April 15, 2014
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Motshabi Hoaeane.
Making headlines:
 

Energy Minister Ben Martins opens the way for coal and cogeneration IPPs and extends the renewables allocation.

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says the spoilt-vote call is 'treacherous'.

And, observers give Guinea-Bissau’s poll a clean bill of health.

Energy Minister Dikobe Ben Martins confirmed on Monday that the long awaited cogeneration and coal independent power producer (or IPP) procurement programmes would be initiated in April and May respectively.

In addition, in something of a surprise move, the Minister announced that further renewable-energy projects would be added to the list of 17 preferred projects selected in November. This follows the third bid window under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

The determinations also indicated that 2 652 MW of baseload or mid-merit natural gas capacity would be procured. But bidding processes would only be initiated once the Gas Utilisation Master Plan had been completed. Martins said the document would become available in May for public consultation.

The procurement programmes were in line with Ministerial determinations published in 2012, which indicated that the additional IPP generation capacity would be procured to help meet South Africa’s electricity needs.

Government said on Monday that those calling on voters to spoil their ballots in next month's elections are being "irresponsible and treacherous".

Speaking at a justice, crime prevention and security cluster media briefing in Pretoria, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said spoiling a vote was "a betrayal of everything we fought for in this country".

Former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils was planning to launch a "Vote No!" campaign on Tuesday. He would be joined in this venture by former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and a number of African National Congress veterans.

The campaign would call on voters to come out and vote by either spoiling their ballots, or to vote tactically in protest against corruption and current government policies.

Responding to a question on the planned launch of a spoilt-vote campaign by some former government leaders, Mapisa-Nqakula said this flew in the face of 20 years of educating South African about their right to exercise their vote.

Observers from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS on Monday said Guinea-Bissau's weekend election was free and fair, and called on international donors to restart cooperation suspended in the wake of a 2012 coup.

Bissau-Guineans flocked to the polls in large numbers on Sunday to vote in long-delayed legislative and presidential polls meant to bring stability to the former Portuguese colony after years of putsches and political infighting.

"The election was conducted according to international standards and the election was peaceful, free, fair and transparent," the ECOWAS observer mission said in a statement.
 

The mission noted a few isolated problems in certain areas, including a shortage of ballot papers and an attack by the national guard on some supporters of one candidate, but said these did not impair the overall conduct of the election.

Also making headlines:

SANParks authorities say gains are being made in the war against rhino poaching, with eight suspected poachers arrested in the past week.

Former Egyptian finance minister Youssef Boutros Ghali was detained in France on an international warrant over corruption charges.

And, the prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial accused the track star of using emotional breakdowns under cross-examination to evade answering questions.


That's a roundup of news making headlines today.