South Africa

NEW YORK – The relationship between the United Nations (UN) Security Council and African Union (AU) should be institutionalised, President Jacob Zuma says. "We, therefore, believe that we should institutionalise the relationship between the two councils if our common objective of maintaining international peace and security is to be maintained," he says at the Security Council summit debate. This is one of four proposals Zuma made on how to strengthen cooperation between the two bodies. He says aligning policies and mechanisms for conflict prevention, mediation and resolution in Africa is paramount. His second proposal is that the two bodies should consider developing modalities for cooperation and decision-making between the two institutions. "This will assist in ensuring uniformity, consistency and certainty when the two institutions are pursuing a common objective." Thirdly, a clear division of labour will be crucial to the success of the partnership between the two organisations. "This has to take into account the different competencies, capacities and comparative advantages of the two bodies." Finally, Zuma says, capacity building and sustainable resource allocation remains a fundamental problem. "This is something that the AU needs to discuss with the UN to explore solutions." The African continent has, in the past decade, demonstrated sufficiently the political will and commitment to rid the continent of all conflicts and wars, he adds.

JOHANNESBURG – An expanded further education and training (FET) college sector has a central role to play in increasing artisan numbers and other mid-level skills, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande says. Unveiling the Green Paper for Post-School Education and Training, the Minister stresses the role that colleges should play in delivering the skills that are in “extremely short” supply. “Colleges, working together with employers, both public and private, will be our spearhead in tackling this [skills] problem.” The Green Paper proposes that the quality of education at FET colleges receive attention and that management, qualification mix, the capacity of the teaching staff and student support should be strengthened. The paper also makes proposals about pathways to ensure that students from colleges could move on to universities after completing their vocational qualifications. “Vocational education at the FET colleges must not be a dead-end,” Nzimande says. The Minister announced the establishment of a South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education and Training as part of a long-term strategy to build institutional capacity. The institute's main focus will be to strengthen the vocational and continuing education sector by playing a supporting role to existing institutions, such as FET colleges and the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas). “They [Setas] have a particularly important role to play in promoting the revitalisation of the artisan training system and in building linkages between theoretical education in colleges and universities on the one hand and practical workplace experience on the other,” he adds.

JOHANNESBURG – Eskom warns of a “very high” risk of rolling blackouts around the country, but is doing everything it can to avert this. “We are working very closely with our large customers to see if they can reduce their load . . . but the risk is very high. We are doing our utmost to avoid it,” spokesperson Hilary Joffe says. Power outages are a possibility because of planned maintenance, an increase in unplanned maintenance and an ever-increasing demand for power. “Summer is always a time when we do maintenance and take advantage of lower demand. The maintenance is more this year than previous years as we are tackling a backlog. We are experiencing quite a lot of unplanned maintenance. We are not getting performance from our generating plants. There are also quite a lot of technical problems which are cutting supply further.” Joffe says demand for power has increased as people return to work, forcing Eskom to use emergency power reserves. She urges people to find ways to reduce their electricity use. The Cape Chamber of Commerce says that, although it appreciates the notice given by Eskom, the possibility of rolling blackouts is unacceptable.

PRETORIA – The eurozone crisis could hurt South Africa’s economy and the country should maintain a supportive monetary policy to ensure growth in the medium term, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says. Christine Lagarde, in South Africa as part of her first tour of the continent since taking the IMF post, says the African economic powerhouse will do well to also moderate wage growth. Although well integrated into the global economy, South Africa mitigated the worst impact of 2008’s recession through a sound macroeconomic regime, a strong financial sector and a flexible exchange rate, she adds. “The ongoing difficulties in the euro area, one of South Africa’s main export markets, present significant downside risks to the economic outlook,” Lagarde said after meetings with President Jacob Zuma and senior officials. “In this context, we agree that the challenge now is to ensure that monetary policy remains supportive and competitiveness improves.” The country has lost about a million jobs in the past two years, and analysts say it will be difficult for these people to find employment again because unions have priced labour out of the market.

Africa & the world

TRIPOLI – Libya expects the International Criminal Court (ICC) to agree that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of Libya's late leader, can be tried in Libya, where he could face the death penalty, the Justice Minister says. The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled Muammar Gaddafi in August. Minister of Justice Ali Humaida Ashour says the ICC has accepted in principle a request by Libyan authorities to try Saif al-Islam and will make a final decision within weeks. "We expect the court will accept that Saif is tried in Libya," he says. "The Libyan judiciary is the one that has the jurisdiction to try Saif al-Islam Gaddafi because the Libyan judiciary is the base and the ICC complements it." The ICC's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said in November that he was happy for Libya to hold the trial, even though he had no guarantee that it would be fair. But the decision rests with ICC judges who, shortly after Moreno-Ocampo's comments, said that if Libya wished to try Saif al-Islam, it must submit a formal challenge to the ICC and answer questions about his arrest and conditions of detention.

ABUJA – One of Nigeria's main trade unions says talks with President Goodluck Jonathan over the government's removal of publicly popular fuel subsidies are 'fruitful' and ongoing, but strikes will continue until an agreement is reached. Nigeria scrapped subsidies on petrol imports on January 1, more than doubling the pump price to around 150 naira a litre, sparking bitter protests across the country. Tens of thousands of Nigerians had been demonstrating in cities up and down Africa's most populous nation for four straight days as neither side is ready to concede an inch. Unions say that the presubsidy removal petrol price of 65 naira a litre must be reintroduced and the government says that fuel subsidies are gone for good because they were corrupt and a dangerous drain on Africa's second-largest economy. But Jonathan and unions met late on Thursday. "We had fruitful discussions, both sides have agreed to shift ground. We will be meeting again on Saturday," says Abdulwaheed Omar, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, one of Nigeria's two biggest workers' unions. "Unless and until we get a conclusive conclusion from the discussion then that means we will maintain status quo. For now the strike still continues," Omar says. The central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, says the strikes are costing the economy more than $600-million a day.

BISSAU – Guinea Bissau President Malam Bacai Sanha died in a Paris hospital where he was undergoing treatment, according to a statement from his office read over local radio. Sanha had been in poor health since coming to power in 2009 and left Bissau in late November for treatment abroad, raising worries about a possible military take-over in a West African State that has suffered repeated coups. “With pain and sadness, the President’s office reports to the people of Guinea Bissau and to the international community the death of His Excellency the President, Malam Bacai Sanha, this morning, January 9, at Val de Grace hospital, where he was being treated,” the statement said. The US embassy in Dakar warned US citizens in Guinea Bissau in December that there was an “increased potential for political instability and civil unrest” as a result of reports of Sanha’s ill health. Sanha, 65, who came to power in 2009 after his predecessor was assassinated, was believed to have suffered from diabetes. A Foreign Affairs Ministry source says Sanha was in an induced coma during his treatment in Paris. Guinea Bissau, a tiny former Portuguese colony whose main export is cashew nuts, is trying to shore up its fragile stability after years of turmoil fuelled by the military’s meddling in politics.

BENGHAZI – Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir says he is working with Libyan leaders to secure the border between the two countries and prevent the smuggling of weapons to rebel groups in Sudan. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on genocide charges, arrived in Libya last week. Asked if he was worried he might be arrested and handed over to the ICC, he answered: “By God, no. Not in Libya, I am ready to move around Libya without security guards.” During the visit, Bashir stressed the need to protect Libya’s southern borders, which he says former dictator Muammar Gaddafi used to smuggle weapons to rebels in Sudan.