MEDIA EVALUATION REPORT: LOCAL AND PROVINCIAL
GOVERNMENT AND ELECTION ISSUES
06/09/95

17/3/2/1

MEDIA COVERAGE

Print media:  Argus (Arg), Beeld (Bld), Die Burger (Burg), Business
Day (BD), The Citizen (Cit), City Press (CP), The Cape Times (CT),
Daily Dispatch (DD), The Natal Mercury (NM), The Natal Witness
(NW),  Die Volksblad (VB), The Pretoria News (PN), New Nation (NN),
Northern (N), Noord Transvaler (NT), The Weekly Mail & Guardian
(WM), Review (R), Rapport (Rap), Sowetan (Sow), The Star (St),
Sunday Times (ST), Sunday Tribune (Trib), Weekend Star (WS),
Pietersburg Mirror (M), Review (Rev), Natal on Saturday (NS).

Electronic media: SAfm: AM Live (AM), Midday Live (MD) PM Live
(PM); Afrikaans Stereo: Monitor (Mon), Spektrum (Spek), Stroomaf
(STR); Radio 702 (702).
       
       
       LOCAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES
  
  
  NORTHERN PROVINCE
  
  Premier's trip is off:
    Northern Province Premier, Ngoako Ramatlhodi has cancelled a visit to
    Scotland to promote the export of roses.  The trip was cancelled at the
    request of President Mandela.  Provincial spokesperson Mr Jack Molobi
    said President Mandela had furnished no reason, other than to request
    Mr Ramatlhodi to remain in the Northern Province until after the local
    government elections on November 1 (Cit, p4, 06/09).
    
  GAUTENG
  
  Talks on affirmative action:
    The Gauteng legislature on (05/09), started its first sitting after 
    the mid-year recess with a debate on affirmative action appointments in the
    provincial government (Cit, p12, 06/09).
    
  Residents march to end payment ban:
    An estimated 10 000 township residents from Daveyton and Etwatwa,
    near Benoni, staged a Masakhane march yesterday 05/09 to end their
    service payment boycott.  The toyi-toying marchers sang and waved
    placards bearing slogans such as "The culture of non-payment is over"
    and "Support Operation Masakhane" (Cit, p15; St, p8, 06/09).
    
  Gauteng to reduce welfare subsidies:
    The Gauteng Department of Social Welfare would reduce its financing
    of most of social welfare services from December 1 due to lack of funds,
    the department said in a statement (Cit, p17; PN, p1, 06/09).
    
  Evictions are suspended:
    The Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council has suspended
    evictions of illegal land invaders at Moffat Park, South Hills, following
    a court application by the squatters (BD, p4, 06/09).
    Moves to speed up housing:
    Gauteng's provincial Housing Board met 16 underperforming
    construction groups in a bid to speed up delivery, agreeing on methods
    of reducing political risks faced by developers (BD, p4, 06/09).
    
  Council to discuss  frozen' committees:
    The Executive Committee of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan
    Council will meet next Thursday to discuss a recommendation to freeze
    some of its key advisory committees until after the November local
    elections have taken place (BD, p6, 06/09).
    
  EASTERN CAPE
  
  Eastern Cape troubles:
    African National Congress veteran, Walter Sisulu, has admitted the ANC
    led Eastern Cape government faced serious problems, but called on those
    disenchanted with the provincial administration to give Premier
    Raymond Mhlaba a chance to "prove himself" (Cit, p2, 06/09).
    
  
  LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION ISSUES
  
  Randburg opts for independents:
    Randburg's business community would field its own independent
    candidates in the forthcoming local elections if necessary, Randburg's
    Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Afrikaanse Sakekamer said. 
    In a united action, which businessmen said was effectively a vote of no
    confidence in all political parties, the two organisations have decided to
    join forces and take matters into their own hands (Cit, p3, 06/09).
    
  Registering in Northern Province delayed:
    Northern Province Land Affairs and Local Government MEC, John
    Dombo, said registration of candidates for local government elections in
    the province had been postponed until September 12.  He told a media
    conference in Pietersburg that the postponement was due to uncertainties
    over the demarcation of wards and borders (Cit, p12, 06/09). 
    
  Former FP leader in new court action:
    Former Federal Party leader, Mrs Frances Kendall-Louw, resumed her
    battle in the Rand Supreme Court yesterday 05/09 against the
    Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council and members of its
    Executive Committee.  Mrs Kendall is challenging the legitimacy of the
    Executive Committee, claiming proper election procedures were not
    followed (Cit, p18, 06/09).
    
  
  CONCLUSION
  
  PROBLEM AREAS
  
   Reduction of welfare subsidies by the Gauteng Department of Social
   Welfare.
   Disenchantment with the Eastern Cape Premier, Raymond Mhlaba
   Registration of candidates for local government in the Northern
   Province.
    
  
  Compiled by: David Raphadu
  Communication Centre
  SA Communication Service
  
  This report focuses on issues concerning the Local Government
  Elections.  Similar reports about the Eastern Cape (EC), KwaZulu-Natal 
  (KZN), Northern Cape (NC), Western Cape (WC), Northern
  Province, Eastern Transvaal (ET), North-West (NW) and Orange
  Free State (OFS) are issued weekly.  Media coverage of issues at
  national level are evaluated in our weekly social, security, economic
  and political reports, while our daily Reconstruction and Development
  Programme (RDP) report deals with these issues specifically.