to try the programme,
but was indicted from doing so
by Afriforum. With tongue frmly
in cheek, she said the Youth
League riots in Johannesburg
would have never happened had
there been a youth service pro-
gramme in place.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Reuters)
SOUTH AFRICA
WEDNESDAY - 31 AUGUST 2011
Peekaboo: MaleMa as youve never seen hiM before
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema and his fellow accused played hide and seek with the media and their
supporters ahead of Malemas disciplinary hearing in Luthuli House on Tuesday. Seems they were hiding in a
high place all along. PHILLIP DE WET took the very unique picture and CARIEN DU PLESSIS reports.
The violence outside Luthuli House broke
out relatively early in the day. Before tea time
on Tuesday, eNews already had their outside
broadcast equipment badly damaged, rubber
bullets had been shot (allegedly this was
denied despite Daily Maverick eyewitness
accounts), barbed wire barriers defed, and
there was some blood as a cop and a couple of
journalists were injured by mobile half-bricks.
If we hadnt known better, we would have
thought that the tjatjaragness was orchestrated
to precede the start of his disciplinary hearing,
scheduled for 10am. Things calmed down soon
after that time.
Its difcult to tell if Malema and his men
gave a secret signal from the roof they would
have been difcult to spot with the naked eye
but they were photographed there at 10.05am
but the crowd did not appear to notice.
In the picture, Malama (far left) wears the
beret he had on later in the afternoon when
he addressed the crowd, but the yellow T-shirt
was diferent from the black one he changed
into later. And he looks uncharacteristically
vulnerable or maybe its just the angle.
Further along the roof (third from left) is
Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa,
spokesman Floyd Shivambu, and deputy
president Ronald Lamola as youve never seen
them before.
Journalists speculated that Malema arrived
well ahead of his hearing in a black Mercedes
Benz with heavily tinted windows, followed by
two other cars. A bodyguard with a submachine
gun got out of the car as it pulled up into Luthuli
Houses parking garage in President Street,
close to where the protesters were. They then
disappeared into the building.
wednesday- 31 aUGUsT 2011
south africa defence
sisulu stands by decision to appoint yengeni to defence review committee
Sisulu defended her decision to appoint convicted
fraudster Tony Yengeni to her departments
defence review committee. Sisulu said at Tuesdays
media briefng, I chose him to be a member of the
committee because of the role he played in the frst
review. He has the necessary background of how
weve come to be where we are.
She said Yengeni, who was released fve
months into his four-year arms deal-related
fraud conviction, has served his time and is on
the committee because of his knowledge and
understanding of what the committee would
like to achieve. The scope of the committees
work is such that Yengeni does not need security
clearance, according to Sisulu.
The committee will help the department
conduct the long-overdue update to the
documents that inform the work of South African
National Defence Force, namely the white paper
on national defence and the defence review. The
last review was conducted in 1998 and previous
defence ministers have failed to complete another
review, on the cards since 2004.
The department completed a draft review
earlier this year, but Sisulu says it is now
It looks like the defence review, which was last conducted shortly after the dawn of democracy, is nearing completion.
Minister of defence and military veterans Lindiwe Sisulu has created a defence review committee to complete the fnal
step, but has drawn criticism by appointing disgraced convict Tony Yengeni to it. By OSIAME MOLEFE.
necessary to take on board the views of the
public to ensure that the fnal product does
represent the totality of what South African
wants out of the defence force.
The committee, headed up by former
minister of defence and Armscor head Roelf
Meyer, is to play a strategic role in the defence
review process that will efectively redefne
the governments philosophy and policies on
defence. It will deal with the role of the SANDF
in national security and development and
foreign policy.
The Democratic Alliances shadow minister
of defence and military veterans David
Maynier opposed Yengenis appointment to
the committee, calling him politically toxic
because of his criminal past and the ongoing
investigations into his directorships in several
companies. Yengenis conviction prohibits
him from being a company director without
permission from the courts.
Sisulu said the committee, which is supposed
to complete its work by November, would cost
the taxpayer R6.2 million, including operational
costs and travel.
Photo: Lindiwe Sisulu and Roelf Meyer (iMaverick)
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south africa joburg violence
violence inc: luthuli house scenes a
bitter taste of Polokwane fruits
Images of barbed wire, young people singing
defant songs about individual leaders and
burning a picture of the president on the
sidelines of some kind of trial these were the
familiar but no less shocking images that greeted
South Africans who saw what happened outside
Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
It was similar to the defance against former
president Thabo Mbeki, except this time the
The mayhem, dissing of party leaders and picture-burning by, shall we be generous and call them agent
provocateurs posing as ANC Youth League members, were nothing new at least not to those of us who
witnessed the run-up to Polokwane four years ago. By CARIEN DU PLESSIS
Photo: Phillip de Wet for iMaverick.
songs were against President Jacob Zuma fve
years ago Mbeki was at the receiving end of the
crowds wrath.
Five years ago there was also a clear substitute
Zuma of course for the leader to be ousted,
but this week there was none. Deputy President
Kgalema Motlanthe was there in the subtext
(the League wants him for president, but he is
understandably hesitant to declare his position
on this), and so was sports minister Fikile
Mbalula, who the League wants in the ANCs
secretary-general position. But the hero-worship
of the day was reserved for the man under fre,
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema. In that
sense he was a proxy kind of hero.
Zuma and his ANC ofcials have two weeks
ago attempted to regain a frm grip on party
discipline by announcing disciplinary steps
against the young frebrand and fve of his
fellow leaders.
On Tuesday Malema, like Zuma a few years
ago, tried to project himself on the moral high
ground as the messiah who holds in his hand
the partys discipline that the ANCs ofcials
in the Leagues opinion pretended to want to
enforce.
Malema was let out of his disciplinary for
long enough to step onto Beyers Naude Square
near Luthuli House to address the thousand or
so supporters that had gathered there.
The crowds ceased to be violent when he
emerged from underneath the half-opened
garage door of Luthuli House parkings lot with
other Youth League leaders like treasurer Pule
Mabe by his side.
He passed in front of a crowd where
moments before even police in riot gear dared
not go as empty beer bottles, stones and
half-bricks rained down onto that stretch of
President Street, where a police nyala was
parked. When they saw him, the crowd was as
tame as lambs.
And then he raged against the ill-discipline
and asked the crowds to behave themselves.
He started by telling them not to burn
Zumas face or ANC fags, and continued:
We know you are disciplined. Please dont be
provoked by agent provocateurs, but to report
them to the police.
The police is not your enemy. These are the
people employed to protect you, he said.
You must know who is the enemy, he told
them, with the crowd chanting: Zuma, Zuma.
Perhaps mindful of the damage done to the
party, Malema reminded them Luthuli House is
a revolutionary house, and it remains our house.
We cant have a fght with Luthuli House.
Surprisingly he also asked supporters to be
kind to the media and not attack journalists,
because they are only messengers and any
negative publicity would cause the League to
lose public sympathy.
Zuma and his anc offcials have two weeks ago
attempted to regain a frm grip on party discipline
by announcing disciplinary steps against the
young frebrand and fve of his fellow leaders.
This is one of very, very few instances where
Malema had ever admitted to caring about
such.
This new culture of resistance by one ANC
faction against the incumbent leaders started
roughly in 2005, shortly after Zumas former
fnancial adviser Schabir Shaik was convicted
of fraud and corruption involving Zuma. Mbeki
fred Zuma as deputy president and the ANCs
national working committee suspended him as
party deputy president.
Many in the ANC thought the decision
unfair and it was shortly after overturned
by the national general council, the highest
decision-making body of the ANC between
conferences.
Still, even though the mood at this gathering
in midwinter Pretoria was defant, it was still
orderly.
The real shocker came only the next year,
when Zuma was charged with the rape of a
friends daughter. His supporters were initially
hesitant, but by the time the judge delivered
the not guilty verdict in 2006, sangomas were
burning good luck herbs, imphepho, outside
the court. Later when Zuma was charged with
corruption, pictures of Mbeki were burnt by
Zumas supporters.
The party was so divided, it couldnt move to
take steps against any of these people.
By the time Polokwane came, a culture
of open defance and booing of leaders was
established, to such an extent that Zumas
supporters took over the running of the
conference by booing then ANC chairman
Mosiuoa Lekota of stage.
Other leaders were similarly harassed, with
Zumas supporters making a rolling motion
with their hands like one would signal a soccer
substitution a tactic also used against Mbekis
trusted but somewhat unpopular friend, Essop
Pahad.
If journalists called only one thing correct at
the time, it was that the genie of ill-discipline
was out of the bottle and it would be difcult to
contain it again.
No action was ever taken against those
who erred in the run-up to Polokwane, mostly
because the new leadership had beneftted from
the ill-discipline and it would have been two-
faced to punish their supporters.
Malema wasnt near the driving seat of the
ANC Youth League then, but the organisation,
under Mbalulas leadership, spearheaded Zumas
campaign.
Mbalulas hand can also be seen in the
Leagues unruliness of late, and seeing that he
benefts from their campaigns, its likely that he
is behind this campaign too.
Malemas own touch, as a reckless radical
(as one commentator described him), is visible
in this campaign, which has taken on an
anarchic favour as a result.
The ANC last week, for the frst time,
admitted that it had erred by disregarding
discipline before 2007, and that it is now
picking the bitter fruits of that time. It might
regrettably be too late for the party to get
out of this jam without sufering serious and
irreparable damage.
read more:
1. Malema hearing: the Leagues hands off approach fails in
Daily Dispatch
grootes assessment joburg violence
analysis: mantashiavellis master stroke
There is something distinctly odd, and yet
comfortingly South African about the chairman
of the South African Communist Party moving
an event being hosted by a revolutionary
grouping, because its bad for business. But
there it is. Yesterday Mantashe spoke almost
movingly about how the ANCs little problems
In politics, as in rugby, youth and skill are no match for experience and treachery. And boy, has Gwede
Mantashiavelli shown that on Tuesday as he lured Julius Malema to play into his hands. It was the worst
of all possible outcomes for the Young Lion. A smallish crowd, nowhere near the advertised 10,000,
but violent. And as always, in the advent of 24-hour journalism, pictures and sounds, the victim of the
violence wins. This time the victims of the violence were the ANC and the media. And so, they clubbed
together against one Julius Malema. By STEPHEN GROOTES.
Photo: iMaverick.
with a disciplinary hearing were bad for
business for the bank that is here, across the
road from us. Its enough to make us capitalists
weep with joy, to hear this old commie worries
about us so.
But in reality whats happened is that Malema
has played right into Mantashes hands. Solidly
and whole-heartedly. Everyone knows that
Malema and his leadership collective bussed
people in yesterday. Its just stupid to deny that
thats what happened, and everyone knows that
therefore he must take responsibility. There
will be all sorts of coded nonsense about this
for a while, and Mantashe was at it himself,
saying he wasnt going to apportion blame. But
he then slyly followed this up with a moral on
how when the ANC organises an event or a
rally, it organises marshals etc. We know thats
true, weve seen that organisation in action. So
when Mantashe says thats one of the things we
noticed, there was a gathering but no marshals,
its really just pointing a big fat fnger and going
Ha! You lost!
