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

Making headlines: DA continues legal action against ‘nil compensation’ in Expropriation Act; Lamola in Uganda for High-Level Meeting on Sudan, DRC conflicts; And, Libyan peace push at risk from Trump funding cuts, UN envoy says

DA continues legal action against ‘nil compensation’ in Expropriation Act

The Democratic Alliance Federal Council said it will continue with its case challenging the constitutionality of the Expropriation Act in the High Court, reaffirming its longstanding position against expropriation of property without compensation.

The party’s Federal Council has unanimously approved the motion which confirms its support for Section 25 of the Constitution, but says just and equitable compensation adjudicated by a court of law must be paid for any expropriation.

The Act says property can be expropriated for a public purpose or in the public interest; and is subject to just and equitable compensation, the amount of which and the time and manner of payment of which, have either been agreed to by those affected or decided or approved by a court.

In February, the DA filed papers in the High Court to challenge the recently signed Expropriation Act, saying it is “unconstitutional, both substantively and procedurally”.

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said that the motion further rejects the notion of ‘nil compensation’ as established by the Expropriation Act, as well as the limitations placed by the Act on rights of private property owners in contesting the terms of expropriation in court.

Lamola in Uganda for High-Level Meeting on Sudan, DRC conflicts

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola arrived in Kampala, in Uganda, today, to participate in the twelfth High-Level Meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The High-Level Meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow, where the Regional Oversight Mechanism is expected to adopt an Action Plan to revitalise the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework since its formal adoption and signing in 2013.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation noted that the Regional Oversight Mechanism is the primary decision-making body of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework and meets every year to take stock of the implementation of commitments.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of the deteriorating political, humanitarian and security situation in the eastern DRC.

And, Libyan peace push at risk from Trump funding cuts, UN envoy says

Cuts in US funding for the United Nations may hamper efforts to reunite war-torn Libya, where deadly fighting and protests in the capital have sent tensions soaring, a top UN official said.

The global body is pressing on with its latest bid to reconcile the OPEC member’s two duelling administrations and schedule landmark elections, yet the challenges are stacking up, according to Hanna Tetteh, head of the UN’s mission in Libya.

It’s unclear if Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be able to reassert control in western Libya after his crackdown on militia rivals this month sparked rare demonstrations, while reduced UN financing will probably curb the effectiveness of the reunification drive, Tetteh said in an interview.

The UN mission would be the latest African initiative to suffer since Donald Trump returned to power and began reviewing US spending on a swathe of international programmes. America contributed about $13-billion to the UN’s collective budget in 2023, by far its largest donor, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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