For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Fost.

Making headlines: Civil society hits back at Trump as he threatens to cut aid to South Africa; Public Works Minister reassures prospective investors about South Africa’s Expropriation Act; And, Uganda starts clinical trial of vaccine for Sudan strain of Ebola

Civil society hits back at Trump as he threatens to cut aid to South Africa

South African civil society organisations have accused US President Donald Trump of “dangerous lies”, following his statements that South Africa is “confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly”.

The Campaign for Free Expression executive director Nicole Fritz said on Tuesday that Trump’s comments are “demonstrably untrue and would be absurd were this lie not now being propounded at the very highest levels of US government”.

Trump has threatened to cut all future funding to South Africa over the new Expropriation Act and over claims that white farmers are being targeted.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law an Expropriation Act that allows land expropriation without compensation in certain circumstances.

The 19 civil society organisations – which include the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Corruption Watch, the Helen Suzman Foundation, the Land Access Movement of South Africa and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation – said they were “appalled” at the threats Trump issued against South Africa but also by his “dangerous lies”.

Public Works Minister reassures prospective investors about South Africa’s Expropriation Act

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has stressed the importance of clearing up any misconceptions surrounding the Expropriation Act, to ensure investors of policy certainty.

He called for reasoned discussion and for the Government of National Unity to explain the facts surrounding the legislation to the US administration.

Macpherson was speaking to members of the investment community on the margins of the Investing in African Mining Indaba opening reception, in Cape Town, yesterday.

Macpherson averred that there had been misconceptions about the legislation, including recent comments made on social media by US President Donald Trump.

He emphasised that no one in South Africa is having their land confiscated.

He pointed out that the Expropriation Act sets out a clear legal framework under which expropriation may take place – always with due process and court oversight.

And, Uganda starts clinical trial of vaccine for Sudan strain of Ebola

Uganda has begun a trial vaccination programme for the strain of Ebola viral infection that is behind the country's latest outbreak, according to the World Health Organization, while the number of confirmed cases has risen to three.

Last week, the east African country announced an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, with a single case, a nurse who died on January 29.

The total number of cases have now risen to three, with the two additional cases from the family of the deceased man, the ministry of Health said.

The World Health Organization said Uganda had also started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Currently there is no approved vaccine for that strain. The existing vaccination is for the Zaire strain, which is behind a recent outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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