Monday March 7, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

South Africa is unlikely to nationalise its mining sector even though the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is debating the idea, Webber Wentzel partner Manus Booysen said. ANC leadership can’t alienate the Youth League leader Julius Malema and refuse to consider the merits of nationalisation, but it won’t become policy, Booysen added. “Perhaps there are enough people in the ANC leadership to know that it won’t work, such as Trevor Manuel and Matthews Phosa,” he said in an interview. The ANC has said it will debate nationalisation and could make a decision on it at its 2012 party policy conference.

The Côte d’Ivoire’s Laurent Gbagbo has paid over 60% of civil servant salaries, his government said, suggesting Western sanctions meant to starve him of funds and force him to leave have not had full effect. The north of the country, which mostly supports Gbagbo's opponent Alassane Ouattara, remained without electricity and water service, but a week of clashes between supporters of the two rivals appeared to have eased. Meanwhile, there is little hope of quickly resolving the crisis in the world's top cocoa grower, sparked by Gbagbo refusing to step down after a November election that internationally certified results showed Ouattara had won, despite African leaders meeting in Mauritania.

Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale on Friday assigned new powers relating to human settlements development to a number of major cities in the hope of accelerating delivery and improving expenditure patterns. The level two-accreditation status that was passed on from provincial governments to these municipalities would enable them to approve and manage housing construction programmes and ensure technical quality assurances. The Minister hoped that the additional responsibility taken on by these municipalities would result in more integrated planning of new housing projects and improved service delivery.

Also making headlines:
Troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi launched counter-offensives against rebel-held towns on Sunday, increasing fears that Libya is heading for a civil war rather than the swift revolutions seen in Tunisia and Egypt.
Renegade militia fighters clashed twice with south Sudanese soldiers, both sides said, in the latest sign of instability in the oil-producing territory months ahead of its expected independence.
And, Egypt on Sunday named General Mansour el-Essawy as its new interior minister in a further sign that ousted President Hosni Mubarak's old guard were being removed from the cabinet.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.