Report on SA off the agenda at AU summit

The African Peer Review Mechanism report, a wide-ranging look at democracy and governance in African countries, was to have been presented to heads of state at the summit, says BuaNews. It has instead been postponed for discussion to July, according to Public Services Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the APRM Governing Council\'s Chairperson. \'The heads of State did not table SA’s report largely because it is still a draft and incomplete,\' said Fraser-Moleketi. A government statement said the draft report \'contained factual errors and did not include the most recent comprehensive SA Programme of Action\', which had been sent to the panel as agreed upon in the second week of January 2007. The Minister dispelled speculations that the SA Government was not happy about the content of the report. Full BuaNews report

Critics expressed dismay at the official explanation for delaying consideration of the report. A report on the Business Day site says they also questioned the suggestion that there were errors in the report. \'It sounds very unlikely in my view,\' said analyst Ralph Mathekga, of the Institute for Democracy in Africa, a think-tank involved in SA’s review process. \'What would the factual errors be? The report is about perception of the country; how could factual errors get into that,\' he asked. Ross Herbert, leader of an African Peer Review Mechanism research team in Pretoria, said putting back discussion of the report bought SA time to consult on how to deal with its major problems. ‘They are in this position because they didn’t consult on the plan of action,’ he said. And Beeld quotes Ross Herbert, of the SA Institute of International Affairs, as saying the news of the delay would disappoint many people. \'It was mooted that the government would put its plan to solve the country\'s problem into action after the meeting,\' he said. Full report on Business Day site Full Beeld report

The APRM report is damning and potentially embarrassing. As reported in Legalbrief Forensic last week the report identified the spread of corruption, lack of official accountability and the country’s high crime rates as serious problems. South Africans ‘are opposed to this creeping corruption and feel betrayed, regarding corruption as a negation of democratic gains after a long period of struggle’, the report said, noting there was special concern over the provision of social services such as housing. While acknowledging that South Africa\'s political system allows for free and fair elections, it urged the country ‘to find creative ways of making MPs more accountable to the electorate and less to the party hierarchy’, says a report on the FIN24 site. SA is only the fourth African country to undergo the review, after Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. Unofficial publication of the report has triggered critical comments from analysts who say the government\'s plan of action in response to the review ignores some key issues. ‘It did not deal with crucial national issues like crime, corruption, rampant conflict of interest (in government) and significant weaknesses in the national political system,’ said Ross Herbert, of the SA Institute of International Affairs. Full report on Finance24 site

Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has spoken out against crime and corruption. She called for an end to poverty and for the need to build moral values to help stop violent crime and corruption. Mlambo-Ngcuka said moral decay had fuelled violent crime and firm action should be taken against public servants found guilty of corruption, notes a report on the News24 site. The police and armed forces should exhibit behaviour that was exemplary and beyond reproach, she said. \'They should be encouraged to exhibit higher public service ethos, higher public service spirit and public morality. Anything less can be traumatising to society because our people need standards,\' Mlambo-Ngcuka said. Full report on News24 site