FOCUS EDITORIAL THE NEW LOOK FOCUS By Raenette Taljaard elcome to the new-look FOCUS disloyal opportunistic behaviour, and ensuring specific magazine. It has had a revamp in terms of provisions to require by-elections if a government W size, style, content and, the HSF team trust, changes hands due to floor-crossing, to allow the substance. We hope you will find that our fresh, clean voters a faster opportunity to give their verdict on the look enhances your pleasure in reading it. change of those hands that hold the keys to power. In this edition, we profile our National Assembly, The corollary to this is clearly the adoption of a mixed the new leadership of the Democratic Alliance, a novel electoral system for all levels of government – a Private Member’s Bill, the outcome of the June African proposal contained in the Van Zyl Slabbert report on National Congress (ANC) Policy Conference and the electoral systems and electoral reform, which is yet to Independent Democrats’ Party Congress, and many be accorded adequate airing and debate. other aspects of our body politic, in keeping with our October marks the starting gun for the final stretch objective to trace political trends. of the ANC succession race, and events ranging from the Although our magazine reaches its readers slightly axing of the Deputy Minister of Health, to the protection later than usual, the delay has allowed us all to get the of her nemesis, to the recent axing of the head of the upheaval of floor-crossing behind us. Though much National Prosecuting Authority, have certainly increased was expected in the wake of statements that many the temperature of the bid of our current President, governments would fall through the cracks of this Thabo Mbeki, for a third term as party president of the artificial feature of our democracy, or that hordes of ANC. Equally vociferously, the support of the South councillors, and members of provincial legislatures and African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of Parliament, would defect, the Independent Electoral South African Trade Unions (COSATU) for Jacob Zuma Commission’s released figures have shown a muted and a slate of ANC “top six” candidates has underscored level of activity during this season of floor-crossing. the tense relations in the tripartite alliance that will mark Those governments that did change hands were at the much of our politics until the ballots on the Congress local level – interestingly, the very level of government floor in Polokwane are counted, and the leadership race where we have a mixed electoral system in place, with concluded with the new lineup of ANC leaders bracing a combination of “constituency” – the ward councillors themselves to take the party into the future, and into – and proportional representation (PR) – the PR-list future elections in 2009. councillors. This raises questions about the automatic The FOCUS team looks forward to covering all link that is often made between the principle of these unfolding succession events in our next issue, and floor-crossing and the nature of the electoral system. to marking the 90th birthday of one of the icons of our If floor-crossing is retained, some basic minimum history – Mrs Helen Suzman – in November this year. Her changes ought to be made to the legislation, including values, spirit and energy continue to inspire us all. Please doing away with the 10% threshold requirement that join us in saluting a great woman of our country and locks members of larger parties in for proverbial life, courageous fighter for human rights who kept a torch of while allowing smaller parties to be decimated by hope burning in the darkest days of the land she loves. FOCUS 1 FOCUS CONTRIBUTORS FOCUS BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Hylton Appelbaum, Wendy Appelbaum, RAYMOND LOUW - Doug Band, Colin Eglin, Rachel Jafta, Raymond Louw is Editor & Publisher of the weekly current affairs briefing Patricia de Lille, Temba Nolutshungu, newsletter Southern Africa Report, African representative of the World Sipho Seepe, Mary Slack, Richard Steyn and David Unterhalter Press Freedom Committee and member of media freedom organisations in South Africa. DIRECTOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joel D. Barkan - Raenette Taljaard; [email protected] Joel D Barkan is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Iowa, and MANAGING EDITOR: Lore Watterson, Chris Watterson a periodic Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Science Research at the – DeskLinkTM University of Cape Town. EDITORIAL BOARD: Wendy Appelbaum, Gillian Godsell, William RICHARD STEYN - M Gumede, Raymond Louw, Howard Preece, Richard Steyn is a former Editor of The Natal Witness and Editor in Chief of The Star. He Lawrence Schlemmer, Sipho Seepe, Mary is currently a director of the publishing company Editors Inc. Slack, Alfred Stadler and Richard Steyn SUBSCRIPTIONS & CIRCULATION Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi - Tel: +27 11 646 0150 Fax: +27 11 646 0160 Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party. PUBLISHED by DeskLinkTM Media PRINTING ColorPress (Pty) Ltd MICHAEL CARDO - COVER PICTURE: Michael Cardo is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Helen Suzman Foundation. He is The new mace is 1,196 metres long and weighs currently writing a biography of former Liberal Party National Chairman Peter Brown. 9,86 kg. Though it appears to be a single unit, it was made and fitted in sections on an Patricial de lille - aluminium core. Patricial de Lille is the leader of the Independant Democrats. At the head of the mace is an 18 carat gold drum, covered with springbok skin which, in turn, is attached to the drum by 18 buttons Baleka Mbete - made from South African minerals and Baleka Mbete is the Speaker of Parliament. gemstones. On top of the drum rests a book made from gold on which, in raised text, is an extract from the Preamble to the Constitution JUDITH FEBRUARY - of the Republic of South Africa. The drum itself Judith February is head of Idasa’s Political Information and Monitoring Service. She is a contains illustrations of South Africans going lawyer by training and practised law before moving to Idasa in 2000. about their daily business, inter alia a miner, a saxophonist, a machinist, an architect, a builder, a soccer player, a fork-lift driver, a scientist, a WILLIAM GUMEDE - teacher, a doctor, a domestic worker, a woman William M Gumede is a Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Public & Development with a baby on her back and a hoe in her hand, a woman driving a tractor, and children reading Management. He was a former Deputy Editor of the Sowetan. The second edition of his and working. book, Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC was released in mid-September. FOCUS is published by The Helen Suzman Foundation, Postnet Suite 130, Private Bag ZWELETHU JOLOBE - X2600, Houghton, 2041; Block A, Anerley Zwelethu Jolobe is a Lecturer in comparative politics and South African politics at Office Park, 7 Anerley Road, Parktown, 2193 Tel: +27 11 646 0150 Fax: +27 11 646 0160 the University of Cape Town. He is a regular elections analyst, and political analyst and Email: [email protected] commentator for radio and television broadcasting. Web site: www.hsf.org.za ISSN 1680-9822 Lerato TSEBE - Cover picture: ©Damien Schumann Lerato Tsebe is an intern at the Helen Suzman Foundation Photography Major general mike ward - Published by DeskLinkTM Media Printers: Colorpress (Pty) Ltd Major General Mike Ward is the Chief Force Development for the Canadian Forces in This publication is made possible by the Ottawa Canada, and is focused on creating strategically useful future military forces that generous assistance of the Donald Gordon will operate alongsidemultinational and interagency partners, and contribute to peace Foundation, the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial and stability in support of Canada’s global interests.” Trust and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation 2 Tracing Political Trends I would like to subscribe to FOCUS for 4 issues: Title:Focus Name: Surname: ........................... .......................................................... ..................................................................... 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