Cablegate: South Africa Political Newsletter

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SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA POLITICAL NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 25-31

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.

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Domestic News
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Trafficking Suspect Denied Bail

2. A 34-year old Thai woman arrested for human trafficking was
denied bail by the Rustenburg Magistrate's Court on December 29
because she was deemed to be a flight risk. Giang Brooderyk was
arrested on November 26 for allegedly assisting women from Thailand
to enter South Africa illegally. The accused allegedly promised the
women work at her massage parlor, but then forced her victims into
prostitution. The case has been postponed until February 1 for
further investigation. Pretoria News, December 31.

President Zuma to Wed, Again

3. President Jacob Zuma plans to marry Thobeka Mabhija on January
4. Details of the wedding are being kept under wraps. The ceremony
is scheduled to take place exactly two years after President Zuma
married Nopumelelo Ntuli. The new first lady-to-be was born in 1973
in Durban and has a bachelor's degree in business from the
University of Zululand. President Zuma is also currently married to
Sizakele Khumalo. President Zuma and Home Affairs Minister
Nkozasana Dlamini-Zuma were divorced in 1998, and Zuma's former wife
Kate died in 2000. The Sowetan, December 20, 2009.

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International News
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South Africa to Strengthen Ties with BRIC Countries

4. (U) Business Day reported on 29 December that South Africa
planned to strengthen trade ties next year with other dynamic
industrializing economies such as China, India, and Brazil, which
united in a common front at this month's climate change talks in
Copenhagen. The common position of the four countries, which all
have industrializing economies but are burdened with severe
developmental challenges, is a binding force in international
negotiations on a number of fronts as they resist attempts by
developed nations to categorize them as developed, rather than
developing. What the world needed with trade and climate change
negotiations, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said this week,
was for developed countries to make big concessions to developing
countries to build a fairer world. Instead, strong demands for
concessions were made against the larger developing countries,
including SA. As far as strengthening south- south trade was
concerned, Davies said discussions were in the pipeline on an
enlargement of the trade agreement between India, the Southern
African Customs Union (Sacu) and Latin American trade grouping
Mercosur. [Johannesburg Business Day Online in English -- Website of
privately owned regional newspaper; URL: http://www.bday.co.za/]

Gips

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