October 06, 2015.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

The Southern African Development Community is becoming a key player in renewable energy.

The Red Cross says millions of people will go hungry in sub-Saharan Africa.

And, South Africa asks the International Criminal Court for more time to explain non-arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. 

The Southern African Development Community (or SADC) will increase its electricity generation investment to between R1.5-trillion and R3-trillion between 2012 and 2027.
This would raise transmission investment costs by R7.35-billion.

According to a report released on Monday at the start of the South African International Renewable Energy Conference in Cape Town, more than 6 000 megawatts of new trans-border connections are anticipated to be completed in 2014/15 alone.

The report by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century – or Ren21 – said renewable energy in the SADC power sector was increasing rapidly, accounting for about 23.5% of generation.

The report also found that the current potential hydro resources in the SADC accounted for 41 000 megawatts, while solar power could produce 20 000 terawatt hours per year – although currently less than 1% of this was installed.

Ren21 executive secretary Christine Lins said renewables were uniquely positioned to provide the needed energy services in a sustainable manner, more rapidly and generally at lower cost than fossil fuels.

Tens of millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa are going hungry due to erratic weather.

The situation is set to worsen as the El Nino weather pattern reaches its peak, the Red Cross said on Monday, as it launched funding appeals for six countries.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (or IFRC) said some 60-million people didn’t have enough to eat due to floods, droughts and irregular rains which have ruined harvests and left many people dependent on food aid.

The IFRC appealed for $8.2-million to help more than 200 000 people in Gambia, Mauritania, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal and Zimbabwe ahead of what is expected to be the strongest El Nino on record.

IFRC operations manager Miriam Grove said many families were surviving on one meal a day made from leaves, which have very little nutritional value, or... even going without food for days because of the erratic rainfall.

This year's El Nino is expected to peak between October and January, during which time world leaders would meet for a United Nations summit in Paris in December to agree on a global climate change deal. The last "super" El Nino occurred in 1997-1998.

South Africa asked the International Criminal Court (or ICC) on Monday for more time to explain why it allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to evade an arrest warrant and leave the country when he visited in June.

Bashir was accused of masterminding genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during Sudan's Darfur conflict.

He is wanted by the Hague-based tribunal, which issued a warrant for his arrest in 2009.

As an ICC signatory, South Africa is obliged to implement warrants from the court.

When Bashir visited for an African Union summit, the government refused to arrest him, and allowed him to leave the country in violation of a domestic court order.

In a subsequent ruling, the High Court made clear that Pretoria was under legal obligation to exercise the warrant. ICC judges last month asked South Africa for an explanation.

Also making headlines:

Former South African Airways CEO Monwabisi Kalawe raked in a cool R4.5-million in the year 2014/2015, according to a reply to a parliamentary question released on Monday.

The Chamber of Mines said the coal companies affected by the National Union of Mineworkers’ strike would meet on Tuesday to “chart a way forward”.

And, there had been a decline in the number of black South African CEOs, according to the 2015 Jack Hammer Executive Report.

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today