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

Making headlines: SANDF begins phased withdrawal of troops from DRC; Exhumed remains of two political activists to be reburied; And, over 50 families evacuate to temporary emergency accommodation

SANDF begins phased withdrawal of troops from DRC

On Tuesday, the South African National Defence Force began the phased withdrawal of its recruits and equipment from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of a directive from the Southern African Development Community Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and government.

The withdrawal will take place via road, through Rwanda and Tanzania.

The SANDF explained that a reconnaissance mission, which included representatives from Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania and the SADC secretariat, was conducted in April, to assess and confirm the withdrawal route from Goma through Rwanda to Chato in Tanzania, towards the respective TCC home countries.

Exhumed remains of two political activists to be reburied

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said the reburial of Apartheid-era activists Benjamin Moloise and Abram Mngomezulu marked an important milestone in South Africa’s journey towards healing, justice, and reconciliation.

Kubayi will, tomorrow, at the Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto preside over the handover and reburial ceremony of the exhumed remains of the political activists who were hanged on death row.

Spokesperson to the Minister Terrence Manase explained that between 1960 and 1990, at least 130 individuals were executed on death row for politically motivated offences.

Manase said, at the time, the State withheld their remains, denying families the opportunity to mourn and bury their loved ones.

And, over 50 families evacuate to temporary emergency accommodation

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has directed the immediate evacuation of families whose homes have completely collapsed or whose homes’ structural integrity is compromised, following mudslides in Durban, owing to recent heavy rains.

Simelane visited the uMlazi, H Section township on Wednesday to assess the damages.

She noted that over 50 families were being evacuated to temporary emergency accommodation.

She said she was also encouraged by the efficiency with which the National and KwaZulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements and the eThekwini municipality responded to the call to evacuate victims of mudslides.

Over the next two weeks, she expects the National Builders Registration Council to present its report on structural integrity of all affected houses and geotechnical assessments of the area to determine the intervention required.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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