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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 000352 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC KDEM SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 6-FEBRUARY 12 
 
PRETORIA 00000352  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  This was written in partnership with the Open Source 
Center's Pretoria Bureau.  The newsletter is open to contributions 
from officers in the Embassy or in the Consulates who wish to 
highlight political trends.  Contact Madeline Seidenstricker or 
Jonathan Smallridge for more information, or to make contributions. 
The newsletter also is available on the Political Section's blog, "A 
View from South Africa," found on intelink.gov. 
 
------------- 
Domestic News 
------------- 
PAC to call for the removal of President Zuma 
¶2. (SBU) The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) is calling for the 
removal of President Jacob Zuma.  Spokesperson Mfanelo Skwatsha told 
reporters that President Zuma has moved South Africa from being a 
miracle country to an international joke.  "His bad behavior has 
caused a great deal of embarrassment to the country and in the eyes 
of the international community," said Skwatsha.  The PAC has 
directed all its public representatives and the public to pass a 
vote of no confidence in Zuma.  The party said it would support the 
motion of no confidence, which the Congress of the people (COPE) 
said it would introduce in Parliament during the State of the Nation 
Address debate this week. (Sowetan, February, 15, 2010) 
New land tenure policy 
¶3.  (SBU) The government will introduce a new draft policy on land 
tenure this year aimed at speeding up its program to give land to 
landless black people.  Rural Development and Land Affairs Minister 
Gugile Nkwinti said his department was working on a policy framework 
that would set out how the government should go about reversing 
inequalities in land ownership between black people and people. 
According to Nkwinti, the department of Rural Development and Land 
Affairs will table a green paper and will open the debate about 
reviewing the whole land tenure system in South Africa.  Nkwinti 
told reporters that there must be a debate on the 87% to 13% split 
in land ownership in South Africa.  The expropriation Bill was 
submitted to Parliament in 2008 as part of efforts to speed up the 
land-reform program, but it was put on hold after opposition 
parties, farmers' bodies and other civic groups protested, arguing 
it was unconstitutional. Nkwinti said the proposed Expropriation Act 
was being reworked by the Department of Public Works in conjunction 
with his ministry and would be tabled in Parliament later this year. 
(Mail and Guardian, 14 February, 2010) 
COPE and DA MP's Walk Out of Parliament 
¶4.  (SBU) Congress of the People (Cope) and the Democratic Alliance 
(DA) staged a walkout in Parliament, after deputy speaker Nomaindia 
Mfeketo ruled Cope's Mluleki George out of order.  Deputy Speaker 
Nomaindia Mfeketo excused Cope MP Mluleki George out of the chamber 
because he refused to withdraw a statement he made during the State 
of the Nation debate that "with Zuma at the helm, South Africans are 
leaderless."  Mfeketo refused to entertain Cope and the DA's 
insistent calls for a debate on the statement.  The DA and Cope then 
staged a walkout after George was ejected from the house. 
(Eyewitness, February, 16, 2010) 
Nationalization is Not Government Policy says Zuma 
¶5. (SBU) Jacob Zuma repeated firmly on Tuesday that nationalization 
is not government policy.  Replying to the debate on his State of 
the Nation address in the National Assembly, Zuma said, "We have 
noted that political formations, including the ruling party's youth 
league, have decided to debate the matter.  This is a democratic 
Qleague, have decided to debate the matter.  This is a democratic 
society, and as government, we cannot stop political formations from 
debating issues." Departing from his prepared text, the president 
urged those who object to nationalization to argue their case with 
the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), instead of 
asking the party leadership to silence Julius Malema. He also told 
MPs that creating decent work remains at the centre of the 
government's economic policies, and he pointed out that the 
short-term public works measures embarked on to assist people to 
survive the recession do not replace the jobs that must be created 
by the formal economy. (Mail and Guardian, February, 16, 2010) 
COSATU Says Zuma Fails to Brief Allies on 'Vision' 
 
