-Caveat Lector- The sunday times- London April 18 1999 AFRICA Millions denied vote in ANC bid to squeeze rivals by RW Johnson Johannesburg AFTER working in South Africa for nearly four decades, Stan Moore, a Liverpool-born personnel manager, was finally given the vote - along with more than half a million other foreign residents - in the 1994 elections that ended white rule. Five years later, however, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has disenfranchised them all in what critics say is a deliberate attempt by the party to tip the result in its favour in this year's elections on June 2. "When only whites had the vote here the Afrikaner nationalists had the whole situation locked up in their favour," said Moore, who retired recently from Anglo-American, the giant mining group. "But then we were all given the vote in 1994 and it really counted. Now the ANC are taking the vote from people like me because we're white and likely to vote for the opposition." Foreign residents like Moore form only one of several disgruntled groups complaining bitterly that the ANC, having come to power after a long struggle for universal suffrage, has set out to deprive opponents of the vote in its attempt to achieve the two-thirds majority that would allow it to make changes to the constitution. Under the new rules, South Africans studying, working or visiting abroad in June will not be allowed to vote, even though they were in 1994. There is no provision for postal voting. This would have excluded the country's cricket team, who will be in playing in the World Cup in England at the time. But after a public outcry, the government made an exception last week for those who register before leaving the country. Both groups are dwarfed, however, by the several million voters at home - mostly whites, coloureds and Asians - effectively disenfranchised by a new law that restricts the vote to those who can produce an up-to-date barcoded identity book. Under apartheid, the non-blacks were the first to be given identity papers. Although these old-fashioned documents are still legally valid, the government has insisted that only those who change them for modern computer-readable IDs will be allowed to vote. The opposition parties, conscious that it is predominantly their voters who are being disenfranchised, have fought the case up to the Constitutional Court - and failed. The court, which has a clear majority of ANC-leaning judges, has rubbed salt into their wounds by simultaneously deciding to extend the vote to the country's 150,000 prisoners, more than 90% of whom are black and expected to vote in disproportionately large numbers for the ANC. There is no doubting the boost the ruling party will obtain from the changes. Under the old rules, the ANC looked hard-pressed to match the 62.7% it won in 1994. With the various groups excluded, its share jumps to 64.5% - tantalisingy close to two-thirds. Under South Africa's system of proportional representation, the parties' share of seats closely reflects their share of the vote. The ANC has suggested it could change the constitution to exert greater political control over such independent institutions as the reserve bank, the auditor-general and the judiciary. An even greater fear among opposition politicians is that it might alter the constitution's property clause to allow for expropriation without compensation. Many whites see in the advance of the ANC juggernaut the impending arrival of a one-party state along Zimbabwean lines. The National party's posters echo the chaos of the state to the north: "Mugabe has two-thirds." The ANC, for its part, insists its intentions are benign but does not rule out any such changes. People like Moore are not convinced. April 18 1999 BRITAIN Plastics linked to sex mutation by Steve Farrar, Science Correspondent CHEMICALS in common plastics have been found to warp the sexual development of male rats, raising fears that man-made substances may be responsible for sexual mutations in animals and falling human sperm counts. A team of American government scientists has announced the first results from the most extensive toxicology tests yet undertaken of phthalates, oily solvents used to soften PVC. These are believed to be the most common artificial chemical found in the modern environment and are used in many household products, including children's toys. The scientists found that if large doses of the most ubiquitous phthalate, DEHP, were given to pregnant rats, their male offspring would often show sexual deformities, such as smaller or missing testicles or the development of nipples. The effects, detailed in the journal Toxicology and Industrial Health, were so pronounced that the team from the Environmental Protection Agency expects a significant impact to emerge even at lower doses. They believe similar effects may occur in humans if the phthalates are ingested, although such a link has not yet been proved. The research suggested the deformities were produced because the chemical blocked the action of male hormones, disrupting the development of unborn male rats and greatly reducing the production of testosterone. The findings have brought calls for Britain to join many European nations that have already restricted or plan to restrict the use of the chemicals, particularly in toys, including most soft rattles and teething rings. "These are not subtle effects; they are severe deformations, and as we start testing lower doses we still expect to see an impact," said Dr Earl Gray, the leader of the research team. He said the research was now looking at doses in line with those people might receive in their homes, where phthalates occur not only in PVC products but also as pollutants in most foods and in dust. Gray added that research by other teams had indicated that the damaging effects of phthalates were not restricted to rats and that it was feasible for humans to be at risk. Research into this was required. Studies have revealed that human sperm counts are tumbling in western nations and evidence is growing of peculiar and unexplained sexual changes in animals. [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Next page: 'Pear-shaped' British ballerinas cast out <stinwenws01018.html?1201011> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! 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