Wednesday 23 October - DAILY NEWS SUMMARY
Pretoria News (www.pretorianews.co.za)
Page 2 – Ambassadors hail Ethiopian prime minister
Page 2 – Guatemalan minister welcomed at opening of first full embassy The Star (www.iol.co.za)
Page 1 – Mboweni warns on Eskom Page 1 – Botswana polls test reputation Business Day (www.businesslive.co.za)
Page 1 – Speculation rises over imminent Maimane exit Citizen (www.citizen.co.za)
Page 1 – Flights grounded after safety gaps 연합뉴스 (www.yonhapnews.co.kr)
남아공 백인정당의 흑인시장, 돌연 사의…"당내 인종갈등 탓"
Ambassadors hail Ethiopian prime minister
Nobel laureate lauded for reconciliation with Eritrea after conflict claimed 80 000
THE DRC ambassador and dean of the diplomatic corps Bene Mpoko, left, ambassador of Ethiopia Dr Shiferaw Teklemariam Menbacho,
ambassador of the Comoros Mbulelo Bungane, director for East Africa at the
Department of International Relations and Co-operation and UN resident co-ordinator Nardos Bekele-Thomas.
A THRONG of ambassadors from around the world descended on the Ethiopian embassy in Pretoria yesterday to celebrate the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Ethiopian ambassador Dr Shiferaw Teklemariam Menbacho said his prime minister was humbled by the award, and he has dedicated it to peace lovers globally.
―Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is known as a leader and philosopher of inclusiveness, but inclusiveness is suffering as multilateralism is being downplayed. Countries must take bold steps to ensure no one is left behind,‖ Menbacho said.
―Let us abolish barriers and build bridges between us so we can reconcile artificial differences. Ahmed has worked hard at reconciliation at home, as inclusiveness brings stability.‖
Menbacho also highlighted that 50% of leaders in Ethiopia were women. He hailed Ahmed as a leader of delivery, while the continent has a chronic problem in the lack of decisive action.
―Without delivery public trust is lost. Ahmed wanted to institute radical change and wasted no time. In 18 months as head of state, he took more decisions than during long periods of previous governments.‖
Menbacho commended Ahmed on ending the armed conflict with Eritrea, that cost 80 000 lives between 1998 to 2000. He said Ahmed had also taken practical decisions such as introducing a visa regime where visas are available on arrival. He took the remarkable
decision to plant 350 million trees in one day on July 29. Ahmed is committed to unifying the governing party ahead of the elections next year.
―Ahmed has a deep attachment with Ethiopians at home, and in the diaspora. He told
Ethiopians to pursue reconciliation as there is no future without forgiveness, and he extended his hand to Eritreans in his inaugural speech. The consensus among those in attendance was that leadership can make a change in practical terms.
―The African continent celebrated this special moment, and Ahmed is the 100th peace prize laureate. Ahmed’s many achievements include the empowerment of women; the release of thousands of political prisoners; amnesty for journalists; and the establishment of a
reconciliation commission,‖ ambassador of the Comoros Mbulelo Bungane said.
Ahmed has published a book Medmer,
which has sold 1 million copies. As Nelson Mandela said, ―It always seems impossible until it is done,‖ so applicable to Ethiopia under the Ahmed administration, Bungane said.
The UN resident co-ordinator to South Africa, Nardos Bekele-Thomas said, ―I am so happy as an Ethiopian that the peace award is coming home to Africa, and to Ethiopia – the cradle of civilisation. Peace is not only the absence of conflict, it is about building a resilient nation which is inclusive, and it is about giving people freedom from want.
―Our prime minister is giving hope to the younger generation, and showing that in darkness there is always light, which is significant coming from a leader who emanates from a poor and humble background,‖ BekeleThomas said.
Guatemalan minister welcomed at opening of first full embassy
VAL BOJEGUATEMALA’S ambassador to South Africa,
Escobedo Ayala, cuts a ribbon to mark the opening of the new embassy in Pretoria.
Looking on are ambassador Mxolisi Bona and Guatamala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sandra Jovel Polanco. |
GUATEMALA’S Minister of Foreign Affairs Sandra Jovel Polanco was in South Africa this week for an official visit which included the launch of the central American country’s first fully-fledged embassy in Pretoria.
The embassy in Brooklyn is headed by Ambassador Escobedo Ayala who presented his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa recently.
At the event, Jovel Polanco expressed her government’s excitement that the mutual respect and good relations enjoyed with South Africa over 25 years were being taken to a new level with the decision by Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales to establish a permanent
representative in South Africa.
