May 15, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Nomvelo Buthelezi.
Making headlines: 

The Department of Energy is expected to review its electricity roadmap.

Lonmin's South African workers strike for a second day.

And, State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele says terrorism is a threat in Africa.

Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said on Tuesday that the Department of Energy (or DoE) would work towards finalising an Integrated Energy Plan (or IEP) for South Africa during the current financial year.

Speaking at a media briefing prior to her Budget Vote speech for the 2013/14 financial year, the Minister noted that the IEP would set out the provision of all energy sources, and not only electricity, in the country up to 2050.

DoE director-general Nelisiwe Magubane added that the IEP would incorporate the DoE’s new Liquid Fuels Master Plan, the Gas Infrastructure Plan and the Integrated Resource Plan for 2010 (or IRP 2010), besides others.

Peters noted that the IRP 2010 was a subset of the IEP and that it was, therefore, important for the DoE to finalise the IEP first, rather than focus solely on reviewing the IRP 2010. Responding to criticism that the IRP 2010 was outdated, Peters also asserted that the plan was developed as a 20-year plan and that the DoE had created it deliberately with “loops for review”.

Workers at platinum producer Lonmin's South African shafts continued a wildcat strike for a second day on Wednesday. This raised concerns that the bitter turf war between rival unions could escalate into anarchy and violence.

Production at all Lonmin's 13 shafts was halted on Tuesday as protesters demanded the closure of the National Union of Mineworkers (or NUM) offices at Lonmin. NUM said last week that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) now represented over 70% of its workforce.

On Tuesday, Lonmin's share price slid over 7% and the rand hit 3-week lows as investors worried about a repeat of 2012's turmoil, which hammered platinum and gold production and triggered credit downgrades for Africa's largest economy.

Lonmin has increased security at the mines following reports of intimidation and have urged all employees to return to work.

State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele said on Tuesday that South Africa would step up collaboration with other countries to fight terrorism and trans-national crime.  Speaking during a budget vote debate in the National Assembly, he said the threat of terrorism in Africa emerged as a significant trend in 2012.

Cwele referred to various conflicts that threatened security on the continent. He also criticised the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab group, which had declared war on countries who formed part of the African Union Mission in Somalia.

He said the main concern following another coup in the Central African Republic this year was the humanitarian crisis, which emerged from the fighting. The primary objective was to urgently restore security in order to allow inflows of humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction.

On the home front, Cwele blamed "socio-economic factors and the global economic slowdown" for security risks, which included violent service delivery protests. He said the factors leading to violent protests would also come under scrutiny, and that the assessments would also focus on the underlying root causes in order to advise on speedy and integrated response to grievances.

Also making headlines:

Eskom CEO Brian Dames calls for the establishment of a ‘super grid’ to power up sub-Saharan Africa.

The European Union will pledge more than half a billion euros to help Mali rebuild after months of conflict.

The International Monetary Fund forecast economic growth of 5.4% in 2013 and 5.7% in 2014 for the economies of sub-Saharan Africa on the back of rising investment and booming extractive industries.

And, Guinean opposition leaders call for renewed protests as UN-led talks flounder.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.