SOUTH AFRICA LAUNCHES APRM PROCESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 004411

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV EAID PGOV PREL SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA LAUNCHES APRM PROCESS


1. (U) This cable is Sensitive But Unclassified. Not for
Internet distribution.


2. (U) Summary. President Thabo Mbeki launched South
Africa's African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process on
September 28 by calling on his citizens to lead by example in
Africa's transformation. Mbeki admitted South Africa's
weaknesses in the areas of local government capacity and
corruption. He has tapped the Department of Public Service
and Administration's Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi to
lead the country through the APRM process. Civil society
voiced complaints about what they saw as a
government-dominated process; however, some of these
criticisms have been laid to rest since civil society groups
gained 10 out of 15 seats on the APRM Governing Council and
more time has been allocated for consultations. South
Africa's APRM process is scheduled to be complete by July

2006. End Summary.

Presidential Support
--------------


3. (U) President Thabo Mbeki declared his commitment to the
African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) through his attendance
at the September 28th launch for South Africa's peer review.
He called for South Africans not to forget all the support
they received from other Africans during the struggle against
apartheid and encouraged them to actively assist the rest of
Africa with its political and economic transformation. Mbeki
counseled participants that South Africa could not expect the
rest of the continent to change without itself conducting a
proper review. He warned that the rest of the continent
would be watching South Africa with higher expectations than
it held for other countries. He encouraged participants to
expose South Africa's weaknesses so that the government could
remedy them. During South Africa's APRM, for example, Mbeki
was "quite certain" that corruption would be raised as would
the lack of local government capacity. In the end, Mbeki
hoped the process would result in solving problems in a way
that could move the country forward.

Leader of the Pack: DPSA
--------------


4. (U) Mbeki tapped the South African Department of Public
Service and Administration (DPSA) to lead the APRM process.
In her keynote address, DPSA Minister Geraldine
Fraser-Moleketi noted that an APRM process would have been
inconceivable in South Africa not too long ago, but that now
South Africa was a "shining beacon on the global stage." The
APRM process was a way to learn how to do things better and
to create a "non-racial, non-sexist society."
Fraser-Moleketi wanted to ensure the participation of civil
society and community groups through provincial conferences,
local meetings with ward committees, and an interactive
website. In this effort, DPSA intends to employ as many as
2,000 community workers to administer the questionnaire that
will serve as the basis for the self-assessment report.
Fraser-Moleketi stated that South Africa was ready to answer
the tough questions and that the South African Government
(SAG) needed a clear vision of what was actually going on in
the country so it could do more.

Civil Society: Complaints and Recommendations
--------------


5. (SBU) In the run up to the APRM launch, various groups and
organizations comprising civil society criticized the SAG for
dominating the APRM process and for what they termed
non-transparency. They contrasted the South African process
with that of the Ghana, whose APRM they thought was led by
civil society in a transparent and inclusive way. In
response, Mbeki pondered at one point in his address as to
whether "we actually have an independent African civil
society, because you have civil society organizations funded
by the Americans, and the Swedes, and the Danes, and the
Japanese and so on, who set agendas." This statement was
widely quoted and interpreted by the local press as casting
doubt on whether the voice of civil society was South African
or foreign. (Comment: While this interpretation may partly
reflect what Mbeki was saying, he made the comment in the
context of motivating South Africans to take charge of their
own agenda, and to be active participants in setting the
course for their own future. End Comment.)


6. (U) Laura Kganyago of the National Women's Coalition spoke
on behalf of the Economic, Social, and Cultural Council
(ECOSOCC),an advisory organ of the African Union. Kganyago
felt that the APRM's Governing Council should have more
representatives from civil society than from government. She
also called for publicly-distributed questionnaires to be
translated into all eleven official languages, and to make
them easily accessible to people in rural areas. She wanted
the APRM process to be clearly explained to all citizens
through the distribution of a simple manual that could be
understood by South Africans possessing little education.
Kganyago hoped that the final report would improve living and
working conditions in South Africa and eventually lead to
making South Africa more attractive to investors.

Governing Council Allays Some Fears
--------------


7. (U) Many of the initial complaints made by civil society
groups subsided after the timetable for the APRM process was
extended to nine months and the Governing Council was
expanded to include more civil society members. This allowed
participating groups more time for community consultations
and better representation on the Governing Council. Concerns
remain about loading the Council with five powerful Cabinet
members and the way that the questionnaire seems to leads
respondents to answer favorably.


8. (U) The Governing Council will consist of five government
representatives and ten civil society representatives. The
five government members are Finance Minister Trevor Manuel,
Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa, Justice Minister
Bridgette Mabandla, Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad,
and DPSA Minister Fraser-Moleketi (Chairperson). The ten
civil society members represent labor, youth, NGOs, and
faith-based institutions. They are as follows:

-- Mr. Bheki Sibiya, Business Unity South Africa
-- Mr. Lukes Matoto, Disabled People South Africa
-- Ms. Zanele Twala, South African National NGO Coalition
-- Dr. Nomonde Mqhai, South African Youth Council
-- Ms. Thabisile Msezani, South African Council of Churches
-- Mr. Randall Howard, Congress of South African Trade
Unions
-- Dr. Mongane Wally Serote, Arts and Culture Sector
-- Mr. Master Mahlobogoane, South African National Civic
Organization
-- Ms. Laura Kganyago, National Women's Coalition
-- Mr. Moemedi Kepadisa, National Council of Trade Unions

APRM Stages
--------------


9. (U) The formal APRM process will move through the
following five stages: (1) preparation of a Country
Self-Assessment report and Program of Action based on a
public questionnaire -- covering political governance,
economic management, corporate governance, and socio-economic
development; (2) submission of the Self Assessment and
Program of Action to the APRM Secretariat; (3) consultations
with the Country Review Team, led by Nigerian Professor
Adebayo Adedeji; (4) preparation of the Country Review Team's
response to the report; and (5) submission of all reports to
the African Peer Review Forum for later public release. An
APRM team will return to South Africa at a later date to
assess progress on the country's Program of Action.


10. (U) The target date for completion of South Africa's APRM
process is July 2006. South Africa's Governing Council must
now finalize its national questionnaire and formulate a road
map to the finish. In November, the African Peer Review
Secretariat will send a Country Support Team, led by Adedeji,

SIPDIS
to assess South Africa's readiness to begin the process. As
a follow-up to the launch event, South Africa plans to hold a
second public consultative event, which will assist the
Governing Council in making progress towards the final report.
HARTLEY