Focus 54 Focus Focus July 2009 Tracing Political Trends
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Tracing Political Trends Focus 54 Focus focus July 2009 Tracing Political Trends Tracing Issue 54 • 2nd Quarter • July 2009 • R24.95 www.hsf.org.za Post Poll Politics Zuma Era Dawns 45 Quo Vadis Judiciary HSF PUBLICATIONS contents Tracing Political Trends Focus 52 Focus focus 04 November 2008 POST 2009 POLL • ANC Post 2009 Poll • Opposition Post 2009 Poll • Interviews 28 Political Trends Tracing ZUMA ERA • Election to presidency • Inauguration Speech • World Economic Forum Africa Issue 52 • 4th Quarter • November 2008 • R24.95 • On the one hand, on the other hand www.hsf.org.za Campaign fever • Pressure, process and National Convention 50 Budgeting for change STATE OF OUR NATION ‘political’ prosecutions • Opening address • Planning the future • This is a moment of renewal • A patriotic opposition Tracing Political Trends Focus 53 • Steering the ship through the storm Focus • Planning the Future’s Framework • Replying to representatives 108 focus BOOK REVIEWS • Fool’s Gold April 2009 • Zumanomics • Dead Aid 82 Political Trends Tracing THE JUDICIARY • Who is to rule the law? • A testing time for the Constitutional Court Issue 53 • 1st Quarter • April 2009 • R24.95 www.hsf.org.za Suzman Tribute Edition Eulogy Motion of Condolence 38 Connecting the dots 100 Strengthening the system, healing the society 53 Memorial 90 Dinokeng scenarios 104 Focus book corner 94 M&G Critical Thinking Forum FOCUS EDITORIAL By Raenette Taljaard Change Afoot outh Africa’s vibrancy as a democracy is attested to by the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, who has the confidence of the fact that not a single edition of FOCUS goes by without a international community, and a host of new ministries carrying all our S considerable number of significant political events occurring expectations, along with the heavy luggage of the promise of better within the scope of a quarter – every single quarter! This past focus, the challenge of better co-ordination, and the risk of turf wars. quarter is no different. The 490 members of our new Parliament have sworn We have seen a long-standing crime and corruption legal wrangle their allegiance to the Constitution of the Republic of South involving then ANC President Jacob Zuma unwind in a rather Africa, and experienced the Opening of Parliament and State unseemly manner in the messy waters of intelligence. We have of the Nation address. They are now having to find their feet witnessed the dropping of all charges against Mr Zuma after the rapidly amid new powers and structures in the National release of some controversial taped conversations between then Assembly. Parliament itself has its first male Speaker, a host of Scorpions head Advocate Leonard McCarthy and former National new committees and reports on its own oversight role (the Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Director Advocate Bulelani Ngcuka, Independent Panel’s report on Parliament) and that of Chapter and amid ongoing criticism of the courts and the administration of Nine institutions in assisting it in the exercise of oversight (the justice in South Africa, the dissolution of the Directorate of Special Asmal report) require action. Operations and ongoing quagmire at the NPA itself. It has new powers over the process of budgeting, and oversight We have watched our political parties campaign vigorously over a plethora of new government departments. The proverbial during the 2009 fourth democratic elections, seamlessly staged by ‘inbox’ of the President, Ministers, MPs, Premiers, Members the Independent Electoral Commission on 22 April 2009, with a of Provincial Legislatures, Directors-General and every single robust turnout of over 77%. Many South Africans made their voices public servant is brimful of expectations and requirements for heard and votes count. We have seen the decimation of smaller accelerated service delivery amid challenging global times. opposition parties, the near-collapse of the IFP, and the undoubted We sincerely hope that each and every one of these South star performers of the 2009 poll, the ANC, with 65,90% (down by Africans will put country before self-interest, principle before 3,79%), the DA with 16,66% (up by 4,29%), and new entrant COPE expedience, and patriotism before all else. There is a new mood registering 7,42% of the vote. These parties have emerged relatively of co-operation and frank exchange in South African politics. Not robustly, sharing the bulk of the vote (89,98%) between them, only the language of the Mandela era, which has been deliberately moving us ever closer to a three-party system en route to