In the news...

I've been caught off guard a few times now by stories in the papers here about events in the US: the snowstorm on the East Coast, a plane crashing into a Texas tax office, etc. [Update on Thursday 25 February: the cover of today's paper was an aerial shot of the orca tanks at Sea World; it was a shock to read about that tragic event.]

In general, besides the occasional sensational snippet, North American happenings just don't make the news here unless they have some relevance to South Africa, or at least to the African continent. This means events that I normally would have followed closely at home, such as Obama's State of the Union address and the Winter Olympics, are barely in the media or on the public's radar here. Instead, I've been getting caught up in the coverage of South African President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation address, widely considered tepid and unremarkable, and the more closely followed announcement of the national budget a week later. The latter included some bold - and controversial - proposals: including the raising of so-called "sin" taxes on cigarettes and alcohol and getting a carbon tax in the works. The carbon tax is preferred here to the, less effective (in my opinion), carbon-credit trading scheme favored back in the US. Energy prices are also in the news, as Eskom (South Africa's public power supply company) has requested rate hikes of 35% for each of the next 3 years. The company argues that they need to increase capacity and, plans to do so have been delayed for the past ten years, but there has been much public opposition to this request. [Thursday update: with much public outcry, the National Energy Regulator announced yesterday that it has granted Eskom rate increases of 24.8%, 25.8%, and 25.9% over the next three years.]

Another issue fomenting debate here is an increasing demand for public officials to be subjected to "lifestyle audits." Accusations of corrupt profiteering and abuse of office, which are supported by conspicuous purchases of luxury items (fancy cars and homes, for example) that get publicized in the media, have been simmering for a few years now, and a number of prominent party officials and other public figures have been subjected to awkward grillings over their lavish lifestyles. The latest to be asked to explain the origin of his wealth is the already-controversial Julius Malema, the ANC Youth League president. The result has been an exchange of partisan and increasingly vitriolic accusations. The mudslinging is a bit entertaining, but at its core it's all more discouraging than anything else. It will be interesting to see if these "audits," whether they get formalized or not, start making any difference. ANC unity does seem at some risk, and their hold on power may be eroded as public opinion, at least in some quarters, sours on the ruling party.