Wednesday August 3, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Schalk Burger.

Making headlines:

Political analysts said on Tuesday that the African National Congress was being lenient on the ANC Youth League over its threat to help bring about regime change in Botswana.

University of Johannesburg Centre for the Study of Democracy director Steven Friedman said the Botswana comments were a major embarrassment to South Africa’s foreign policy, and that he expected more from the ANC.

Friedman had long believed that ANCYL president Julius Malema was under the protection of powerful politicians within the ANC, and the party's reaction to the latest ANCYL outburst showed that Malema probably still enjoyed that protection.

Friedman said Malema's comments on Botswana were a deliberate attempt to deflect attention from questions about his finances.

South Africa says it will push Wal-Mart to rejig the conditions of its $2.4-billion Massmart deal, as Pretoria looks to wring bigger concessions from the world's top retailer.

The government on Tuesday criticised Wal-Mart's plan to set up a $15-million fund for the development of South African manufacturers as inadequate, and said it was looking for a "package" of changes.

South Africa's anti-trust regulator in May approved Wal-Mart's bid for 51% of discount retailer Massmart with token conditions, including the creation of the R100-million fund to develop local suppliers, but the government has since appealed that ruling.

Legal experts say South Africa has little room to overturn the completed transaction, but could use political pressure to renegotiate the conditions.

United Nations agencies report that Zimbabwe needs an extra $73-million in humanitarian aid this year. This is mainly due to increased food needs for vulnerable groups, despite improvements in the agriculture sector.

Zimbabwe was once a major regional agricultural producer but has struggled to feed itself since President Robert Mugabe embarked on a campaign in 2000 to seize white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks.

Nearly 1.7-million Zimbabweans need food assistance this year, UN humanitarian coordinator Alain Noudehou said during a review of the southern African country's aid appeal.

As a result, UN agencies were now appealing for $488-million in aid to Zimbabwe for 2011, up from an initial $415-million.

Also making headlines:

South African Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu says that mine nationalisation is a wrong and dangerous question to ask.

A study shows that HIV epidemics are emerging in the Middle East and North Africa.

And, a new Ministerial committee seeks to reduce megaproject red tape.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.