Wednesday November 09, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Megan Wait

Making headlines:

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released a scathing report on the Midvaal municipality yesterday, saying it had breached financial and administrative policies. She said the municipality, the only one run by the Democratic Alliance in Gauteng, violated the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework.
This was because it had, for the past 30 years, retained the same legal firm without going through proper procedures. The accounting department failed to comply with the prescribed debt management collection and didn’t take "timeous action" against an agent who owed R869 261 through the sale of pre-paid electricity. Madonsela also found fault with the municipality's handling of property related affairs, saying this "didn’t comply with the law".

Gunmen have killed an international peacekeeper in Sudan's war-stricken Darfur region and wounded two others, the region's African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force said. The peacekeepers, all from Sierra Leone, came under attack on Sunday afternoon as they patrolled near Nyala, capital of the South Darfur state, Unamid said. Mainly non-Arab rebels from Darfur took up arms against Sudan's government in 2003, accusing it of marginalising the remote western territory.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe suggested that the ruling party may yet heed calls from the media to write a public interest defence into the contested Protection of State Information Bill. Motlanthe said the argument was put to him by the South African National Editors' Forum that it would be up to the courts in every case to decide whether the defence held. Media organisations and civil rights groups have vowed to launch a Constitutional Court challenge to the legislation if it were passed in its present form.

Also making headlines:
The Chamber of Mines and petrochemicals group Sasol expressed reservations about the South Africa's main climate policy paper, with industry-specific reduction targets a key concern.
National Business Initiative programme manager Steve Nicholls said that environmental sustainability is being recognised as an important business driver for competitiveness.
And, Liberians trickled into polling stations in early voting on Tuesday after the run-up to the presidential election was marred by a day of deadly clashes and an opposition call for a boycott.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.