October 23, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Chantelle Kotze.
Making headlines:
 

The US says it’s concerned with the violence in Mozambique and urges dialogue.

Sudan and South Sudan seek to mend ties to keep the oil flowing.

And, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry sayS Minister Gordhan should address government debt and the credit rating in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.
 

The US on Tuesday urged Mozambique's government and the Renamo opposition movement to "move back from the brink" and take steps to quell an escalation in tensions that many worry could disrupt the country's strong economic growth.

The Renamo former rebel group declared on Monday it was terminating a 1992 peace accord that ended a 1975-1992 civil war, complaining that government forces overran the base of opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama in the Gorongosa forest.

US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said the US encouraged the two parties to take visible and decisive steps to de-escalate the current tense environment.

Mozambique media reported on Tuesday that suspected Renamo guerrillas fired on a police station at Maringue, just north of the Gorongosa district, but no casualties were reported.

The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan said on Tuesday they were happy with work to rebuild southern oil exports through a Sudanese pipeline. The presidents seek to end a recurring row that has hurt a vital source of revenues for both nations.

The two presidents, Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir expressed satisfaction over the progress made with regard to the flow and export of oil.

The joint communique said the two sides would seek to establish an administration and police force for Abyei and said "the 2% share of Abyei area in oil revenue, including arrears, would  be paid to the Abyei administration."

South Sudan said this month it had made more than $1.3-billion in oil sales since the country restarted production in April this year. It also said it had paid more than $300-million to Khartoum to export the crude through Sudan's pipelines.
 

South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (or Sacci) CEO Neren Rau said on Tuesday that the National Treasury had to present a credible plan on how government debt will be reduced over time to improve South Africa’s credit rating and facilitate easier access to finance for the private sector.

In a media release ahead of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement Rau said South Africa’s economic growth was highly dependent on attracting and sustaining the interest of foreign investors and, therefore, this could be seen as the most important immediate policy priority.

He said government also needed to borrow funds as cheaply as possible in the short term to expand South Africa’s infrastructure network and accommodate the growing public sector wage.

Meanwhile, Rau stated that Gordhan should present a more feasible alternative to a carbon tax and delay the implementation of this tax in 2015 to provide sufficient time for stakeholders to fully deliberate on the issue.

Also making headlines:
 

Plans to grow South Africa's biogas industry are under way.
 

And, Mozambique's opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama risks isolation after ending the 1992 peace pact.
 

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.