Monday September 12, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

The ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC dismissed argument by Youth League leader Julius Malema that it breached the constitution of the ruling party. "The NDC delivered its ruling on the application by comrade Julius Malema that the NDC breached the ANC constitution by releasing to the media its finding on the application to quash the charges," the head of the panel, Derek Hanekom, said. "The NDC dismissed the application. A full copy of this ruling is also sent out in full to the media," he added.
In a separate statement, the panel then explained that rule 25 of the constitution was not breached because the findings made public on September 2 were not the final outcome of the hearing but merely related to a procedural matter.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said she was confident that South Africa would host an adequate seventeenth conference of the parties (COP 17) on climate change in Durban, in November and December, despite a shortage of funds. In 2010, Department of Environmental Affairs officials estimated that South Africa would require at least R320-million to host a ‘lean and mean’ COP. The National Treasury has allocated R200-million towards the cost of hosting the conference. The balance would likely be made up through donor funding. Nkoana-Mashabane said that the department was “not losing sleep” over the possible funding shortfall, as the conference was supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

South Africa's State Security Minister has ordered three top intelligence officials to resign as divisions emerge in the country's spy community ahead of crucial elections to select a ruling ANC leader next year, local media report. Siyabonga Cwele told the heads of the State Security Agency's (SSA) foreign and domestic services and SSA head Jeff Maqetuka to quit after a row over government protection for his wife, a convicted drug dealer. Media reports said the SSA announced the resignation of Gibson Njenje, head of the domestic intelligence-gathering service. The Sunday Independent newspaper said his resignation was linked to the succession battle in the ANC.

Also making headlines:
Judgment in the "shoot the boer" hate speech trial of ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is expected to be handed down in the High Court in Johannesburg today.
President Robert Mugabe's plan to call an election in Zimbabwe unilaterally for March 2012 would be "illegal", and the vote cannot be held until reforms are carried out to make it fair, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said.
And, Egypt and Israel said that they wanted a return to normal diplomatic activities after the Israeli ambassador flew home following the storming of the embassy in Cairo during violent protests.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.