February 26, 2014
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sashnee Moodley.
Making headlines:
 
The Special Investigating Unit gets the go ahead to probe a multi-million rand communications tender.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urges Uganda to repeal its anti-gay law.

And, Manufacturing Circle says the Budget Speech provides an opportunity to promote manufacturing growth conditions.

 

President Jacob Zuma has signed a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (or SIU) to investigate a multi-million rand tender, which the Department of Communications awarded to Media Corner.

The proclamation authorises the SIU to investigate the validity of the department awarding the tender to Media Corner to render services in respect of a public awareness campaign, relating to the broadcasting digital migration process project.

The SIU will also probe the validity of a Memorandum of Agreement concluded between the department and Media Corner. Unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the department, in as far as it relates to the awarding of the tender to Media Corner, will also be investigated.

The SIU will also look into allegations of improper or unlawful conduct by employees of the department, relating to the awarding of the tender to Media Corner.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Uganda on Tuesday to repeal a law imposing harsh penalties for homosexuality, warning it could fuel prejudice and encourage harassment and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Ban also conveyed his concerns to Uganda's UN envoy on Monday, just hours after Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed the law in the face of protests from rights groups and criticism from Western donors.

Ban agreed with an assessment by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that imposing life sentences for homosexuality and same-sex marriage "could fuel prejudice as well as encourage harassment and violence."

 

The 2014 Budget, to be presented by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday, provided the opportunity to promote growth conditions for manufacturing through cutting costs, nurturing the existing manufacturing base and helping to grow the market for manufactured goods, the Manufacturing Circle (or ManCirc) said on Tuesday.

ManCirc executive director Coenraad Bezuidenhout said the organisation believed that Gordhan could announce three key interventions in his Budget that would benefit the manufacturing industry.

Bezuidenhout added that, in many instances, such as in the case of the country’s electricity price increase trajectory and with regard to port charges, South Africa was out of kilter with its competitor markets and had, therefore, seen its export competitiveness eroded.
 

Also making headlines:

The National Assembly has passed the Infrastructure Development Bill, meant to speed up the implementation of strategic projects.

A spokesperson for the UN refugee agency says over 15 000 people in Central African Republic, mostly Muslim civilians in makeshift camps, are surrounded and being threatened by armed militia groups.
 

And, Egypt's new Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said on Tuesday he would seek to eradicate militant violence that has increased since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.