Friday, August 21, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka announced in Parliament yesterday the 2010 launch of a turnaround strategy for failing municipalities. Government had "unleashed" a comprehensive assessment of municipalities, he said, ahead of an indaba later this year, where the strategy will be drafted.
The strategy might require amendments to the Constitution, to improve national oversight of municipalities. "We want to build a local government that is efficient, effective, responsive and accountable." Shiceka added that government also wanted to engage opposition parties on solving the problem of failing municipalities.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said that the government has made firm progress on six points of its plan for responding to the economic recession and stimulating a recovery. These include the establishment of a new national job fund to retrain workers vulnerable to retrenchment. The fund has been given R2,4-billion by the National Skills Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
Patel said that government has reacted to "huge job losses" by facilitating support for the automobile sector, a rescue package for the clothing and textile industry and increased incentives for transport equipment and metal products linked to the State's infrastructure investment programme.
The Minister added that steps were being taken to ease access to credit, and reported that the Industrial Development Corporation had made R6-billion available over the next two years to respond directly to the economic crisis.

Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe's lawyer has lashed out at former Constitutional Court judge Johann Kriegler, calling him an "old man" who has made "disturbing comments" about his client.
Hlophe's lawyer Barnabas Xulu was reacting to Kriegler's statements in a lecture at Wits University earlier this week that the independence of the judiciary is under threat from the push for transformation.
Kriegler also made comments about Hlophe, who is waiting to hear if the Judicial Service Commission is going ahead with an inquiry into allegations that he tried to interfere in a Constitutional Court ruling involving President Jacob Zuma. Kriegler stated that Hlophe's was "a pretty sad case of a very promising, bright young man who was promoted too quickly, given too much power and it went to his head".

Also making headlines:
New National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele promises a tougher take on the fight against crime.
The National Assembly adopts a motion that will drastically reduce the response time of smaller opposition parties for questions posed in the House.
The Democratic Republic of Congo awaits an imminent $600-million boost from the International Monetary Fund.
And, members of the East Africa Community trade bloc will streamline commercial laws to boost cross border and foreign investment.
That's a roundup of news making headlines today.