January 7, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Motshabi Hoaeane.
Making headlines:

 

Government officials say former President Nelson Mandela has recovered from a lung infection and surgery.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde urges Malawi to stick to its painful economic reforms.

And, Zimbabwe stops foreign-owned farm seizures in recognition of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.

 

 

The government said on Sunday that former South African President Nelson Mandela has recovered from a lung infection and surgery to remove gallstones that kept him in hospital for nearly three weeks.

Mandela, 94, who has been in frail health for several years, spent most of December in a Pretoria hospital. This was his longest stay for medical care since his release from prison in 1990. He has been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home subsequent to his release on December 26.

The Office of the Presidency said that "President Mandela has made steady progress and continues to improve."

 

 

International Monetary Fund (or IMF) chief Christine Lagarde has urged Malawi to stick with its economic reforms. The reforms have stoked inflation and eroded public support for the new leader of the impoverished southern African nation.

Malawi President Joyce Banda, who took office about a year ago, has been trying to rebuild an economy sent into a tailspin by her predecessor. However,  prices have soared since she devalued the currency on IMF advice. Banda's reforms have also been slowed by the kwacha currency's persistent weakness and by troubles in implementing social reforms.

Lagarde told a forum of business women that there have been huge efforts undertaken by the Malawi government and the Malawi population, and that it is important to stay on course.

In November, the IMF cut its growth forecast for Malawi for 2012 to 1.9% from 4.3%, citing a slowdown in manufacturing and agriculture. Tobacco earnings have fallen from $416-million in 2010 to $177-million in 2012.

 

 

Zimbabwe's government said on Friday it won’t seize any more foreign-owned farms after losing multi-million-dollar compensation claims under a treaty aimed at protecting overseas investments.

Lands Minister Herbert Murerwa said that lawsuits brought by foreign investors at the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes had prompted a change in policy.  A group of 40 Dutch farmers won a €25-million claim there against Zimbabwe in 2009, as their farms were covered by the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.

However, Justice for Agriculture, a group representing the dispossessed farmers, was sceptical about the government's policy change. The group said that the Zimbabwean government wants to create a false perception that it would now respect property rights in order to attract investment.

 

 

Also making headlines:

 

Paris's anti-terrorism judge Marc Trevedic warns that the Mali crisis is paving the way for militant attacks on France.

Sudan and South Sudan agree once again to set up a buffer zone on their disputed border.

And, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama appeals to rivals for unity before his inauguration.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.