SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 002656 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PGOV ASEC SF POL PAS ECON SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 21-24 PRETORIA 00002656 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) This was written in partnership with the Open Source Center's Pretoria Bureau. The newsletter is open to contributions from officers in the Embassy or in the Consulates who wish to highlight political trends. Contact Madeline Seidenstricker or Jonathan Smallridge for more information, or to make contributions. The newsletter also is available on the Political Section's blog, "A View from South Africa," found on intelink.gov. -------------- Domestic News -------------- Groundswell of Opposition to Communists within ANC Reportedly Growing ¶2. (SBU) Mail and Guardian reports that the booing of ANC Youth League President Julius Malema by delegates at the South African Communist Party's [SACP] special conference in Polokwane has intensified a "groundswell" of opposition to communists within the ANC. The report notes that the growing hostility towards the left is manifested by the mounting pressure on Gwede Mantashe to choose between his two roles -- as ANC secretary general and as the SACP chairperson. The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) accused Mantashe of failing to defend Malema because of his conflicting roles, something that ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe has acknowledged as a concern. ANC president Jacob Zuma has instructed the delegation to the conference to submit a full report on the booing incident to enable the NEC to engage the SACP early next year. The notion that the leftist alliance partners are bent on seizing control of the ANC has long caused tensions within the ANC-led alliance. There are rumors as of December 24 that there are going to be special "Christmas meetings" between member of the ruling alliance to work through differences ahead of the ANC's anniversary celebrations on January 9. [Johannesburg Mail & Guardian in English -- privately-owned weekly investigative newspaper] -------------- International News -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Begin text of President Zuma's Address to UN Climate Change Summit 18 DECEMBER 2009 Excellencies, Your Majesties, We have all gathered here because we understand the enormous challenge we face as a result of climate change. A lot of work has been done over a period of time by our negotiators as well as the United Nations to assist the world to reach agreement. Climate change is a practical matter for the developing world, especially Africa. For countries such as South Africa, weather patterns in coastal provinces are already wreaking havoc on the lives of our people, which makes this challenge a reality that we are already confronting. We came here knowing that reaching an agreement would be critical for future generations to avoid fundamental and irreversible changes in climate. We knew that the outcome of this Conference would have to give effect to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Some facts are already well known. Developed countries are historically responsible for 80 percent of the current emissions in the atmosphere. Developing countries are most affected by climate change. As they justifiably pursue their own development paths, it is expected that developing countries' emissions will increase. In the long-term, we need an agreement that recognizes the common responsibility of all nations to reduce emissions, while not retarding the development of developing countries. Our view remains that all developed countries must commit to ambitious, legally Qthat all developed countries must commit to ambitious, legally binding emission reduction targets, in with historical responsibility and in line with needs of science. Developing countries should commit to nationally appropriate mitigation action, to achieve a decline in emissions relative to business as usual. This would be conditional on finance, technology and capacity building support from developed countries. Developing countries are ready to play their part in reducing global emissions, but obviously rich countries have to take the lead. With financial and technological support from developed countries, South Africa for example will be able to reduce emissions by 34% below 'business as usual' levels by 2020 and by 42% by 2025. We wanted a complete, legally binding agreement, but accept the progress that has been made in COP 15. We support the fact that parties will continue negotiating two complementary binding instruments: one under the UN Convention and one under the Kyoto Protocol. We have made progress in that we have been able to isolate the areas of agreement and disagreement. We need to move with speed to finalise the areas of disagreement, in order to conclude a legally binding agreement for the sake of future generations. We, the leaders of the world, need to seize our PRETORIA 00002656 002.2 OF 002 historical responsibility to act now to safeguard the future of humanity and the planet it inhabits. We owe it to current and future generations. I thank you. End Text. "Marooned" Rival Madagascar Political Negotiators To Return To Country on December 18 ¶4. (SBU) AFP reports that Madagascar's rival opposition leaders were allowed to return to the country on 18 December after being "marooned" in Mozambique last week. The opposition leaders were prevented from flying home following a series of talks in the capital Maputo on the sharing of transitional government posts in a bid to solve the island nation's political crisis. Andry Rajoelina, who seized power with the backing of the army last March, boycotted the talks, reacting "furiously" against an arrangement that he claimed demoted him to the same level as other faction leaders. His rivals were reportedly due to fly back to Madagascar on a specially chartered Air Madagascar plane on 15 December, but this flight was not authorized by the civil aviation authority. Rajoelina announced that parliamentary elections will be held in March 2010. [AFP (World Service) in English -- world news service of the independent French news agency Agence France Presse] Gips