And boy has Malema lost. Now he has to go
to this secret undisclosed location and fght for
his fate there. There are several aspects to this.
Firstly, will the location leak? If so, who will
be blamed? No matter what happens, itll look
like Malema is to blame for the leak. So then is
it possible, in this world where the opposition of
Occams Razor applies, that someone from the
other side, the Mantashe/President Jacob Zuma
axis leaks it, to make it look like Malema is the
guilty party? Then if it doesnt leak (Stephen, this
is the ANC, weve told you before: Science Fiction
in your pieces youre allowed, but we draw the
line at Fantasy Ed) does Malema meekly go to
his hearing and, well, lose? Is this really how it
could all end, the biggest newsmaker of our time
simply bundled out in secret, in place no one
knows, to a panel we know little about? Could
that really be the end of it all?
I suppose, considering the way the ANC is
working at the moment, it is possible. Almost
anything is.
What Mantashe has really done here,
is to remove the focal point of the anger of
Malemas supporters. Without a focal point,
theres nothing they can really do. If there is
no location for a hearing, do they stay outside
Luthuli House? It would look very desperate
if they did. And then when the statement
from the National Disciplinary Committee
inevitably comes, on the ANCs website, or via
email to various media organisations, what
happens then? Do they protest? Where? But
What mantashe has really done here, is to
remove the focal point of the anger of malemas
supporters. Without a focal point, theres nothing
they can really do.
hes no longer an ANC member. And theres
no machinery to organise a protest. Plenty of
money perhaps, but no machinery. At the same
time, there will be plenty of people in the ANC
Youth League who may think that they are now
in with a chance for a quick promotion, and so
theres no way theyre going to tie themselves to
yesterdays man.
The threat of violence has always hung
around Malema. Its been there in his
statements, his actions, his very attitude to his
opponents. When frustrated, which is often,
he heckles opponents. When really frustrated,
he throws them out of press conferences, or
gets the police to do it for him, as he did with
Lehlogonolo Masoga in Limpopo. Now Mantashe
is able to say: Look, hes losing a political battle,
and this is what he does, he brings an army of
young people, with no marshals, and they cause
havoc. Even the media agrees with me.
To be blunt, Mantashe has now drawn out
the lesson that Malema is in fact a man of
violence.
Anyone who was there on Tuesday will tell
you about the leader standing quietly, chewing
gum, arms folded, as his people bayed for him
to speak. It was exactly like those images of
Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian President who
seems overcome with humility by the praise
heaped upon him by his ever-loyal people. Its
all nonsense, posturing for the people who are
so desperate that they will cling to you as their
only hope of life getting better.
Right, thats the heavy politics. Now to the fun
side. Where on earth is this hearing, or hearings
(as those of the other charged leaders will be
held there too) going to be? Could it be a hotel
the ANC has used before? How about Gallagher
Estates? We prefer Esselen Park. Its the
traditional venue for high-profle defenestrations.
I have to say though, my personal favourite
would be a larny game farm. Think of it. The
actual hearing could be ffty miles away from
the entrance, and the intervening space could
be patrolled by a combination of lion, leopard
and crocodile. Which enterprising journalist or
Young Lion would take that one?
Or how about the double bluf, Isaac Asimov
Second Foundation type: Keep it all at Luthuli
House.
All in all, most people are going to look
back on Tuesday as a bad day for South Africa.
Indeed it was. And those images would have
been broadcast around the world. Even one J.
Zuma, in Norway, would have seen them. And
his frst reaction? Probably a smile.
the threat of violence has always hung around
malema. its been there in his statements, his
actions, his very attitude to his opponents.
south africa Da
Da's proposeD youth wage subsiDy -
a mostly sane, constructive affair
On 25 August the Democratic Alliance, through
its youth division, launched its campaign for a
national youth wage subsidy. The home site for
the campaign is a slick afair. Theres a link to
a Facebook petition that visitors can sign and a
Twitter feed enables people to debate with DA
Youth representatives. The faces of Tim Harris
and Lindiwe Mazibuko, two of the DAs rising
stars, gaze back at you in their photogenic air-
brushed glory.
The most efective element of the page is
what I call the Clock of Lost Opportunities. Its a
counter at the top of the page that ticks over every
The DA Youth launched a campaign for a youth wage subsidy last week. PAUL BERKOWITZ investigates
its policy and agrees with the diagnosis of the disease, but not with every aspect of the proposed cure.
Photo: Reuters
three-and-a-half minutes, representing the
number of young South Africans who would
have beneftted from a youth wage subsidy,
had the subsidy been implemented from 1 April
2010. The counter is reminiscent of the US
federal debt clock hanging in Times Square and
starkly represents the cost of not tackling the
youth job crisis in South Africa. Hang around
our page long enough, the message goes, and
youll bear witness to another young person
missing out on the benefts of the subsidy.
south africa Da
The full policy document contains the
steak behind the sizzle (its recommended that
you view it in Google docs, as the .pdf hasnt
been properly formatted). The document
provides the history and background
behind the youth wage subsidy debate in
Parliament, a recap of just how dire the youth
unemployment crisis is in South Africa (if you
didnt already know) and a lot of documentary
evidence damning the obstructionist stance
taken by the ANCs alliance partners in the
face of the subsidy proposal.
When it comes down to the rands and cents
of the DAs proposal, the message becomes
a bit controversial. The DAs own proposal
is compared with the proposals by national
treasury (a subsidy of up to R1,000 a person a
month, targeted at workers aged between 18
and 29, transferred to employers, total cost
to the fscus of R5 billion over three years)
and the group of Harvard economists (once-
of grant to all 18 year olds, total value of the
grant is R5 000, total cost to the fscus of R3.75
billion a year). The DA proposes a variation on
the Harvard proposal, where both companies
and individuals employing young people can
claim up to R300 a month in a rebate from
the government for every young person they
employ. The cost of the DAs proposal is R5
billion a year, presumably because the subsidy
would be extended to more people than under
the Harvard groups proposal.
The DA acknowledges that its proposal
is the most expensive of the three, and that
the fscus is tight, but claims that fat can be
trimmed by scrapping the SETAs and district
municipalities and by tackling wasteful
expenditure in government.
Here are my problems with the DAs
proposals: Firstly, the monthly subsidy of
R300 the DA proposes is lower than that
proposed by the Harvard group (about R417)
and treasurys current proposal (up to R1,000).
There are costs to hiring new staf. Even if
we assume that labour legislation would be
relaxed or suspended in the case of new youth
employees (a very, very big if) the subsidy
for employers still needs to be big enough to
incentivise them. The smaller the subsidy, the
less likely it is to even cover the administrative
costs of processing new workers.
Secondly, the DAs proposal includes
extending the subsidy to individuals who
hire new workers such as domestic workers,
hang around our page long enough, the
message goes, and youll bear witness to
another young person missing out on the
benefts of the subsidy.
gardeners, child minders, care givers and
drivers. One of the central assumptions
behind any youth subsidy is that it will give
valuable on-the-job skills and experience to
young people who can then progress to more
complex, better-paid jobs. This is best done
within formal work environments where
monitoring and mentoring is part of the
experience (or should be). It is not suited to
private households, where there seems to be
very little professional development or job
mobility.
This may be unfair, but this clause looks
more like a subsidy to middle-class households
and social welfare for unskilled labour than
a genuine opportunity to provide skills
transfer. I do not doubt the DA has included
this proposal in good faith, but in this game
of politics, perceptions are very important.
If the party wants the buy-in of the public,
the programme should speak to youth
development and not look like the DAs version
of the expanded public works programme.
Lastly, the costing of the programme
needs to be interrogated. Let me frst
acknowledge that it is difcult for the DA to
propose spending cuts in other government
departments without courting controversy,
as the ANC pretty much controls the
entire executive arm of government. Still,
by suggesting that the money be raised
through the scrapping of SETAs or district
municipalities, the DA opens itself up
to criticism. It confates its (relatively)
uncontroversial subsidy with an attack on
the departments of higher education and
cooperative governance and traditional afairs.
The DA has opposed the SETAs and has
been hammering the ANC for its profigate
ways for some time now. It risks alienating
potential supporters by drawing their focus to
its ideological diferences with the ANC, rather
than emphasising that both parties support
the subsidy.
The ANCs alliance partners will fght a
relaxation of labour legislation tooth and nail.
Given this reality, a youth wage subsidy is the
best available tool to tackle unemployment.
The DA is right to champion this cause and
its diagnosis of the problem is accurate. Its
proposed solution could do with a bit of
tweaking.
reaD more:
1. The wage subsidy policy deadlock and South Africas youth
unemployment crisis, DA policy document
2. Strength to Gordhan as he takes on the unions, Andile
Mazwai, Business Day
south africa Da
[the Da] risks alienating
potential supporters by
drawing their focus to its
ideological differences
with the anc, rather
than emphasising that
both parties support the
subsidy.
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south africa Da Vs sunDay times
months after tatanes aVoiDable Death, a Dossier of
shame grows
As the DA and ANC face of in Ficksburg
over a shameful report showing Setsoto local
council in complete and utter disarray, details
are emerging that the death of Andries Tatane
could likely have been prevented if local
councillors did their jobs or at the very least
bothered to hear peoples grievances.
What happened is that the Meqheleng
Concerned Citizens (MCC) staged a march
To everyone watching SABC news in April earlier this year, Andries Tatanes death looked like a clear-
cut case of excessive police force. Although the law has yet to take its course, it now emerges that
Setsoto local council leaders may have to shoulder their share of blame for events that led up to the fatal
shooting of Tatane. By MANDY DE WAAL.
Photo: Helen Zille (Reuters)
during which they handed a document to
the municipal manager and the then mayor,
Mbothoma Maduna demanding certain things
that were very normal and reasonable, says
Setsoto DA councillor Ben du Toit.
In the document handed over to council
management, people asked for running water
and sewerage. Contracts had been awarded
south africa tatane aftermath
for water-borne sewerage but the system didnt
work properly because there was such shoddy
workmanship. As a result, the people here
havent had a proper sewerage system or water
supply, and it is understandable that they grew
tired of this because they had been speaking to
their councillors for a long, long time.
Du Toit says at a frst march, the
memorandum of demand was given to
Maduna and the city manager who both failed
to do anything about the communication
and neglected to communicate any of these
demands to the council. Basically the
document was just put aside and no action was
taken. (Maduna will be remembered for telling
journalists who pointed out that the townsfolk
had no water, that there was indeed water and
it was contained in the Valpre bottles in his
fridge. The ex-mayor was said to be giggling
when he made this statement.)
When nothing was done, the Meqheleng
Concerned Citizens staged the fateful march
in early April during which time Tatane was
shot and died. After the MCC had handed
over their document, and because nothing
was communicated to council or done about
the demands, the MCC rightly came to the
conclusion that the council hadnt heard or
wasnt prepared to listen to their grievances,
says du Toit.
