Friday, May 7, 2010

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

Making headlines:

The legal fraternity has hailed the reworked Superior Courts Bill for protecting the administrative independence of the courts, but warned that the enhanced power that it gives the Constitutional Court could prove problematic. The long-awaited bill, withdrawn by former President Thabo Mbeki in 2006 amid an outcry, was finally approved by Cabinet this week, with any vestige of initial attempts to place the administration of courts under the Justice Minister removed. In its new incarnation, the bill makes the Office of the Chief Justice responsible for running the country's courts, including the magistrates' division. Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos said that the "threat to the independence of the judiciary has been completely averted". But the chairperson of the General Council of the Bar, Patrick Mtshaulana, voiced concern about the bill's confirmation of the Constitutional Court as South Africa's new Apex Court, which effectively removes the equal status of the Supreme Court of Appeal with the Constitutional Court.

African States have floated the idea of a separate trade deal package to address their concerns while big countries wrangle over a full global agreement, said World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Pascal Lamy. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Dar es-Salaam, Lamy said that African nations have not yet tabled a proposal, but that the frustration felt by developing countries would likely result in an operational plan. Africa wants a faster resolution to long-running global trade talks, held up by discussions among powers such as the US, the European Union, China and India over obstacles of less relevance to the world's poorest continent. Lamy said that he expected that an African proposal would address duty-free, quota-free access for goods from least developed countries with a similar deal on services and a possible deal on trade facilitation - making crossborder trade easier and cheaper. It could also be expected to address one of the key demands of some African States for an end to cotton subsidies, which depress prices for poor farmers. But it would not deal with tariffs on electrical goods or drugs, which matter to more industrialised economies.

China's interest in investing in Africa makes sense for both partners and should transform economies long reliant on commodity exports, said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi yesterday. China pledged last year to give Africa $10-billion in concessional loans over the next three years and is ploughing money into developing infrastructure in many African nations.
Zenawi said at the World Economic Forum on Africa, that it made sense for China to spend in Africa, partly because it needs to diversify its massive foreign exchange reserves. "It is in [China's] interest to spend tens of billions of dollars in Africa and it's in [Africa's] interest to have access to those tens of billions of dollars," he said.

Also making headlines:

African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka urges African countries with access to capital markets to use them for the development of infrastructure.
Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande aims to combat the current artisan shortage.
The Seychelles will set up a regional centre to prosecute pirates as part of an international push to stem costly attacks on ships off the Somali coast.
And, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam looks set for a second term after the opposition conceded victory to an alliance led by his Labour Party in a Parliamentary election.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.