ACCESS TO INFORMATION - The police in the Eastern Cape province announced on October 30 that they would no longer release to the media the amount of money stolen from businesses nor the addresses of victims of crime. This was because businesses felt that by announcing how much money had been stolen from them at a certain time, the media was inadvertently advertising how much they had on their premises. The spokesman for the police in the Eastern Cape, Miranda Mills, said individual victims of crime also did not want their addresses published for fear that criminals would track them down again. Mills acknowledged that about two years ago, the Eastern Cape police had decided that, on the basis of public interest, they would release these kinds of details to the media. However, they had reconsidered this policy following complaints that they were giving away information which could be used by criminals. Mills said that in some cases police could decide to give details to the media off the record so that they could follow up an incident, but this would not be for publication. She added that where there was overwhelming public interest in a case, for example if the Premier were robbed, police would consider releasing the amount of money involved.

INDEPENDENT BROADCASTING - The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) on October 31 turned the only application for the licence of Capital Radio, and independent medium-wave radio station in the KwaZulu-Natal province that was shut down in November last year due to financial difficulties. The IBA said the application by Quima Investments failed largely because the company did not disclose funding to the tune of R12-million from the Brazilian-based Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Quima claimed that it was under the impression the IBA already knew about the church funding. However, the IBA said it was only after they requested documentation that Quima’s legal representative produced a letter indicating that the church had agreed to buy the station on condition it be given an unspecified amount of airtime.

TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT - The co-chairpersons of the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA) on November 2 called on African leaders to set "an unambiguous example of transparency and responsibility in the use of public resources". The co-chairpersons of the GCA include Presidents Ketumile Masire of Botswana and Alpha Konare of Mali, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zanawi, South African Parliamentary speaker Frene Ginwala and Dutch development cooperation Minister Jan Pronk.  In a closing statement from the GCA’s annual forum held in Maputo, Mozambique, they warned that urgent action against corruption was needed, not only by governments, but also by civil society, the business sector and the international community. Essential to this battle was "a professional and free press", while "parliament, the civil service and the judiciary also have to be strengthened to provide checks and balances against corruption." The co-chairpersons warned that "unless there is an enabling environment of transparency and accountability, specific anti-corruption efforts will not be successful. Some fundamentals, such as an effective legal system and adherence to the rule of law, have to be put in place." Among the components for successful anti-corruption campaigns that the co-chairpersons listed were: "Mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability in all governmental operations, especially financial transactions; reduction and simplification of government regulations, particularly those involving the issuing of licences and permits," and "support for a free press to forcefully bring the costs and consequences of corruption to public attention."

DEFAMATION: The hotel and leisure company, Sun International, on November 2 hit out at the industrial holding and media controlling company, Johnnic, by suggesting that publication of the controversial biography of hotel magnate Sol Kerzner was aimed at damaging Sun International’s chances of getting a casino licence in the Gauteng province. Hearings for six casino licences in the province will begin on November 10. Both companies are competing for one of these licences. The book, "Kerzner Unauthorised", was written by former journalist Allan Greenblo, who is currently the managing director of BDFM publications. BDFM is jointly controlled by Johnnic via Times Media Ltd and Omni Media. Sun International, along with Kerzner and his former wife Anneline Kriel, are currently involved in a High Court battle to have the book banned. The publishers, Jonathan Ball, agreed October 28 to withhold distribution of the book until the application was heard on December 1. The book was expected to hit bookstores in South Africa on October 27.

MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY - Legislation providing for public funding for political parties represented in Parliament or the provincial legislatures was unanimously approved by Parliament’s National Assembly on November 3. According to Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development Minister Vallie Moosa, the aim of the legislation - the Public Funding of Represented Political Parties Bill - was to ensure that a multi-party system of democratic government had viable political parties. The legislation was also a requirement in terms of the Constitution. The legislation has come under fire from several quarters, notably from the Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM), both of whom are not represented in Parliament. In a statement, AZAPO said that funding of only those parties presently represented in Parliament would make it more difficult for other parties to enter Parliament. The statement said: "This will enhance the tendency in Africa of those parties that get to parliament first to keep themselves in power through direct and indirect manipulation of state resources to their own advantage." The UDM earlier criticised the Bill on similar grounds, saying it was discriminatory because it provided only for parties already represented. The party said "the effect will be to keep the playing field as uneven as possible against extra-parliament parties and especially against fresh entrants into the field." However, during the debate in Parliament on the Bill, African National Congress (ANC) MP Yunus Carrim said parties not represented in Parliament were not being totally excluded from public funding as state funds would be made available via another avenue for parties contesting the 1999 general election.