She said the embassy, along with other new embassies in the UAE, Indonesia, Thailand and Paraguay, was a demonstration of the commitment to increase Guatemala’s presence in the world.
The Pretoria embassy is the country’s third regional office in Africa and shows the vital role played by South Africa on the continent and as a member of Brics. She expressed the wish that the embassy would strengthen political and diplomatic relations, boost economic ties and improve social and tourism links.
South Africa already hosts numerous Latin American and Caribbean countries in Pretoria, including Brazil,
Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador; and their heads of mission, as well as representatives of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation’s Latin America and the Caribbean Desk, warmly welcomed ambassador Ayala at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.
Mboweni warns on Eskom
As he bails out the power utility with R59bn, minister says it needs
‘right people’
FINANCE Minister Tito Mboweni has warned that problems at Eskom were far deeper than throwing money into the power utility.
This came after opposition MPs blasted him for the bailout of R59 billion to Eskom following the approval of the Special Appropriations Bill by the National Assembly yesterday.
Mboweni said issues at Eskom were complex and required tough solutions. He said MPs spoke as if Eskom was not a business.
―Eskom is a business and is run by people. One of the things we must do is to appoint the right people. The problem at Eskom is not just finances,‖ Mboweni said.
He said if MPs were going to reduce the power utility’s problems to finances, no solutions would be found.
Chairperson of the standing committee on appropriations Sifiso Buthelezi said the R59bn bailout to Eskom was not a blank cheque. He said the situation cannot be allowed to continue.
Eskom was sitting on a debt of R440bn and it requires government bailouts to stay in business.
It told Parliament three weeks ago that it expected to suffer a loss of R21bn next year. The power utility is also facing delays in the completion of the Medupi and Kusile power plants with cost overruns. Eskom said in Parliament that the costs for the two plants had more than doubled since they began construction in 2008.
Jabu Mabuza, the chairperson of Eskom, had said the costs of Medupi had been below R70bn during the construction phase, but have now ballooned to more than R165bn. The same has happened at Kusile, with costs initially at less than R65bn but now sitting at R165bn.
Opposition MPs said the situation at Eskom was untenable and they want the government to stop the bailouts.
Cope deputy leader Willie Madisha said the country was facing a serious energy crisis. He said Eskom was sitting on a huge debt and had also admitted that a third of its infrastructure was broken.
EFF’s Floyd Shivambu said the bailouts have been continuing for many years, but there was no end to the crisis at Eskom. He said the government had injected more than R100bn in the past few years, but Eskom has not yet turned the corner and was sitting with a debt of R440bn.
He called on the government not to unbundle the crisis-ridden Eskom.
Denis Joseph of the DA said the standing committee on appropriations must hold the Eskom board accountable for the bailout given. He said during the oversight visit to Eskom’s Megawatt offices in Sunninghill, north of Joburg, last week they witnesses serious problems at the power utility.
Nqaba Kwankwa of the UDM said the trade unions had every right to be afraid of the unbundling of Eskom. He said this could lead to privatisation.
Mboweni also warned that those who owe Eskom must start paying. Municipalities owe Eskom R25bn.
He said MPs must mobilise their communities and urge them to pay what is due to Eskom.
DEPUTY President David Mabuza has promised to speak to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma for her failure to attend a key meeting in Parliament on municipal debt.
Members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) were furious yesterday after Cabinet members, who sit on a task team on the municipal debt to Eskom, did not attend the meeting. Municipalities owe Eskom R25billion.
But the inter-ministerial task team did not show up at the Scopa, leaving officials fuming.
During the question and answer session to Mabuza in Parliament yesterday, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen wanted to know what action will be taken against Dlamini Zuma who chairs the inter-ministerial task team.
Mabuza said he will raise the issue with her.
―It’s important that members of the executive are mindful of the work of Parliament and be respectful of this House. If there are complaints against the minister, I’ll have a discussion with her.
―Members of Cabinet are not going to deliberately undermine this Parliament.
If there are questions asked, we will make sure they are answered timeously,‖ Mabuza said.
The committee is chaired by Dlamini Zuma and the other members are Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni.
Alf Lees of the DA said the municipal debt to Eskom has increased by R9.8 billion in the last two years. The debt was now sitting at R25bn.
Mervyn Dirks of the ANC said the government has undermined Scopa.
―I have the same view as Lees that we should not continue with this discussion because the government will continue to undermine this committee,‖ Dirks said.
