For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Darren Parker.

Making headlines: Parliament is ready for 2022 SoNA; Freedom Under Law is confident Ramaphosa won’t be pressurised in Chief Justice selection; And, Millions facing severe hunger in Horn of Africa

Parliament is ready for 2022 SoNA

Parliament’s Presiding Officers say that Parliament is ready to host the 2022 State of the Nation Address.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will make his address on Thursday at 7pm at the Cape Town City Hall. For the first time, the ceremony will be held outside Parliament.

Last month City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis officially handed over City Hall to Parliament’s Presiding Officers following the fire that damaged the National Assembly building, including the chamber where the official sittings of the National Assembly and Joint Sittings of both Houses of Parliament are usually held.

Freedom Under Law is confident Ramaphosa won’t be pressurised in Chief Justice selection

Freedom Under Law has expressed its confidence that President Cyril Ramaphosa will make his own choice for Chief Justice from the four candidates that were recently interviewed by the Judicial Service Commission.

Ramaphosa must select a successor to Mogoeng Mogoeng, whose term of office ended in October 2021.

Last week, in what was an unprecedented announcement, the JSC recommended that Ramaphosa appoint Supreme Court of Appeal President Mandisa Maya as South Africa’s next Chief Justice.

Legal experts hit back against the JSC after it endorsed Maya, saying it had no powers to do so.

Freedom Under Law said the JSC’s performance last week has left its reputation in tatters.

And, Millions facing severe hunger in Horn of Africa

The United Nations World Food Programme said that 13-million people across the Horn of Africa face severe hunger, and the organisation is calling for immediate assistance to avoid a repeat of a famine, a decade ago, that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Three failed rainy seasons have created the driest conditions since the 1980s, with forecasts of below-average rainfall set to increase suffering in the coming months.

The World Food Programme’s Michael Dunford said harvests are ruined, livestock are dying, and hunger is growing as recurrent droughts affect the Horn of Africa.

The World Food Programme is launching its regional response plan for the Horn of Africa this week and is calling for $327-million to meet the immediate needs of 4.5-million people.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [@Polity ZA]