October 31, 2013
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Shannon de Ryhove.
Making headlines:

ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani says calls for the suspension of national police commissioner Riah Phiyega are irresponsible.

The International Monetary Fund says sub-Saharan Africa should shrug off growth headwinds in 2014.

And, MPs adopt a revised report on the Information Bill.

African National Congress Chief Whip Stone Sizani said on Wednesday that calls for the suspension of national police commissioner Riah Phiyega were irresponsible.

He accused the Democratic Alliance of seeing "every development in the police department as a political points-scoring opportunity".

Earlier this week, the DA said Phiyega should be suspended pending the outcome of a probe into allegations that she defeated the ends of justice.

MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard said there were grounds for suspension under the Labour Relations Act if an employee was implicated in misconduct, if there was prima facie evidence of guilt, and if the employee could unfairly influence a probe.

Sizani, however, said the call was "plain politicking, devoid of any sound factual foundation".

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has said it would investigate the allegations against Phiyega.

The International Monetary Fund (or IMF) says sub-Saharan Africa growth will be moderately lower in 2013, owing to global headwinds. But it still expects growth in the region to come in at around 5% this year, before rising to 6% in 2014, notwithstanding some external uncertainties and the fact that the region’s largest economy, South Africa, is poised to expand by only 2% this year.

Excluding South Africa, the region was forecast to grow by 6% this year and by 6.5% in 2014.

In its October Regional Economic Outlook, the IMF also suggested that the downside risks would mainly arise from external factors, such as any further weakening in emerging markets or advanced economies that could result in commodity price declines.

MPs adopted a revised report on Wednesday about recent, minor amendments to the Protection of State Information Bill, bringing it a step closer to becoming law.

They added a summary of minority views in which opposition parties stated their concerns that the amendment process was legally flawed, and a further 30 typographical corrections to the bill, to which the opposition also objected on a point of law.

Their argument is that constitutionally the committee had to confine itself to correcting only those parts of the bill pinpointed by President Jacob Zuma when he sent it back to Parliament, and that he failed to provide clarity on what could be changed.

Democratic Alliance MP Dene Smuts reiterated that the ad hoc committee didn’t have the right to address anything in the bill apart from the constitutional flaws cited by the president.

The meeting, which was the last before the bill goes back to the National Assembly next week, dissolved into a bitter row over the views the Inkatha Freedom Party wanted to include in the minority report.

Also making headlines:

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela dismissed as "baseless" the accusations by African National Congress Chief Whip Stone Sizani about her probe into President Jacob Zuma's homestead at Nkandla.

The International Criminal Court trial of Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta is likely to be delayed until next year.

And, Congolese civilians celebrated in the streets on Wednesday as troops entered the eastern border town of Bunagana after a major new success in their offensive to crush a 20-month rebellion.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.