The opposition councillor says that at a
meeting held after Tatane was shot, another DA
councillor, Dr Clive Marwick, stood up and said
that the ANC-led council had intentionally kept
the DA in the dark about the issues raised by
protestors. Maduna tried to exonerate himself
but it was common cause that the ANC knew
about the MCCs problems and that they (had)
failed to disclose the demands. The council
didnt have the opportunity to negotiate with
the MCC because we werent informed about
the document.
Du Toit says the tragedy is that despite
knowing how desperate the MCC was, the
communitys grievances werent heard and this
is what gave rise to the march that led to Tatane
being killed. It is shameful, but what is more
shocking is that what we are experiencing here
is being experienced by municipalities across
the country.
contracts had been awarded for water-borne sewerage but the
system didnt work properly because there was such shoddy
workmanship. as a result, the people here havent had a proper
sewerage system or water supply, and it is understandable that
they grew tired of this because they had been speaking to their
councillors for a long, long time.
It is painful. It is so very painful, says
Tseliso Mpekoa of the MCC when talking about
the march that led to the death of Tatane and
how it could have been averted. He says that
there is also great pain amongst people in the
township because the municipality still doesnt
care about their grievances and have failed to
be open or honest or transparent about issues.
This is exactly what leads to violence.
People feel that they arent being heard and that
nobody cares about their grievances so they get
angry. The frst march we had was peaceful, it
was on TV but nobody cared because it wasnt
violent and nobody got hurt. It was only after
Andries died that somebody did something.
Mpekoa says Tatanes death could easily have
been prevented if the council had only been
consultative, or at the very least, shown that
they were listening to people the municipality is
supposed to be working for. If the municipality
addressed the peoples demands, there
wouldnt have been another march. They need
to respect the community when we present
memorandums of demand.
Mpekoa says that theres a strange fault
line in Setsoto that divides the township into
an old section and a new section. The old
part contains infrastructure that is at least
functional. The new part is a complete and utter
disaster that Mpekoa says will take years to
rectify. Water Afairs has brought water tanks
but the municipality leaves it at that. They
should provide trucks. There are still areas
where the water doesnt reach. The municipality
isnt doing anything. Whether it is a lack of
knowledge or willingness, I dont know.
But we will be speaking about these
problems for the next four years because the
municipality has messed up the infrastructure
because the way that it is will take years to
resolve. It was done so badly, Mpekoa says. The
MCC spokesperson tells stories of water taps
that will be dry forever because they were failed
to be connected to any infrastructure. There
are taps that will never have water for as long as
they exist. It appears nobody bothered to check
that the very basics were being done correctly
when this infrastructure was being installed.
If you get a municipal contract, you just get
your money and leave. Theres no accountability
and people do as they please. When we go to
meetings to discuss this with people, it is so
painful. People here know that no one cares for
them and that is what is painful, says Mpekoa.
south africa tatane aftermath
... tatanes death could easily have been prevented if
the council had only been consultative, or at the very
least, shown that they were listening to people the
municipality is supposed to be working for.
Three weeks ago Free State MEC for co-
operative governance Mamiki Qabathe released
a report on the functioning of the municipality,
which can only be described as reprehensible.
Commissioned after Tatanes death the report
chronicles a litany of venality and malfeasance.
In a story called Tatane: Dossier of
shame journalist Beauregard Tromp
states that the confdential report by the
Free State government shows a local
government ruined by rampant corruption,
maladministration, fraud, looting, nepotism
and wasteful expenditure.
A shortened, sanitised version of this report
has been given to the DA, but the opposition
party says it wont rest until it has the full
report, which names those involved in corrupt
activities, is made available. That specifc
report makes no mention of certain individual
councillors or ofcials who transgressed
certain acts, and did what they shouldnt
have done. During a council meeting we were
given a shortened version that excluded all the
names and recommendations, says du Toit.
After demanding to see the original report, the
DA was given a lengthier version, but it still
didnt mention names.
A spokesperson for the provincial
government said that the full report would
not be released because disciplinary charges
against municipal ofcials were pending. The
ANC refuses to discuss this matter in council
meetings, and during the last council meeting
when we kept raising the issue, the speaker
wouldnt permit this, and we were forced to
stage a walk out.
Du Toit says that the DA will take legal
action to ensure they get access to the report.
When there is wrong, this municipality wants
to sweep it under the carpet and hope that it
will go away. We will not go along with this.
We will go to court if we have to. We will do
whatever is necessary to get that report.
And as the DA and ANC face of at the
Setsoto municipality, those dry water taps
stand as a mocking reminder of a local
government that has failed its people in the
cruellest way.
Read moRe:
1. Tatane: dossier of shame in The Star
2. Free State municipality in 'total disarray' on News24
3. DA not backing down on Ficksburg report in The Star
SoUTH aFRICa TaTane aFTeRmaTH
Photo: Free State Premier Ace Magashule.
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AFricA
AFRICA BRIEFS
IntERnAtIonAl AId AgEnCIES
BEgIn to EntER tRIpolI
With fghting dying down in
Libya, international aid agencies
have begun to send humanitar-
ian relief, including food, water
and medical supplies to Tripoli.
Reuters reported that the UNs
World Food Programme and the
World Health Organisation have
sent trucks to the Libyan capital
from neighbouring Tunisia by
road as the airport is still closed.
Aid is also coming in through
Tripolis seaport.
tEnSIonS RISE BEtwEEn
SudAnESE StAtES
Sudan has laid a complaint with
the UN Security Council accus-
ing newly independent South
Sudan of causing the unrest
in the formers southern-most
state, Reuters reported. It said its
southern neighbour was arm-
ing and training Nuba rebels
and sending them into oil-rich
Southern Kordofan to battle
government troops. Sudans
stance on the unrest in South-
ern Kordofan has been compro-
mised as its president and the
states governor have both been
charged with war crimes by the
International Criminal Court.
Human rights groups have also
recently criticised the Sudan
government for attacks on civil-
ians in the region.
nIgERIA to StEp up AntI-
tERRoRISm mEASuRES
Following last Fridays suicide
car bomb that killed 23 people
in the Nigerian capital, Presi-
dent Goodluck Jonathan said in
a statement on Tuesday that he
has instructed his governments
security services to step up their
eforts to combat terrorism. This
includes deploying more secu-
rity and cooperating with inter-
national bodies involved in the
global fght against terrorism.
Nigeria's President Jonathan (Reuters)
BRIEFS
Islamist sect Boko Haram has
claimed responsibility for Fri-
days bombing.
SomAlIA IRonS out
dIFFEREnCES wIth puntlAnd
President of Somalias transi-
tional federal government Shar-
if Sheik Ahmed told reporters
on Tuesday that his government
had resolved its diferences with
semi-autonomous Puntland
state, according to Africa Re-
view. He made his comments
during a visit to Puntland
on Sunday where he also an-
nounced that the two regions
would hold two meetings to
agree on how best to cooperate
to beneft Somalias population.
KEnyAS AntI-CoRRuptIon
BoSS AxEd By pARlIAmEnt
Reuters reported that Kenyas
government has given Patrick
Lumumba, head of the Kenyan
Anti-Corruption Commission,
a week to leave ofce following
its decision to reconstitute the
body. Lumumba has held the
position for a year and has made
enemies by publicly exposing
bribery and corruption in gov-
ernment. Most recently, he was
sued by a deputy minister who
accused him of defaming her
husband. Lumumba had shown
the press a text message, sup-
posedly from the deputy minis-
ters husband, ofering Lumum-
ba a bribe to drop a corruption
investigation.
StAndARd BAnK nAmEd
In StAtEmEnt on IllEgAl
dIAmond SAlES
The Commercial Bank of Zim-
babwe 2.4% of which is owned
by Standard Bank South Africa
is among three banks named
and shamed by the Partner-
Somalia's Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (Reuters)
AFRICA
BRIEFS AFRICA
ship Africa Canadas report on
diamond sales from Marange
mine. The diamond sales appar-
ently occurred before the new
Kimberly process approved the
mine. The report urged banks
and others with holdings in the
three Zimbabwe-based banks to
exert pressure as shareholders to
end the practice. Standard Bank
has denied holding shares in the
Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe
or the other two banks men-
tioned, BankABC and Premier
Banking Cooperation.
ugAndAn ACtIvIStS uRgE
pARlIAmEnt to mARRIAgE
And dIvoRCE BIll
Ugandan activists are pushing
for a bill that has been pending
for 45 years to be enacted in to
law. The Marriage and Divorce
Bill, which seeks to provide
women with equal standing and
protection in marriage and rela-
tionships, has stalled over some
of its more controversial clauses.
Activists say that the ofending
clauses have been harmonised
and have urged the countrys
Parliament to table the bill be-
fore the end of the year.
StRAy dog on KIlImAnjARo
puzzlES AnImAl SCIEntIStS
A stray dog found near Kiliman-
jaros summit has bafed animal
scientists who are unsure how
it got there or how it has sur-
vived the windy and cold condi-
tions. Tourists hiking on Africas
highest peak spotted the dog,
snapped a picture and sent it of
to a Tanzanian newspaper.
StAFF At ghAnAIAn CARdIAC
hoSpItAl RAlly ARound
FIREd ChIEF
Staf Ghanas Cardiothoracic
Centre have gone on strike in
protest against the health min-
isters sacking of the institu-
tions head, Professor Kwabena
Frimpong-Boateng. They say
the sacking is retaliation for
Frimpong-Boatengs political
leanings. President John Mills,
who was in South Africa last
month, has arranged to meet
with staf to discuss their peti-
tion to have Frimpong-Boateng
reinstated.
Kilimanjaro (Reuters)
africa zimbabwe
Gi Jane, the zimbabwe sequel
The Zimbabwean army is an unlikely bastion of
female empowerment. But top brass have been
consistently pushing for more women to join its
commando unit, to emphasise the importance
that the Zimbabwe National Army places
on gender equality, said Colonel Zvanyadza
Machinjili at a passing out ceremony last year.
She added: Nothing can stop us as women to
join the army. Women played a very pivotal role
in the liberation struggle when conditions and
the environment were very tough.
Steven Gwekwere, Colonel General Staf at
army headquarters, recently reafrmed the
armys commitment to getting women involved:
The army wishes to see women also making it
where their male counterparts are. This training
is the toughest that a soldier can undergo
because it is the ultimate test of physical and
mental endurance designed to separate men
from boys. Or women from girls, he forgot to
add; the nuances of gender equality might take a
Zimbabwes women are being urged to join the countrys commando unit as the army tries to polish
its gender equality credentials. But given the governments sympathy for Gaddaf, lets hope theyre
not being moulded in the shape of Brother Leaders Amazonian Guard. By SIMON ALLISON.
while to catch on.
Only 20 of the 180 soldiers who completed the
notoriously tough commando training last year
were women.