Chairperson of Scopa Mkhuleko Hlengwa said it was unacceptable that ministers had not showed up at the meeting.
―The briefing was by the Inter-Ministerial task team. It consists of the ministers of Energy, Finance, Public Enterprises and Water and Sanitation. Unless there was a reshuffle last night, I don’t see any of these individuals here. The bottom line here is that we have been
undermined,‖ he said.
He also warned the officials of
Cogta not to give explanations on the absence of the minister. This was after the officials said there was no intention on the side of Dlamini Zuma to miss the meeting as she was in Cabinet.
Hlengwa said Dlamini Zuma will have to answer for herself.
Hlengwa said Dlamini Zuma had initially said she was going to attend the meeting but then backtracked on her decision. Eskom is sitting on a massive debt.
Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza told Parliament three weeks ago that the municipal debt was a huge burden to the power utility. He said if it could be settled it would bring relief to Eskom. Eskom has said it expected to post a loss of R21bn next year.
Botswana polls test reputation
BOTSWANA’S reputation as a symbol of stability on a volatile continent is to be put to the test today as the southern African country holds what looks likely to be disputed general elections.
The polls, which also pose the biggest challenge to the governing Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) stranglehold on power since independence from Britain in 1966, is a culmination of infighting within the governing party.
This has seen strained relations between its president and his successor, as well tensions with the main opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
The incumbent, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has been involved in a very public spat with his predecessor, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, with the fractured relations leading to the latter quitting the party, jointly formed by his father and founding president Sir Seretse Khama.
The younger Khama, who handpicked Masisi as his successor when he came to power last year, has infamously thrown his weight behind the opposition coalition and is the patron of the newly formed Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF).
The BPF is seen as an offshoot of the governing party formed by members siding with Khama and against Masisi, emerging the winner of intra-party elections to choose the BDP’s flag-bearer in today’s polls.
Masisi retained the leadership of the party earlier this year after his closest challenger Pelonomi VensonMoitoi, whom he fired as foreign affairs minister, pulled out citing vote- rigging and intimidation.
Over 900 000 Batswana are set to cast their votes, up from over 824 000 who voted in the 2014 polls. Analysts have projected the ructions to further decimate the BDP’s share of the votes.
The Independent Electoral Commission has pledged free and fair polls.
Speculation rises over imminent Maimane exit
• DA leader could resign at federal executive meeting, which will be the first one chaired by Zille
/Bloomberg (See Page 4)Voting victory: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, wave as they walk on stage during a Liberal Party election night event in Montreal, Quebec on Tuesday.
Trudeau won a second term in national elections.
Embattled Mmusi Maimane went to ground on Tuesday as speculation swirled that he will resign as leader of the DA as soon as this week.
The DA has taken blows since the general election in May, in which the party lost support for the first time, with Maimane’s leadership increasingly under scrutiny.
That intensified as Maimane stood beside Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba on Monday as the latter announced his resignation and launched a blistering attack on the party and new chair of the federal executive council, Helen Zille.
Two senior party members told Business Day on Tuesday the leader had called in sick after his appearance with Mashaba.
He was also not in parliament on Tuesday for deputy president David Mabuza’s appearance to answer questions at the National Assembly, prompting political opponents to ask about his whereabouts.
Maimane’s spokesperson, Azola Mboniswa, said speculation the DA leader would step down was ―just a rumour‖ and that he ―continues to lead‖.
The DA, which has for years showcased its successes in governing the Western Cape as a springboard to becoming an alternative to the ANC nationally, lost support in May to the left and the right, leading to an escalation in factional battles.
EMERGENCY MEETING
A report compiled by a review panel in the wake of the elections recommended that James Selfe, Paul Boughey and Maimane all stand down.
Selfe resigned as chair of the federal council and Boughey as the party’s CEO.
An emergency federal executive meeting, called after Mashaba’s resignation, is due to be held on Wednesday.
Maimane could resign at the meeting, which will be the first one chaired by Zille, whom he replaced as leader in 2015.
Zille’s election at the weekend was seen as a blow to Maimane, as Athol Trollip, who defended Maimane after the dismal election results, was said to be his preferred candidate and
was also backed by the leader’s allies for the job. Maimane’s attendance at Mashaba’s briefing on Monday was seen as an endorsement of the Johannesburg mayor’s views on the DA, which some senior members called ill-disciplined and showing a lack of leadership.
Mashaba said his resignation would come into effect on November 27, at the request of the party leadership.
