Thursday, February 26, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
The ruling African National Congress yesterday released its Parliamentary candidate list, where Finance Minister Trevor Manuel features strongly
There were no surprises at the top with ANC President Jacob Zuma and his party deputy Kgalema Motlanthe in the first two places on the list, followed by ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete at third place.
Trevor Manuel featured at No 4 on the list, with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at No 5.
The party's secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said that it is reasonable to assume that Motlanthe will take up the Deputy Presidency of the country.
Former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka does not feature at all on the party's top 100 list. Reports indicate that she is being wooed by the Congress of the People to join the breakaway party.

In other news, Southern African Development Community ministers meet in Cape Town today to discuss Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to consider a regional response to the global economic downturn.
The ministerial council will be hosted by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and attended by economy, finance, foreign affairs, regional affairs and cooperation Ministers from the bloc's 15 member states.
Zimbabwe's fragile unity government is threatened by the detention of the Movement for Democratic Change's Roy Bennett, and some 30 other activists and supporters of the former opposition.

In other news, former National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli, said at a debate yesterday that South Africans need to put the country's interests first, and not the interests of political parties.
Speaking on executive powers prescribed in the Constitution, Pikoli said that the issue is not where power resides but how it is being exercised. It is this that necessitates watchdogs in our society.
Pikoli asserted that Parliament has failed in this duty, as Members of Parliament tend to protect party political interests rather than public interests.
Pikoli is challenging President Kgalema Motlanthe's decision to fire him not because he wants his job back, he says, but in order to protect an important principle.

Also making headlines:
A climate change research organisation says that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere accelerated in 2008.
Congress of the People front man Mosiuoa Lekota says that South Africa no longer needs a liberation party but a real government.
And, ANC President Jacob Zuma says that the protection of jobs is the biggest challenge during the financial crisis.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.