Friday September 23, 2011.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Natalie Greve.

Making headlines:
President Jacob Zuma has asked police chief General Bheki Cele why he shouldn’t be suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry into two police leases.

Spokesperson Mac Maharaj said Zuma issued the notice on August 29.

He said Cele had since comprehensively responded to Zuma's notice, and the president was considering Cele's representations.

Meanwhile, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has given President Zuma her provisional findings on Minister Sicelo Shiceka's alleged breach of the executive code.

Madonsela’s spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi said the return date on the report is October 3. The Public Protector plans to release the final report seven days thereafter.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said at an International Monetary Fund meeting that large developing economies didn’t debate offering direct aid to crisis-gripped Europe, despite a Brazilian proposal to that effect.

Brazil said earlier this month the government would propose that it, and other large emerging economies, make billions of dollars in new funds available to the IMF as a way to help ease the debt crisis in the euro zone.

However, the debate didn’t go that far. Gordhan said the Brics group of countries, which also includes Russia, India and China, were more focused on strengthening traditional channels of lending, such as the IMF itself, than creating a separate facility for supporting Europe.

Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata was declared the winner of Zambia's presidential election early this morning, ousting incumbent Rupiah Banda as the leader of Africa's biggest copper producer in polls marred by public violence.

Sata toned down his rhetoric against foreign mining firms, especially from China, in the closing stages of the six-week campaign, but his victory could still cloud the investment outlook.

Rupiah Banda, leader of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy party that has run Zambia since one-party rule ended in 1991, is expected to make a statement later today about the vote.

Also making headlines:

ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa says the picking of sides in the debate on nationalisation isn’t healthy for the country.

Libya's new government says its tightened its grip on oasis towns that sided with Muammar Gaddafi, but faces a tough fight to take two remaining strongholds.

And, Business Unity South Africa welcomes the consolidation of black business under the newly formed Black Business Council.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.