March 7, 2013.

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

Making headlines:           

Political economist Moeletsi Mbeki says mining companies shouldn’t provide housing to their labour force.

Minister Thulas Nxesi says the Public Works Department is being revamped.

And, the slow Kenyan election count puts technology on trial for African polls.

Political economist Moeletsi Mbeki believes that mining houses in South Africa should be relieved of providing housing to their labour force.

He said on Wednesday that the housing of mine workers must become the responsibility of the municipalities where the mines are located, in partnership with private formal sector property developers.

Mbeki said that provincial governments should stipulate the minimum standards and quality of town planning. This endeavour would be an improvement on the African National Congress government's RDP housing standards.

Mbeki also said that South Africa had to use its mining sector to drive an industrial revolution "rather than a consumption revolution that it has been doing for the last 100 years". As a first step, he said, the South African government should freeze the issuing of new mining licenses until the mining industry could demonstrate that at least 75% of the plant and equipment it is using is made in South Africa.

Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi says the public works department is taking steps to curb corruption and collusion. He said "high profile cases of alleged over-pricing in relation to leases, renovations of ministerial houses, and security provisions for the residence of the president... all tell the same story; that collusion and corruption are endemic within some elements of the department.

Nxesi said that "it wasn’t not enough to lament, and that it couldn’t be business as usual." He added that as a result of the department turnaround strategy, one deputy director general was dismissed, and a former acting director general and the head of property management were facing disciplinary hearings.

The Special Investigations Unit (or SIU) had investigated 40 cases related to the department. Thirteen were finalised, and the SIU's recommendations were implemented.

Kenya has resorted to choppers to fly officials carrying results from this week's presidential poll to the capital, after it was let down by new technology aimed at avoiding the violent disputes that led to 1 200 deaths after the vote five years ago.

The electronic system used to transmit numbers direct from polling stations to a central tallying centre failed. The snail-paced release of results has deepened voter anxiety and may undermine prospects for such systems in other African votes.

As the delays in releasing results grow, so too do the complaints about flaws in the process, whipping up fears that politicians may reject the final outcome and their supporters turn to the street. For now, though, Kenyans still seem to trust the reformed election commission.

Also making headlines:

The United Nations Security Council lifts a decade-old arms embargo on Somalia’s government for one year.

France says a fourth soldier has been killed in the Mali fighting.

The construction of Eskom’s Medupi power plant has resumed as workers return after seven weeks of violent labour unrest.

And, members of the Brics group of countries will launch the Brics Business Council at the fifth Brics Summit in Durban.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.