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

Making headlines: Solidarity launches defamation case against Ntshavheni; ArcelorMittal South Africa must be nationalised, Saftu says; And, Xi and Putin to take part in Brics Trade Summit without Modi

Solidarity launches defamation case against Ntshavheni

Trade union Solidarity is taking Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni to court over alleged defamation, after she claimed that Solidarity and its sister organisation AfriForum led misinformation campaigns against South Africa.

The union launched a defamation case against Ntshavheni, with President Cyril Ramaphosa being the second respondent in the case.

Solidarity CEO Dr Dirk Hermann said Ntshavheni’s statements were made following the Solidarity Movement’s visit to the US, after President Donald Trump issued an executive order regarding South Africa, which stated that the South African government "has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies" and "egregious actions" on land reform and racial relations.

Hermann said Ntshavheni and government did not provide any evidence of the so-called misinformation, explaining that the Solidarity Movement intervened for South Africa after the government had caused a “diplomatic crisis” with its most important trading partner.

Ntshavheni said that law enforcement agencies were investigating the possibility of a violation of laws.

ArcelorMittal South Africa must be nationalised, Saftu says

South Africa’s government must “re-nationalise” ArcelorMittal South Africa to avert job losses and rebuild the country’s beleaguered manufacturing industry, according to a leader of a body that represents more than a dozen labour groups.

The company has begun closing steel operations that employ about 3 500 people and support as many as 100 000 indirect jobs after nearly two years of negotiations with the government failed to address its complaints, including high-input costs and competition from cheap imports.

South African Federation of Trade Unions general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said job losses in South Africa are deepening at an alarming rate.

Saftu is seeking talks with South Africa’s ministers of trade, industry and competition, and employment and labour to address the “bleeding” of jobs, he said.

And, Xi and Putin to take part in Brics Trade Summit without Modi

China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will take part in a virtual Brics summit convened by Brazil to discuss Donald Trump’s trade policy. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will skip the meeting but will send a senior representative instead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also take part in the summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called the gathering to discuss not only the trade tariffs imposed by the Trump, but also to rally fellow heads of major emerging market nations in support of multilateralism.

Brics, which includes South Africa, has increasingly drawn the ire of Trump as it expands with new members from Asia and the Middle East. In July, the US president threatened to impose additional tariffs on any country aligning itself with the group’s “anti-American policies.” He has also repeatedly criticised efforts by Brics members to boost trade in their own currencies and bypass the dollar.

But Trump’s tariffs have further encouraged Brics nations to increase ties with Beijing.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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