February 20, 2013.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Samantha Moolman.

Making headlines:

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s yearly Transformation Audit says South African youth are ready to face the future with hope.

Constitutional law expert Marinus Wiechers says South Africa should vote on the e-toll issue.
 

And, Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigns after failing to form a new government.

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s (or IJR's) yearly Transformation Audit found that while young South Africans have confidence in their own abilities to succeed, and most are positive about their future in general, they also face major obstacles in becoming part of a more inclusive economy.

The report, which was launched on Wednesday, said that given the country’s history and the structural composition of its economy, South African youth are probably more vulnerable than their peers in many other emerging economies.

IJR head of the policy and analysis unit, Jan Hofmeyr, said that in an age of rapid change and uncertainty, where the predicative value of long-held beliefs are being challenged almost daily, one of the few enduring and reliable pointers to the future of a country is the wellbeing of its young people.

He added that young people’s energy, attitudes and their sense of empowerment to exploit opportunities are what drive and determine the direction in which a society moves.

Constitutional law expert Professor Marinus Wiechers on Wednesday called on the government to hold a referendum on the e-tolls project. He said that by holding a referendum on the controversial issue, the government would demonstrate an interest in people's opinions on the matter.

He said that people in Gauteng have complained that there hasn’t been enough public consultation on the issue. A referendum would be the most democratic way to determine an outcome, although, there were no regulations prescribing how a referendum in South Africa should be held.

Spokesperson for the Gauteng premier's office Maplakala Motloung declined to comment on whether the government might consider a referendum.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on Tuesday after failing to replace a government pulled apart by acrimony between his Islamist allies and their secular opponents.

Jebali had threatened to quit if his plan for a non-partisan cabinet of technocrats to lead the north African country into early elections foundered. In the end it was his own party, Ennahda, that rejected the proposal. The Ennahda party prolonged the political stand-off that has cast a shadow over Tunisia's fledgling democracy and has deepened the economic crisis.

Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi has said he wants to see Jebali head a new coalition. President Moncef Marzouki was due to meet Ghannouchi on Wednesday to ask him to name a prime minister.

However, Jebali, said he wouldn’t lead another government without assurances on the timing of fresh elections and a new constitution.

Also making headlines:

Amplats workers are back at work after a one-day stay away.

A French soldier and more than 20 Islamist rebels have died during the first clashes in a mountain range in northern Mali where militants have taken refuge.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says DRC rebels had outside help to capture the city of Goma.

And, Guinea police clash with youths as a nation wide corruption-free election strike begins.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.