November 20, 2012.

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

Making headlines:

NUM General-secretary Frans Baleni says the National Union of Mineworkers shrank by 20 000 members this year amid a power struggle.

The International Monetary Fund approves a loan for Liberia to fight poverty.

And, observers hail the smooth Sierra Leone elections and urge peaceful results.

South Africa's government-allied mining union has lost up to 20 000 members since the start of 2012, a year marked by painful strikes and loss of life.

The exodus from the once-dominant National Union of Mineworkers (or NUM) began in January, when an upstart rival union promised pay hikes for drill operators at a mine in Rustenberg operated by Impala Platinum.

General secretary of the NUM, Frans Baleni, said that the union had lost about 15 000 members in Lonmin and Impala, two key mining companies. The last calculation in Lonmin was about 5 000. Despite shrinking numbers, "the NUM remains relevant" in the world's No.1 platinum producing country, Baleni said.

In the past, the NUM has contributed stability to South Africa's most heavily unionised industry partly thanks to a cosy relationship with the ruling African National Congress. However, both groups have rapidly lost credibility among the country's miners.

The International Monetary Fund (or IMF) has approved a three-year 78.9-million-dollar loan for Liberia to help the West African state combat poverty.

The country has attracted billions of dollars in resource investment since the end of a civil war in 2003. However, it remains one of the world's least developed and poorest countries, with 84% of the population living in poverty.

The IMF said that the loan is meant to support the government's poverty reduction strategy, and comes with conditions from the IMF for government policies. It also said that Liberia should implement fiscal and financial reforms, such as establishing a revenue unit for natural resources at the Ministry of Finance that can boost transparency.

Liberia immediately gets 11.3-million-dollars from the IMF, and will get the rest of the money after periodic reviews to see if it has complied with the terms of the loan.

European and US observers said that Sierra Leone's elections were generally well conducted. The elections saw a large turnout, and would help consolidate democracy in the West African state if the contenders accept the overall results peacefully.

The 100-strong European Union observer mission said, however, it noted "some shortcomings", including an "unequal playing field" during pre-election campaigning that favoured the ruling party of President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Votes were still being tallied from the presidential and parliamentary polls. This is the third national vote to be held since the 1991-2002 civil war that earned the country international notoriety as a "blood diamonds" battleground for rebels and child soldiers.

Electoral officials said full results could be announced either as early as Tuesday or on Wednesday next week.

Also making headlines:

The Public participation process for the designation of an industrial development zone in Saldanha Bay gets under way.

The Department of Trade and Industry reports a strong appetite for new manufacturing incentives.

And, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni appeals to the Democratic Republic of the Congo rebels for calm in the country.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.