Friday, August eight, 2008.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Sheila Barradas.

Making headlines today:

Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said on Thursday that Cabinet's decision to approve the Broadcasting Digital Migration policy was providing a framework for South Africa to start the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. It would start in November this year.

She said that Cabinet had also approved the manufacturing of set-top-boxes, the provision of STBs as a tool for crossing the digital divide, and the technical specifications that STBs had to adhere to.

Households with analogue television sets will use STBs to convert the digital signal to analogue signal.

Local manufacturers had the potential to manufacture up to 5,6-million STBs a year. This creates the opportunity to establish an export sector. Also, the installation, repair and sale of the STBs will create jobs.

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Deputy Minister of Education, Enver Surty, said on Thursday that government hoped to have no functionally illiterate or illiterate people in South Africa by 2015.

The Department of Education is spending 6,1-billion rand over a five-year period to halve illiteracy by 2012. This is through its Kha Ri Gude (Let us Learn) mass literacy campaign. Over nine-million people in South Africa are illiterate or functionally illiterate.

To date, 360 000 learners have been enrolled. There are 24 000 volunteer educators, 2 800 supervisors and 150 coordinators involved. Surty said the department would target an enrolment figure of 1,2-million people in 2009.

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Government figures showed that the fall in South Africa's gold production continued in June. The industry produced 12,3% less gold than the same month the previous year.

Statistics South Africa said that actual total mining production for the quarter ended June 30, slid by 6,3% compared with the figure for the June quarter in 2007.

South Africa's mining industry has since January had to operate at an average of 10% less power than normal, which was curbing production.
The gold industry has also lost ounces because of a crackdown on safety in its mines.

Also making headlines:

South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry says that business confidence has picked up
Grinaker-LTA says that Heineken's South African brewery is to be completed by June 2009
Raymond Parsons says economic-policy delivery is vital if growth is to be accelerated
Xstrata's offer for Lonmin is rejected as ‘wholly inadequate'
Aquarius CEO Stuart Murray is confident that ‘common sense will prevail' in Zimbabwe's ownership law
And, De Beers officially closes the Oaks mine in Limpopo

In political news:

A report states that a Zimbabwe power-sharing deal is close
Zwelinzima Vavi says the Scorpions have become a 'law unto themselves'
The Johannesburg High Court considers a full bench in the Hlope case
And, Mozambique cuts its diesel tax to rescue fish production

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit engineeringnews.co.za, miningweekly.com and polity.org.za