Wednesday December 8, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brindaveni Naidoo

Making headlines:

Eskom said that the R1,2-million spent by the utility on a ceremony to mark the reopening of its Camden power station in Mpumalanga earlier this year, was not all spent on the lunch. Spokesperson Hilary Joffe said that "It wasn't just lunch, it was the whole event." Camden is one of three power stations that Eskom is returning to service to meet South Africa's demand for electricity. It was mothballed in 1988. The amount spent at the plant's October 23 reopening, attended by President Jacob Zuma, was revealed in a written reply by Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba to a Parliamentary question, posed by the Democratic Alliance. According to Joffe, the nature of the event was a luncheon, which included presentations and a plant tour of Camden, adding that it had cost R1,2-million and involved 300 guests.

West African leaders sought to defuse a power struggle in Côte d’Ivoire on Tuesday, as they arrived in Nigeria for emergency talks a day after initial mediation efforts ended without a deal. Disagreement over the outcome of last month's Presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire, the world's top cocoa grower, has raised the risk of renewed violence in the country. Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in as President last week even though Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral commission had declared Alassane Ouattara the winner of the November 28 election. Leaders from countries including Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia and Senegal arrived in the Nigerian capital Abuja for a meeting of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a regional body, which has declared support for Ouattara.
Ecowas spokesperson Sunny Ugoh said that this is an opportunity for Heads of State to pool their collective wisdom to see how they can advance the process.

The Presidency said that a debt of R1,1-billion owed by Cuba for diesel engines bought from South Africa during the 1990s was cancelled.
Trade and Industry (DTI) Minister Rob Davies said that it is not as if Cuba could not repay the debt. The problem is that it was becoming a hindrance to trade and economic development between the two countries.
He added that South African businesses demanded cash in advance because the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of the DTI could no longer insure Cuba's orders as it had exhausted its credit limit.
Davies signed the agreement on Tuesday.

Also making headlines:
Local government Minister Sicelo Shiceka said that no final decision had been made about dissolving weak municipalities around the country.
The United Nations said on Tuesday that more than 51 000 Sudanese had made the journey south to vote in the region's independence referendum and that funds were needed urgently to provide food and shelter.
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande on Tuesday said that his department would take a much more “hands-on” approach in the governance and management of Sector Education and Training Authorities.
And, The International Telecommunication Union and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative emphasised that information and communication technologies were vital in assisting with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adapting to climate change and its effects.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today