July 24, 2012
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Motshabi Hoaeane.

Making headlines:

President Jacob Zuma says government will not act hastily on the Minister of Basic Education.

The European Union lifts curbs on aid to Zimbabwe.

And, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan says crooked officials must be punished.

President Jacob Zuma says that the government won’t take hasty action against Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga over the Limpopo textbook crisis.

He said the government had taken action to resolve the non-delivery of textbooks, but wouldn’t dismiss anyone until a task team investigation was completed.

He further added that he couldn’t simply jump at every damning report in the media.

The European Union lifted curbs on aid to Zimbabwe on Monday.The EU held out the prospect of removing sanctions from Zimbabwean officials to encourage political reform.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels lifted the aid restrictions with immediate effect. However it said a broader relaxation of sanctions would depend on a referendum on constitutional changes due this year in Zimbabwe being "peaceful and credible".

The step is part of the West's strategy of rewarding Zimbabwe's uneasy coalition government for progress made since a disputed 2008 vote, while keeping up pressure on veteran leader Mugabe to carry out more political, economic and social reforms.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said that there must be consequences for municipal officials who break the law. He was commenting on a recent report on local government finances in which Auditor General Terence Nombembe found that irregularities in municipal tender processes were still a problem.

Nombembe said the Treasury was beginning to establish a procurement office to oversee issues relating to tender processes. According to his report, only five percent of municipalities obtained clean audit reports in the financial year 2011/12.

Gordhan added that the government was developing mechanisms to ensure municipal officials involved in tender corruption and irregular spending were brought to book.

Also making headlines:

The Democratic Alliance questions General Riah Phiyega’s new appointment as national police commissioner.

India encourages South African firms to participate in its renewable energy push.

And, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters says the schedule and capacity allocation for the third bid window under South Africa’s R100-billion Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme will be confirmed soon.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.