The elections in South Africa are just over a month away. Shortly, South Africa will have its first democratic government. The coverage of the major political event of the year from the mass media has been stunning.
The establishment media have chosen to turn a blinkered eye to events in South Africa, covering only selectively what is actually going on. Top on the agenda is the cricket. The fact that Australia lost the first test commanded more news time and space than any single news item from South Africa since Nelson Mandela's release from prison.
Running a close second for the establishment media is violence. Sensationalising the violence in the run up to the elections, they ignore the politics behind it.
Third and last on the agenda of the mainstream commentators is the political antics of the extreme right. The stalling, veiled threats and feints of the "Freedom Alliance" are given maximum coverage. The actions of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies to build a broad political culture in South Africa are virtually ignored.
For a month now, Green Left has had a correspondent stationed in South Africa. Unlike most of the foreign journalists there, Norm Dixon has been covering the political developments. Green Left Weekly has reported on the initiatives of the ANC to promote voter registration and on the growing confidence of the movement for democracy in the "homelands" and elsewhere. Green Left was the only Australian newspaper to report on the program of the ANC Women's League for a new South Africa.
In this issue, Green Left is covering the actions by the trade union federation COSATU to educate its constituency in voting. It's unlikely you'll read this anywhere else in the Australian media.
Green Left is dedicated to putting across the real political facts of the situation, and so we strain our resources to keep our South Africa bureau open. You can help. If you think Norm Dixon's coverage of South Africa is worth reading, perhaps you can help keep him there. Every donation will play a part. Green Left Weekly — it's your paper.