Monday, February 22, 2010
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema has not breached any law or code of ethics by being involved in business, said the ruling ANC yesterday in response to reports detailing Malema's involvement in businesses that received government tenders in Limpopo province of up to R140-million.
Party spokesperson Brian Sokutu said that the youth leader was not at fault as he is not part of government, although the ANC is considering a code of conduct to be adhered to by its senior cadres who have business interests.
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said that Malema should stop pretending to represent the poor when he was living in opulence, while the Democratic Alliance Youth said the fact that Malema's companies did not complete the jobs as tasked, highlighted the problem with government tenders being allocated to "cronies."
The ANCYL in Mpumalanga province criticised the media for embarking on what it called a campaign to "cast aspersions on the integrity" of Malema, while the Northern Cape Youth League dismissed newspaper reports into Malema's life style as a gross misrepresentation of facts.

Africa's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth could reach about 7% in 2011 from a forecast of about 5,5% growth for 2010, said African Development Bank (AfDB) president Donald Kaberuka yesterday.
Kaberuka was speaking at the AfDB's Committee of 10 (C10) meeting, consisting of African finance ministers and central bank governors, formed to develop an African response to the global financial crisis after a meeting in November 2008.
South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who chaired the C10 meeting, said that Africa has the potential, if the proper investments take place, to become a new centre of demand.
The C10 is also discussing a common African approach to global warming and financing to help Africa mitigate the devastating effects that climate change is expected to have on the continent.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe celebrated his 86th birthday yesterday, still in office three decades after independence, with analysts suggesting that he may cling to power for the rest of his life, despite dividing the country during his long rule.
Mugabe was elected unopposed in December to lead his party for another five years and political analysts say that he is automatically Zanu-PF's presidential candidate in the next election, likely to be held in 2013, when he will be 89. Although Mugabe is in the twilight of a long political career, analysts say that the Zanu-PF is too torn by factional fighting over a successor, leaving the veteran leader's challengers weaker and unable to pose a serious challenge.
"He is 86 and has a fresh five-year mandate to lead the party. The leadership of Zanu-PF want him to die in office as president of the party," said Eldred Masunungure, a political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe.

Also making headlines:
President Jacob Zuma says that it is time to talk about South Africa's ‘moral code'.
Three emerging opposition parties in Rwanda consider uniting to fight incumbent President Paul Kagame in the upcoming April elections.
The US wants Niger's new military junta to act quickly on pledges to restore democracy, saying that sanctions could be lifted, following moves to establish civilian rule.
And, an International Criminal Court inquiry finds that crimes against humanity were likely committed during a bloody crackdown on protesters in Guinea last year.
That's a roundup of news making headlines today.