Suomi-Etelä-Afrikka-seura ry:n jäsenjulkaisu 1|2009

NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICACoping with COPEMedia speculation over who will dominate South Africanpolitics appears to have largely replaced straight newsreportage, as the split-off from the ANC, controversiallynamed the Congress of the People (COPE), begins toformalise its party political character. There is much talkof change in the air and the need for change, but little ofthe substance of what change should entail.Text MARK WALLERSA to clamp down on child labourThe government released the draft ChildLabour Programme of Action as part ofits plans to reduce the number of SouthAfrican children – currently estimated ataround one million – who are forced intolabour.The programme of action, releasedin Pretoria in June, aims to reduce thenumber of children whose schooling isadversely affected by the work they arerequired to do by up to 80 %.This figure includes the number ofchildren, especially in rural areas, who livemore than five minutes’ walk away fromtheir source of drinking water, which theyare usually responsible for fetching.Child labour refers to work that isexploitative, hazardous or inappropriateto the age of the child and which isdetrimental to their safety, poses a riskto their health, social, physical, spiritualor mental development and affects theirschooling.In March 2006, the Labour ForceSurvey established that about 847 000children between the ages of 10 and 17years were involved in child labour inSouth Africa.Source: BuaNewswww.buanews.gov.za/newsUBUNTU 1/09 | sivu 14COPE has been formed largely bythose appointed to high positionsin government by former PresidentThabo Mbeki. After Mbeki’s recall andreplacement by the ANC, disgruntledpolitical allies, led by Mosiuoa Lekota,decided to put their centre-right stanceon its own footing.COPE takes its name from anearlier Congress of the People. This wasthe 1955 mass gathering that adopted theFreedom Charter, in Kliptown, south ofSoweto. The Charter comprised the maindemands of the liberation movementduring the struggle against apartheidrule. It is still regarded by the ANC andits partners in its tripartite alliance ofCOSATU and the SACP as its guidingdocument.The ANC recently lost a courtcase to prevent Lekota and his partnersfrom using the name Congress of thePeople.The split from the ANC wasaccompanied by much bitter acrimonyagainst those labelled as dissidents. Formany ANC loyalists the move smacks oftreachery, reminiscent of the injuriousdefection in 1959 of a small group ofactivists who formed the Pan-AfricanistCongress.But with the transition frombeing a mass movement fightingapartheid colonial rule to being apolitical party in the more confinedframeworks of liberal democracy, thereis a slow recognition that splits, mergersand party opposition are part of therough and tumble of the current state ofdemocracy. This view was voiced by ANCPresident Jacob Zuma, who just beforeChristmas called for an end to the “namecalling” against COPE.The novelty value of the newparty has drawn massive mediaattention, giving a high profile to COPE’slaunching rallies on the 16 Decemberpublic holiday for Reconciliation Day. Byriding the crest of press attention, COPEhas been able to appear to punch farabove its weight.Though it made a strong impactin local elections in the Western Cape inearly December, this was in part becauseof a debacle that saw the ANC fail toregister in time to take part in the poll.In other local elections, including inGauteng, COPE has barely registered itsexistence.Commentators inside and outsidethe ANC attribute much of the interestin COPE to disillusion with the thrust ofANC policy, which has wavered betweenneo-liberal economic recipes and erraticdevelopmental efforts at tackling povertyand unemployment.Last November’s nationalconference in Polokwane saw theadoption of more consistent policiesaimed at the latter within the strategyof nation building focussed strongly ondevelopment. This conference electedJacob Zuma as ANC President, whoreplaced Thabo Mbeki.According to many analysts,it was only a matter of time beforethe change of direction indicated atPolokwane resulted in changes at thetop level. The appointment of veteranANC leader, and former Robben Islandprisoner, Kgalema Motlanthe reflectedthis. The more leftward trajectory ofPolokwane sat uneasily with the thrust ofThabo Mbeki’s government.Though the incident that broughtmatters to a head concerned allegationsin a court ruling that Mbeki hadinterfered in legal processes concerningJacob Zuma, the recall of Mbeki was theculmination of more weighty processes.But Mbeki is an ANC loyalist. Despite hisremoval from the post of party and statepresident, he would be unlikely COPEmaterial.As the year drew to a close thepress were speculating on the likelymassive losses by the ANC in the 2009national elections. The assumptionis that COPE and the conservativeDemocratic Alliance could inflictheavy damage on the ANC. But this inturn rests on the assumption of theopposition parties being able to forgestrong enough alternatives that appeal tovoters. It may be that COPE and the DAwill spend much time treading on oneanother’s feet in policy terms and thenew party will fail to stand out.Living Conditions Surveyunder wayStatistics South Africa (Stats SA) haslaunched its Living Conditions Survey,a first-of-its-kind study that will helpmeasure poverty reduction and theeffectiveness of social developmentprogrammes in the country.For the survey, data will be collectedfrom some 30 000 houses through acombination of questionnaires and diariesduring the survey period, which will runover 12 months.The survey started in September andwould end in August 2009.The survey is supposed to helpthe country achieve the United Nations'Millennium Development Goals by 2015.Although Stats SA has a rangeof data sets and time series which areuseful in assessing changes in the profileof poverty, he said that none of themmeasured and assessed the progress inpoverty reduction.The hope is that the survey, ifsuccessful, will change the current processof having to use data from a variety ofsources in order to arrive at a povertymeasure.The purpose of the survey is alsoto gain a deeper understanding of thenature of poverty, while indicating otherapproaches in dealing with poverty in awider approach. It will seek to understandpeoples' own understanding of povertywhile also looking at the living conditionsof South Africans.Source: BuaNewswww.buanews.gov.za/newsCampaign againstgender-based violenceGovernment called on South Africansto join hands and support the nationalcampaign against gender-based violence.Held each year, the 16 Days ofActivism Against Gender Violencecampaign challenges South Africans todeclare a truce on violence against womenand children and ultimately to make it apermanent one.The period began on 25 Novemberand ended on Human Rights Day on 10December.The Victims Charter encouragedvictims to demand services fromadministrators in the country's justicesystem and educates them about theirrights.The SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment called for governments inthe region to repeal all discriminatorylaws and instead include gender equalityand equity in their Constitutions. It alsohas urged for 50 percent representation ofwomen in political and decision-makingstructures by 2015.Although the global campaignfocuses on violence against womenonly, South Africa added children to itscampaign because of the high incidence ofchild abuse in the country.During the campaign woman wereurged to support victims of abuse andencourage them to break the silence byreporting it to the police.People could also volunteer theirtime or donate money in support of a nongovernmentalorganisation or communitygroup in their area to help abused womenand children.Source: BuaNewswww.buanews.gov.za/newsUBUNTU 1/09 | sivu 15