Monday, August 23, 2010

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

Making headlines:

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will press ahead with demonstrations outside hospitals and other workplaces today as a nationwide public servants strike enters its sixth day. Cosatu spokesperson Mugwena Maluleke says that workers "have to highlight [their] plight," but that Cosatu had told its members that obstruction of hospital entrances and intimidation would not be tolerated.
The government announced last week that it would implement its 7% salary increase and R700 monthly housing allowance offer unilaterally within 21 days. But Maluleke said that the unions would not stop their action until the Public Service and Administration Department had been forced back to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, a labour court granted an injunction on Saturday, banning civil servants in essential services from taking part in the strike. Government spokesperson Themba Maseko says that essential services include hospital and correctional facilities and that the workers are expected to return to work immediately. The interdict also prohibits the striking workers from intimidating nonstriking workers and the public.

South African President Jacob Zuma this week seeks to boost trade on a trip to China, the last of the four Bric economies - consisting of Brazil, Russia, India and China - that he has visited in little over a year since taking office.
South Africa aims to tap trade and investment in Bric economies to make up for the downturn in traditional markets in weakly recovering Europe.
Africa expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations Xu Weizhong says that "there is a national consensus in South Africa that wants the country to be part of the Bric, and this visit to China is part of achieving that goal."
For Beijing, the visit by Zuma will be an opportunity to consolidate ties with African countries, where China is increasingly turning for resources, markets and diplomatic support.

The African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL's) mid term policy meeting will take place this week, where its position on the nationalisation of the mines is expected to take centre stage. The ANCYL National General Council (NGC) will kick off on Tuesday, with around 3 000 delegates expected to attend.
ANCYL secretary-general Vuyiswa Tulelo says that the NGC is an opportunity for the league to assess its progress on the work done, the challenges it faces and an opportunity to present new policy proposals.
The league's policy on the nationalisation of mines is likely to be formalised, in order to take its position forward to the NGC of its mother body, the ANC, in Durban next month. It will also debate the character of the ANC and what the party's youth wing envisions for the ruling party when it turns 100 in 2012.

Also making headlines:

South Africa's General Council of the Bar says that the draft Protection of Information Bill does not pass Constitutional muster.
Sudan plans on building a nuclear reactor and its first nuclear power plant for peaceful electricity purposes by 2020.
South African President Jacob Zuma will miss the United Nations general assembly in September in favour of attending the African National Congress's National General Council meeting, as party politics "comes first".
And, the head of Benin's Parliament has rejected a request by lawmakers to impeach President Boni Yayi over his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme, saying that they had failed to follow procedure.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.