Friday, March 19, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.

Making headlines:
Unsurprisingly, President Jacob Zuma comfortably survived a motion of no confidence yesterday, when an amendment motion proposing full confidence was adopted in the National Assembly instead.
Congress of the People (Cope) Parliamentary leader Mvume Dandala, who proposed the motion of no confidence, said that Zuma "had let South Africa down" and "failed to live up to the expectations of a broad spectrum of South Africans". Democratic Alliance Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip supported the motion, saying that Zuma's actions had damaged the people's faith in his ability to properly lead the country. Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille also supported the motion, saying that the public would no longer be misled by Zuma's "smile and fake apologies". The motion of no confidence was also supported by the African Christian Democratic Party and the Freedom Front Plus, while the Inkatha Freedom Party refused to support the motion, saying that times are too "dire" to undermine the commander in chief.
Speaking in support of the African National Congress's (ANC's) amendment motion of full confidence in Zuma, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said that the ANC knew it was not getting a "Pope" when it elected Zuma as its leader. Radebe then launched a strongly worded attack on Cope, accusing it of using Parliament to indulge in "cheap publicity", while Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu asked that the rules of Parliament be changed so that motions lacking substance or a reasonable prospect of success be thrown out.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has conceded that the lack of clarity with regard to the international climate change regime is "not good for business".
"The future of the Kyoto Protocol is not clear, hence the future of the clean development mechanism is unclear," said Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica in a speech read at a conference by her climate change adviser Xolisa Ngwadla.
However, it was also stated that numerous government policies and action plans were in agreement that a shift towards a cleaner ‘green' and low carbon economy in South Africa were inevitable and would have benefits. Thus, investment in this area would not be misplaced.
Commentators from business present at the Merchantec Carbon conference yesterday, indicated that they had not been thoroughly consulted on the government's climate change plans for the future. A particular concern was just how South Africa would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 34% below the business as usual scenario by 2020. Whether or not this would be further broken down into sectoral targets and what individual companies would be obliged to do in this scenario were questions that business felt should be clearly articulated by government.

The iron-ore mineral right that ArcelorMittal South Africa "lost" at the Sishen iron-ore mine has been awarded to Imperial Crown Trading, the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) said yesterday.
DMR spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said that the department had awarded the prospecting right for a 21,4% undivided share in the Sishen mine to the little-known, but politically connected, Imperial Crown.
The company reportedly has close links with the governing African National Congress, with its board reportedly including Andrew Hendricks, the husband of former Minerals and Energy Minister Lindiwe Hendricks.

Also making headlines:

The African National Congress criticises the South African National Editors Forum for supporting a complaint about its Youth League for alleged blackmail, lodged by political journalists earlier this week.
Members of the World Trade Organisation are likely to deduce that it will take a political miracle to conclude the Doha Round of trade talks this year.
The Democratic Alliance alleges that a company partly owned by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda was unlawfully awarded a R67,8-million tender by the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department.
And, South African President and mediator Jacob Zuma says that Zimbabwe's leaders have agreed on the requirements to rescue a fragile unity government and will now work towards a deal.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.