PARTY

How the Eugene Terre'Blanche murder story was broken

And nine other of the key articles from the weekend press

10. Chris Barron's interview in the Business Times with Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus:

Barron writes that Marcus' "message to the left is not to overestimate the bank's capacity to improve life merely by lowering the interest rate. ‘You've got to recognise that we have these very big structural problems. So although it's about what the bank can do it's about what others need to do as well.' What others, and what do they need to do? ‘I don't think it's for me to say. Industrial policy, economic strategic framework, the planning ministry - these are the areas that need to tackle that'."

9. The Rapport report on how NDPP Menzi Simelane has temporarily backed down in his efforts to demote a number of senior prosecutors in the National Prosecuting Authority:

Mariechen Waldner notes that "Over the course of the past two weeks Simelane had demoted a number of prosecutors without consultation, notice or ­disciplinary hearings." However, "None of those who received Simelane's marching orders to lesser positions in the NPA hierarchy will now have to report for new duties on Tuesday. Their reprieve follows talks on Thursday between the NPA and the Public Service Association (PSA), the labour union representing three of the prosecutors .The NPA furthermore indicated that "the offer included everybody", said De Clercq. This means that prosecutors not represented by the PSA also do not have to report for their new positions. Before the reprieve late this week the PSA's legal representatives were preparing documents for an urgent interdict to halt the demotion of the three PSA members affected by Simelane's orders. They are advocates George Baloyi, Retha Meintjies and Andre Lamprecht."

8. The Mail & Guardian story on how an internal Transnet disciplinary inquiry had delivered a devastating indictment of GNS Risk Advisory Services - a company closely connected to Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda:

Sam Sole writes that in March this year Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) sacked two managers Dingaan Senamela and Sipho Khanye after a hearing by senior counsel Nazeer Cassim, over a lucrative contract they were involved in awarding to GNS. GNS (now renamed Abalozi) had approached the South Gauteng High Court in an effort to have Cassim's findings set aside. "A copy of Cassim's judgement obtained by the Mail & Guardian ... exposes the highly suspicious circumstances surrounding the appointment of GNS and makes comments and findings that are damning of the company."

7. The City Press lead story on how ANCYL President Julius Malema's visit to Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe had led to a split among officials of the African National Congress:

Japhet Ncube reports that the "ANC wanted Malema to shelve his trip to Harare until [President Jacob] Zuma had clinched a deal." Malema was adamant he would be go and apparently received the blessing of Zuma to do so. The newspaper stated: "ANC officials are not excited. One close Malema ally said: ‘The timing is just wrong and downright insensitive. How can the ANC allow Julius to go to Harare? It hurts Zuma's efforts to bring political stability to Zimbabwe."

6. The Sunday Times report on how NDPP Menzi Simelane was now gunning for Willie Hofmeyr, one of the "country's most powerful corruption fighters":

Nashira Davids and Philani Nombembe report that Hofmeyr was issued an ultimatum by Simelane this week "to choose between heading the highly acclaimed Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) or the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). He is in charge of both units that probe corruption and fraud. The AFU falls within the NPA and the SIU is an independent body reporting to President Jacob Zuma and parliament."

5. The Sunday Tribune report on ANCYL president Julius Malema's speech to 2,000 Zanu-PF supporters in Mbare township, Harare:

Stanley Gama wrote that Malema told the crowd: "In Zimbabwe you have addressed the land question. In South Africa we are just starting. We are happy today we can account for 300 000 new farmers, compared to 4 000 farmers that were there. We hear you are going straight into the mines. That is what we are going to start doing in South Africa. We want the mines. They (whites) have exploited our minerals for a long time - now is our turn to also enjoy our minerals. Today they are so bright, they are colourful - we refer to them as white people. Maybe this colour came as a result of exploiting our minerals. Perhaps if some of us can get the opportunities to these minerals, we can develop a nice colour and look like them," said Malema to wild cheers from the Zanu-PF crowd."

Gama also stated that Malema, "who led the crowd in singing the banned Dubula Ibhunu (shoot the boer) song, said no one, including the ‘white judiciary' in South Africa would stop him from singing it in South Africa. He claimed the banning of the song was testimony that South Africa was still haunted by apartheid tendencies. ‘The judiciary is still being controlled by the whites, the economy is still in the hands of the whites and the media in South Africa is also in the hands of the whites'."

4. The Sunday Times report on the real motive behind ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's visit to Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe:

The newspaper quoted Zanu-PF insiders as saying that the ANCYL president was in Zimbabwe to cut business deals with the ruling Zanu-PF business elite there. A party official told the newspaper: "Look at the people who were at the forefront of receiving Malema. They are not in the Zanu-PF Youth League - some of them are not even in Zanu-PF - but (they) are in business. This tells you what they are up to and what will be going on behind the scenes."

3. The Mail & Guardian lead story on how its journalists were offered a R120,000 bribe to suppress a story about payments made by SA Quantum, to Noluthando Vavi, wife of Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi:

Matuma Letsoalo reported that Noluthando Vavi "is being paid R60,000 a month to market financial products to union members. And the company she acts for is so anxious to keep the deal secret that it offered the Mail & Guardian a bribe of R120 000 to suppress the story. Veon Bock, chief executive of financial-services company Southern Africa Quantum, in fact paid R40 000 of the amount to the M&G at his offices in Randburg last Saturday and promised to pay the balance at the end of April. The M&G recorded the transaction on video and has handed the money for safekeeping to its lawyers."

2. John Swain's feature in the Sunday Times (London) on the battle for control of southern Marange diamond fields, in Zimbabwe:

On one side is Andrew Cranswick, CEO of African Consolidated Resources (ACR) the legitimate owners of the field. On the other the sinister Zanu-PF elite who have illegally seized control of it. Swain notes: "In February the Supreme Court ordered all mining to cease pending a final ruling on ownership. Its judgment has been ignored. Meanwhile, millions of dollars from the diamonds are being siphoned off by President Mugabe, his diamond-loving wife, Grace, and their greedy inner circle to enrich and entrench themselves in power a few years longer." At stake is not only control over almost unimaginable wealth, but also the future of Zimbabwe. Swain quotes one western diplomat as saying: ‘Whoever owns the diamond field controls Zimbabwe and could buy any country in Africa'."

1. The Democratic Alliance North West press statement headed "Eugene Terreblanche murdered in another NW farm attack" which broke the news of the brutal killing of the AWB leader:

The statement was sent to Sapa at 10:38pm on Saturday night by Chris Hattingh, the DA leader in the North West province. Issued under the name of Juanita Terblanche, MP, it read: "The DA in the North West expressed its outrage and concern about the latest North West farm attack in which Eugene Terreblanche was murdered with a panga. This happened in a province where racial tension in the rural farming community increasingly is being fueled by irresponsible racist utterences by the leader of the ANCYL Leader Julius Malema and the North West Cosatu Secretary, Solly Pheto.... The DA calls for people to remain calm and on the ANC to strongly condemn racist utterances which has become synonymous with Malema and his ilk."

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