WCAPE DEMARCATION ROW ON PRESIDENTIAL BACK BURNER

CAPE TOWN Aug 23 Sapa

President Nelson Mandela's surprise attempt to broker an
out-of-court settlement on the Western Cape demarcation row has
been put on the back-burner until Friday because of other
commitments.

The President was due to meet the ANC's Western Cape Provincial
Executive on Thursday, but had to leave for Johannesburg to launch
his party's Local Elections Manifesto at Alexandra.

The matter had, however, been referred by the President to the
ANC as this was a party political issue between it and the National
Party in the region, presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana said.

The ANC's provincial executive would meet on Thursday to thrash
out its views on a settlement, before a possible meeting with
Mandela on Friday, Western Cape ANC leader Chris Nissen told Sapa.

Asked whether time was not running out, Nissen said: "We don't
even have injury time left".

The provincial executive would inform the President of its
position.

On unhappiness within ANC ranks about Mandela's olive-branch to
the province's Premier Hernus Kriel, he said: "We have very strong
grounds to win the (Constitutional) Court action ... we've been
informed that we have good grounds and that we'll win the case. My
own feeling is that if we can find a solution we should find it out
of court."

The ANC did not want to develop a relationship with the
provincial government of running to court to solve disputes, Nissen
said.

Mandela's intervention in the dispute also had to be understood
against the background that he wanted local government in place and
RDP promises delivered, Nissen said.

Asked whether the ANC's apparent backing down might not be
regarded as a victory for the NP, he said: "Bending backwards
doesn't mean a defeat."