Tuesday October 04, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Jessica Hannah

Making headlines:

South Africa's projections of about 4% growth over the next three years are too ambitious in the current global turmoil, and the 7% growth it needs to create jobs might not be possible at the moment, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. Speaking at a business dinner, Gordhan said weakening growth in developed markets and escalating market volatility have cast a shadow over South Africa's economic outlook, and that the world faced uncertainties for the next three to four years. The government has said the economy needs to grow by 7% a year on a sustained basis to decrease the unemployment rate, which is currently at over 25%.

The military commander of Tripoli, a key figure in the revolution that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, called on other militias to pull their weapons out of Tripoli, accusing them of terrorising the city's population. The remarks by Abdulhakim Belhadj, whose Tripoli Military Council claims a mandate from Libya's new rulers, follow rising concern about potential conflict among armed groups that converged on Tripoli to overthrow Gaddafi and have stayed on to demand stakes in a future government. They also follow the announcement a day earlier of another group that it would collect weapons and provide security in the name of the ruling National Transitional Council.

Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde's department has been given a disclaimer, one of the worst audit reports possible, according to a report. Auditor General Terence Nombembe said he found, among other things, irregular expenditure amounting to R16.5-million. Also, the department could not verify or account for material losses of R54.8-million in a public-private partnership for vehicle leases.
Nombembe said another problem was an inability to obtain evidence of R1.3-billion in capital transactions. Questions  were also raised around the immovable assets of the department, which is the custodian of most of the government's property portfolio.

Also making headlines:
South Africa needs to make the “right choices” regarding the licensing of high demand spectrum, including the so-called “digital dividend”, says Communications Minister Roy Padayachie.
South African President Jacob Zuma hit back at critics of his leadership, saying that he and not outspoken ANC Youth League front-man Julius Malema was in control of the continent's biggest economy.
And, a Red Cross convoy carrying aid to relieve a humanitarian crisis in Libya's besieged city of Sirte had to turn back because Libyan interim government forces unleashed a barrage of fire.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.