The Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the African National Congress of trying to lure a number of DA councillors with offers of financial inducements, positions, additional perks and privileges, during the 15-day floor-crossing period. So far, about 10 instances of bribery from around the country have been reported. However, ongoing reports suggest the scale of enticements might be much larger.

Blade Nzimande, the secretary-general of the SA Communist Party (SACP), told the ninth congress of the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) that the black economic empowerment (BEE) was not empowering workers, but enriching the few. In the midst of increasing working-class struggles over casualisation of the workforce, outsourcing and the continuing jobless bloodbath, he encouraged an audit of BEE in order to ensure that it was in fact creating more jobs, the fundamental criterion of black empowerment.

Date: 28-29 September 2004

The National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI) extends an invitation to your organisation to attend a conference from 28 - 29 September 2004 on "Improving the Impact of Poverty Eradication Programmes in South Africa." Civil society organisations and trade unions have been allocated two delegates per organisation, while all other structures have been allocated one delegate

Deadline: 15 October 2004

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office invites applications for post-graduate study in the United Kingdom (UK) under the British Chevening Scholarship scheme. The candidates will be committed to returning to South Africa on completion of their studies to contribute towards its socio-economic development.

Public service union leaders were excited by the turnout around the country in protest against government's wage offer on Thursday. National Health and Allied Workers Union president Nolunthundu Mayinde-Sibiya said in Pretoria the turnout was looking very good.

"The mythology of the new social movements is growing by the day. The exploits of individuals, of organisations, of communities are added to a growing volume of current history that is in a state of constant flux. Participants in the formation of the mythology must take responsibility for ensuring that the myth that endures remains true to the events as they occurred. Maintaining democratic processes, ensuring constant reflection, openness and transparency engagement, principled action, openness to criticism and remaining accountable to constituencies will ensure the sanctity of the myth and the growth of a robust community lead social movement," concludes an article on the website of the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu Natal.

The 60th birthday of the Bretton Woods Institutions - the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) - will be formally celebrated early next month, amidst the distraction of the US presidential campaign. Finance ministers and bankers will gather in Washington for the terrible twins' annual meeting, and the DC-based Mobilization for Global Justice and 50 Years is Enough! Network will host some small-scale events. The two major International Financial Institutions (IFIs) continue to show their disdain for societies and environments. Around the world, civil society groups, especially those associated with the "IFI's -OUT!" movement have declared 1-12 October an international protest period.

Close to 8,000 South Africans are now receiving anti-AIDS drugs, but several provinces are still not doing enough to rapidly roll out the treatment programme, an NGO coalition has said in a new report.

A meeting was held on 8 September 2004 among civil society members to discuss the ICT Empowerment Charter and how it would affect each of their organizations. Several South African organizations have recognized the Charter as being essential in their progress towards socio-economic
development. By using the ICT sector to encourage civil society participation, South Africa aims to address the impact that historical imbalances have had on the country.

The Department of Health (DoH) in the Limpopo Province and the European Union invite proposals from NPOs providing Primary Health Care and HIV/Aids services in the Bohlabela and Sekhukhune districts only.

The Non-Profit Consortium (NPC) is hosting training workshops in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape in September and October on taxation and Non Profit Organisation laws.

Zwelihle soaps Ndumiso thoroughly, dries him with a frayed face cloth then smears Vaseline over his square little face and body while the seven-year-old giggles and wriggles. For the past 18 months since he was 14, Zwe has been parenting his two younger brothers. Parliament is discussing the Children’s Bill at present, and grappling with how to deal with child-headed households.

South Africa's largest mining company, Anglo American, is seeking to defuse a row after remarks by its chief executive angered President Thabo Mbeki. Tony Trahar said last week that the political risk of investing in South Africa is diminishing, but not gone. President Mbeki reacted accusing the company of paying black workers badly during apartheid and of withholding investment in South Africa. This row has its roots in the political path adopted by the African National Congress after it came to power 10 years ago. It abandoned much of its socialist rhetoric and embraced business friendly, market orientated policies.

South Africa's parliament approved a new law on Thursday to regulate traditional African healers. Millions of South Africans consult more than 200 000 traditional healers, who use rituals and herbal medicines to treat a wide range of illnesses. The Traditional Health Practitioners Bill - which must still be ratified by South Africa's second House - aims to regulate their activities, including barring them from treating fatal diseases such as cancer and Aids. It will also create a council to licence the healers.

The US and the South African government signed a bilateral co-operation agreement in order to improve social development and fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Through the US Agency of International Development (USAID), the money will be used to improve housing, education and skills, the judicial system, economic growth and fight the HIV/AIDS endemic.

The opportunities for education in public schools are still unequal between Black and White children, even after apartheid. Given that school quality affects returns to schooling and earning opportunities in labor markets, the inequality causes income inequality between Black and White. This is according to an International Food Policy Research Institute discussion paper.

There will be large celebrations this weekend in the Tigerkloof community, near Vryburg in the North West, as it will mark the 100-year anniversary of the Tigerkloof Educational Institution, as well as the return of land to its rightful owners.

Bridges.org is facilitating the donation of 120 Hewlett Packard (HP) H4150 iPAQ handheld devices (handhelds) to support innovative projects in South Africa. The aim is to highlight the most exciting use of handheld devices for social or economic development in order to enable innovative projects to benefit from technology that might otherwise not be accessible to them. Winning projects will be captured in case studies to highlight how handhelds can benefit South Africa and the developing world. The deadline for submission is 8 October 2004.

This research was commissioned by the South African National Department of Health to inform an appropriate and co-ordinated response to the needs of children made vulnerable in the context of the HIV/Aids pandemic in South Africa.

South African unions for nurses, teachers and police are preparing for a strike on September 16 after rejecting a government wage offer, union leaders said on Tuesday. The strike could involve up to 800,000 public sector employees, making it the largest among civil servants in South Africa since August 1999.