Thursday, February 12, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Sheila Barradas.
Making headlines:
South Africa's Finance Minister Trevor Manuel tabled the 2009/10 Budget in the National Assembly yesterday. The budget has been widely welcomed by political parties.
Democratic Alliance spokesperson Kobus Marais said that the official opposition commends Trevor Manuel's brave decision to stick to his considered and responsible fiscal policy approach in the current global economic environment. He added, however, that the lack of focus on performance, delivery and accountability for the large sums of money allocated, was disappointing.
Narend Singh of the Inkatha Freedom Party welcomed the move to a 3,8% budget deficit, saying that it is necessary in the current economic climate. But the IFP said that it would have liked greater stimulus to prevent job losses through retrenchments and downsizing.
The African Christian Democratic Party supported Manuel's stimulatory budget in these tough economic conditions, and the South African Communist Party also welcomed the major thrust of the Budget.

In other news, South African President Kgalema Motlanthe yesterday offered his congratulations to the leaders of both factions of the Zimbabwean Movement for Democratic Change.
The swearing in of Zimbabwe's new Prime and Deputy Prime Ministers was an important step towards the formation of an inclusive government in Zimbabwe.
Motlanthe called on Zimbabwe's neighbours and the international community to end sanctions against the troubled nation, and to assist Zimbabwe in the process of rebuilding the country and addressing economic challenges.

In other news, a special Parliamentary committee yesterday endorsed the dismissal of Vusi Pikoli, because he had "messed up" in his duties as National Director of Public Prosecutions, said chairperson Oupa Monareng.
The committee's decision brings the legislature one step closer to ratifying President Kgalema Motlanthe's decision to fire Pikoli. The suspended National Prosecuting Authority head has, however, signalled that he will fight this decision in court.
The endorsement of Motlanthe's decision to dismiss Pikoli, nearly 18 months after he was first suspended by Mbeki, has been fervently opposed by opposition Members of Parliament on the ad hoc committee reviewing the matter.

Also making headlines:
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi calls for European aid in order to curb migration.
In Somalia, a multinational force seizes pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
And, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel predicts that the country's economic growth will slow to 1,2% in 2009.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.