From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shona Kohler

Making headlines today:

Suspended former chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) Terror Lekota will not resign from the party he has belonged to for over 30 years. Lekota made this announcement while participating in a debate on South African politics with representatives of other political parties.

Lekota said South Africans have to get used to the idea of being free to listen to all political parties. Responding to a comment made previously by ANC President Jacob Zuma, Lekota said that no party has the right to say 'don't talk to people, they are my voters'.

Further, Lekota requested that ANC members should refrain from disrupting the meetings of his breakaway convention. This call came after scuffles at a meeting in Orange Farm last week. ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte responded that action would be taken against ANC members disrupting political gatherings.

Reaction to Lekota and other ANC dissidents lobbying for a national convention and possibly a new political party, has led to concerns about political intolerance in the run-up to the 2009 election.

In other African news, today marks the start of elections in Zambia, where a successor to the late President Levy Mwanawasa is being sought.

The winner will face a formidable task in matching Mwanawasa's strong record of fiscal discipline and cracking down on corruption. Further , the country faces enormous developmental challenges with 65% of Zambia's population living on less than $1 a day.

Acting President Rupiah Banda has campaigned as someone that can keep Mwanawasa's business-friendly policies going. His main challenger Michael Sata, leader of the opposition Patriotic Front, portrays himself as a champion of the poor.

The vote may be a test of Zambia's commitment to multiparty democracy, restored in 1990 after 18 years of one-party rule under Kenneth Kaunda.

Zambia's army chief said on Wednesday that violence would not be tolerated over the election period.

The African Union (AU) indicated on Wednesday that developed countries are planning to cut aid to the continent owing to the global financial crisis.

While Africa is relatively protected from the global turmoil as African banks are less exposed to credit risk, analysts believe there could be a reduction of aid inflows, as well as foreign direct investment and remittances.

Parts of the continent have been hit by drought and Africa also has felt the effects of high food and fuel prices this year. As a consequence, more than 100-million people have been pushed deeper into poverty, and the situation will get worse with less aid flowing into Africa.

The AU has criticised the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) bail-out packages to Hungary and Ukraine, as it believes Africa is competing for the same resources. There is a concern that if an African country experienced a similar difficulty, the IMF would not be in a position to provide the same level of assistance.

Also making headlines:

The UN renews Côte d'Ivoire sanctions after a poll delay.
Gadaffi visits Russia on an arms and energy drive.
And, Zuma's visit to IFP territory is questioned.

Recent additions to the legislation section of polity.org.za include the Human Sciences Research Council Act and the Local Government Laws Amendment Act.

Also available in the legislation section of the site are bills, notices and regulations that can be downloaded as PDF documents.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit polity.org.za.