Wednesday, February 11, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe announced yesterday that the national election is to take place on April 22. In response to this statement, political parties campaigning for the voting rights of South African citizens living abroad have called for the consolidation of cases into a single proceeding.
The Freedom Front Plus had its application on the unconstitutionality of the exclusion of the expatriate vote upheld on Monday. The AParty, the Democratic Alliance and 12 other individuals have also brought applications regarding the right of all South African citizens to vote.
The Independent Electoral Commission states that it is likely that these cases brought before the High Courts of the country will be referred to the Constitutional Court. The IEC has thus agreed that all cases be heard together, as it is in the public interest that expatriate vote applications are dealt with as soon as possible.

In Southern African news, Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is due to be sworn in as Prime Minister today.
Tsvangirai and the country's President Robert Mugabe agreed to share power last year after disputed elections, but their mistrust and continued disagreements have held up implementation and raised questions over how well they will be able to work together.
A leading economist says that expectations are high for Tsvangirai, who will carry the burden of rebuilding the economy. He has appointed Tendai Biti as Finance Minister.
The Movement for Democratic Change says that it will focus on creating economic stability and attracting foreign investment. This will not be an easy task, given the global financial crisis and the fact that Western donors remain hesitant over the power-sharing deal with Mugabe.

Back home, the chairperson of Parliament's ad hoc committee reviewing Vusi Pikoli's fate, has tabled a report asking members of Parliament to endorse President Kgalema Motlanthe's decision to axe the prosecutions chief.
The draft report was met with protest from opposition parties, saying that they were not consulted about the report's findings but presented with a politically motivated fait accompli.
Oupa Monareng, chairperson of the African National Congress-dominated committee, conceded that he and co chair Kgoshi Mokoena had added to the completed report the conclusion that the former head of the National Prosecuting Authority should be fired.
The draft report is due to be debated today in Parliament, while opposition members have repeatedly protested that they are being "bulldozed" into rubber-stamping Motlanthe's decision to fire Pikoli.

Also making headlines:
The United Nations says that Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir must cooperate with the International Criminal Court on the situation in Darfur.
Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is seen as a threat to its neighbours.
And, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel presents the 2009 budget later today.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.