For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Lesufi re-elected Gauteng Premier with DA support; GNU releases Statement of Intent, highlighting ANC, DA office bearers; And, 7 leaders commit to faster transition from fossil fuels

Lesufi re-elected Gauteng Premier with DA support

Lawmakers in South Africa’s Gauteng province, the nation’s economic hub, re-elected the African National Congress’s Panyaza Lesufi as Premier of the region.

Lesufi, who has held the post for almost two years, was re-elected unopposed in the province, where the ANC lost its outright majority in May 29 elections.

The ANC won 34.76% of the May 29 provincial ballot, compared with 50.2% five years ago. The Democratic Alliance, which supported Lesufi’s nomination, got 27.4% of the vote and the Economic Freedom Fighters 12.9%.

Lawmakers elected the ANC’s Morakane Mosupyoe as speaker of the provincial legislature. She was unopposed.

GNU releases Statement of Intent, highlighting ANC, DA office bearers

The African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance have pledged to cooperate through a voluntary Government of National Unity through the signing of a Statement of Intent.

On behalf of their respective parties, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille signed the document which aims to foster trust between the electorate and the parties that will make up the GNU, including the Inkatha Freedom Party.

The document was signed today, as the first sitting of the National Assembly got underway and members of the National Assembly were sworn in.

The parties agreed to an ANC State President and Speaker, and a DA Deputy Speaker.

The Statement of Intent outlines focus priorities for the seventh administration, which includes rapid economic growth, job creation, land reform, infrastructure development, fiscal sustainability and macro-economic management.

And, 7 leaders commit to faster transition from fossil fuels

Leaders of the Group of Seven developed democracies will commit to accelerating their transition away from fossil fuels during this decade, according to a draft of a statement to be issued at the end of their ongoing summit in Italy.

The draft says it will transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating actions in this critical decade, to achieve net-zero by 2050 in keeping with the best available science.

Other commitments on climate policy in the draft include a pledge "to phase out existing unabated coal power generation in our energy systems during the first half of 2030s."

With the COP29 United Nations climate conference due to start in November, the leaders of the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy said they would submit "more ambitious" national climate plans, according to the draft.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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