Thursday, March 11, 2010

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

Making headlines:

South African President Jacob Zuma yesterday submitted a list to the secretary of Cabinet showing that he has no business interests, following widespread criticism over his failure to declare assets for ten months after taking office.
Opposition parties want Zuma investigated, saying that he has breached the Executive Ethics Code, which requires senior government officials to disclose assets within 60 days of assuming office.
In a statement, Zuma's lawyer Michael Hulley said that the President "does not hold any directorship, membership or shareholding in any company, either public or private". A list of gifts, benefits and financial interests held or received by Zuma or his family has now been submitted to the secretary of Cabinet, none of which have "extraordinary monetary value", said Hulley.
The country's main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, says that the disclosure is "too little, too late". Hulley had failed to explain why it was 245 days late, or why after claiming that there was legal ambiguity, he has now "changed his mind".

South African Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said yesterday that China has shown strong interest in investing in the country's mining sector, and reassured investors that there are no plans to nationalise mines. China, Africa's biggest emerging market partner, has been investing in the continent's mining and energy sectors, and the Minister said that South Africa is a willing but cautious partner, as government would wait to see whether Chinese investment will benefit South Africa. Speaking on a tour of North America, Shabangu said that China is keen to invest in the processing of minerals - a key priority for South Africa's government, which hopes to extract as much value from its mines as possible and boost job creation.
Investors have expressed concerns about talk of nationalising mines in South Africa, power shortages, regulatory hurdles and delays in acquiring mining rights. Shabangu said that the nationalisation of mines in South Africa is not government policy and would not happen. She explained that the country aims to run a State-owned firm focused on strategic minerals such as coal and uranium, which are required for power generation.

African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema is facing a barrage of complaints to the police and chapter nine institutions over his latest racial outburst, after he led Johannesburg students in singing "kill the boer".
Freedom Front Plus leader and Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder has laid a criminal charge against Malema at a Pretoria police station, saying that the use of the slogan contravened Section 16 of the Constitution, which deals with the advocation of hate.
AfriForum Youth chairperson Ernst Roets says that the organisation will submit a complaint to the Equality Court in Johannesburg. The song cannot be dismissed as part of a political context without real consequences, it said. The Afrikanerbond has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, citing figures of over 800 attacks on farms each year. This, after Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said earlier this week, that farm murders should not be politicised.

Also making headlines:

Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale voices concern that a landmark ruling in the Johannesburg High Court on evictions may throw housing policy into chaos.
Rwanda says that improved relations with France may have paved the way for last week's arrest of a leading Rwandan genocide suspect in Paris.
Former judge Johann Kriegler rebuts alleged "injurious falsehoods" by Cape Judge President John Hlophe in the Cape High Court.
And, Nigerian Acting President Goodluck Jonathan says that agriculture and manufacturing will make a greater contribution to Nigeria's economic growth as the country seeks to reduce its dependence on crude oil.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.