For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: Zuma-Sambudla directs second public apology to Floyd Shivambu; Police arrest 2 more suspects over Steinhoff fraud; And, AU summit unlikely to make progress on Congo in face of Rwanda defiance

Zuma-Sambudla directs second public apology to Floyd Shivambu;

uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has apologised again, this time directly to the party’s secretary-general Floyd Shivambu, saying it was never her intention to undermine the party’s principles of unity, respect and discipline.

This after she took to X earlier this week to post what the party termed "insulting posts" directed at Shivambu, and which the party said constituted a direct violation of the party's disciplinary code of conduct.

Earlier this week, party President Jacob Zuma directed his daughter to immediately issue an unconditional public apology to Shivambu, or face membership termination.

Zuma also wanted Zuma-Sambudla to extend formal apologies to all structures she serves in or leads, including the Southern Caucus of the Pan-African Parliament.

On Tuesday Zuma-Sambudla made a public apology to Zuma and the MKP leadership, without mentioning Shivambu’s name. Friday’s apology mentioned him explicitly.

Police arrest 2 more suspects over Steinhoff fraud

South African police arrested two more suspects in relation to alleged fraud at Steinhoff that led to the near-collapse of the global retailer in 2017.

The two suspects aged between 63 and 67 handed themselves over this morning and will appear before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, the Hawks said in a statement.

The will be charged with contravening the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, the Financial Markets Act, the Companies Act, the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.

The statement did not provide their names because they have not yet appeared in court.

And, AU summit unlikely to make progress on Congo in face of Rwanda defiance

Congo's war tops the agenda at this weekend's African Union summit but chances of diplomatic progress are slim as rebels advance and Rwanda's leader, accused of backing them, has vowed to "spit in the face" of anyone punishing him for his actions.

The advance of M23 rebels through eastern Congo has triggered fears that Africa's Great Lakes region risks slipping back into a broader war sucking in neighbouring armies, reminiscent of conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s that killed millions.

The AU summit in Addis Ababa on Saturday and Sunday is meant to be the next stage in regional efforts to halt the conflict. But rebels ignored calls for peace at a summit last week and have pushed towards Bukavu, some 200 km south of Goma, eastern Congo's biggest city which was seized last month.

World leaders have called for Rwanda to cut its support for the M23 fighters, which UN experts say includes troops and advanced military hardware.

The United States has warned of possible sanctions against Rwandan and Congolese officials. The European Parliament on Thursday urged the European Union to freeze direct budget support for Rwanda.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA