Thursday, April 23, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
As South Africa's election results stream in, it seems clear that the African National Congress is headed for election victory, despite a reinvigorated challenge by the opposition.
Early results showed that the ANC led the race with 64%, battering the hopes of the Congress of the People that it might pose the first real challenge to the ruling party since the end of apartheid in 1994.
For many voters, the ANC's credentials from the fight against white minority rule still outweigh frustrations with its failure to tackle widespread crime, poverty and HIV/Aids.
Opposition parties hoped to at least deprive the ANC of the two-thirds Parliamentary majority that would allow the party to change the Constitution and entrench its hold, but it is too early to say if this is the case yet.
The final result is not expected before Friday, but there is little doubt that Jacob Zuma will become President, only three weeks after prosecutors dropped an eight-year-old corruption case that had tainted his reputation.

In African news, the United Nation's Aids agency has said that Africa needs to manufacture its own generic drugs if it is to fight HIV/Aids and ensure that the financial crisis does not stop patients from getting treatment.
Executive director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, said that the production of generic drugs in Africa is necessary to increase coverage, but it also needs to be a profitable business.
Currently, South Africa is the only African country manufacturing its own HIV/Aids drugs.
Sidibé said that local production needs to happen quickly, as the majority of infected Africans have no access to treatment. This step would be important politically and economically, furthering the integration of Africa into the global market.

In other South African election news, Independent Electoral Commmision chairperson Brigalia Bam reported that there were a number of irregularities in several provinces as South Africa voted yesterday.
In Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, an area manager lost all her voting material, including ballot papers, while some 50 marked ballot papers were found in the same area. In Ulundi, 100 marked ballot papers were found, and the presiding officer, who allegedly confessed to police, was arrested and is expected to appear in court today.
In Brits, a Democratic Alliance official was handed a marked ballot paper. Bam said that the presiding officer at the voting station was fired. And, in Limpopo province a presiding officer had been found acting in a "partisan manner".
Chief electoral officer Pansy Tlakula said that these incidents should not be exaggerated, as it was merely a "drop in the ocean", since 58-million ballots had been printed.

Also making headlines:
In Madagascar, the new government under Andry Rajoelina says that early Presidential elections would be unwise.
Delegates at a United Nations summit on racism, have adopted an antiracism declaration in an effort to calm the impact of controversial comments made by Iran's President on Monday.
South African election results show that the Congress of the People is trailing ANC in the Eastern Cape, which the new party had proclaimed was a Cope stronghold.
And, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille says that she is pleased with her party's early results.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.