Outside Zimbabwe, the most ringing
endorsement of female military prowess comes
from an equally unexpected source. Muammar
Gaddaf was famously accompanied everywhere
by a unit of female bodyguards known as the
Amazonian Guard. Even though Gaddaf insisted
they wear nail polish and swear an oath of
chastity, they were more than mere decoration;
one lost her life preventing an assassination
attempt by throwing herself between Gaddaf and
the incoming bullet. But recent reports suggest
members of the elite force werent chosen only
for their soldiering abilities. Since Gaddafs fall,
fve have come forward to say they were regularly
raped and abused by Gaddaf and his sons.
read more:
1. Zim women urged to join commando training in City Press
africa sudan
Khartoum exacts savage vengeance on the people peace forgot
Negotiations around the 2005 comprehensive
peace agreement, which ended Sudans north-
south civil war and established the conditions
necessary for the creation of South Sudan, were
strained. Negotiators massaged delicate egos,
fddled constantly with the wording and avoided
certain sticky issues completely in an attempt to
get the thing signed. It duly was.
And sure enough, these sticky issues border
demarcations, oil, citizenship, oil, currency, oil
havent just gone away. And the people bearing
the brunt of Khartoums frustration around these
problems arent the South Sudanese, enjoying
their new-found independence and basking
in international acclaim, but the Nuba people
whose oil-rich province, South Kordofan, was too
valuable for either side to let go of without a fght.
Despite the signifcant contribution of the
Nuba to the war against the north, South
Kordofans fate under the agreement was left
tragically ambiguous; its future to be determined
by an undefned popular consultation at some
unspecifed time in the future. This popular
consultations not happening. Instead, Khartoum
is punishing the Nuba people for their disloyalty
in the way theyve refned over the years in
Darfur - daily aerial bombing of towns and
The peace agreement which ostensibly resolved Sudans civil war worked out very well for South Sudan,
which is now its own country. It didnt work out so well for the people of the Nuba Mountains, left out of the
deal and now all alone in facing Khartoums brutal retribution. By SIMON ALLISON.
villages (bombs are rolled of ancient Russian
Antonov cargo planes), indiscriminate shelling
of crowded civilian areas, summary executions
and the obstruction of international observers.
The relentless bombing campaign is
killing and maiming civilian men, women and
children, displacing tens of thousands, putting
them in desperate need of aid and preventing
entire communities from planting crops and
feeding their children, said Human Rights
Watch's Africa director Daniel Bekele in a
report released this week.
This isnt the frst time the Nuba have been
targeted. A historically independent people, they
were the frst to experience Sudanese president
Omar Al-Bashirs strange interpretation of nation
building, with government attacks wiping out
nearly half of their population in the early 1990s.
These were led by Sudanese army commander
Ahmed Khamis; and its no coincidence that hes
now back in charge of the South Kordofan region.

read more:
1. Report: Indiscriminate bombing in Sudan on Al Jazeera
2. We must act to stop South Kordofan becoming the next
Darfur in The Guardian
africa nigerian violence
nigerias swift descent into violence
Its becoming a wearily familiar story. On
Monday evening, the troubled city of Jos
hosted running battles between Muslim and
Christian youths in which 21 people were
killed, more than 100 injured and 50 vehicles
destroyed. Reports suggest the Muslims were
on their way to celebrate the end of Ramadan
when they were attacked by Christians
Another day, another bout of sectarian violence in Nigeria. Its becoming a very dangerous place to be,
and President Goodluck Jonathans government doesnt seem to have any solutions. Hed better come up
with some quickly. By SIMON ALLISON.
Photo: Reuters
looking for revenge for a string of bombs which
exploded in Jos on Christmas Eve.
This is the latest in a string of bad-news
stories emerging from Nigeria. In the last week
alone, theres been the violence in Jos, the
suicide bombing of the United Nations building
which killed 21 and an attack on a police
station in a northern city which killed 16. And
it hasnt been an atypical week. President
Goodluck Jonathans government seems to
have no answer to the violence, and Nigerians
in the afected areas are living in fear.
Most fngers point unequivocally in the
direction of Boko Haram, the Islamist militant
group looking to impose Sharia law across
Nigeria. It has been around for a while, in
various incarnations, but its been markedly
more active in recent months. Whats
changed?
There are a few theories doing the rounds.
First, the rather sinister proposition that the
violence is a political tool, a cynical attempt
by aggrieved politicians to prove that Jonathan
cant keep ethnic, religious and regional
tensions under control. And Jonathans
aggrieved plenty of politicians in his unlikely
ascent to the top. His presidency, which only
came about after previous president Umaru
Yar Adua died in ofce, is a violation of the
ruling partys unwritten rule to alternate
the presidency between northerners and
southerners, and the northern faction of the
PDP isnt thrilled that Jonathans taken its
turn. Theres also the main opposition party,
the Congress for Progressive Change, whose
support comes almost exclusively from the
north. Its not happy because it thinks the last
elections were rigged, that it was cheated out
of power.
Then theres the War on Terror theory, as
espoused by the US military, which suggests
that Boko Harams been taking lessons
from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and
Somalias Al-Shabaab, and the upsurge in
violence is the prelude to al-Qaeda-caused
chaos across the African continent. Links
between the three groups havent been
proved, but the bomb at the UN building
in Abuja did have more in common with al-
Qaedas modus operandi than Boko Harams
traditional operations.
The other theory probably the most
likely is that Nigeria is volatile at the best
of times, and now is not the best of times.
Socio-economic factors such as poverty and
unemployment make it easy for extremist
groups to prosper, especially when theyre
fghting against the system and promising
a better life for followers. Jonathans
government, with its legitimacy issues and
perceived biases, is also a unifying enemy.
Boko Harams support, therefore, comes
from a sense of marginalisation felt by many
Nigerians, which hasnt been helped by an
over-the-top military response.
nigeria is volatile at the best
of times, and now is not the
best of times. socio-economic
factors such as poverty and
unemployment make it easy for
extremist groups to prosper,
especially when theyre
fghting against the system
and promising a better life for
followers.
David Zounmenou, senior researcher at the
Institute for Security Studies, told iMaverick
the Nigerian governments response to the
crisis was crucial. Military crackdowns arent
the answer theyve been tried in the past,
with little success. Nearly 800 Boko Haram
fghters were killed by security forces in
2008; this failed miserably to deal with the
Boko Haram threat, as evidenced by this
latest round of violence. And the amnesty
agreement, which went a long way in calming
the militancy of the Niger Delta region,
will be very difcult to implement because
of the shadowy nature of the organisation,
which even the Nigerian government knows
little about. Zounmenou suggests help must
come from elsewhere. The government
thinks it has the capacity to deal with the
problem alone, without external partners.
But it must seek external help. International
expertise in particular is needed to bolster the
Nigerian security forces, which have plenty of
experience in dealing with militancy, but not a
great record of success.
Whatever the Nigerian government does,
it had better do it quickly. Nigeria has never
been a unifed country. The most difcult job
for any of the countrys national politicians is
to manage the seething cauldron of regional,
religious and ethnic identities which has the
potential to burst into fame at any point.
Nigerias problems corruption, crime,
nepotism, violence have their roots in the
countrys failure to forge an overarching
national identity, and politicians propensity
for exploiting these divisions for their own
short-term gain. The longer this current
spike in violence continues, the deeper these
divisions will become and the more chance
there is of other disafected groups getting
involved which would be a disaster for
Africas most populous country and its long-
sufering citizens.
read more:
1. Deadly Christian-Muslim clashes in central Nigeria:
witnesses on AFP
2. 20 feared dead, 50 vehicles burnt in fresh Jos violence in
Nigerias Vanguard
and the amnesty agreement, which went a long way
in calming the militancy of the niger delta region,
will be very diffcult to implement because of the
shadowy nature of the organisation, which even the
nigerian government knows little about.
WorlD
WORLD BRIEFS
USA
America is gearing up for
Obama's speech about jobs next
week, which will have to be a
doozy to lift general cynicism
about his ability to tackle unem-
ployment. Meanwhile, every Re-
publican and his dog are scram-
bling for a microphone to make
their own jobs speeches. Former
Utah governor Jon Huntsman
gives his on Wednesday; Mitt
Romney follows on 6 September
and the day afterwards, all the
GOP candidates square up for a
presidential debate at which the
focus is likely to be on jobs. A
Republican strategist told ABC
News that Obama was out of
mulligans. Can an American
please translate?
USA
The death toll from Hurricane
Irene is now close to 50 as the
big clean-up begins. UK airlines
have laid on extra fights to bring
home stranded Brits. Trans-
portation is now largely back to
normal, with New York subways
running again. Vermont is still
dealing with major fooding. The
frst estimates of the hurricane's
damage put it at between $7 and
10 billion. That's a lot, but a drop
in the ocean compared to Ka-
trina's $100 billion bill.
GERMANY
It seems Germany caught a wake-
up from the Japanese earthquake
and tsunami. The German gov-
ernment has decided to per-
manently shut down half of its
nuclear reactors. The oldest eight
have been out of service since
June, and now it's been decided to
close the remaining nine by 2022
in favour of reliance of renewable
energy. The scheme has been crit-
icised by scientists who say that
it's an "emotional" decision (those
notoriously emotional Germans)
that can only lead to power short-
ages over the upcoming winter.
LIBYA
Human rights investigators have
claimed that Gaddaf's forces
used civilians as human shields
to deter Nato attacks. Physi-
cians for Human Rights carried
out interviews from 5-12 June in
Misrata and among other shock-
ing fndings, heard eyewitness
testimonies of how pro-Gaddaf
soldiers forced small children to
sit on military tanks so that Nato
wouldn't attack them. Another
horrifc fnding: troops raped
women and girls, some of whom
later had their throats slit by their
fathers as an "honour killing".
US President Obama (Reuters)
BRIEFS
USA
The International Space Station
may be temporarily evacuated in
November. This is as a result of
last week's crash of a craft bring-
ing them supplies. The station
has never orbited the earth with-
out a crew before, but its pro-
gram manager expressed conf-
dence that it would be fne, with
docking ports confgured for an
automated arrival. Even without
crew, some experiments would
also be able to continue. Do we
even need to bother sending any-
one else up there?
LIBYA
Libyan rebels have given Gad-
daf's forces until Saturday to
peacefully surrender or face a
military onslaught. They're of-
fering them until then as a mark
of respect because it's the three-
day Eid period. The rebels are
demanding that Algeria return
Gaddaf and his family immedi-
ately, but Algeria defended their
decision to take them in by say-
ing it was motivated by "humani-
tarian concerns", which is un-
likely to stir anyone's heartstrings
very much.
USA
Wikileaks is in a lot of trouble
with diplomats and human
rights activists yes, even more
than previously due to their
decision to release the latest
batch of cables without redact-
ing many of the names of peo-
ple who spoke confdentially to
diplomats. The sources named
include activists, journalists
and academics, and there are
fears now that they will face
recriminations. Could this be
a publicity-seeking manoeuvre
from an organisation which has
faded from the limelight? They
say they did it to "maximize
impact", which sounds like the
same thing to us.
