African press review 9 May 2013

Today's African press look at South Africa's unemployment and societal unrest, as well as its economic potential. And in Kenya, an explanation of the criminal charges against the President.

In South Africa, the financial paper BusinessDay carries a warning from the International Monetary Fund.

According to the Johannesburg-based daily, failure to deliver more inclusive growth in South Africa could be a threat to social stability, and the country has to do more to tackle its domestic problems, the IMF said on Wednesday.

Many analysts argue that South Africa’s social fabric has already started to unravel, with a wave of violent strikes in the mining and agriculture sectors over the past year and more service delivery protests.

Global credit agencies cited the unrest as one of the reasons for their decision to downgrade South Africa's rating, saying it would take time for the country to resolve its structural problems of unemployment, poverty and inequality.

South Africa’s jobless rate climbed to 25.2% in the first quarter of the year, up from 24.9% in the previous one, according to a labour force survey released earlier this week.

Fifty percent of young South Africans are unemployed.

On the South African labour front, comments by Sibanye Gold boss Neal Froneman about how the company will handle coming wage talks, and its plan to sit out a lengthy strike and not accede to any demand for a double-digit wage increase, have fuelled tensions ahead of negotiations.

Froneman made the comments while reporting Sibanye’s maiden quarterly results in which gold output increased 36 percent to 299,000 ounces compared with the December quarter’s strike-affected output.

Sibanye, formed when Gold Fields sold off its Driefontein, Kloof and Beatrix mines, will participate in collective gold sector wage talks later this month.

Froneman ruled out a double-digit increase for guaranteed remuneration and outlined Sibanye’s plans to sit out a potential strike. He said there appeared to be unwillingness by Sibanye’s workforce to embark on another lengthy strike after the damaging labour action last year.

The National Union of Mineworkers feels insulted by these comments, said NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka. "The union will not only press ahead to demand a double-digit wage increment but will also ensure that the double-digit increments are achieved," he said.

On a brighter note, and still in South Africa, the integration of three of Africa’s economic communities - the Southern African Development Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Economic Community of West African States - would create a huge market on the continent, which would provide investors with extraordinary business opportunities.

That was the message from South Africa's Public Enterprise Minister, Malusi Gigaba, in a message issued ahead of the two-day World Economic Forum on Africa, which opens at the Cape Town Convention Centre later today.

Bosses of the world’s major multinationals, political leaders, government officials and representatives of multilateral organisations and civil society are meeting in Cape Town to discuss the opportunities and challenges involved in investing on the African continent.

In Kenya, the main story in The Standard this morning is headlined "ICC adds gun killings to Uhuru charges". The small print explains that prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have now amended charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta to include firearms killings in Naivasha.

You will already know that President Uhuru is charged with complicity in crimes committed during the 2008 post-election violence.

In a new updated Document Containing Charges released by the prosecution, Uhuru’s charges now indicate that guns were also used in killings in Naivasha.

Mungiki sect members and pro-Party of National Unity supporters were deployed to various parts of Nakuru, where they attacked civilians using various weapons, including guns, broken bottles, machetes, knives and petrol bombs, according to the new charges.

Sister paper The Daily Nation gives pride of place to a strike by county representatives.

Thirteen county assemblies have adjourned indefinitely, says the Nation, crippling local government operations, in what appears to be a coordinated strike to force a pay rise for county representatives.

Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru county assemblies are among those not sitting.

County assembly members are demanding a 400% salary increase. They also want car allowances and other perks enjoyed by members of the National Assembly and Senators.