GOVERNMENT & MEDIA - Home Affairs Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi on November 4 took the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on two journalists and a Cape-based newspaper while introducing a debate in Parliament on the Indentification Bill. Buthelezi said there was a "breed" of journalists these days who in the name of freedom of speech launched libellous attacks that were beyond robust criticism. He was referring to an article written by Martin Schoenteich of the South African Institute of Race Relations and which appeared in the Cape Argus newspaper on October 23. The article, which criticized the Bill and claimed that it would authorise the state to invade citizens’ privacy, carried a mock-up of an ID book bearing Buthelezi’s photograph and the name "Big Brother Buthelezi". The Identification Bill provides for legislation around Identity Documents issued to South African citizens and permanent residents. Buthelezi said that in terms of the Act, Schoenteich and his fellow journalist, Vernon Sieberts (who was believed to be responsible for the graphic accompanying the article) "committed an offence by imitating an identity document ..." He added that fair criticism sensitised public figures in the performance of their duties, and in a democratic society such criticism should therefore be welcomed. However, he said that no-one could condone such slanderous conduct. "The sort of attacks launched against me in the Cape Argus ... represents the sort of unfair attacks that have forced me quite a few times to take these sort of things to court," he told Parliament.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS - The parastal Telkom has filed an urgent application in the Pretoria High court to set aside the recent ruling by the South African Telecommunications Authority (SATRA) to not grant Telkom a monopoly over Internet access. The matter will be heard on December 3, with SATRA, its chairman, Nape Maepa, and the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) cited as respondents. Telkom is arguing that SATRA did not have the jurisdiction to make the pronouncement it did, that there were procedural irregularities and that the judgement was irregular in that the regulator’s councillors did not properly apply their minds to the submissions they received on the matter. Telkom was seeking a monopoly over Internet access in the country as part of its five-year exclusivity licence over telecommunications granted by Telecommunications Act passed last year. The bid was vehemently opposed by private Internet service providers. In handing down its ruling on October 14, SATRA said Telkom could not enjoy an exclusive right to provide Internet access as this would go against public interest and the Constitutional right of all South Africans to access to information. Telkom hit out at this ruling, saying SATRA had misinterpreted its submission to the authority. Telkom said it rejected the suggestion by SATRA that its proposal for exclusivity in network infrastructure provision would have jeopardised in any way the Constitutional rights of citizens to information and education. The company said its sole motive in seeking exclusivity was "based on our conviction that Internet access should be available to all, regardless of income level and location, and not to a privileged elite in metropolitan areas". It added that it was not and never was "interested in being an exclusive provider of content. We provide the backbone transport infrastructure which enables service providers, who are the people offering content, to do business with their customers on a world-class Internet-specific network." Earlier this week, SATRA’s Maepa told Parliament’s communications committee that the authority would oppose Telkom’s bid to have its decision overturned. He said the authority’s decision had been fair and in the public interest. Maepa said the Internet was a valuable source of information and a basic service which had to be made available to everyone. He said SATRA would not have been able to realise its objective of bringing blacks and women into the information technology industry if it had ruled in favour of Telkom.

COMMERCIAL SPEECH - The Director of Health Promotion and Communication in the Department of Health, Gonda Perez, on November 6 came out strongly in support of a ban on tobacco sponsorship of sport. In a statement issued by the Department of Health following a visit to Australia by a departmental delegation that included Perez, the department said the campaign to ban tobacco sponsorship of sport was likely to gain momentum. In statement, Perez was quoted as saying that the delegation would advise Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma on measures that could be adopted to control tobacco and alcohol promotion. She said that "personally I would like to see a scenario where tobacco sponsorship of sport is not allowed."

ENDS