Tuesday, April 6, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.

Making headlines:

The African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL's) revival of the "shoot the boer" slogan may have played a role in the murder of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre'Blanche, says the South African Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR).
Racial tensions in the country appear to have increased significantly in recent weeks, said SAIRR deputy CEO Frans Cronje, adding that not all crime in the country can be categorised as nonpolitical. In an environment where law and order has largely collapsed, the consequences of incitement by political leaders to commit murder must be taken seriously, said Cronje, who also dismissed the ANC leadership's refusal to entertain questions about a possible link between ANCYL Julius Malema's statements and Terre'Blanche's murder, as "ridiculous". Cronje warned that Terre'Blanche's brutal killing, risked turning him into a martyr and further polarising South Africa.
Meanwhile, as Terre'Blanche's two alleged murderers appeared in the Ventersdorp Magistrate's court this morning, a tense confrontation between blacks and whites ensued outside the court, and police were forced to intervene. AWB leader Piet Steyn says that emotions are high but that the organisation has told its members to remain calm.

Sudan's National Elections Commission on Saturday said that the country's first multiparty polls in 24 years would go ahead on time, dashing an opposition party's demands for a four-week delay to address complaints of irregularities in the process.
The main candidates for the Presidential elections, apart from the opposition Umma party leader, withdrew from the race this week, saying that the vote was already "rigged" for incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to win.
Umma head Sadeq al-Mahdi, Sudan's last democratically elected leader, listed eight demands including a four-week delay to be agreed to before April 6, or his party would boycott all parts of the Presidential, legislative and gubernatorial votes.
South Sudan's leading party triggered the election crisis last week, by withdrawing its Presidential candidate, seen as Bashir's main competition, and boycotting all levels of polls in Darfur because of the conflict there.

Political leaders in South Africa must "think" before they make statements, which could be "misunderstood", said President Jacob Zuma on Saturday, in a special public address on SABC radio after Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre'Blanche was murdered on his farm outside Ventersdorp.
Zuma said that the incident should encourage leaders to be careful about what they say in public, in case it is misconstrued as working against the process of nation-building.
On Sunday night, Zuma said that calm needs to prevail in South Africa, calling for leadership to take responsibility for uniting the country in calling for an end to violence. The President also condemned Terre'Blanche's murder as a cowardly act, calling it a "sad moment" for the country.

Also making headlines:

African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema maintains that he was not responsible for the death of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader Eugene Terre'Blanche.
Eskom and BHP Billiton agree to amend pricing agreements for power supplies to aluminium smelters in South Africa and Mozambique.
Political parties across the spectrum mourn the death of Deputy Health Minister Molefi Sefularo.
And, Rwandan President Paul Kagame slams emerging opposition parties planning to run against him in August elections, accusing them of contempt for Rwandans.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.