The International Space Station (Reuters)
WORLD
BRIEFS HEADLINE
SYRIA
Syrian forces continue their ap-
parent mission to claim the title
of global enemy #1 from Gaddaf's
troops. Yesterday they killed at
least seven people who were leav-
ing mosques after prayers to mark
the end of Ramadan. That makes
24 people killed within 24 hours.
Russia's President Medvedev
yesterday became the latest leader
calling for an end to the violence
a bit of a change of tack, since
earlier this month the country re-
jected calls from other European
countries and the US for Syrian
president Assad to step down.
ITALY
What a surprise: the Italian gov-
ernment has dropped plans to
introduce a tax on high earners.
They were mooting a "solidar-
ity tax" along the lines of the
one that France's richest citizens
suggested paying, but Berlusconi
has decided to chuck that out
(perhaps after chats with some
of his wealthy friends). The gov-
ernment compensated by saying
they would step up measures to
fght tax evasion, which is just as
good, isn't it?
USA
A US presidential panel has
condemned a study which in-
fected hundreds of Guatemalans
with syphilis and gonorrhoea in
order to test the efects of peni-
cillin. Without informing the
Guatemalans in question. The
condemnation comes a mere
70 years after the fact: the study
happened in the 1940s and 5,500
Guatemalans were afected. The
research was buried and only
came to light again last year. In
fairness to Obama, as soon as he
found out about it he set up the
present commission of inquiry.
USA
The US Justice Department has
announced that they are still
investigating 1988's Lockerbie
bombing. Last week they de-
manded the return of Libyan
bomber Megrahi, but CNN
subsequently found him close
to death and it's very unlikely
they'll get their way. But they
have now said that no matter
what happens with Megrahi, the
Dept of Justice will continue to
hunt down the other culprits,
who remain at large.
USA
Twelve days to go till the tenth
anniversary of 9/11. It will be
a busy day for Barack Obama.
The White House announced
on Tuesday that Obama would
mark it by visiting all three sites
where the planes struck on that
day New York, the Pentagon,
and Pennsylvania. He will fnish
up by addressing an interfaith
prayer service at Washington
National Cathedral that eve-
ning. He'll be aiming to mix
calls for national unity with re-
minders that the terrorist threat
still exists.
SYRIA
A video has emerged of Robert
Ford, the US ambassador to Syr-
ia, being assaulted by a support-
er of Syria's President Assad.
The US State Department has
yet to verify the authenticity of
the video, but the clip has al-
ready been broadcast on Syrian
TV, presumably as a morale-
booster. It appears to show a
protestor trying to bundle Ford
up into a poster of Assad before
the diplomat's security ofcers
intervene.
Syrian President Assad (Reuters)
WORLD
world bird-flu
The reTurn of The bird-flu
Remember H5N1? You probably know it as bird
fu. It's been away for a while, hasn't it? But turns
out it's been biding its time, mutating, waiting
to unleash itself on Asia with new virulence.
Actually, scientists are unsure whether H5N1-
2.3.2.1 (that's its catchy revamped title) is more
virulent than the old strain. But what they are
certain of is that they don't currently have a
vaccine for the new incarnation.
Bird fu 2.0 has resurfaced mainly in
Cambodia and Vietnam in recent months and
the current death toll is eight. That doesn't
sound like an epidemic, but it does appear to
be spreading, and once you get it, you're lucky
to escape. The virus kills 60% of the people it
infects.
The global migration of birds is bringing H5N1
to countries that haven't previously experienced
the fu, like Israel, Bulgaria and Nepal. And
Start panic-buying masks and baked beans again: the bird fus back, and it's deadlier than ever.
Sort of. By REBECCA DAVIS.
before anyone asks, no, it is not possible to
prevent birds from entering a country, because
they tend to be able to avoid border controls in
a way other immigrants can only envy.
Unlike the disaster of mad cow disease,
which practically destroyed the British beef
industry, there's no reason for poultry farmers
to worry. You can't contract the virus through
eating either poultry or eggs. Most of the
people who have fallen ill so far have had close
daily contact with diseased birds. So if a wild
bird looks a little sickly, refuse its overtures
of friendship. Theres no sign the virus has
infltrated South Africa yet, so theres no need
to get into your underground bunkers. At least,
not on account of bird fu.
read more:
1. Bird fu deaths in Asia prompt calls for scrutiny, on Reuters
world islamophobia
The people whose job iT is To spread islamophobia
This is one of those reports that make you
start believing in the existence of groups like
the Illuminati, because it clearly illustrates
how much infuence can be wielded by a small
number of people who receive enough funding.
Researchers Eli Clifton and Wajahat Ali from
the Center for American Progress released their
140-page study on Friday. They trace the source
of rising Islamophobia in the USA to "a small,
tightly networked group of misinformation
experts guiding an efort that reaches million of
Americans through efective advocates, media
partners, and grassroots organising".
Clifton and Ali defne Islamophobia as
exaggerated fear, hatred and hostility toward
Islam and Muslims, which they found
increasingly prevalent in the USA today. They
did not, however, fnd evidence of a vast right-
wing conspiracy to spread anti-Islamic feeling.
The rise of Islamophobia in the United States is attributable to the work of a handful of well-resourced groups and
people, a new report has found. It claims that over $42 million has been allocated by seven foundations to fve
people responsible for generating anti-Islamic sentiment. By REBECCA DAVIS.
Rather, they have identifed seven foundations
that have spent $42.6 million on an anti-Islamic
crusade, with the money largely fnancing the
work of fve "experts" responsible for generating
and disseminating false facts and proposed
anti-Muslim legislation. These include Frank
Gafney at the Centre for Security Policy,
David Yerushalmi at the Society of Americans
for National Existence and Robert Spencer of
Jihad Watch. They in turn recruit the services
of right-wing bloggers like Pamela Geller, who
has suggested Muslims should be banned from
military service, and Brigitte Gabriel, who argues
that to be Muslim and a loyal American is a
contradiction in terms.
You can read the full report here, but prepare to be
chilled by its fndings.
read more:
1. New report maps the roots of Islamophobia, on Salon
world china
Big Brother can also Be watched and on
YoutuBe, nogal
This would appear to represent a signifcant
failure of conference management as well as
the Chinese version of Internet security by a
military establishment that usually follows its
own version of the infamous Mafa pledge of
omerta.
It is yet clear when or where Chinese Major
General Jin Yinan made his comments on the
There are certainly more than a few Chinese high panjandrums with some egg foo yong
on their collective faces this week. A video clip of a leading Chinese general discussing
sensitive spy cases found its way on to YouTube. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.
video clip and the Chinese defence ministry did
not respond to questions reporters had faxed
to it about Jins statements. Not surprisingly,
General Jins direct employers at the National
Defence University didnt pick up the phone and
say Ni-homa to anybody either.
Although some of the cases in Jins lecture
had been known earlier, others had been
world china
totally secret until they hit YouTube. Included
in Jins lecture was the story of Chinas former
ambassador to South Korea, Li Bin, who had
been sentenced to seven years for corruption.
Jin said that while Li had actually been passing
secrets to South Korea compromising China's
position in North Korean nuclear disarmament
talks, that charge was so embarrassing the
authorities ended up charging him with graft
and corruption instead. Jin is seen saying on the
YouTube clip, In all the world, what nation's
ambassador serves as another country's spy?
Similarly, the former head of China's
nuclear power programme, Kang Rixin,
ended up with a life sentence last November
on corruption charges. In fact, he had been
guilty of selling secrets about China's civilian
nuclear programme to a foreign nation Jin
chose not to identify in his speech. Even more
embarrassingly, Kang had been a member of
the Communist Party's central committee and
he was part of its disciplinary arm as well.
According to Jin, that meant Kang was one of
the highest-ranking ofcials ever to be involved
in spying, something that sent a deep shudder
through the party leadership. The party centre
was extremely nervous. They ordered top-to-
bottom inspections and spared no individual,
Jin says.
Jin also talked about Tong Daning, a social
security fund senior manager who was executed
fve years ago for spying for Taiwan because
he had passed them information about China's
currency. This gave them a chance to head of
foreign exchange losses and maybe make a bit
as well.
Jin also says on the clip that Colonel Xu
Junping, a military ofcer who defected to the
US a decade ago, did not give up any technical
secrets. Xu, however, had given the Americans
some real insider knowledge about the Peoples
Liberation Army leaderships' personalities,
attitudes and habits. Intelligence analysts will
explain that information like that is sometimes
as valuable, if not more so, than specifcs of
military troop positions or weaponry. The latter
is, increasingly, obtainable through technical
means like communications and cyber-
intercepts, as well as via satellite imaging.
Besides YouTube, Jins video was also posted
on Chinese websites. Although it was quickly
removed from most of those, reporters later
Jin is seen saying on the Youtube clip, in all the
world, what nation's ambassador serves as another
country's spy? similarly, the former head of china's
nuclear power programme, Kang rixin, ended up with
a life sentence last november on corruption charges.
found screen shots, audio fles and transcripts
of Jin's remarks on sites like Sina Weibo's
popular micro-blogging service.
Jin's presentation was complete with
explanatory slides and analysts say it is
typical of how cases like this are discussed at
private sessions. They serve as a warning to
Communist Party cadres not to be lured into
espionage or corruption by those perfdious
folks from competing intelligence services.
This video seems to be a copy of the ofcial
recording rather than something that was
surreptitiously flmed by an audience member
with his upscale cellphone.
While revealing information on spies isnt
specifcally illegal in China, censors clearly
would have been less than pleased with Jins
statement that at least some Chinese ofcials
have no confdence in the future. This
connects with the governments concerns
about the number of Chinese ofcials leaving
the country or silently dropping out of
membership in the Communist Party. AFP
noted two years ago that more than 4,000
Chinese ofcials had left the country, taking
around $50 billion with them.
Some months earlier, I had been asked on
a South African television news-commentary
show about whether developments like
WikiLeaks disclosure of thousands of US
diplomatic secrets represented the death of
secrecy. I said we could only really answer
that question when we could read about
North Korean nuclear secrets on the Internet.
Well, maybe were not quite there yet, but
an opportunity to see a Chinese general
discussing sensitive espionage cases with his
colleagues at an ofcial meeting from the
comfort of your home computer seems to
be something of a big step in that direction,
doesnt it?
For more, read:
1. Chinese general's spy talk leaked onto YouTube on AP
2. Chinese Generals Spy Video Leaked to YouTube on the
Techzwn website
world china
while revealing information on spies isnt
specifcally illegal in china, censors clearly
would have been less than pleased with Jins
statement that at least some chinese offcials
have no confdence in the future.
business
business bRieFs
south AFRicA
The All Share Index closed rela-
tively fat at 30,365, up 0.24%.
Phumelela Gaming recovered
6.6% of recent losses with re-
tailer Woolworths gaining 3%
in trading. Distribution and
Warehousing lost 5% for the
day with Nedbank shedding
2.8%.
