Friday, April 16, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.

Making headlines:

The African National Congress's investment arm, Chancellor House Holdings, will not benefit from a $3,75-billion World Bank loan, meant to aid in building Eskom's new Medupi power station.
Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan told journalists ahead of her budget speech in Parliament yesterday, that the loan does not cover the contract to build a boiler for Medupi by Hitachi Power Africa, in which Chancellor House has a 25% share.
"I don't understand what the conflict of interest is, when there is no political party involvement [and] where there is no beneficiary," she said. Hogan added, however, that she is fully behind comments made by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday, calling for the shareholders of Chancellor House to "do the right thing if there is any conflict of interest".
The link between the ruling party, its investment company and Eskom's expansion programme, and allegations about the extent of any conflict of interest, has been hotly debated for months.

Commercial ships traversing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean should be armed to defend themselves against marauding Somali pirates because international warships cannot do the whole job and will not be there forever, a top US Navy admiral said yesterday.
Seaborne gangs of pirates have stepped up hijack attacks on vessels in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing ships, including tankers, despite the presence of dozens of foreign naval vessels.
US Naval Forces for Europe and Africa commander, admiral Mark Fitzgerald, says that naval ships cannot cover the whole ocean. Overwhelmed by the scope of the maritime problem, the US has called for a greater international-led focus on going after the pirate money trail.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Fitzgerald said that it is "incumbent upon the vessels sailing the high seas to either protect themselves or accept the dangers."

Zimbabwe celebrates 30 years of independence this weekend, but there is little hope for the future in a country only slowly recovering from economic collapse after three decades of President Robert Mugabe's rule.
Political commentator and head of pressure group the National Constitutional Assembly Lovemore Madhuku says that this "should be a landmark anniversary, but unfortunately, for many people, it is a time to count lost opportunities and wasted lives".
On Sunday, Mugabe will lead freedom celebrations in Harare, but many people are spooked by the prospect of his running for another term in elections expected in 2013.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti added yesterday that Zimbabwe is likely to cut its 2010 economic growth forecast from 7,7% to 4,8% owing to political uncertainty and its failure to attract foreign donor support.

Also making headlines:
Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica says that South Africa will increasingly use desalinated seawater to meet a growing demand for drinking water.
The United Nations mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo faces a tough task to convince the government not to press for a swift withdrawal of peacekeepers.
Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan says that South Africa faces another energy shortfall in 2018.
And, as voting ends, Sudan's ruling party accuses opposition groups of plotting to reject the elections and overthrow the government through a "popular revolution".

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.