JOHANNESBURG BRIEFING April 2005

News this month

Death, darts or deportation

To the dismay of animal-rights activists, South Africa's parks authorities are considering an elephant cull. The most acute problem is in Kruger National Park, a protected area the size of Israel, where the elephant population has boomed from about 7,000 in 1994—the time of the last cull—to at least 12,000 now. The elephants are, apparently, destroying too many trees.

Animal-rights activists have suggested alternatives to a cull, such as contraception or moving elephants to other green spaces. But parks officials say the former is too costly and difficult to administer: it requires identifying about 4,000 sexually active females and firing darts filled with the contraceptive vaccine from a helicopter. Transferring elephants is similarly costly, and other parks also report an excess of elephants. Authorities have also considered extending the park past the border into Mozambique or Zimbabwe, but elephants seem to prefer South African soil.

Race and law

Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, has nominated Pius Langa to become the new chief justice when Arthur Chaskalson retires at the end of May. Mr Langa, a deputy justice, would become the first black person to fill the job, and his appointment comes as a race row rages in the judiciary. Cape Town's most senior judge, John Hlophe, says in a report he wrote late last year that racism is common among his white colleagues. Among those who bring cases to court, Mr Hlophe observes that many avoid the justice system when they see a black judge presiding, opting instead for private arbitration by a retired white judge.

Mr Langa has a big job: besides having to defuse the row, he must also attract more experienced and talented black lawyers to the bench. At the same time, he must avoid any appearance of political interference by the government, which is very keen to see more black judges. The ruling African National Congress party has warned the judiciary it will face “popular antagonism” if it fails to become more inclusive. But many successful lawyers are reluctant to take a lower-paying judicial post.

Trouble to the north

Zimbabwe's imminent parliamentary election, in which 120 of 150 seats are up for contest, is causing headaches in South Africa. Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party has barred most election observers, including the European Union, the British Commonwealth, American monitors, a southern African parliamentary consortium and some South African groups, admitting only those (including some from the ANC) who judged elections in 2000 and 2002 free and fair.

Most observers believe the outcome has already been decided. Human Rights Watch, a non-profit organisation, released a damning report of pre-election tactics used by Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president. Though violence has declined and opposition campaigning has been allowed, to a very limited extent, ZANU-PF is up to its old tricks. It has gerrymandered constituency borders, restricted opposition access to the media, put the army in charge of polling stations and allegedly packed the voter rolls with dead voters. The threat of post-election violence also looms. While the ANC has been tough on Mr Mugabe, the two countries remain close. If South Africans conclude the Zimbabwe election was fair, observers will certainly wonder what that says about the future of democracy in South Africa (that is if the ANC's rule is ever actually challenged).

Knuckle rap

Sasol, the largest firm listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, came under fire from the government for insufficiently promoting black empowerment. Sandile Nogxina, director-general of the ministry of minerals and energy, said the energy giant has failed to “take advantage of the opportunity to promote black people into key managerial positions”. While the old Afrikaner-dominated company announced very healthy economic results in March, its managers have described black empowerment as a business risk. Black people constitute only 23% of its managerial ranks. Mr Nogxila threatened to use “administrative instruments” to punish Sasol if it does not promote more black people.

Home soon?

In March, a court in Zimbabwe suggested that 62 alleged mercenaries, men with South African passports who were arrested in Zimbabwe last year, might be released from a prison in Harare. The men, bit players in an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, were jailed for immigration offences last year. They and their relatives were told that they would probably be released early, and many South African families drove to the border with Zimbabwe, eager to welcome their men back.

But the plans were stalled, if not scuppered, when Zimbabwe's attorney general argued that foreigners are not eligible for early release. Despite their passports, many of the prisoners are originally Angolan or Namibian. Regardless, they are all small fry; the alleged coup leader, Simon Mann, remains jailed in Zimbabwe. The rest were sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for immigration and security violations in September 2004.

Catch if you can

April 2005

Luciano Pavarotti

April 2nd 2005

Luciano Pavarotti, a larger-than-life Italian opera singer, will soon hang up his vocal chords. As part of a world tour, he is popping into South Africa for one night only to sing farewell. It should be an impressive show in Centurion, a suburb of Pretoria and a short drive from Johannesburg.

Mr Pavarotti will be supported by a 180-voice choir including the Drakensberg Boys Choir, Bonisuduomo Choral Society and the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg. The 65-piece Johannesburg Festival Orchestra will perform too. The warm-up artists are impressive in their own right. Johnny Clegg (aka “the White Zulu”) puts on a foot-stamping show. Sibongile Khumalo has an astoundingly beautiful voice.

The venue, a cricket stadium, is outdoors, so warm clothing may be needed.
Supersport Park Stadium, corner South and West Aves, Centurion, Pretoria. Tel: +27 (0)12-663 1005. Showtime: 5.30pm-10pm. Bookings via Computicket.

More from the Johannesburg cultural calendar