Tuesday, March 31, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille has vowed to persist in her calls for African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma to be prosecuted on the criminal charges he faces.
In a speech delivered in Paarl last night, Zille asserted that she would not back down.
She was responding to earlier remarks by Zuma, who told an ANC rally at the weekend that opposition parties were busy challenging a decision that did not yet exist, instead of focusing on their election campaigns.
The DA has stated that it will consider launching a private prosecution against Zuma if the National Prosecuting Authority drops the charges against him.

In Southern African news, leaders of the region have suspended Madagascar from the Southern African Development Community, and called on the island's new army-backed President to step down.
SADC said in a communique after a summit in Swaziland, that leaders of the grouping would not recognise Madagascar's self-proclaimed leader Andry Rajoelina, who took power in a move that has been condemned as a coup by the international community.
SADC Heads of State at the summit also reviewed an economic recovery plan presented by Zimbabwe, and agreed to push for an end to Western sanctions.

Back home, a survey by the Human Sciences Research Council has shown that most South Africans believe that religion and politics should be separated.
Seventy-two per cent of participants in the survey stated that religious leaders should not influence votes during elections, while two-thirds of South Africans stated that they were opposed to religious leaders influencing government decisions.
The results of this survey come as some political leaders have recently been accused of using the pulpit to promote their parties. Religious institutions have also come out in support of particular political parties and their leaders.

Also making headlines:
US President Barack Obama says that Sudan is facing an immediate crisis, and has sent an envoy to that country.
Zimbabwe asks for between $8-billion and $10-billion to reconstruct its economy.
And, the National Prosecuting Authority meeting on Jacob Zuma's corruption charges enters its second day.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.