A man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for the brutal murder of a pregnant woman whose death galvanised protests in South Africa and prompted a speech by the president. The body of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule was found hanging from a tree last June, with multiple stab wounds. …
Read More »South African president to receive vaccine against Covid-19
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is set to rollout in the country. The president and the health minister will be immunised on Wednesday afternoon alongside health care workers at Khayelitsha, west of the country. He says it will “demonstrate our confidence in …
Read More »South Africa reopens land border to facilitate crossings
South Africa on Monday reopened 20 land border crossings that were closed over a month ago to limit the spread of Covid-19. The land border points with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, eSwatini, Botswana and Lesotho will now have normal travel. They were closed following congestion by people who sought to enter …
Read More »South Africa will now use Johnson & Johnson Covid-vaccine
The South African government has outlined its amended coronavirus immunisation plans. They were put on hold when a trial suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccines which were due to be distributed were less effective against a local variant of the virus. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said a Johnson and Johnson vaccine …
Read More »WHO concerned about SA decision to halt vaccine rollout
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against jumping to conclusions about the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. This decision comes after a South African study suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against a local variant of the virus. But experts are hopeful that the vaccine will still be …
Read More »African Union ‘promises vaccine in next three weeks’
Sixteen African countries have shown interest in securing Covid-19 vaccines under an African Union (AU) initiative and the aim is to deliver allocations in the next three weeks, Reuters news agency quotes the the head of a continental disease control body as saying. However, John Nkengasong, director of the AU’s …
Read More »South Africa: anti-corruption inquiry commission slams Zuma’s defiance
The Zondo commission,a South African commission investigating corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma has faulted his decision not to obey summons to appear before it later this month. According to the Zondo commission, Mr Zuma’s decision is “completely unacceptable”. Mr Zuma is scheduled to appear before the commission from …
Read More »South Africa gets first batch of Covid-19 vaccines
South Africa, the most affected country by the coronavirus pandemic on the African continent, has received its first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines. The one million doses will be given to healthcare workers who have been battling the virus in the continent’s worst-hit country but no date has been set …
Read More »South Africa: Millions spent on illegal spy operations for Jacob Zuma
South Africa’s spy agency has been accused of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on illegal undercover operations to protect former President Jacob Zuma from corruption investigations. The allegations, made by whistle-blowers at a corruption inquiry, include attempts to influence judges and newspapers. The allegations are staggering. Two whistle-blowers, and …
Read More »South Africa expects first vaccine doses next week
According to the South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize,the country will on Monday receive one million Covid-19 vaccine doses from India. The AstraZeneca doses would undergo technical processes on arrival, including quality assurance, he said. “These processes will take a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 14 days …
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