For news, S. Africa may shun the West

The ANC maintains it has nothing to do with the SABC's editorial decisions, but has nonetheless welcomed the debate.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said it reflected "mature thinking" on the part of the broadcasting agency. "This planned action should be seen as a need for diversity of news," he said. "We need to expose South Africans to events happening in other parts of world."

Ihron Rensburg, a spokesman for SABC, says the issue has become too politicized, and points out other bidders for the late night spot: such as the BBC; the Australian and Canadian broadcasters, ABC and CBC; the German network, ZDF; and ANI of India.

The ideal scenario - proving a collection of news feeds for viewers - would be too costly, Mr. Rensburg says. "We owe it to the public of South Africa to provide the widest range of views and opinions as events unfold," said Rensburg, who then added, "We should not leave the impression that Al Jazeera is a bunch of isolated crazies."

The debate comes at a touchy time - with recent claims that South Africa could be providing a haven for Al Qaeda.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported mounting evidence of Al Qaeda's presence in South Africa, and quoted Gideon Jones, the FBI-trained former head of the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the South African Police Force, as saying South Africa is "a perfect place to cool off, regroup, and plan your finances. The communications and infrastructure are excellent ... and our law enforcement is overstretched."

The report went on to say that various Islamic groups, including Al Qaeda, were laundering money through South Africa, and smuggling gold, diamonds, and cash through its ports - especially Durban and neighboring Mozambican ports - to Dubai and Pakistan. Soon after, a radical South African Muslim group, the Movement Against Illegitimate Leaders (MAIL), claimed that 1,000 South Africans had gone to Pakistan and Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban after Sept. 11.

But Andrew Wilkinson, chairman of the Center for the Study of Terrorism at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, says he does not see real evidence for a sea change in South Africans' views on terrorism. "I have found considerable opposition to politically motivated terrorism among the population, Muslim and otherwise, in South Africa," he says. "What there is, rather, is evidence of a growing concern about US policy as regards Iraq - a criticism shared by other countries both in Africa and elsewhere."

As Mr. Fadaie leaves the mosque, one of several in this city, he strolls into a music store next door to look for a pop CD for his daughter's birthday. "It's not like we are saying we hate the US or anything," he explains after he hums the child's favorite Britney Spears tune for the store manager. "But it's time we made it clear we are not automatically in any camp, so to speak. We are Africans. We are reflecting."

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