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

Making headlines: Mbalula rubbishes US’s claims that SA’s G20 Presidency operated with ‘spite, division’; Ramaphosa pays tribute to former Sars Commissioner; And, Trump hosts Congo, Rwanda leaders in latest push for peace

Mbalula rubbishes US’s claims that SA’s G20 Presidency operated with ‘spite, division’

African National Congress secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the G20 Summit held in South Africa and led by President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the “most successful”, acknowledged as such by world leaders who attended.

This was in response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claimed that South Africa operated with “spite, division, and radical agendas that failed to produce economic growth”.

Last month, South Africa hosted the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. The US did not attend, accusing South Africa of unsubstantiated claims of persecution of Afrikaners.

Rubio claimed this “politics of grievance” was carried over to South Africa’s G20 Presidency, and described it as “an exercise in spite, division, and radical agendas that have nothing to do with economic growth”.

In its G20 Presidency, South Africa focused on climate change, diversity and inclusion, as well as aid dependency.

Rubio claimed South Africa blocked the US and other countries’ inputs into negotiations.

He said it actively ignored US’s reasonable faith efforts to negotiate.

Mbalula said on his X account that this was untrue and fake news.

Ramaphosa pays tribute to former Sars Commissioner

Following the passing of former South African Revenue Service Commissioner Oupa Magashula, President Cyril Ramaphosa is remembering him as an “astute, compassionate leader who devoted his life to the development of the country’s economy and the stimulation of entrepreneurship among a new business generation”.

Magashula, aged 63 passed away after an extended period of illness and hospitalisation. He held office between 2009 and 2013.

Ramaphosa said Magashula’s mission at Sars was driven by the needs of vulnerable South Africans and the requirements for economic growth.

In his early career, Magashula worked as a trade unionist before joining the corporate sector and then Sars.

Following his Sars tenure, he held various leadership roles in business.

And, Trump hosts Congo, Rwanda leaders in latest push for peace

US President Donald Trump will bring leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda together in Washington today to sign new deals aimed at stabilising a war-scarred region and attracting Western mining investment.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi are expected to pledge their commitment to an economic integration compact already agreed to last month, as well as a US-brokered peace deal reached in June but still not implemented.

Analysts say US diplomacy has paused escalation of fighting in eastern Congo but has failed to resolve core issues. The M23 rebel group, supported by Rwanda, seized the two largest cities in eastern Congo earlier this year in a lightning advance that raised fears of a wider war.

Trump has been eager to burnish his diplomatic credentials. Since taking office in January, his administration has intervened in conflicts from the Middle East to Ukraine and beyond. Those efforts have generated mixed results, including a deal in Gaza and criticism that the president should focus on rising discontent domestically with his handling of cost-of-living issues.

Ahead of the meeting, the president's name was added to a sign outside the United States Institute of Peace, a government-founded nonprofit his administration tried to seize control of earlier this year. The deal is expected to be signed at the institute.

The agreement, however, may not immediately change the humanitarian crisis on the ground.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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