Bonds extended gains as yields
dropped to four-year lows after
data showed economic growth
slowed more than analysts
expectations. The 13.5% notes,
due in 2015, saw their yield fall
to 6.5%, fuelling speculation
of a rate-cut when the Reserve
Bank next meets.
GDP grew by an annualised
1.3% in the second quarter, its
slowest pace in the last two
years. Manufacturing and min-
ing output were the main cul-
prits, said Statistics SA.
Credit growth in SA, grew by
5.7% in July as low interest rates
prompted companies to take on
more debt.
uK
The FTSE made up for closed
trading yesterday by surging
2.7% to catch up to global mar-
kets that soared on Monday.
Lonmin PLC led the gainers
with an 8.5% increase, followed
by Royal Bank of Scotland that
continued its yo-yo imperson-
ation, gaining 8%, after shed-
ding 5% on Friday. Anglo Amer-
ican, part owner of Lonmin,
rose 6.3%.
In not-so-surprising data, in-
vestor confdence plunged 13
basis points in August to 89.6
from 102.5 in July. The increased
volatility in markets in July
destroyed much of the inves-
tor optimism had that had the
index sitting just above the 100
point neutral mark.
The FSA is looking to show its
teeth by issuing its frst health
alert on risky fnancial prod-
ucts being peddled on the
market. High on the hit-list are
companies that sold payment
protection insurance to con-
sumers and never allowed the
public to make claims.
us
Lehman Brothers Holdings will
ask the bankruptcy court to
rule on its proposed $65 billion
creditor payout plan, en route
to the biggest bankruptcy case
in US history. The company has
Amazon's Jeff Bezos (Reuters)
business bRieFs
been under Chapter 11 protec-
tion since September 2008.
A new daily deals site catering to
gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-
gender communities has just
launched in the USA. Its called,
wait for it. Gaypon. And no, it
wont be ofering 50% of items
that will make you blush, but
rather discounted deals from
businesses that are known to be
gay-friendly, with a portion of
profts going to LBGT organisa-
tions and charities.
House prices decreased in June,
at a rate slower than May, giv-
ing the market some evidence
of price stability. The 12 months
ended June, showed a drop
of 4.5% versus 4.6% for the 12
months ended May.
BMW is bringing back four-
cylinder engines to the US, 12
years after discontinuing the
slow moving option. Higher
fuel-efciency requirements
under the Obama administration
have moved BMW to use these
engines in the Z4 roadster and 5
series sedans from October.
Amazon is looking to sell 5 mil-
lion tablets in the fourth quarter,
making it the largest competi-
tor to Apples iPad. A report by
Forrester research believes that
Amazon, given the right product
pricing and enough supply, could
easily move 3 million units to its
existing retail base. Amazon is
producing its own tablet expect-
ed to be a Kindle-iPad hybrid.
euRope
Eurozone governments will con-
clude a deal in mid-September
regarding the collateral require-
ments for Greeces second bailout
package. Finland has been push-
ing for Greek assets to be placed
with a Luxembourg holding
company as part of the terms of a
the second bailout package.
The International Accounting
Standards Board said European
fnancial institutions should have
written of bigger losses on posi-
tions held in Greek government
bonds. The IASB said banks and
insurers were inconsistent in the
methods used to write down the
value of these investments.
Greek banks, Alpha and Euro-
bank both dropped 6% in trad-
ing as proft takers cashed in on
the 30% rise in these shares in
Monday trading. Alpha and Eu-
robank announced a merger that
would see them strengthen their
combined balance sheet and
look to raise further capital.
BMW Z4 (RPM TV)
Wednesday 31 aUGUsT 2011
business renewable energy
renewable energy: a disquieting move from
transparent to opaque
On 23 August 2011, EE Publishers hosted an
open panel discussion in Midrand, entitled
Renewable Energy in South Africa going
backwards or forwards?
Key players in the renewable energy
sector of South Africa from government, its
A recent public panel debate on renewable energy in South Africa confrmed serious misgivings that
multi-billion-rand processes during the next 19 years have degenerated from transparent participation to
opaque and sinisterly secret. By CHRIS YELLAND.
Photo: Reuters
legal advisors, Nersa, banking and industry
representatives covered the background on
where the country fnds itself now, as well as
the road ahead in the implementation of the
ambitious targets in the national integrated
resource plan for electricity between now and
2030. This would involve the installation of
some 9,200MW of wind generation capacity,
8,400MW of solar photo-voltaic capacity and
1,200MW of concentrating solar plant capacity
by 2030.
Thembani Bukula, from the National
Energy Regulator of South Africa, detailed the
open and transparent two-year stakeholder
and public participation process facilitated
by Nersa in the lead-up to the promulgation
of the renewable energy feed-in tarif (Reft)
framework in 2009/10.
Webber Wentzels Brigette Baillie, legal
advisor to the departments of energy and the
treasury, detailed the subsequent abandonment
of the Reft framework in May 2011 in favour
of an alternative competitive project tender
bidding process, on the basis that the former
Reft process was illegal and anti-competitive.
Webber Wentzel prepared the new project
bidding tender process and documents in
December 2010, now called the Rebid process.
Ompi Aphane, deputy DG in the department
of energy, discussed the new project tender
bidding process and its rationale. He
acknowledged we messed up and gave details
of the current request for proposals by his
department in early August 2011.
Paul Eardley-Taylor, head of Standard
Banks energy, utility and infrastructure sector,
indicated that, despite initial fears of a loss of
interest both locally and internationally, as a
result of the sudden change in the procurement
framework, Standard Banks analysis was that
the Rebid process and the associated legal,
fnancial and contractual framework were solid
and realistic, and would prove acceptable to
investors, fnanciers and developers.
Johan van den Berg, chief executive ofcer
of the South African Wind Energy Association,
said investment in renewable energy generation
to 2030 would be about R350 billion, or R18
billion a year. He contrasted this to total foreign
direct investment in South Africa of a scant R11
billion in 2010, 70% down on 2009.
Van den Berg generally agreed the Rebid
documents were sound, but cautioned
there had been a signifcant loss of trust
in the procurement process following
the abandonment of the transparent and
participative Reft framework in favour of
a process prepared behind closed doors,
Johan van den berg,
chief executive offcer of
the south african wind
energy association,
said investment in
renewable energy
generation to 2030 would
be about r350 billion,
or r18 billion a year. He
contrasted this to total
foreign direct investment
in south africa of a scant
r11 billion in 2010, 70%
down on 2009.
without consultation and transparency,
and fundamentally lacking in any form of
stakeholder and public participation.
As an example, he pointed to the stringent
confdentiality requirements in the RFP / tender
enquiry documents, which bind bidders to
maintain the documents as strictly confdential
under threat of severe penalty. The intention
is clearly to prevent wider access to documents
by stakeholders, the media and the public,
and to restrict access to a tight circle within
government, and to bidders with signifcant
vested commercial interests.
While such confdentiality requirements
create (perhaps quite unnecessary) suspicion,
it is hard to imagine how they serve the
broad public interest in a government tender
amounting to billions of rands. Not surprisingly,
eforts directed at government and Webber
Wentzel to answers these questions have so far
proved fruitless.
Stakeholders and the general public surely
have a justifable interest in knowing there will
be a rational and non-political process. Any
lack of transparency and secrecy serves to fuel
concerns that a whole gamut of parasitic and
non-value-adding parties were lining up again
for an even bigger feeding frenzy than that
of the R30 billion arms deal, the Chancellor
House involvement in the Medupi and
Kusile boiler contracts, and other major
public sector procurements.
Presentations can be downloaded at:
Ompi Aphane, Department of Energy
(160 kB PDF fle)
Thembani Bukula, NERSA (220 kB
PDF file)
Paul Eardley-Taylor, Standard Bank
(870 kB PDF fle)
Johan van den Berg, SAWEA
(400 kB PDF fle)
read more:
1. Renewables bid represents 'substantive progress'
but raises compliance burden by Terence Creamer,
Engineering News
2. SA needs R18bn a year for energy conversion by Michael
Bratt, BusinessLive
3. Renewable energy - moving forward but a cause for
concern by Lise Pretorius, Financial Mail
Chris Yelland is publisher of EE Publishers.
while such confdentiality requirements create
(perhaps quite unnecessary) suspicion, it is hard to
imagine how they serve the broad public interest in a
government tender amounting to billions of rands.
business skype
Happy birtHday, skype
Skype turns eight this week. Thats not a
particularly landmark anniversary, but the
internet calling company is so much a part of our
professional and business lives these days that
its hard to imagine how we ever did without it.
In terms of market penetration, Skype is
an incredible success story. Almost 1/10th
of the planet uses Skype: as of the end of
last year it had 663 million users, and it's
estimated that Skype accounts for 25% of the
world's international calling minutes. It was
the brainchild of Scandinavians funny how
often Scandinavians are involved with the
development of free peer-to-peer information-
exchanging technology. Denmark's Janus Friis
and Sweden's Niklas Zennstrm launched Skype
in 2003, initially dubbing it "Sky peer-to-peer",
which was then shortened to "Skyper". But
"Skyper" was taken as a domain name, so they
A mere eight years ago, we were all racking up vast landline bills calling friends in London,
or shoving overpriced phone-cards into tickey-boxes. Then Skype came along and changed
everything. By REBECCA DAVIS.
dropped the fnal r, and the rest is history.
Zennstrm and Friis sold Skype to eBay
in 2005, but in May of this year, Microsoft
announced it would be purchasing the company
as their largest acquisition ever, for a reported
$8,5 billion. This is a lot of wonga for a business
that has always struggled with one basic
problem: it doesnt make enough money. Skype
took in a healthy revenue of $860 million last
year, but still managed to come away with a loss
of $7 million. Skype's number of paying users
has increased over the past few years, but it
also faces growing competition from the likes of
Google Talk and Google+s Hangout app. We
wish them luck in growing the bottom line
but please dont take away our free calls.
read More:
1. Skype is 8 years old today, on The Next Web
business amy allais
amy allais on the illusive viral effect
The problem with television commercials is
they are adverts. But every now and again,
theres a gem that remembers that advertising
should be about entertainment. Adverts like
these which also capture the South African
Zeitgeist can go viral, which is a brand
owners dream.
How often do advertising agencies hear
clients walk in, throw a lean budget down on
the table and say: Heres a meagre budget. Now
go out and shoot something thats inexpensive
so we can download it onto YouTube and make
it go viral?
How do you make ads which become a viral sensation, like Vodacoms Single Lady? Ola Films director
Amy Allais has had more than a couple of hits, and says its all about respecting that people need to be
entertained, not bored to death with mindless branded pack shots. By MANDY DE WAAL.
A commercial flm director who understands that boredom is a brand killer,
Amy Allais believes entertainment is what helps drive the viral effect.
