June 2, 2014
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Motshabi Hoaeane.
Making headlines:
 

New Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene says the South African economy is not headed for recession.

The Central African Republic’s premier calls for voluntary disarmament.

And, the Malawi Electoral Commission says Peter Mutharika's opposition DPP has won the Malawi elections.

South Africa's economy is not heading into recession, despite contracting in the first quarter, new Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.

Data last week showed that Africa's most developed economy shrank 0.6% in the first three months of the year from the previous quarter, as mining production slumped by nearly a quarter due to a protracted strike in the platinum sector.

The quarterly contraction – the first since a 2009 recession – presents a challenge for Nene, who was appointed last week to steer an economy that has struggled to post convincing growth or generate new jobs in recent years. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarterly declines in gross domestic product.

He said the country was indeed at the bottom of the curve, but was not headed into a recession, Nene told the newspaper. He also said that policy over the next five years would focus on improving business and investor confidence.

 

Central African Republic's prime minister on Sunday called for voluntary national disarmament next week in a bid to halt a worsening cycle of violence that threatens to drive Muslims from the West of the country.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Andre Nzapayeke declared June 8 would be a day for all citizens to hand in their weapons, after a spike in sectarian tensions in the majority-Christian capital Bangui following an attack on a church by Muslim gunmen last week.

The attack, in which UN officials say at least 17 people were killed, sparked two days of violent protests in Bangui. Thousands of people took to the streets to demand the departure of African Union peacekeepers and the resignation of Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza.

Nzapayeke encouraged everyone who has a firearm to return it voluntarily to the town hall of their neighbourhood. He hoped this effort would encourage all neighbourhoods – Christian and Muslim alike – to disarm at the same time.

Muslims in Bangui have expressed anger that previous attempts at disarmament left them prey to the "anti-balaka" Christian militia.
 

Malawi's opposition Democratic Progressive Party, led by Peter Mutharika, has won the May 20 elections, the Malawi Electoral Commission said, following disputes about the validity of the vote by President Joyce Banda.

A crowd celebrated outside the tally centre in the commercial hub of Blantyre as Mutharika was announced on Friday as the winner of the disputed elections with 36.4% of the vote.

Southern Africa's first female president, Banda, trailed in third place with 20.2% of the vote. Second place went to Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party with 27.8% of the vote.

Also making headlines:

The defeated candidate in Egypt's presidential election, Hamdeen Sabahi, contests the presidential election results.

And, tens of thousands of people packed into a stadium in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou at the weekend to voice their opposition to a referendum that would lift presidential term limits and allow the country's leader to seek re-election next year.

That’s a roundup of news-making headlines today.