Friday, September 3, 2010

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

Making headlines:

There is no more room for manoeuvre in the government's wage offer to striking public servants, Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi said on Friday. With the revised offer of 7,5% and R800 a month for housing, government "indicated that [it] has to channel money that was meant for other service priorities in order to accommodate [and] find a solution to save South Africa from the embarrassment" of the ongoing public service strike.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Independent Labour Caucus, jointly representing some 1,3-million workers, declared a "preliminary" rejection of the government's latest pay offer on Thursday. Public servants, who have been on strike since August 18, are demanding an 8,6% increase and a R1 000 monthly housing allowance, which the government insists that it cannot afford.

South Africa is confident that it could become the newest member of Bric, a powerful economic coalition of the four largest developing nations in the world - Brazil, Russia, India and China.
This is according to International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane who briefed the media on Thursday, following last week's State visit to China, which formed part of government's worldwide tour to expand ties with fast-growing emerging economies.
South Africa is clamouring to become the fifth member of the Bric economies. The country has held interactions with the Heads of State of these countries, which have thus far shown interest in including South Africa. The Bric nations work to boost trade among themselves and South Africa is looking to expand trade, which will help it meet development needs, especially by improving infrastructure and livelihoods.
Nkoana-Mashabane said that the South African government believed that it had "made a positive impression on all the Bric members".

The government is committed to accommodating the views expressed during public hearings on the Protection of Information Bill "as far as practicable and reasonable", said government spokesperson Themba Maseko on Thursday.
Briefing the media following a Cabinet meeting, he reiterated that the process is not complete and that the bill is yet to be finalised, after negative reaction from many sectors of society, which claim that the bill is designed to keep sensitive government information away from public scrutiny.
State Security Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele has been focusing on areas in the bill that might be broad or vague, and which have the potential to infringe on other rights enshrined in the Constitution. Maseko explained that following this process, the Minister will table a comprehensive response to Parliament, when the ad hoc committee working on the bill next meets.

Also making headlines:

The Côte d'Ivoire's electoral commission has produced a voter list for the first time, raising hopes that an election that has been delayed six times in five years might go ahead on October 31.
South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies says that government is intent on using policy tools to achieve competitive steel pricing to benefit downstream industries.
A dispute over arrangements for the decisive second round of Guinea's Presidential election on September 19, raises concern that the outcome of the landmark poll will be challenged and could trigger unrest.
And, Sudan's referendum commission agrees on a key post, ending a deadlock that has stalled plans for the January 9 southern referendum on independence from the north.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.