further revived, but also the promise that there would be new mood political realignment and party modernisation along the lines of issue- music between the government and the opposition, and the based, rather than identity, politics as we approach our local elections government and all sectors of civil society, promise a welcome in 2011, and fifth democratic elections in 2014. shift if they continue. The demands of our time require nothing We hailed a new Commander-in-Chief with the election, less than full and frank discussions in our polity and politics. In the swearing in and inauguration of our fourth democratically elected words of the Dinokeng scenario’s African proverb: “If you want President, Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, on 9 May 2009 in a to walk fast, walk alone, if you want to walk far, walk together.” colourful ceremony at the Union Buildings. We have witnessed Given that we are but 15 years further along Nelson Mandela’s the complete restructuring of the government at cabinet level, Long Walk to Freedom, it is perhaps apt that we ask ourselves and a significant expansion and change at the Presidency with the as a nation not only what our final destination is – as the new establishment of two new Ministries within the Presidency: one planning structures will inevitably do – but also how we walk there for Planning (Minister Trevor Manuel) and one for Monitoring and together and, as a nation facing significant legacy issues and new Evaluation (Minister Collins Chabane). We have a newly minted global challenges, in what spirit we undertake the journey. FOCUS 1 FOCUS CONTRIBUTORS FOCUS BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Hylton Appelbaum, Wendy Appelbaum, Doug Band, Colin Eglin, Rachel Jafta, Patricia de Lille, Temba Nolutshungu, Sipho Seepe, Mary Slack, Richard Steyn, Nicole Jaff, David Unterhalter, Gary Ralfe, Jane Evans and Modise Phekonyane DIRECTOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Raenette Taljaard; [email protected] MANAGING EDITORS: Lore Watterson, Chris Watterson TM – DeskLink SIPHO SEEPE - MEDIA DESIGNER Sipho Seepe is the President of the South African Institute of Race Relations Sizakele Shingange TM DeskLink AUBREY MATSHIQI - EDITORIAL BOARD: Aubrey Matshiqi is a political analyst at the Centre of Policy Studies Wendy Appelbaum, Gillian Godsell, William M Gumede, Raymond Louw, Howard Preece, Helen Zille - Lawrence Schlemmer, Sipho Seepe, Helen Zille is the Premier of the Western Cape and leader of South Africa’s official Mary Slack, Alfred Stadler and Richard Steyn opposition party, the Democratic Alliance SUBSCRIPTIONS & CIRCULATION Tel: +27 11 646 0150 Fax: +27 11 646 0160 ATHOL TROLLIP - TM Athol Trollip is the Parliamentary Leader for the Democratic Alliance PUBLISHED by DeskLink Media PRINTING ColorPress (Pty) Ltd MOSIUOA LEKOTA - COVER PICTURE: Mosiuoa Lekota is the President of the Congress of the People (COPE) Courtesy of Brody/Stevenson Lawrence Lemaoana JACOB ZUMA - Newsmaker of the Year, 2008 Jacob Zuma is the President of the Republic of South Africa Textile and embroidery 107 x 203 cm, Edition of 2 PATRICK LAURENCE - FOCUS is published by The Helen Suzman Patrick Laurence is an independent political analyst and a contributing editor to The Star. Foundation, Postnet Suite 130, Private Bag X2600, Houghton, 2041; Block A, Anerley MAC MAHARAJ - Office Park, 7 Anerley Road, Parktown, 2193 Mac Maharaj is South Africa’s former Transport Minister and is now a Tel: +27 11 646 0150 Fax: +27 11 646 0160 political activist and intellectual Email: [email protected] Website: www.hsf.org.za MVUME DANDALA - Mvume Dandala is the Parliamentary Leader for the Congress of the People (COPE) ISSN 1680-9822 Published by DeskLinkTM Media PRAVIN GORDHAN - Printers: Colorpress (Pty) Ltd Pravin Gordhan is the Minister of Finance This publication is made possible by the generous assistance of the Donald Gordon TREVOR MANUEL - Foundation, the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trevor Manuel is the Minister in The Presidency, National Planning Commission Trust, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the Open Society Foundation-South Africa Tony Leon - Tony Leon is a South African politician and former leader of the Democratic Alliance PIERRE DE VOS - Pierre de Vos is a Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law at the University of Western Cape Tracing Political Trends I would like to subscribe to FOCUS for 4 issues: Title:Focus Name: Surname: ........................... .......................................................... ..................................................................... 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