South Africa

- A large number of Cabinet Ministers and deputy Ministers are facing ethics charges after failing to declare their interests in a number of companies :

Fourteen Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers, including Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, face ethics charges for failing to declare directorships in private companies and closed corporations. Auditor-General Shauket Fakie made the finding in a report to Parliament on an investigation into declarations of interest by government employees in 142 departments. Fakie did not name the offenders, but a Sunday Times investigation has revealed that those who failed to disclose business interests include:

•Education Minister Naledi Pandor;

•Public Works Minister Stella Sigcau; and

•Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya.

 

- The Media feeding frenzy over Patricia De Lille continues with the news that she may eat humble pie and join the DA coalition and a nice send-up by Hogarth as Mampara of the week.

- Interesting profile of the new CT Mayor, Helen Zille :

Zille’s public image veers between the devotion of voters who see her as someone who walks the talk — sending her children to government schools — and dismissal by some journalists who still see the DA as a white-bread party filled with ex-Nats. “Ridiculous,” she says. “If one party has managed to break through ethnic voting barriers, it is us. More than 40% of coloured voters voted for the DA; a fact never picked up by the mass media. And we doubled our black vote.”

 

- Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher talk to Colin Bryden about the big win last week. (mood killer: we lost the Test by 7 wickets!)