August 25, 2015.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

Former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa group CEO Lucky Montana comes out swinging against Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offers support to Nigeria to counter Boko Haram.

And, the African National Congress claims that the US is trying to destabilise China.

 

Former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (or PRASA) group CEO Lucky Montana has come out swinging against Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on maladministration at the parastatal.

Speaking to a local radio station‚ Montana said Madonsela was not a judge and that he would challenge for a review of her report in court.

Montana said all of the allegations against him are false and baseless‚ and have not (been) substantiated adding that he had made submissions and provided evidence (to that effect).

On Monday‚ Madonsela made damning findings of widespread irregular and fruitless expenditure‚ as well as maladministration‚ at the troubled entity. Her report into PRASA’s affairs was not flattering to Montana.

 

United Nations (or UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has pledged support for Nigeria's efforts to counter Boko Haram and tackle the causes of militancy in the country's northeast. He described the humanitarian conditions as particularly worrying.

He also pledged to strengthen democracy in Nigeria after a peaceful election brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power in March. It was the first democratic transfer of power in Africa's most populous nation.

He said his organization would also work with Nigeria "to address and counter extremism and terrorism". He reiterated calls for the unconditional release of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram 500 days ago.

 

The African National Congress has claimed in documents for its national general council (or NGC) that the US is trying to destabilise South Africa’s major trading partner, China.

The party said in a paper on international relations that South Africa’s trade with China surpassed $400-billion in the current financial year and the US was trying to rally China’s neighbours against it.

The NGC, to be held in October, would assess progress made in implementing resolutions taken at the ANC’s last elective congress, in Mangaung in December 2012.

The ruling party said the US did not appreciate the resurgence of China and Russia as dominant factors in the arena of international power relations.

It said this was a reaction to the emergence of developing countries, like the Brics group.

 

Also making headlines:

Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has launched a R10-million commission of inquiry into the socio-economic conditions of farmworkers in the province.

A new data-only network is set to take on South Africa's big telecommunications players.

The South African Reserve Bank said it may consider becoming involved in foreign exchange markets to ensure orderly price action.

And, a new species of dinosaur, the Rain Lizard, has made its debut in the growing catalogue of exciting fossil finds in the Free State.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [@PolityZA]

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.