Thursday, September 16, 2010

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

Making headlines:

South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on Wednesday tried to attract UK investment in South Africa, particularly in the troubled mining sector.
"We value our relationships with international investors, especially in the critical sector of mining, which continues to be the backbone of the South African economy," he told business leaders in London during his two-day visit.
This comes amid fierce debate about the nationalisation of mines. Motlanthe, meanwhile, said that the South African government is committed to an efficient and transparent environment that had "good prospect for mining investment". He noted that economic growth is constrained by delayed infrastructure investments but said that clearing out backlogs would raise productivity and competitiveness.

African Development Bank (AfDB) donors will top up its main development fund to the tune of $9,35-billion in the next three years, allowing the bank to finance projects in the poorest countries.
The latest "replenishment" guarantees for the AfDB's African Development Fund, will allow it to finance public sector investments, particularly in infrastructure and improving public administration. Tackling the impact of climate change in poor countries will also be on the agenda.
The Tunis-based bank's development fund is an important source of funding and technical assistance for 40 low-income countries in Africa.
The AfDB has also tripled its capital base this year to $100-billion, giving it greater firepower to tackle the huge infrastructure deficit faced by countries across the continent.

The debate on the African National Congress's (ANC's) proposed Media Appeals Tribunal has benefited the media, said deputy press ombudsman Johan Retief on Wednesday.
"The only good thing about the Media Appeals Tribunal, is that the ANC is forcing the press to get its house in order," he said at a colloquium on press freedom at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He added that the current press ombud system could be improved and decried the lack of knowledge of the press code among journalists.
Former Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad urged the media not to be "hysterical' about the proposed tribunal. He said that the media should "engage" with the ANC on the policy. However, "the stifling of debate by well coordinated and funded campaigns might constitute a threat to debate," he said.

Also making headlines:

The International Monetary Fund says that Zambia, whose economy will grow by 6,6% this year owing to rising copper output and a rebound in tourism, should register strong economic growth in 2011.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Menzi Simelane accuses the opposition Democratic Alliance of trying to turn the High Court into an employment agency.
Guinean authorities postpone a Presidential election runoff due in four days, after street battles left one dead and 50 injured this week, as rival political camps traded accusations of attempted vote rigging.
And, the World Bank says that world leaders will stick to promises to slash global poverty by 2015 at a United Nations summit in New York next week, but budget cutbacks in rich nations will keep them from setting ambitious new goals.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.