Wednesday, January 7, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Liam Morrison.
Making headlines:
The Democratic Alliance alleges that senior education officials instructed at least two teachers to inflate matric results. DA spokesperson Desiree van der Walt says that the party was approached by two people claiming that some matric marks were deliberately raised. These increases were apparently carried out on the instruction of education department officials.
Van der Walt says that these allegations add to widely expressed concerns about the window-dressing of this year's matric exam results. The DA has requested Education Minister Naledi Pandor to assemble an independent enquiry into the examinations.
Education department spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele said in response that uMalusi, the quality assurer of the national qualifications framework, is a credible and independent body. uMalusi will issue a report if any irregularities are suspected. Ngqengelele added that a complete assessment by the independent body should be able to indicate if there is any truth in the teachers' allegations.

In African news, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe said that the Economic Community of West African States has no option but to suspend Guinea after last month's coup. The military junta which seized power on December 23 has tried to reassure nervous neighbours that it poses no threat.
The junta has sent representatives to Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to explain the takeover, which followed the death of long-ruling President Lansana Conte. Maduekwe explained, however, that Ecowas is required to follow the African Union which has suspended Guinea for its antidemocratic practices.
The coup in Guinea has been criticised by the international community, which calls for a return to constitutional rule. In Guinea itself, however, the junta has been welcomed by citizens as a break from the late President Lansana Conte's corrupt administration. Some countries in the region have indicated that they are ready to work with the junta.

In other news, a split has emerged in Congo's eastern Tutsi rebellion after a top military commander openly challenged founder General Laurent Nkunda.
Senior military and political representatives of the rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People rejected an announcement by its military chief of staff, General Bosco Ntaganda, that he had deposed Nkunda as the group's leader.
Signs of a split emerged as the Tutsi rebel movement was preparing to resume peace talks with Congo's government. The CNDP has said that Ntaganda does not have the authority to depose chairperson Nkunda and that it remains one movement and one army.
United Nations officials and human rights campaigners said that Ntaganda's assertion could be explained by the CNDP leadership planning to discipline him over the massacre of around 150 civilians in the North Kivu town of Kiwanja, after it was seized by the rebels in November.

Also making headlines:
Britain pledges £64-million for Congo.
Chinese warships start an antipiracy mission in Somalia.
And, Zimbabwe will be centre stage in this year's Kimberley Process.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit polity.org.za.