Some officials may use Wednesday’s federal executive meeting to argue that Mashaba should step aside immediately, in line with the party’s constitution. The DA’s constitution states that if a member publicly declares his or her resignation or announces their intention to leave, their membership ceases.
This was the case when former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille had her membership stripped after she said on 702 radio she would resign once she had refuted allegations against her. The final review panel report — compiled by former party leader Tony Leon, former CEO Ryan Coetzee and Capitec founder Michiel le Roux — recommended that the DA go to an early congress in 2020 as opposed to the original 2021, during which new leaders would be elected.
The report said that the ―single most important factor in shaping the DA’s current circumstances is a failure of effective leadership‖.
In its findings on leadership, it said there was ―significant and widespread‖ concern expressed in submissions and during discussions regarding the effectiveness of Maimane and the wider federal leadership.
―The overwhelming view of those who made submissions or with whom we held discussions is that the party leader, while immensely talented, committed to the cause, hardworking and widely liked, can be indecisive, inconsistent and conflict averse,‖ the panel said.
This in turn led to, among other things, a lack of clarity about the party’s vision and direction, confusion about the DA’s position on key issues, the erosion of a unity of purpose, deep divisions in the national caucus and a breakdown in trust between the leader and some of the party’s structures, the report said.
It also noted that the relationship between Maimane and Selfe, as federal council chair, had became ―dysfunctional‖ and was characterised by a lack of trust and failure to communicate effectively.
DA HEAD GOES TO GROUND AFTER HIS APPEARANCE WITH EXITING JOHANNESBURG MAYOR ON MONDAY
Flights grounded after safety gaps
AVIATION: WATCHDOG ACCUSED OF BEING ‘HEAVY-HANDED’
Aircraft get prohibition orders after sample picks up technical problems.
The nation has been kept in the dark about the safety gaps that triggered the grounding of the South African Airways (SAA), Mango and Comair fleets, with the aviation watchdog
accused of being ―heavy-handed‖ if the loopholes were mere administrative issues.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) would not share details of the supposed ―noncompliance‖ and ―irregularities‖ in adhering to safety and security protocols by South African Airways Technical (SAAT), which maintains the grounded aircraft.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula was also not prepared to reveal the details on the flagged safety gaps, which comes in the backdrop of recent allegations that SAAT was infiltrated by rogue elements supplying fake parts.
The aviation authority said the inspection that uncovered the safety concerns was conducted at SAAT, an approved aircraft maintenance organisation.
Apparently, SACAA sampled a few aircraft, which were subsequently issued with a prohibition order, meaning they could not operate until such time they had addressed the noncompliances.
This comes barely weeks after the SAA board had to rebut allegations that the technical problems that forced a Mango operated aircraft pilot to abort a flight last month was linked to alleged irregularities at SAAT.
The Sunday Times had reported that the Boeing 737-400, flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town, had to abort the flight after the plane was allegedly hit by a multi-systems failure caused by a suspected electrical power disruption.
―There is no link between the aircraft incident involving the Mango flight reported on and matters that are currently under investigation at SAAT,‖ the SAA board said.
Briefing journalists in Cape Town yesterday, the minister said although it was not his space to reveal the technical details that led to the grounding, the fact that the aviation authority had to act showed that there was a problem.
He said the delays and cancellations of flights as a result of the grounding yesterday were precautionary measures taken by the affected airlines to ensure that no aircraft took to the skies without certainty on its airworthiness.
The minister said the aircraft were grounded after a sample picked up the safety gaps.
Mbalula called on the public not to panic as this was not a total grounding, saying he was pleased that SAA Technical had since submitted a Corrective Action Plan aimed at
addressing the irregularities and that this had been accepted by SACAA. Still, there was no indication of what was meant to be corrected.
Guy Leich, editor of SA Flyer Magazine, said SACAA had ―been remarkably reticent about what the nature of the findings were‖. It was also interesting why only a few aircraft from Comair were grounded.
―For Mango, perhaps it is a bigger problem because all their aircraft are maintained by SAA Technical but for Comair, a significant number … are increasingly being maintained by Lufthansa Technical, so the problem should not affect them for long,‖ he told Radio 702 yesterday.
He said the fact that Comair had announced yesterday that its aircraft would be back in the air as soon as today suggested that the issues raised related to ―paperwork‖, but this brings further questions why the aviation watchdog acted so harshly.
