22 April, 2016.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines:
Candidates for inspector general of intelligence to be announced
US poultry a win for South African consumers
And, South Africa's central bank worried by weaker bonds, ratings decisions

The joint standing committee on intelligence will shortlist candidates for the inspector general of intelligence in Parliament today.

The sub-committee of the joint standing committee on intelligence met in February to discuss and shortlist the candidates for the position, Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) reported.

Fifty-five candidates were under consideration.

Parliament’s joint standing committee on intelligence report recommended former ANC MP Cecil Burgess’ appointment.

Burgess was the former head of the intelligence committee and he championed the so-called 'secrecy bill'. But opposition parties fiercely objected to his candidacy.

President of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council Jim Sumner said they were thrilled to be back in the South African market after about 17 years.

About 17 years ago the council was put out of the SA market due to a complaint of dumping by the South African government and the local poultry industry at the time.

The US African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), renewed by US lawmakers last year, eliminates import levies on more than 7 000 products ranging from textiles to manufactured items and benefits 39 sub-Saharan African nations.

Total two-way trade between South Africa and the US was about R217-billion last year.

South Africa's central bank is worried that a sharp weakening of bonds and pending ratings decisions could badly affect investor sentiment towards the country while increasing the cost of funding government debt.

South African Reserve Bank's Deputy Governor Daniel Mminele said Standard & Poor's decision to revise the ratings outlook in Africa's most industrialised economy to negative in December had contributed to the sharp fall in local assets.

President Jacob Zuma alarmed investors and caused the rand to tumble in December when he first replaced the former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with David van Rooyen, a little-known politician with no financial background.

Following criticism and a selling frenzy in the markets, Zuma replaced van Rooyen just days later with Pravin Gordhan, who returned to the job he had held from 2009 to 2014. Mminele said the decision by the ratings firms likely would have an important effect on asset prices in South Africa.

Also making headlines:
Nkandla 'fire pool' report factually correct, says Nhleko

Chadian President Deby re-elected in landslide first-round victory

And, EFF leaders 'greedy to graduate', but disrupt varsities for others, says Nzimande

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today