Photo credit: Greg Beadle
Thats when creative agency folk feel
nauseous to the point of expelling body fuids
over their clients. The dumb agencies take the
money and create something which is a cock-
up, and despite their desperate eforts, doesnt
become any more viral than a fle thats emailed
around the client service crew. Or which the
creative director pays his kids and their mates
to click on YouTube.
The smarter agencies explain to their clients
business amy allais
that, no, the viral efect is not something that
is easily replicated. And that, yes, to create
something in the hope of it being viral in an age
when people are saturated to the eyeballs with
content, agencies need to do the impossible:
create a commercial which is culturally cool or
genius, relevant, hilarious, or which smartly
communicates what it means to live in this
crazy country called South Africa. The best
viral adverts have a lot of those elements in one.
What viral ads do have in common is that
theyre entertaining. They shock you, make you
gasp, delight you or make you laugh out loud.
The one thing viral ads never do is bore you
with obvious branding, unless its a mocking
homage commercial stupidity.
Huge corporates have so many rules
and check lists when it comes to making
a commercial, particularly when it is for
multinational brands, says Amy Allais, a flm
director at Ola Films. You have to include a
product demo, an appreciation moment. This
logic is the exact opposite of what people who
love to create commercials enjoy making. Those
other ads may work on some level but flm
directors despise making these kinds of ads.
Allais says research based on focus groups
do show that those template-style brand
commercials work but says shes incredibly
sceptical of the surveys that prove this. The
whole process of researching how advertising
is afective is extremely dubious, and often flm
directors get scuppered in this process which is
all about a group of people who feel they need
to express an opinion.
People can watch so much and have so
much choice. They often feel very resentful
about the onslaught and pervasiveness of ads.
I dont have a TV and hardly listen to radio
because I listen to podcasts and rent DVDs,
watch videos online or look at what my friends
bring me, Allais says.
In a world where virtual networks present
massive entertainment opportunities, Allais
is all about creating TV ads that are a lot
more than just palatable. Theyre the kind
of commercials that people love sending
to one another, which invade our national
consciousness and subsequently garner massive
word of mouth.
These are ads like Vodacoms Daddy Cool
in which a Boney M gyrating hipster kicks the
ass out of ber boring social events; and Marcus
the cool, rapping kid whos YouTube includes
the likes of HHP, Tumi, Freshly Ground, Gang
of Instrumentals, Corn & Twakkie and many
more. Then theres the ad with the guy in the
cut of denim jean pants who dances with a
whack of everyday South Africans to Beyoncs
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
I had no idea that the Single Ladies ad
would be such a viral hit, but once we were
going it was clear that it was a great idea. The
ad tapped into the Beyonc song which was
already a viral phenomenon because people
everywhere were making their YouTube dance
videos for that song. Vodacom bought the rights
for the actual song which is pretty rare. So often
you dont get the rights for the original song
and have to do with some lame, watered-down
version, says Allais.
The idea was that this guy goes around
doing this dance with everyone. My treatment
of the idea was to shoot everything on one lens
from a locked-of angle, which was terrifying.
This means there was no cutaways or other
techniques to cover you. Allais approach was
risky because she was on location, had only
one camera angle to use, and had to work
with everyday people, as opposed to actors.
She only had fve days to deliver a compelling
commercial that worked.
During the shoot, Allais and her crew shot
farmers dancing in felds, soccer supporters
dancing next to trains, yuppies dancing outside
of high rises, mimes moving in the inner city,
and big mamas shaking their booty on the
beachfront. It was hectic because when you
shoot on location, you can adjust camera angles
to make the environment look good, but with
this ad we couldnt do that.
The result was an ad that everyone talked
about, that people mailed to each other,
that many South Africans could related to
and which is a sheer joy to watch. If you are
thinking about your brand, you want people to
connect to a fabulous experience, whether it is
visually astonishing, emotional or connecting.
Its about creating a piece of entertainment.
Thank goodness for advertising people like
Allais who dont fll our screens with crud and
who respect that TV viewers have the choice of
switching of or watching something else.
read more:
1. Stunt driving ad campaign goes viral in the Independent on
Sunday
2. 5 Marketing Lessons From Old Spice in Inc Magazine:
3. 9 Viral Videos That Are Actually Advertising in Mashable
4. Watch Amy Allais Single Ladies ad for Vodacom
business amy allais
if you are thinking about your brand, you want people
to connect to a fabulous experience, whether it is
visually astonishing, emotional or connecting. its
about creating a piece of entertainment.
liFe, eTc
Life, eTC BRiefS
SwiTzeRLand
Always at the forefront of cut-
ting-edge legislation. Hot on the
heels of banning minarets, al-
lowing animals legal representa-
tion and inexplicably permitting
Sepp Blatter to continue living,
Switzerland may now ban Pow-
erPoint. But only if a new po-
litical party runs in the October
elections, because that's their
major platform. They want to
see PowerPoint replaced by the
software's ancient predecessor,
the fipchart. Actually, this is one
of the few pieces of recent Swiss
policy we support.
USa
Poor old Dick Cheney. Ex-pol-
iticians' memoirs are normally
guaranteed big sellers, but if
audiences listen to critics, his
memoir, In My Time, is unlikely
to be fying of the shelves. The
book launched ofcially on Tues-
day, but the early reviews have
been nothing short of scathing.
The New York Times said it was
"so lacking in detail that it feels
like a blurred photograph". The
Washington Post said it was
"long on self-justifcation, short
on self-examination". And those
are only the critics...
The good news, politico-memoir
lovers, is Michele Bachmann has
a book deal. It's scheduled for
release in November. Bachmann
sent out a press release saying
"people are the most important
ingredient in life" (so true!), and
that "this book will help to share
my enthusiasm for an energized,
pro-growth economy". That
sounds like a snore, Michele.
Talk to us about climate change
and gays instead.
You have no doubt read by now
that singer Beyonce is expecting
a Bey-by, as The Sun couldn't
resist putting it. When she made
Michele Bachmann (Reuters)
BRiefS
the announcement at the VMAs,
Twitter went mad. So mad,
in fact, that a new record was
achieved for number of tweets a
second: 8,638 in this case. Believe
it or not, the record had previ-
ously been set by the volume of
tweets accompanying Japan's win
over the US in the women's soc-
cer World Cup in July.
Janet Jackson has said she will
not attend a tribute concert for
Michael Jackson. The event,
which for no apparent reason
will happen in Wales (Wales!) on
8 October, has split the remain-
ing Jacksons. Mother Katherine
and sister LaToya are keen, but
Janet and brothers Randy and
Jermaine say the timing of the
concert is inappropriate because
it overlaps with the criminal trial
of Michael's doctor, Conrad Mur-
ray, accused of causing his death
via a lethal dose of anaesthetic.
waLeS
Some terrible news for anyone
who thinks Echinacea can cure
your cold: it can't. A new study
by Cardif University found that
the herbal cold remedy is no
more efective than a sugar pill,
and tastes worse.
SoUTh afRiCa
Heres a serious PSA: If youre
in Cape Town, get down to the
Western Province Blood Trans-
fusion service and do the right
thing. Their blood supplies have
dwindled to a critically low level
(unrelated to anything hap-
pening at Luthuli House). They
blame the shortage on fewer
donors over Ramadan and the
cold weather. They are down to
two days supply.
noRTheRn iReLand
Rappers are such divas. In ad-
dition to the usual booze and
clothing rider, on his latest tour
to Northern Ireland Eminem
demanded a koi pond. You read
correctly, a pool flled with koi.
Presumably to help him achieve
the transcendental state of Zen
required for him to really lose
himself in his raps about burn-
ing down houses and shooting
women in the head.
GeRmany
A German city has introduced
parking meters for prostitutes.
Sex workers in Bonn must now
feed about R80 worth of coins
into an electronic meter upon
arriving on their beat. For that
they receive a ticket which they
must produce on demand from
tax inspectors. Sounds like
Bonn isn't the best place to be
a sex worker unless you're top
of your game, because there's
only one street where you're al-
lowed to ply your trade.
UK
The kind of story guaranteed
to send English tabloids into a
frothing 'has-the-world-gone-
bonkers' frenzy: a Manches-
ter council is ftting rubbish
removal lorries with iPads to
check which households aren't
recycling. Binmen, aka trash
collectors, will be trained to
use them to record the infor-
mation. The council says it will
lead to greater efciency. The
Tories recommended they con-
sider "old-fashioned pen and
paper".
Life, eTC
Michael Jackson (Reuters)
life, etc hurricanes
Who chooses the names of hurricanes?
We have an English weatherman to thank for
the practice of naming hurricanes. Clement
Wragge (1852-1922, nickname Inclement
Wragge) was the fnest meteorologist of his time.
Wragge started of by naming cyclones after
the letters of the Greek alphabet, but followed
on with names of characters from Polynesian
mythology, before deciding to call them after
politicians. It's unclear whether his choices were
infuenced by his own political leanings.
But after Wragges death, the practice fell
out of use for 60 years, until US authorities
decided during WWII that attaching names
to storms would better help capture the public
imagination and serve to better facilitate the
spread of weather warnings. Initially they
received the names of random nouns Dog,
Love, etc but three years later, the choice
was made to follow the naval protocol of
naming ships after women, and they began
Why Hurricane Irene and not Hurricane Britney or Hurricane Nomalanga? The choice of names
for hurricanes is not merely a matter of meteorologists whimsy. By REBECCA DAVIS.
applying female names to hurricanes. Because
meteorologists got tired of coming up with
names, they standardised the choices into six
annual lists, which they now work through
alphabetically on a rotating basis.
With the spread of feminist activism in the
70s, the World Meteorological Organisation was
persuaded that it was a bit sexist to only use
female names, so from 1979, hurricanes have
been named alternately after boys and girls. The
names were always overwhelmingly WASPy, so
a few French and Spanish names have also been
added, though no African ones as yet.
If a hurricane is particularly destructive, the
name gets retired. Thats why the world will
never again see a Hurricane Katrina. Thatll
teach you, Katrina.
read more:
1. Hurricane Irene: what's in a name? in The Guardian
sPorT
SPORT BRIEFS
KOREa
Athletics: South Africa will have
two representatives in the fnal
of the mens 400m hurdles. SA
record holder, LJ van Zyl and
Cornel Fredericks will participate
in Thursdays fnal event. Van Zyl
almost lost his place by easing
up at the line to fnish just ahead
of charging Russian Aleksandr
Derevyagin, in the semi-fnal
heat.
auSTRalIa
Rugby: Tests will return to the
Sydney Football Stadium for the
frst time since 1998 after a new
deal was signed on Tuesday. The
Australian Rugby Union penned
a ten-year agreement to play
Tests at the ground from 2012
onwards, with Australia against
Wales pencilled in as the frst
game.
"There were some wonderful
rugby moments at the SFS be-
tween 1989 and 1998 and we look
forward to many more over the
next decade," ARU chief John
O'Neill said.
