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From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Jonathan Faurie.
Making headlines today:
Statistics South Africa indicates that the country’s official unemployment rate increased to 23,2% in the third quarter of this year. This was up from 23,1% in the second quarter.
Stats SA’s latest Labour Force Survey shows that the country has 4,12-million people who are jobless, and 13,66-million who are employed.
Joblessness has eased in Africa’s biggest economy over the past decade, but remains high. Unemployment and poverty have clouded the country’s economic gains since 1994, and are believed to be a key driver of frequently violent crime.
South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance on Tuesday released its social development policy.
Briefing the media at Parliament, DA leader Helen Zille said, to ensure that children living in poverty benefit from the child support grant, legal guardians should have to demonstrate that the child is receiving basic health and education services.
The policy also proposes the establishment of a voluntary community service programme for young adults. In addition, it suggests the introduction of a basic income grant for all South Africans with income below a certain threshold.
Moving beyond the borders of South Africa, United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has recommended that more peacekeepers be deployed to protect an oil-rich region on the border of north and south Sudan.
A report by Ban to the Security Council also identifies two other potential flash points where additional troops should be deployed – the southern Blue Nile city of Damazin and the capital of southern Sudan, Juba.
The reinforcements will raise the troop levels to just under 10 000.
Also making headlines today: Manuel warns of a policy shift to the left. The IMF may need more cash if the crisis persists. The US accuses Sudan of duplicity in Darfur. And Congo rebels say they’ve captured an eastern town.
That’s a roundup of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit polity.org.za.
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