July 10, 2014.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Chantelle Kotze.
Making headlines:
 

Parliament’s Transport Committee ‘demands’ that PRASA accelerate its rail upgrade.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan appoints four close allies as ministers.

And, MTN unveils the first concentrated solar plant.
 

Following a train collision, in Durban, on Tuesday, in which more than 80 people were reported injured, the Portfolio Committee on Transport has “demanded” that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (or PRASA) accelerate its programmes aimed at upgrading rail infrastructure, paying particular attention to the upgrade of signalling systems.

Committee chairperson Dikeledi Magadzi said upgrading the signalling equipment, skilling train drivers and modernising the carriage fleet should receive the maximum consideration. She said that given the centrality of the rail sector to South Africa’s economy, an efficient train service was nonnegotiable.

Magadzi added that continued investment in the rail sector was indicative of government’s commitment to improve the sector and its centrality to the development of South Africa.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan appointed four close allies as ministers on Wednesday, with sources saying two of them would shore up his power base in the largely Muslim north where opposition to him is strongest.

The ministerial positions were left vacant after a reshuffle last year. Popular two-term ex-governor of the north's most populous state of Kano, Ibrahim Shakarau, was appointed minister of education. Kano is a stronghold of the opposition All Progressives Congress and the most important northern battleground for the People's Democratic Party.

Steve Oruh, a PDP stalwart from the oil producing Niger Delta, Jonathan's home region, will be minister for the Niger Delta.

Adebayo Adeyeye, who contested for but did not get the PDP ticket in last month's governorship election in Ekiti state, was named Minister of State for Works.

Adeyeye fell in behind the winner of the PDP ticket, Ayodele Fayose, who won the election with 60% of the vote, kicking out an APC incumbent.

Jonathan and the ruling PDP face an election in 2015 that is likely to be the most closely fought since the end of military rule in 1999.

Telecommunications giant MTN this week unveiled Africa’s first concentrating solar cooling plant, paving the way for South African companies to adopt similar strategies to reduce their carbon footprint.

The more than R5-million concentrating solar power (or CSP) plant, which would power MTN’s energy-intensive data centres, had a peak cooling capacity of 330 kW and comprised 242 solar mirrors tracking the sun from an area of 484 square metres.

The system tracked the sun to generate pressurised hot water, which powered absorption chillers producing chilled water circulated into the data centre, based in Roodepoort, for the cooling of the information technology equipment.

MTN capital projects group GM Brandon Gombert explained that the CSP plant shaved more than R1-million a month off the JSE-listed group’s energy bill and eliminated the consumption of enough electricity to power 70 houses from the strained national grid.

 

Also making headlines:

Apartheid death-squad leader Eugene de Kock, dubbed 'Prime Evil' for his role in the torture and murder of black South African activists in the 1980s and early 1990s, will learn on Thursday whether he will be released on parole after 20 years in prison.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir urges rebels to resume talks in his independence day speech.

And, Professor Marcia Barbosa says women scientists need to work together, network and identify the barriers to increasing their numbers in their respective disciplines

Also on Polity today:
 

Be sure to read the latest opinion article by the Institute for Security Studies on the uncertain future of peacebuilding in Burundi; as well as an article by researcher and analyst Professor Raymond Suttner, about whether building non-racialism means being colour-blind.

Also, be sure to read the statement by National Treasury on the impact of the proposed retirement reforms, which includes a list of frequently asked questions. This will certainly allay any concerns you may have about these reforms.
 

Don’t forget to voice your opinion on the Polity opinion poll regarding e-tolls.

Follow us on Twitter (@PolityZA) for updates on breaking news.
 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.