For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe .

Making headlines: PSA wants Godongwana to fast-track forensic investigation into Government Pensions; AfriForum opposes MKP Bill to put all land under State control; And, US sends first deportees to Rwanda under controversial deal

PSA wants Godongwana to fast-track forensic investigation into Government Pensions

The Public Servants Association today urged Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to fast-track the forensic investigation into the Government Pensions Administration Agency to restore stability and confidence.

Last week, Godongwana placed GPAA CEO Kedibone Madiehe on precautionary suspension with full pay, effective immediately, following allegations of serious misconduct concerning high-value procurement transactions.

He appointed National Treasury deputy director-general for corporate services Job Stadi Mngomezulu as acting CEO, effective from Monday, for operation continuity.

The PSA said that while it respected process and the presumption of innocence, the investigation must be prompt and thorough, with actions of accountability for guilty parties.

The PSA, which represents the majority of employees at the GPAA, also pointed out that several GPAA executives and senior managers, including officials in critical roles such as the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Security and Facilities, were directly involved in the gross irregularities that led to the CEO’s suspension.

AfriForum opposes MKP Bill to put all land under State control

Lobby group AfriForum is opposing the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s proposed private member’s Bill, which seeks to rewrite Section 25 of the Constitution, to abolish private land ownership.

Earlier this month MKP MP Mzwanele Manyi tabled a private member’s Bill which seeks to rewrite the Constitution to redefine how land and natural resources are owned and governed.

The draft Constitution Twenty-Second Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to place all land in State custodianship.

AfriForum argued that Section 25 of the Constitution must remain unchanged or it will result in the scrapping of a basic human right currently guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

AfriForum submitted its written representation against MKP’s Amendment Bill, calling it an attack on private land ownership and all cultural and other communities that are “working towards self-sufficiency, cultural autonomy and internal self-determination in accordance with international law”.

The organisation claimed that the draft Bill specifically targets Afrikaners and ignores South Africa’s diverse cultures and complex history.

And, US sends first deportees to Rwanda under controversial deal

Rwanda received its first group of migrants deported from the US, making good on a controversial deal it struck with President Donald Trump’s administration to accept them.

Spokesperson for the Rwandan government Yolande Makolo today said the first group of seven vetted migrants arrived in Rwanda in mid-August.

The East African nation announced earlier this month it would take as many as 250 deportees from the US, and that they would receive training, health care and accommodation after relocating.

Trump has cracked down on undocumented migrants since returning to the White House in January and his administration has negotiated several agreements to send them to countries other than their own, including South Sudan and Eswatini.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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