Friday December 3, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

South African municipalities are owed a staggering R37,7-billion by households, while the government owes them some R3,4-billion, a report released by the National Treasury on Thursday revealed.
It showed that total aggregated consumer debt, to municipalities and metros, stood at R62,3-billion as at September 30, 2010. Of this, government accounted for R3,4-billion or 5,5%. Households accounted for the largest component at R37,7-billion or 60,6% of the total.
The budget statement for local government for the first quarter of the 2010/11 financial year showed that the country's metropolitan municipalities were owed a total of R35,4-billion at September 30, 2010.
This is an increase of R3,9-billion or 12,4% from the same period last year. The biggest percentage growth from the previous year was in the City of Johannesburg, where it increased 23,5% or R2-billion.

Cases against six Kenyans will be presented to the International Criminal Court by mid-December after an investigation into postelection violence three years ago, the court's chief prosecutor said on Thursday.
"Before December 17, we will file two cases of about 80 pages each summarising the facts and analysing the evidence collected," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said at a conference in Nairobi organised by the Kofi Annan Foundation. "There are two cases, each involving three individuals who have to face justice. They have to go to The Hague. Their names will be known." He did not identify the six people who will face justice."These six individuals are still presumed innocent, their guilt or innocence shall be proved by the judges after the judicial process and not before," Moreno-Ocampo said.

Anglo American (Anglo) said on Thursday that South Africa's new proposed 20-year energy resource plan needed to make more allowance for private power producers to help plug a dire power shortage in the country. In a draft of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2), the government has proposed that six new nuclear plants and renewable energy play a major role in plugging its power deficit as it seeks to halve its reliance on dirtier coal-fired plants. Africa's biggest economy relies on coal for almost all of its electricity supply, some 95% of which is generated by State-owned power utility Eskom. The government is keen to get private investors on board to help foot the bill for new power plants and reduce the strain on Eskom's balance sheet. Ian Hall, regional head for strategy at Anglo's Thermal Coal unit, said that the plan needed to provide more clarity for industries wishing to invest in their own power plants.

Also making headlines:

Guinea's Supreme Court named long-time opposition campaigner Alpha Condé President on Friday, throwing out complaints of electoral fraud by his rival, former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo.
The African National Congress needed to pull up its socks in the Western Cape, secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday.
And, the UN Security Council warned the Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday that it is prepared to take action against anyone thwarting the electoral process after the West African nation announced provisional voting results.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.