Thursday, November 25, 2010

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

Making headlines:

Evidence that South Africa's economic growth is slowing, is raising fears that the government has done too little and acted too late to boost growth in the economy.
Since late 2008, when the country plunged into a recession, the South African Reserve Bank has cut interest rates nine times in an attempt to spur economic growth. In the latest effort to keep the economy going, and also to rein in a strengthening currency, the Reserve Bank last week cut its repurchase rate to 5,5%, its lowest level in more than three decades. But economists say that this is far from enough, and warn that delayed interest rate cuts, coupled with government inaction, will not save the fragile economy.
Pan-African Capital Holdings economist Iraj Abedian says that "too little, too late" monetary policy action is to blame for sluggish growth”, adding that South Africa's interest rates are out of sync with the rest of the world. Bureau of Economic Research chief economist Hugo Pienaar says, however, that while cutting interest rates boosts the economy, it is not a silver bullet.

South Africa’s water crisis is past the eleventh hour as red tape and interdepartmental bureaucracy remain major stumbling blocks to addressing the problem, said the United Association of South Africa trade union on Wednesday.
The union said that its water security crusade had "awakened" government, organised business and others to the harsh reality that acid mine drainage and the dumping of sewage and industrial pollutants in "meagre" sources of fresh water are threatening the country.
Cabinet has appointed an inter-Ministerial task team to investigate the matter and to come forward with recommendations. The task team's report, which was due to be tabled in October, has not yet been finalised.
The union added that “if urgent measures are not taken immediately, it will result in reactive rather than proactive measures - trying to limit the damage instead of preventing [a water crisis]."

It is not correct that former African National Congress president Chief Albert Luthuli did not support the armed struggle against the oppressive apartheid government, said President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday.
Speaking at the fourth Albert Luthuli memorial lecture in Durban, Zuma said that those alleging this, are "distorting history." He explained that Luthuli led from the front and articulated the spirit of Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), but that he was never meant to become the face of MK.
Zuma described Luthuli as an indelible leader, saying that South Africans needed to ensure that Luthuli's vision of a nonracial democratic society did not fail.

Also making headlines:

The United Nations considers sending up to 2 000 more peacekeepers to southern Sudan to boost security around January’s referendum on secession.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela says that some State departments still attempt to ignore the powers of her office at the expense of distressed citizens.
A European Union mission sent to observe the Côte d’Ivoire's Presidential poll, accuses the nation's electoral commission of "unacceptable obstruction.”

And, Niger's main political parties call on the country's election commission to clear up errors on the country's voter register, which otherwise risk undermining a poll that is meant to restore civilian rule.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.