October 14, 2014.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making Headlines:

The ruling ANC says “no comment” on e-tolls collusion claims.

France will build more Ebola treatment centres in Guinea.

And, South African track star Oscar Pistorius should serve three years of house arrest and community service for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, according to a witness at the athlete’s sentencing. 

The African National Congress (or ANC) in Gauteng refused to comment on whether there was any collusion in the e-tolling system.

Provincial secretary Hope Papo said the party couldn’t make a public statement about the matter without gathering facts. He told the Gauteng Advisory Panel on e-tolls at the provincial legislature that there was going to be an investigation to determine whether there was any collusion or not.

Meanwhile, the party’s Brian Hlongwe said keeping the e-toll system as it was had the potential to cause unrest. Gauteng ANC chairperson Paul Mashatile said removing e-toll gantries from Gauteng highways was not a solution and he rejected the call for the gantries to be removed.

However, he conceded that the technology brought by e-toll gantries was valuable and alternative uses should be found for it.

The ANC provided some alternatives to the largely rejected e-tolling system, including a national nominal increase in the fuel levy and an increase in vehicle licence fees to cover the debt incurred through the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.

 

 

France agreed to set up new treatment centres for Ebola victims in Guinea on Monday. This followed after the US asked for assistance to fight the deadly epidemic in West Africa.

The French president’s office confirmed that Francois Hollande had spoken to his US counterpart about ways to tackle the worst outbreak of the disease on record, which has killed more than 4 000 people so far, mostly in Guinea, neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Meanwhile, Hollande and US president Barack Obama have called for increased mobilisation of the international community and the European Union, in close coordination with the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and all the countries affected.

Department of Correctional Services social worker Joe Maringa said South African track star Oscar Pistorius should serve three years of partial house arrest and community service for the negligent killing of his girlfriend. 

The 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic star was convicted of culpable homicide last month for the shooting of 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Maringa argued that Pistorious was a cooperative person who should be sentenced to three years of correctional supervision, meaning that he would have to spend a portion of the day at home. He said the Olympic star could also sweep the streets outside museums in Pretoria as part of his community service duties. 

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is pushing for a lengthy prison term, described the social workers recommendations as shockingly inappropriate. Judge Thokozile Masipa will hear arguments from the prosecution and defence, and from psychological and probation experts before deciding on sentencing. 

 

Also making headlines:

Ebola may change how aid is spent on healthcare in Africa.

Madagascar's exiled former leader Marc Ravalomanana was detained on Monday after returning to the Indian Ocean island for the first time since he was deposed in a coup in 2009.

And, diplomats discuss European Union military coordination against Ebola.

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

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.