Monday September 26, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

The Presidency was unaware of plans to suspend national police commissioner General Bheki Cele, a spokesperson said yesterday.
"I am not aware of any letter that is in preparation [for Cele's suspension]. The reports are based on rumours," said Mac Maharaj. He said the report, which claimed Cele's suspension was imminent, could "contribute to instability in police management". He was responding to a report in the Sunday Times that President Jacob Zuma was expected to sign Cele's letter of suspension this week on his return from the United States.

The World Bank said it was more than tripling funding to $1.88-billion for a worsening drought in Horn of Africa countries affecting more than 13-million people. The funding is boosted from around $500-million the World Bank announced in July. World Bank president Robert Zoellick said the financing would help fill a $1-billion funding gap needed to tackle drought and a food crisis engulfing parts of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Uganda.

South African power utility Eskom signed two loan agreements worth a total of $365-million with the African Development Bank for clean-energy projects. Eskom said in a statement that the loans would "enable the first large-scale implementation of renewable wind and solar generation in Eskom's history." Eskom, which provides virtually all of the power for Africa's largest economy, is keen to reduce its carbon footprint. Over 90% of its generation is coal-fired. The utility also wants to diversify its energy base as it struggles to keep the lights on in the face of tight supplies and rising demand.

Also making headlines:
Libya's interim rulers said that they had found a mass grave containing the bodies of 1 270 inmates killed by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's security forces in a 1996 massacre at a Tripoli prison.
And, a tax to fund government’s national health insurance will not be introduced in the short term, says deputy director of general public finance in the National Treasury Andrew Donaldson.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.