ACCESS TO INFORMATION - The African National Congress on June 14 called on the former defence minister Roelf Meyer to come up clean on his knowledge regarding the use of chemical weapons by the former apartheid regime. According to ANC spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa, last week's TRC hearings into the use of chemical weapons against anti apartheid activists had put a spotlight on Meyer's role. Mamoepa said "it is instructive to note that during his testimony to the TRC, Meyer did not come clean on his knowledge or otherwise regarding the use of chemical weapons by the regime in its offensive against the broad liberation movement." Mamoepa also said " Meyer has an obligation in the interests of reconciliation to make a full disclosure, and will only have himself to blame if a perception were to develop that he may have misled the TRC." Meyer denied being involved with the chemical warfare schemes. He said that the programmes happened before he became defence minister and when he knew about them, they were already terminated. Meanwhile, the Truth Commission on June 18 heard that tens of thousands of dollars were used to bribe officials in various parts of the world, so that ingredients for the South Africa's chemical weapons programme could be smuggled in to this country. Niel Knobel, former surgeon-general of the SA Defence Force, told the TRC that more money was paid to Wouter Basson, head of the chemical and biological warfare programme and never accounted for. Knobel said that he had no operational control over Basson in spite of being the head of the defence force's medical services under which the chemical and biological warfare was placed. "Importing drugs was part of the SADF project to manufacture substances out of derivatives from Mandrax, dagga and ecstasy to be used for crowd control." Knobel also told the commission that in early 1993, he approved the dumping of hundreds of kilograms of chemical agents into the ocean.

BROADCASTING - The SABC'S deputy chief executive Govin Reddy has denied that he accused the SABC board of racism in appointing Hawu Mbatha as the new CEO instead of him. He has also denied claims that he had been asked to stop performing his official duties. On June 14, " The Sunday Independent" reported that Reddy had been asked to refrain from performing or representing the SABC while charges of racism against the corporation were heard by the labour court. The paper reported that the outgoing SABC chief executive Zwelakhe Sisulu and board chairman Paulos Zulu, told Reddy in a letter that Reddy had been in breach of contract when he went public, questioning the decision of the SABC board not to appoint him. According to the paper, Reddy indicated that Zulu was somewhat disingenuous in his description of how he had raised the race issue in the interview and Zulu had misquoted him. However, Reddy has met Sisulu and Zulu to resolve the dispute. Sisulu indicated on June 17 that Reddy's future would be announced the following week, following further discussions.

JOURNALISTS - The SABC recently took its first step in restructuring senior management in radio by appointing TV journalist Snuki Zikalala as deputy editor-in-chief in the radio division. According to Mail & Guardian report, the official explanation to staff was that Zikalala's main responsibility will be the establishment of a single news operation for radio and television ahead of the general elections next year. His job description is strikingly similar to that of the division's national news and current affairs editor, Franz Kruger. Meanwhile, Kruger, editor-in-chief Barney Mthombothi and managing editor Alwyn Kloppers opposed Zikalala's appointment publicly before Zikalala assumed his duties at the division. They tried to mobilise opposition from producers, senior journalists, news and regional editors throughout the country, but failed. Black staffers and white stations that feel neglected by the current management have ignored the calls for a campaign to oppose Zikalala's appointment, and instead have rallied firmly around him. The group executive regarded his appointment as an important step in facilitating further transformation at radio news.

GOVERNMENT & MEDIA - The deputy minister of home affairs Lindiwe Sisulu, accused local and international media of double standards in reporting the government's attempt to expel Zimbabwean journalist Newton Kanhema from South Africa. She also accused Kanhema of using press freedom to camouflage his fraudulent and criminal activities. According to reports, Kanhema's work permit had been granted irregularly after failing to submit a police clearance. Sisulu explained to "The Sunday Independent" that Kanhema's case was a case of fraud and had nothing to do with whether the government liked him or not. She said that whether Kanhema was a journalist, a carpenter or a technician, with his failure to declare vital information, he would not have been allowed to stay in the country. She indicated that hundreds of people, including Tich Mataz, have been asked to leave the country because they had fraudulently misrepresented themselves. She said that the media has been sensationalising Kanhema's story and the government would not treat Kanhema differently from anyone else. "These cases prove that whenever we come across an irregularity, we deal with it, because that is what our country requires of us and that is what we are going to do." However, Kanhema indicated that he did what the home affairs wanted him to do and was never informed at any stage that his work permit had been granted irregularly.

Meanwhile, "Business Day" on June 15 reported that the ANC has hit out at the SABC for using deported radio and TV personality Tich Mataz as a commentator during the World Cup in France. The ANC spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said that the matter was of serious concern as the SABC had used Mataz's services while being aware he had illegally earned SA citizenship. Mataz was deported back to Zimbabwe in March after the home affairs department refused to renew his work permit application. Reports said that it was alleged that Mataz had been working and living in SA illegally for three years. According to "Business Day", the ANC has demanded an immediate explanation from the SABC management and called on the corporation to terminate Mataz's services at once.

OPEN HEARINGS - The scheduled hearings by the Ngobeni commission on June 18 were cancelled, following vital new evidence in the investigation into charges that Mpumalanga deputy speaker Cynthia Maropeng abused her position to irregularly enriched herself. The hearings started on June 9 following Maropeng's suspension from both the ANC and the legislature in April on charges of corruption and mismanagement. According to "The Star", commissioners refused to say what the new evidence was. They only confirmed that they would be recalling legislature speaker Elias Ginindza for a third time to test some of his testimony. Ginindza had told the commission that he was ignorant of Maropeng's mismanagement of funds. The provincial ANC secretary Jerry Ngomane also gave evidence against the suspended deputy speaker.

WATCHDOGS - The Democratic Party on June 14 warned that there will not be any bilateral political alliance between the Natinal Party and the Democratic Party at tbe next elections. The DP indicated "there is an insurmountable moral objection to being seen with the Nats, so we don't like their past and we don't like their future." The NP moral dilemma was demonstrated in evidence to the TRC last week about chemical and bilogical weapons operations by the former NP government. The DP also pointed out " they were not interested in rescuing what remained of the National Party."