Friday, March 12, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.

Making headlines:
South Africa may need to enforce power cuts or raise electricity tariffs further if a disputed $3,75-billion loan from the World Bank is not approved, said Energy Department DG Nelisiwe Magubane yesterday.
The US and Britain have threatened to withhold support for the loan for a coal-fired plant in South Africa, expanding the battlefield in the global debate over who should pay for clean energy.
Magubane said that she was surprised by the apparent opposition from the US and Britain to the loan, particularly given that South Africa has not been asked to provide an alternative to coal in its application. She said that South Africa, reliant on coal for 95% of its electricity needs, has shown sufficient proof of plans to cap and reduce emissions after 2030. She said that the target could be met even with Medupi and another coal-fired plant, because less efficient old power stations would be retired.

Zimbabwe will have to rely on its own resources to revive its economy because foreign donors are unlikely to provide nearly enough help, said Finance Minister Tendai Biti yesterday.
The unity government formed by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says that it needs at least $10-billion to fix an economy emerging from a decade-long slump. But key Western donors have withheld aid and demanded broad political reforms and assurances that Mugabe is ready to genuinely share power.
Biti says that Zimbabwe will have to finance its projected budget deficit of $810-million from its own resources. In 2009, Zimbabwe was given $30-million from South Africa and $5-million from China, but Biti says that in 2010, Zimbabwe will have to mobilise its own resources.
Although the power-sharing government has managed to stabilise the economy after ten straight years of decline and inflation which peaked at 500-billion per cent, the country is struggling to restore productivity, feed itself and repair its ruined infrastructure.

Resources for building houses are limited and government cannot be pressurised with service delivery protests, said Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane yesterday.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Mokonyane said South Africa's status as a constitutional democracy does not mean that disgruntled citizens can do what they want. She warned protesters against infringing other people's rights and said that destroying communal facilities hurt the protesters more than anyone else.
The Premier suggested that some of the protest action, camouflaged as service delivery protests, may be caused by people who lost out on government tenders. She appealed for restraint and respect of the law during protests, saying that only genuine grievances will be attended to.

Also making headlines:

The African National Congress Youth League says that Julius Malema's singing of a struggle song was "blown out of proportion".
Alliance partners, the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party, both admit to mistakes in the row over a booing incident last year.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says that government is not considering life-style audits for senior public officials, as "there are already appropriate measures in place".
And, the Democratic Republic of Congo calls for United Nations troops to pull out in 2011, a move which human rights groups fear may spell disaster for civilians caught up in the conflict.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.