Cricket: Freed from the burden
of the captaincy, Ricky Ponting
is looking forward to his role as a
specialist batsman in the Austra-
lian side. Gearing up for his frst
Test as a mere member of the
rank and fle in a long time ahead
of the series opener against Sri
Lanka, which gets underway in
Galle on Wednesday, the right-
hander admitted that taking a
back seat to new skipper Michael
Clarke and his responsibilities
was a welcome change from the
pressures of being at the helm.
uK
Rugby: Ireland will arrive at the
World Cup occupying their low-
est ever position in the World
Rankings after slipping another
place to eighth position. The
news comes on the back of a
20-9 loss to England at the Aviva
Stadium on Saturday. It was Ire-
land's fourth in their RWC 2011
warm-up matches, defeats by
Scotland, France (twice) and
England in August resulting in
Declan Kidney's men not only
Tiger Woods (Reuters)
BRIEFS
surrendering their mantle as the
leading northern hemisphere
nation in the rankings, but slid-
ing four places in total.
Football: Samir Nasri has slated
former club Arsenal's ofcials,
saying inner politics, and not
Arsene Wenger, is to blame for
their demise. The France inter-
national delivered a damning re-
view of the Gunners after watch-
ing them sufer a humiliating
8-2 defeat to English champions
Manchester United on Sunday.
Last week Nasri made the move
to Manchester City and has
since made his debut for his new
club in the 5-1 hammering of
Tottenham at the weekend.
NEw ZEalaNd
The All Blacks are expected
to be without Kieran Read for
most of the pool matches at the
Rugby World Cup. The number
eight limped out of the Tri-Na-
tions defeat to Australia at the
weekend, and scans have re-
vealed he has torn a ligament in
his left ankle. The All Blacks will
also be missing loose forward
Adam Thomson for their World
Cup opener against Tonga on 9
September, after he sufered an
elbow injury against the Walla-
bies.
uS
Golf: Dustin Johnson, the
newly-crowned champ at The
Barclays, is up to a career-high
fourth in the world. The Ameri-
can triumphed in the FedEx
Cup opener in New Jersey on
Saturday after the event was cut
down to 54 holes in anticipation
of Hurricane Irene approach-
ing, taking the lead in the FedEx
Cup standings in the process.
Tennis: Wimbledon champion
Petra Kvitova was the biggest ca-
sualty in the women's singles on
the opening day at the US Open
on Monday. Fifth seed Kvitova,
who has won only two matches
since winning at the All Eng-
land Club in July, was beaten 7-6
(7/3) 6-3 by Romania's Alexan-
dra Dulgheru. The Czech made
52 unforced errors and world
number 49 Dulgheru took full
advantage. The Romanian broke
to lead 5-3 in the second set and
then served out victory to love.
Golf: Tiger Woods has con-
frmed that his next event this
year will be the Frys.com Open
in California on 6-9 October.
The American failed to qualify
for the season-ending FedEx
Cup play-ofs after missing the
cut at the USPGA Champion-
ship. At the request of Presi-
dents Cup captain Fred Couples,
who well ahead of time had
already named Woods as a
team member "to end specula-
tion and prevent controversy",
Woods has entered the Frys
tournament.
Petra Kvitova (Reuters)
SPORT
sport arsenal
Where to noW for the lost boys?
From before the whistle even blew at Old
Traford there was cause for concern as
the north Londoners' team-sheet displayed
several largely unknown entities due to player
departures, injuries and suspensions.
Arsenal have endured one of their shakiest
starts to any season both on and of the pitch,
A hat-trick from Wayne Rooney, a brace from Ashley Young and half of Manchester United's
squad getting on the score-sheet as they hammered Arsenal 8-2. Had I not actually
watched the Gunners' hapless performance against the Red Devils on Sunday, I would not
have believed it. By RYAN GORDON.
Photo: Arsenal's new team captain, Roby van Persie (Reuters)
with talismanic captain Cesc Fabregas having
left for home club Barcelona, while midfeld
playmaker Samir Nasri and full-back Gael
Clichy both joined Manchester City. Defensive
duo Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen also
sport arsenal
recently found themselves on the casualty
list alongside Jack Wilshere, while Emmanuel
Frimpong and Gervinho's absences due to red
cards hardly helped matters.
Those missing men resulted in a make-
shift starting XI on Sunday, with Carl Jenkison
and Armand Traore flling in at right and
left-back respectively while Francis Coquelin
was another unknown in the middle of the
park. The substitutes' bench, meanwhile, read
like a who's who of Premier League nobodies
as Ignasi Miquel, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Gilles
Sunu, Henri Lansbury and Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain made up the numbers.
Youth, inexperience and an all-round
uneasiness at the club were painfully evident
on the pitch right from the start as Sir Alex
Ferguson's men ran circles around the London
outft, who now fnd themselves with just
one point from their opening three league
matches. Add to that a goal diference of
minus-eight, and I can feel the tears welling in
my eyes.
Perhaps the international break has arrived
at the perfect time, with Wenger having until
10 September to prepare for their next clash
- a home match against Swansea - but with
the transfer window set to shut at midnight
on Wednesday I fear the manager may have
missed his chance to bring in any real game-
changers.
Now while I can heartily laugh of calls
for the French tactician to be axed from the
club (because honestly, who could possibly
replace him?), I have to wonder where he
goes from here. The man with the tightest
purse strings in the Premier League has again
puttered around in the transfer market, with
some Korean striker by the name of Park Chu-
yong becoming the latest player to join the
ranks. Not a defender. Not a midfelder. But a
striker. Is that really the area Arsenal need to
improve? My thinking is not.
However, compared to Wenger I am
merely a mortal in the land of English
football, and my understanding of the game is
incomparable to that of the highly decorated
manager. And while it does not take a genius
to pick out the gaping chinks in the Gunners'
armour, it will take some serious brain power
to solve the conundrum that is currently the
Arsenal.
youth, inexperience and an all-round uneasiness at the
club were painfully evident on the pitch right from the
start as sir alex ferguson's men ran circles around the
london outft, who now fnd themselves with just one
point from their opening three league matches.
sport cricket
preview: AustrAliA vs sri-lAnkA test cricket
In the one-day series we had the two top-
ranked sides in the world taking each other on,
yet the Test series is undoubtedly the one which
carries more interest, even if it's number four
against number fve. Neither side looks ready
to challenge for the top honours in Test cricket,
but Australia is beginning the healing process
It's No. 4 against No. 5, pace against spin, and both sides are under new leadership, but
still felding their former captains. TRISTAN HOLME feels Sri Lanka should be favourites.
Photo: Reuters
from the Ashes and Sri Lanka continue their
battle against maladministration.
There's also the fact that Australia have
not toured Sri Lanka since 2004, and the only
survivor from that tour in the current squad
is Ricky Ponting. Of course, they've only
sport cricket
ever lost one Test to Sri Lanka, but with an
inexperienced side it will take some efort for
Australia to win the series in fairly unfamiliar
conditions.
With both of sides under new leadership,
but still felding their former captains, there
are enough subplots to keep even the neutral
interested.
That said, it's not as if the hosts are in
fantastic form in Test cricket having won only
one of their last 12 matches. They haven't
tasted victory since their champion of-spinner
Muttiah Muralitharan was carried shoulder-
high of the same feld on which Wednesday's
Test will be played. Even if a high percentage
of those Tests have been drawn due to bad
weather, there's no doubt the bowlers have
been struggling to fll the gap created by
Muralitharan's retirement - and it is here where
the series will be decided.
It's probably fair to say that the hosts are
slight favourites due to their strong middle
order and experienced spin departments, but
it remains to be seen whether they can take
the 20 wickets to force results on slow pitches,
with rain likely to intervene at some stage of
every Test. The top seven more or less pick
themselves, but which four bowlers will be
trusted by the selectors?
With Angelo Mathews not ft enough to be
more than a third seamer, it seems likely that
Chanaka Welegedera and Suranga Lakmal will
take the new ball, leaving Rangana Herath,
Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv to fll the
remaining two places. Although Mendis hasn't
been favoured in Tests recently, he may yet be
able to ride on his domination of the Australian
batsmen in the Twenty20s, even if they seemed
to have worked him out a bit in the one-dayers.
Meanwhile, Australia have noted the dry
pitch, but sound as if they will stick to their
traditional strength of fast bowling, rather than
play two fairly ordinary spinners just for the
sake of it. Neither Michael Beer nor Nathan
Lyon is likely to strike fear into Sri Lankan
hearts, and so with Trent Copeland showing
signs of promise, Michael Clarke has hinted
that a three-pronged seam attack is likely, with
the debutant supporting Mitchell Johnson and
Ryan Harris.
What we're likely to have is a clash of cricket
cultures: the pace of Australia against the spin
of Sri Lanka on a dry surface which will take
turn, but could also reverse swing.
with both of sides under new leadership,
but still felding their former captains,
there are enough subplots to keep
even the neutral interested.
Key Men
Sri Lanka: The batting looks strong, but can
the bowlers take the 20 wickets required to win
a Test match? The pressure will be on Rangana
Herath and his fellow spinners to come up with
the goods.
Australia: Arguably Australia's best player of
spin, runs for Michael Clarke would do a huge
amount of good for the new skipper as he looks
to lead from the front. After a dreadful Ashes
series he needs them on a personal level, but he
also needs to be the glue in Australia's middle
order with a rookie due to come in at number six
in the form of Usman Khawaja.
Last Five Head-To-Head Results
November 2007, Second Test: Australia won by
96 runs in Hobart
November 2007, First Test: Australia won by an
innings and 40 runs in Brisbane
July 2004, Second Test: Match drawn in Cairns
July 2004, First Test: Australia won by 149 runs
in Darwin
March 2004, Third Test: Australia won by 121
runs in Colombo
Prediction
The weather forecast looks bad, but experience
has told us it can often look worse than it is.
With a very dry pitch on ofer Sri Lanka will
have every chance of forcing a result, so we're
backing them to do so.
Online betting frm has the draw as favourite
in the betting for the frst Test.
Probable Teams
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt),
Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara,
Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera,
Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Angelo Mathews,
Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Ajantha
Mendis, Chanaka Welegedara.
Australia: Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes,
Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael
Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Brad Haddin (wk),
Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland,
Nathan Lyon.
Dates: 31 August - 4 September
Morning session: 10:00 - 12:00
(04:30 - 06:30 GMT)
Afternoon session: 12:40- 14:40
(07:10- 09:10 GMT)
Evening session: 15:00 - 17:00
(09:30 - 11:30 GMT)
On-feld umpires: Richard Kettleborough and
Aleem Dar
Third umpire: Tony Hill
Match referee: Chris Broa
sport cricket
it's probably fair to say that the
hosts are slight favourites due
to their strong middle order and
experienced spin departments,
but it remains to be seen
whether they can take the
20 wickets to force results
on slow pitches
Support the team that saves lives.
O
G
I
L
V
Y

C
A
P
E
T
O
W
N

4
2
5
1
1
42511 NSRI Percy Print_285x210.indd 1 2011/05/09 12:32 PM

Imaverick 31 August 2011

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