―Surely they could have sat down and [ground] these issues out for the past two or three weeks that they should have looked at, rather than be heavy-handed and ground the whole fleet and inconvenience passengers,‖ Leich said.
He said the grounding would have serious cost implications for the airlines. British Airways had a franchise with Comair and the safety issues could impact its ability to compete in the international market.
―I am still of the opinion at this stage that the SACAA has been heavy-handed,‖ said Leich.
Grounding will have cost implications for the airlines
남아공 백인정당의 흑인시장, 돌연 사의 …"당내 인종갈등 탓"
흑인인 현 당대표도 사의표명 지지…남아공 제 1 야당 내분 휩싸여
2017 년 12 월 11 일 남아프리카공화국의 헤르만 마샤바 요하네스버그 시장이 요하네스버그에서 열린 골프 대회 시상식에 참석하고 있다. [EPA=연합뉴스자료사진]
(서울=연합뉴스) 황철홖 기자 = 흑읶이면서도 백읶정당으로 갂주되는 남아프리카공화국 제 1 야당 민주동맹(DA) 소속읶 헤르만 마샤바 요하네스버그 시장이 21 읷(현지시갂) 사의를 밝혔다.
영국 BBC 방송 등 외싞과 현지 언롞에 따르면 마샤바 시장은 이날 기자회견을 하고 내달 27 읷 시장직에서 물러나겠다고 발표했다.
마샤바 시장은 "난 불평등 논의에서 읶종은 중요하지 않다고 믿는 이들과는 화해할 수 없다"면서 식민 통치 유산이 모두 나쁜 것만은 아니라는 글을 2017 년에 트위터에 올려 공분을 산 백읶 정치읶 헬렌 질의 당 지도부 복귀가 사의 표명의 계기가 됐다고
설명했다.
또, 흑읶이 다수읶 빈곤층을 위해 자싞이 추짂한 정책들이 민주동맹에 의해 "약화하고, 비판받고, 거의 불가능한 수준으로 발기발기 찢겼다"고 불만을 토로했다.
1994 년 '아파르트헤이트'(읶종차별정책) 폐지 후 선출된 첫 민주동맹 출싞 요하네스버그 시장이었던 마샤바 시장의 사임으로 민주동맹은 상당한 타격을 받을 것으로 젂망된다.
남아프리카공화국은 넬슨 만델라가 몸담았던 아프리카민족회의(ANC)가 25 년째 장기 집권하고 있다.
그런 상황에서 민주동맹은 2015 년 음무시 마이마네를 첫 흑읶 당대표로 선출하는 등 백읶 중심 정당이란 이미지를 쇄싞하고 저변을 확대하려 시도해 왔는데, 마샤바 시장의 사임으로 내부적으로는 흑백 갈등이 심각했다는 점이 드러나게 됐다.
이런 당내 내홍에는 올해 5 월 총선에서의 부짂이 영향을 미쳤을 수 있다.
민주동맹은 당시 총선에서 20.77%를 득표해 제 1 야당 지위를 유지했지만, 의석수가 89 석에서 85 석으로 줄었다.
좌파 정당읶 경제자유젂사(EFF)가 약짂하는 가운데 젂통적 지지층이었던 보수 성향 백읶 유권자들이 민주동맹을 외면한 결과다.
그런 와중에 논란이 있는 읶물읶 질이 민주동맹 당 지도부에 복귀한 것은 백읶 유권자의 지지를 의식한 결정으로 해석되지만, 당내 흑읶 지도자들의 반발을 불렀다.
다민족·자유주의 정당으로 바뀌었던 민주동맹이 과거의 백읶 읷색 조직으로 회귀하고 있다는 불만이 터져 나온 것이다.
마이마네 민주동맹 현 대표는 이날 기자회견에서 사의를 표명하는 마샤바 시장의 손을 잡아 듞 채 "당싞은 내 영웅이다. 당싞은 내 영웅이야"라고 말하기도 했다.
BBC 는 마샤바 시장의 사의 표명으로 민주동맹 내부의 깊은 균열이 겉으로 드러났다면서 경제난 악화와 각종 비리 스캔들로 궁지에 몰린 여권이 반사이익을 거둘 것으로
젂망했다.
ANC 는 올해 총선에서 승리했으나, 1994 년 이후 최저 득표율읶 57.51%를 기록했고 의석수도 249 석에서 230 석으로 줄었다.
이같은 상황에서 제 1 야당이 읶종 문제로 내분에 휩싸읶 것은 ANC 에는 예상치 못한 행운이라고 BBC 는 평가했다.