¶6. (SBU) On February 15, the Sowetan reported that labor federation 
COSATU [Congress of South African Trade Unions] claimed President 
Jacob Zuma is treating workers the same way former president Thabo 
Mbeki treated them, charging that Zuma kept his allies in the dark 
about the content of his State of the Nation Address on Thursday. 
Cosatu bosses said although Zuma did not brief them about his vision 
for 2010, they assumed he would steer his government and the economy 
towards a developmental path that would create more jobs.  Cosatu 
spokesperson Patrick Craven told Sowetan the union was in the dark 
about Zuma's vision for 2010 and did not know what Finance Minister 
Pravin Gordhan's Budget speech had in store.  Cosatu president 
S'dumo Dlamini said Zuma's address exposed the lack of communication 
between the government and the tripartite alliance. "The speech 
exposes that there is a lack of communication and all of us must 
work harder." 
[Description of Source: Johannesburg Sowetan Online in English -- 
privately-owned weekday regional newspaper targeting a mainstream 
black audience and supportive of government policies; Internet: 
 
PRETORIA 00000352  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
http://www.sowetan.co.za] 
 
Police Minister Warns Reservists Threatening To Disrupt 2010 World 
Cup 
 
¶7. (SBU) On 14 February Sunday Times Online reported that Minister 
of Police Nathi Mthethwa warned police reservists threatening to 
disrupt the World Cup in June if they do not get jobs that he will 
not tolerate "such rubbish".  Writing on the party's website, ANC 
Today, Mthethwa says the South African Police Service would not 
compromise its minimum recruitment standards to accommodate militant 
reservists demanding full-time positions.  "We cannot and will not 
compromise on the integrity of the police force for the sake of 
appeasing those reservists who have failed to meet the basic 
criteria and want to hold the process hostage," he wrote. 
[Description of 
Source: Johannesburg Sunday Times Online in English -- Website of 
privately owned Sunday newspaper; URL: http://www.thetimes.co.za/] 
 
------------------ 
International News 
------------------ 
 
European Union Extends Sanctions Against Zimbabwe 
 
¶7. (SBU) State media reported that the European Union decided to 
extend sanctions against Zimbabwe for another year.  The sanctions 
were imposed in 2002 in reaction to allegations of electoral rigging 
and human rights abuses by President Robert Mugabe.  They include a 
ban on the sale of weapons that can be used for internal repression. 
The sanctions also prevent Mugabe and his allies from traveling to 
EU states and impose an asset freeze on people and firms supporting 
the Zimbabwean Government. 
[Description of Source: Johannesburg SABC 2 Television in English -- 
multi-lingual national public service television channel, nominally 
independent but partially funded by government] 
Zanu-PF to Stall Talks until EU Sanctions Are Lifted 
¶8.  (SBU) Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF party says it will not make further 
concessions to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) until 
sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) are lifted.  The EU 
decided to extend by a year its sanctions on President Robert Mugabe 
and his inner circle.  The EU restrictions are at the centre of a 
deadlock in the talks.  The sanctions bar Mugabe and his aides are 
from travelling to EU member states and assets held in the zone are 
frozen.  The measures also include an arms embargo.  It is reported 
that the EU is not satisfied with the implementation of the truce 
agreement that forms the basis of the country's unity government. 
The MDC says the EU decision points to the need to cleanse the 
coalition of its demons, by fully implementing the truce agreement. 
As for the talks, the party says they were headed for a dead-end, 
even before the extension. (SABCNEWS, February, 16, 2010) 
Military Exercise with Germany 
 
¶9.  (SBU) SABC News reported on 15 February that four German navy 
warships have docked at Simon's Town to participate in a military 
training exercise with the South African Navy.  The ongoing exercise 
is aimed at sharpening the South African navy's capabilities to 
safeguard the country's territorial waters during the soccer world 
cup and beyond.  The German warships arrived at Simon's Town naval 
base carrying over 600 naval crew. 
They were welcomed with a 21 gun salute in true military style.  "It 
coincided with 2010 which we welcome - it enables us, as a force 
preparation exercise, to ensure that we are ready for 2010. So we 
welcome them back here," says SA Navy Task Group Commander Captain 
Kavin Packer. [Description of Source: Johannesburg SABC News in 
QKavin Packer. [Description of Source: Johannesburg SABC News in 
English -- Online news service of the South African Broadcasting 
Corporation; nominally independent but partially funded by 
government; http://www.sabcnews.com] 
 
GIPS