February 13, 2024.

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

Making headlines:

South Africa approaches World Court over Israel's Rafah offensive

Steenhuisen tells Ramaphosa ‘ANC betrayed Tintswalo’s South African dream

And, DA wants Ramaphosa to reverse deployment of 2 900 soldiers to DRC

South Africa approaches World Court over Israel's Rafah offensive

South Africa's government said today that it has asked the World Court to consider whether Israel's decision to extend its military operations in Rafah required the court to use its power to prevent a further breach of Palestinians' rights.

The International Court of Justice last month ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent its troops from committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a case brought by South Africa.

Israel is planning to expand its ground assault into the city of Rafah, where over 1-million Palestinians have sought refuge from the offensive that has laid waste to much of the Gaza Strip since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.

Steenhuisen tells Ramaphosa ‘ANC betrayed Tintswalo’s South African dream

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said today that in 2024, the single greatest threat to South Africa’s democracy, freedom, and to the South African dream, is the African National Congress.

He was speaking in the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address, which

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered last week, and in which he told the story of Tintswalo, a child of democracy, who had reaped the benefits of freedom, under the ANC government.

In his SoNA debate speech, Steenhuisen took up Ramaphosa’s analogy, drawing out the rest of Tintswalo’s hypothetical life under ANC rule.

He said while her childhood may have begun with hope and a promise for a better life, as an adult, Tintswalo had felt the effects of corruption over many years, as well as crime and poverty, dashing her hopes for a better life.

Steenhuisen continued his election-focussed speech by stating that the ANC must be removed from power.

DA wants Ramaphosa to reverse deployment of 2 900 soldiers to DRC

The Democratic Alliance has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to deploy 2 900 South African National Defence Force members to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, calling the move reckless and irrational and urging an immediate reversal.

In fulfilling South Africa’s international obligation towards the Southern African Development Community mission to support the DRC, Ramaphosa ordered the employment of 2 900 members of the SANDF to assist in the fight against illegal armed groups in the Eastern DRC, between December 15, 2023 and December 15, 2024.

DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Kobus Marais said Ramaphosa ignored several warnings from military experts against the deployment.

He claimed that by refusing to be transparent, Ramaphosa could be “hiding the real reasons” why he authorised the deployment – “reasons that may have nothing to do with South Africa’s national security”.

Marais noted that besides the human lives that are at risk, the idea that R2-billion will be spent on this deployment is “simply ridiculous”.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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