Friday March 23, 2012

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

The City of Johannesburg will spend over R100-billion on economic and social infrastructure over the next ten years, City of Johannesburg executive mayor Parks Tau said. To enable Johannesburg to facilitate local economic activity and create an enabling environment for growth, the city would focus on, besides others, the upgrading of water reticulation systems, stormwater systems, electricity substations, the road infrastructure network and waste treatment plan. Speaking at his first State of the City address, Tau said that Johannesburg accounted for 16% of the country’s gross domestic product and that trade, manufacturing, construction, transport and tourism would be significant drivers for growth.

Renegade soldiers said they seized power in Mali yesterday and ordered its borders closed, threatening to reignite instability in a Saharan region shaken by the conflict in Libya. The overnight coup bid was led by low-ranking soldiers angry at the government's failure to stamp out a two-month-old separatist rebellion in the north of the West African State. Heavy weapons fire rang out throughout the night as the presidential palace came under attack. The whereabouts of President Amadou Toumani Toure, who oversaw a decade of relative stability, are unknown.

The South African government is considering turning to the private sector to help it close the prevailing funding gap to implement projects to deal with the serious acid mine drainage (AMD) problem being experienced across the Witwatersrand basins, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa revealed. It was estimated that R924-million was needed to implement a short-term AMD solution for the region, but that even more resources would be required for a comprehensive long-term solution. However, the National Treasury had only made R433-million available. Therefore, the Department of Water Affairs and the Department of Mineral Resources would explore the possibility of testing the “open market” for input in finding a sustainable solution.

Also making headlines:

The US faces an unprecedented challenge to its grip on the World Bank presidency, with emerging economies poised to nominate at least one candidate to set up the first contested bid for the top job at the global development lender.

And, Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika responded to growing civil unrest and calls for him to resign by saying he could rule his destitute Southern Africa State "forever".

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.