South Africa : Clinton Arrives in Africa Bearing No Gifts -
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By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - The Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs is in the process of initiating further consultations with the communities of Matatiele and Moutse in Limpopo to assist government in the re-determination of their borders.

Moutse was incorporated into Limpopo from Mpumalanga by the Municipal Demarcation Board in 2006. Since then, residents have been embarking on marches demanding that the Elias Motsoaledi Municipality and five other wards should be reincorporated back into Mpumalanga.

In Matatiele, residents are demanding to be incorporated back into KwaZulu-Natal.

According to the Ministerial Media Liaison Officer, Vuyelwa Qinga Vika, a national task team, led by the department, provincial government departments, municipalities and traditional leadership, has been set up to drive the process.

"The team has been meeting on a regular basis since the beginning of July," she said, adding that the department expects the process to be completed in September, after which a report will be submitted to Cabinet for a decision on the issue.

Namibia: Demolitions Draw Political Flak - THE Windhoek Municipality's destruction earlier this week of a number of illegal shacks in the Otjomuise Agste Laan informal settlement has prompted condemnation from opposition parties. [AA Construction]

Gambia: The Revolution And Development - Often, when we talk of infrastructural development, what comes to mind, are roads, water supply, power grids, sewers, telecommunications, schools, hospitals etc. These aforementioned features of infrastructural development, anywhere, are regarded as basic necessities for continuous survival of any society. This is to say, infrastructure refers to the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: On Kogi's Infrastructural Revolution - Democracy, as a form of government was defined by Abraham Lincoln, one of the most outstanding Presidents of the United States, as the government of the people by the people and for the people. [AA Urbanisation]

Namibia: 'Big Brother' Bill Becomes Real - ONE of the ghosts of the apartheid era is to return to Namibia 20 years after the shackles of colonialism were broken, with a new communications bill allowing the secret service to listen to all telephone calls, read all messages on mobile phones and scroll through the e-mails of citizens by means of special 'interception centres' staffed by the Central Intelligence Service. [AA Urbanisation]

By Vivian Warby

Parliament - Parliament is looking forward to hosting President Jacob Zuma next Wednesday when delivers his State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces.

"The effort which has already gone into our preparation for this event bears testimony to our sense of anticipation. We are looking forward to hosting it," said Speaker of Parliament Max Sisulu, during a press briefing on Thursday.

He said it was a momentous occasion which every South African was looking forward to. "We, as Parliament, are no exception to this."

Mr Sisulu said the newly established fourth Parliament had had to hit the ground running in making preparations for the State of the Nation Address on 3 June.

Invited guests, former Presidents and Deputy Presidents, former Presiding Officers of Parliament, the Judiciary, Cabinet Ministers, Heads of Government Departments, Members of Parliament and many more will descend on Parliament on the day.

South Africa: Du Noon Residents Demand Land - Residents of Site 5 in Du Noon, have vowed to continue burning tyres on Koeberg Road and the N7 freeway if the provincial government ignores their demands for land and services. [AA Urbanisation]

Zuma rise to power to improve relations - [ANGOP - Angola Press]

Johannesburg, - The secretary for international relations of Angola's ruling MPLA party, Paulo Teixeira Jorge, said friday in Johannesburg that the rise of Jacob Zuma to the presidency in South Africa opens wide perspectives for the improvement of partnerships between Angola and South Africa.

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[AA Angola]

Durban II: no-show is slap in face of victims of apartheid

More and more Western countries are either announcing their boycott or are threatening to boycott Durban II, a United Nations conference scheduled for April to review progress made since the World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa in 2001. Earlier this month, Italy became the first EU member to withdraw from the event, stating that it could not endorse a draft agenda that criticizes Israel. The Electronic Intifada co-founder Arjan El Fassed comments. [Palestine]

South Africa: Constantia Housing Plan 'a Political Ploy' - The proposal to build "integrated and mixed-density" housing in Constantia, described as a political ploy to paint residents as racist, has become something of a political football. [AA Urbanisation]

Fresh Wave of Farm Invasions - Fresh Wave of Farm Invasions - A wave of fresh farm invasions and arrests has forced many of Zimbabwe's remaining white farmers into hiding, to avoid the very real threats of arrest, harassment and violence. [All Africa : Zimbabwe] [AA Zimbabwe]

Moves afoot to create ‘single voice’ for SA construction sector - Moves afoot to create ‘single voice’ for SA construction sector - The president of Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) has called for the re-establishment of a single entity to represent “the voice of the construction industry” and has told Engineering News Online that he hoped that such a structure could be put in place during the first half of 2009.
read more [Architect's Blog]

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Parliament - Housing and the eradication of informal settlements remain at the forefront of government's infrastructure investment plans, according to the Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel.

Tabling his 2009 Budget Speech in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Manuel said over the next three years, infrastructure grants to municipalities total R67 billion, and a further R45 billion will be spent on the Breaking New Ground housing programme.

"Together with investment in roads and public transport, these constitute one of the largest areas of expansion of public sector spending, and are rightly prioritised as part of our response to the current deterioration in employment and economic activity," said the minister.

An additional R3.7 billion has been allocated to low-housing projects and R4.1 billion is set aside for the second phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

"I propose that participating departments, provinces and municipalities should be challenged to exceed their targets for creating EPWP jobs over the period ahead."

The Coalition of Women for Peace in Israel has launched a new database of companies directly involved in the Israeli occupation. This online database reflects an on-going grassroots investigation effort by the Coalition of Women for Peace, a leading Israeli feminist peace organization dedicated to ending the occupation and reaching a just peace in Israel/ Palestine. Rigorous research, including site visits and cross references of documents, have resulted in a database of several hundred international and Israeli companies directly involved in the Israeli occupation. During 2009 we intend to upload hundreds more of companies which are under investigation.

The Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights is fueled by corporate interests. Israeli companies and multinational corporations deal in real estate; develop the Israeli infrastructure and settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories and the Golan Heights; contribute to the construction and operation of an ethnic separation system, including checkpoints, walls and roads; design and supply equipment and tools used in the control and repression of the civilian population under occupation.