Thursday, June 3, 2010
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
South Africa's powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is unlikely to follow through with threats to quit its alliance with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) because it risks losing influence over Africa's top economy.
Cosatu said on Tuesday that it would walk away from the alliance if its leader, Zwelinzima Vavi, is reprimanded for his criticism of South African President and ANC head Jacob Zuma. The rift comes as Cosatu has been stymied in attempts to wield influence in Zuma's government and change economic policy. It could also sideline the one group capable of holding the ANC to account.
Standard Chartered Africa research head Razia Khan says that while the market usually opposes the left-wing union, Cosatu is now finding some support among investors, which back its push for greater transparency. Cosatu's fight for tougher labour laws and salary increases has made South Africa a less competitive destination for foreign capital compared with other emerging economies. Nomura emerging markets economist Peter Attard Montalto says that even within the government, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Cosatu is a major impediment to labour growth, but ultimately, "Cosatu knows that it has to stay in the alliance."

Rich countries need to change the way that they deal with Africa, shifting from aid to trade if they are not to lose ground to the emerging economic players of Asia and South America.
In a report analysing Africa's small but evolving influence, the Royal Institute of International Affairs at London's Chatham House challenged the Western perception of Africa as a hopeless case, painting it rather as home to one-billion people and up to 40% of the world's natural resources.
The report said that Western views of Africa are increasingly patronising, recursive, out of touch, and a deterrent to serious business interest. Meanwhile, the emerging economic powers of the Group of 20 see Africa in terms of opportunities. Highlighting the shift, China overtook the US last year as Africa's biggest trading partner.
Chatham House added that the overpromising of what aid can deliver and the emphasis placed on aid to the exclusion and deterrence of considerations of business and private-sector links, have diminished the relevance of the Group of Eight rich nations for Africa.

Legislation giving the South African Police Service (SAPS) access to the fingerprint databases of other government departments has been approved in the National Assembly.
Speaking during a debate on the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe said that the measure was intended to deal with fingerprint and DNA evidence shortcomings. Despite the fact that a number of government departments administer fingerprint databases, for instance, the Home Affairs and Transport Departments, the SAPS currently only has access to the fingerprints stored on the SAPS system.
The bill intends to address all these shortcomings by ensuring that the SAPS has access to the fingerprint databases of other government departments for criminal investigations only, and by expanding police powers to take and return fingerprints, bodyprints, and photographic images of persons charged with or convicted of offences.

Also making headlines:

South African President Jacob Zuma says that the arrival of Indians in South Africa 150 years ago, brought heroes and added diversity to the country.
The US, wary of politicised investigations into the use of force by countries, says that uncertainty over the issue of State aggression could undermine the International Criminal Court.
South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry says that the economy's present positive outlook should see growth trends return to 4% by 2011.
And, the United Nations Human Rights Council votes to set up an independent fact-finding mission to investigate Israel's raid on a Gaza aid flotilla.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.