August 04, 2023.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lynne Davies.

Making headlines:

Zuma appears in court as Downer, Maughan case postponed to November

DA appeals for full public release of Lady R report

And, Ethiopia declares state of emergency

Zuma appears in court as Downer, Maughan case postponed to November

Former president Jacob Zuma's private prosecution against legal journalist Karyn Maughan and senior State advocate Billy Downer has been postponed.

Zuma still has two appeals outstanding - one for his private prosecution loss and another for an enforcement order to prevent private prosecution actions.

Three judges set aside his private prosecution, calling it an abuse of power but Zuma took the ruling on appeal.

On Thursday, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court ruled in favour of Downer and Maughan in their enforcement application, halting actions relating to Zuma's private prosecution.

The private prosecution matter is scheduled to return to court on November 1.

DA appeals for full public release of Lady R report

In an effort to ensure that accountability prevails, the Democratic Alliance has called for the complete Lady R report to be made public.

The report is due for submission today following claims made that ammunition was smuggled onboard the Russian cargo vessel, when it docked in Simon’s Town in December last year.

The DA has raised its concerns about transparency and accountability following what it contends to be the ANC government’s decision to only release sections of the report.

Ethiopia declares state of emergency

Ethiopia's federal government has declared a state of emergency following days of clashes in the Amhara region between the military and local militiamen.

Fighting that broke out across Ethiopia's second-largest region earlier this week between the Fano militia and the Ethiopian National Defence has quickly become a major security crisis.

The statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office announcing the state of emergency did not say whether it applied only in Amhara or across the country.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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