August 18, 2015.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

The interview for a new Hawks head is set to begin later this week.

Crisis-torn Lesotho again passed over for chair of the Southern African Development Community Organ for Security.

And, Speaker asks for one more day to mull Democratic Alliance’s demand for President Jacob Zuma impeachment vote.

Interviews to find a new national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation – commonly known as the Hawks – will begin later this week.

Musa Zondi, spokesperson for Police Minister Nathi Nhleko confirmed that the interviews would take place this week.

He would not, however, be drawn on how many people had applied for the position nor divulge who any of the potential candidates were. 

The position became vacant following the resignation of Lieutenant General Anwa Dramat in April.

Dramat was suspended in December last year by Nhleko for his alleged involvement in the rendition of Zimbabweans in 2010, two of whom reportedly later died at the hands of Zimbabwean police.

Crisis-ridden Lesotho was on Monday passed over for the second year in a row as chair of Southern Africa’s premier body in charge of regional security.

The mountain kingdom’s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili was supposed to take over the reins from South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma as chair of the Southern African Development Community’s (or SADC’s) Organ for Politics, Defence and Security.

But on Monday Zuma’s office announced at the SADC’s summit that the year-long tenure had gone to Mozambique instead, represented by President Filipe Nyusi, and would go to Tanzania at next year’s summit.

Lesotho was supposed to take over the reins of the security organ from Namibia at last year’s SADC summit, but South Africa stepped in as chair because Lesotho had just been plunged into crisis by an alleged attempted coup.

Lawyers for Parliament asked the Democratic Alliance (or DA) for another day to respond to a demand that the Speaker schedule a vote on its call to impeach President Jacob Zuma.

This came after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was allowed to leave South Africa in defiance of a court order.

“Their lawyers have asked for a 24 hour extension and we have consented,” said James Selfe, the chairperson of the DA’s federal executive, after an initial deadline of 5 pm had passed.

Selfe said if Speaker Baleka Mbete stuck to her refusal to allow an impeachment vote against the President, his party would proceed to court on the basis that the decision was irrational.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane mooted August 18 as the date for a debate when he brought the motion two weeks ago.

The ruling African National Congress dismissed the motion as a publicity stunt. 

Also making headlines:

The City of Cape Town has expressed its concern that the South African National Roads Agency’s decision to toll roads in the Cape Winelands could follow the same contentious route as in Gauteng.

Lawyer Hulme Scholes and his firm have gone to court to set aside the Mining Charters of 2004 and 2010‚ arguing that they are unconstitutional‚ vague and contradictory‚ allowing for abuse by the Mineral Resources Minister and officials.

The police and army on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion have called off their search for more debris from the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished last year.

And, Tuareg rebels in northern Mali attacked the positions of a pro-government militia, in fighting that was undermining government attempts to pacify the region.

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today