April 23, 2015.
For Creamer in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

Parliament's intelligence committee is dealing with a letter about the ‘crisis’ in the South African Revenue Service.

European Union leaders will boost rescue operations after the latest migrant boat disaster.

And, acting Eskom CEO Brian Molefe says using prepaid electricity could be the solution for the crisis at Eskom.   

 

Parliament's intelligence committee is dealing with a letter sent by former South African Revenue Service (or SARS) spokesperson Adrian Lackay, relating to the crisis facing the organisation.   

Lackay electronically sent a 29-page letter to the joint standing committee on intelligence and the standing committee on finance on March 24, relating to events at SARS.

Standing committee on finance chairperson Yunus Carrim said their committee was dealing with the consequences of the divisions within SARS on its performance and the role of the Judge Kroon Commission in this regard.

Carrim also said the intelligence committee was dealing with the legal and other issues related to the role of the SARS intelligence unit and the Sikhakhane and Intelligence General reports.

 

European Union (or EU) leaders will agree at a crisis summit to boost search and rescue operations and step up the fight against traffickers. The EU is under pressure to act to stop more migrants dying in the Mediterranean.

Public outrage over the death of up to 900 migrants last Sunday when their boat sank on its way to Europe from Libya has led EU governments to reverse last year's decision to scale down search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

The leaders are expected to agree in Brussels on reinforcing EU operations in the Mediterranean, probably by doubling the cash and equipment available to two EU border patrol missions.

The EU has struggled for years to forge an effective joint strategy to handle migrants fleeing war and turmoil in Africa and the Middle East despite repeated tragedies at sea.

 

Acting Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has suggested that all companies and households should be transitioned across to prepaid electricity systems, adding that he will propose that those municipalities not paying Eskom be bypassed.

Molefe told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises that the whole country should move to prepaid electricity including corporates.

He said it would improve Eskom’s financial position immensely, instead of having to borrow money on the capital markets, which is making their balance sheet worse, as well as Eskom’s ratings.

Executives at Eskom have revealed R25-billion in municipal debt. Some municipalities were not handing over the money due to Eskom, with Soweto alone owing R8-billion to the power utility.

 

Also making headlines:
Nigeria's foreign ministry has summoned South Africa's high commissioner over anti-immigrant violence in which at least seven people have been killed.

Nigerian forces backed by warplanes invaded Islamist group Boko Haram's last known stronghold, the Sambisa forest, in an effort to finally defeat their six-year-old insurgency.

And, the Polisario Front independence movement in the disputed North African territory of Western Sahara has threatened to review cooperation with United Nations monitors if the world body gives up on the idea of a referendum on the region's final status.

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.