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

Making headlines: DA criticises Defence Minister Motshekga for missing meeting on SANDF withdrawal from DRC; Popcru urges removal of Ian Cameron over ‘reckless, inflammatory’ comments on VIP officers’ acquittal; And, Trump officials seek to bring first white South African refugees to US next week

DA criticises Defence Minister Motshekga for missing meeting on SANDF withdrawal from DRC

The Democratic Alliance has expressed disappointment with Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga’s absence from a meeting to discuss the withdrawal of the South African National Defence Force from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DA spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans Chris Hattingh said despite the meeting being held virtually, Motshekga, who is in Russia, instead sent her deputy Richard Hlophe to attend in her stead.

Last week, the SANDF began the phased withdrawal of its recruits and equipment from the eastern DRC, 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 14 SANDF members were killed during combat and several others were injured, while stationed in the DRC as part of SADC and the UN peacekeeping deployments.

The DA criticised the withdrawal of SANDF soldiers and equipment from M23-controlled areas in eastern DRC, an area it described as of strategic importance and high volatility.

Popcru urges removal of Ian Cameron over ‘reckless, inflammatory’ comments on VIP officers’ acquittal

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union urged Parliament to consider removing Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron, saying he demonstrated a “clear inability to execute his duties with impartiality and integrity”.

This after Cameron publicly referred to the acquittal of eight members of the Presidential Protection Unit as “thugs”.

Earlier this week Cameron said he was outraged by the acquittal of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s eight South African Police Service VIP Protection Unit officers, after an internal Saps disciplinary process.

The officers were filmed assaulting civilians on the N1 highway in 2023.

Cameron claimed “broader rot” within the Saps disciplinary processes.

Popcru president Thulani Ngwenya strongly condemned what he said were “reckless and inflammatory” remarks by Cameron. He further said Cameron had falsely accused Popcru of blocking legal proceedings and of defending police brutality.

Popcru called on the Parliamentary Ethics Committee to investigate Cameron’s remarks and take disciplinary action, while also calling for an immediate investigation by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interest into Cameron’s conduct.

And, Trump officials seek to bring first white South African refugees to US next week

The United States is working to bring the first group of white South Africans it has classified as refugees to the country early next week, The New York Times reported today, citing officials briefed on the plans and documents obtained by the newspaper.

US President Donald Trump's administration plans to send officials to the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for an event marking the arrival of the South Africans, who belong to the white minority Afrikaner ethnic group, the publication said, citing a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump issued a February 7 executive order that called for the US to resettle Afrikaner refugees. It said Afrikaners, who are descendants of mostly Dutch early settlers, were "victims of unjust racial discrimination".

The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The administration initially planned to welcome the Afrikaners on Monday, but some officials familiar with the matter cautioned that the plans remained in flux, subject to flight logistics and processing of the group, the report added.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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