For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Mabuza welcomes striking off of protection order application against him; Cosatu says land expropriation is for the poor and not politicians; And, Ramaphosa says Gupta leaks opened his eyes

 

Mabuza welcomes striking off of protection order application against him

Deputy President David Mabuza yesterday welcomed a Tshwane North Magistrate's Court decision to strike an application for a protection order against him from the court roll.

A news report stated that Jan Venter was a central figure in a R10-million defamation lawsuit that Mabuza brought against his nemesis, former ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa.

Venter had obtained an interim protection order against Mabuza earlier this month, after claiming he had been threatened over the phone because he had planned to expose how he was allegedly bribed to testify.

Venter reportedly enlisted forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan's services to pursue criminal charges against Mabuza.

But O'Sullivan said on Thursday that Venter had sent him an email saying he had changed his mind and did not want to proceed with the investigation.

 

Cosatu says land expropriation is for the poor and not politicians

The central executive committee of the Congress of South African Trade Unions says it does not want to see politicians benefit from the bid to expropriate land without compensation.

Reading the trade union federation's statement, second deputy secretary general Solly Phetoe, said it wanted land expropriation to benefit poor working communities.

Cosatu said it wanted the ANC to adopt a resolution that no politician should be a beneficiary of land without compensation because that constitutes a conflict of interest.

The federation held a media briefing at its headquarters yesterday, following a three-day CEC meeting, where it engaged with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also president of the ANC.

 

And, Ramaphosa says Gupta leaks opened his eyes

President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the media for exposing State capture, saying the thousands of leaked emails from within the Gupta empire made him realise "South Africa was dealing with a much bigger problem than it ever imagined".

Between 200 000 and 300 000 emails were leaked to the media a year ago that set in motion a series of exposés that became known as the Gupta Leaks.

Responding to questions from editors during a question-and-answer session with the South African National Editors' Forum in Cape Town, Ramaphosa "applauded" the media for "prising wide open" the extent of state capture.

Asked what he had done as deputy president to stop State capture, Ramaphosa said: "Before the leaked emails it looked like isolated incidents… but when the Gupta emails came out, it was clear that the wheels were coming off completely."

The emails showed how the Gupta family, who had the ear of former president Jacob Zuma and enriched his son Duduzane through numerous directorships, had infiltrated numerous State-owned enterprises and laundered money to fund private projects and to bank accounts in Dubai and India.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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