Tuesday September 27, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Jessica Hannah

Making headlines:

The Justice Ministry says Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe has not been ordered to take steps against national police commissioner Bheki Cele. Yesterday, The Presidency dismissed reports of the imminent suspension of Cele. Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj declined to say whether President Jacob Zuma had already taken a decision on Cele's fate, but the Sunday Times reported at the weekend that the president was about to send Cele a final letter of suspension.

New Zambian President Michael Sata told Beijing he welcomed Chinese companies investing in Africa's biggest copper producer but only if they obeyed the law, particularly with regards to employing more Zambian workers. In his first official appointment since being elected president on Friday, Sata met Chinese ambassador Zhou Yuxiao to dispel fears of his sometimes fierce anti-Chinese rhetoric while in opposition would translate into a shift in investment policy. However, he also made clear that Chinese companies that have so far ploughed more than $2-billion into developing the mining sector in the Southern African country would not be getting preferential treatment.

Speaking at the South Africa-Houston Partnership Business lunch in Texas on Friday Zuma said South Africa is open to foreign direct investment as a means to drive economic growth, as well as to improve competitiveness and to have access to foreign markets for exports. The president saw opportunity in the US' National Export Initiative, as one of its implementation measures is technical and financial support to US SMEs to enable them to access international markets.

Also making headlines:
Free housing for the poor has to have a cut off date, states Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale.
And, Libya's de facto prime minister said yesterday that Nato should continue operations in Libya as long as Muammar Gaddafi's loyalists are killing civilians, and the prospect that the toppled leader could still destabilize the region.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.