August, 24 2016.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines:
Ekurhuleni mayor Masina promises improved service delivery
Public Protector committee expected to pick final candidate
And, World Health Organisation to hold emergency meeting to advise on yellow fever

The African National Congress’s newly elected Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Mzwandile Masina said the ruling party “felt the anger and frustrations” of South Africans as he vowed to improve service delivery in the metro.

Masina said key focus areas for the municipality would be to improve service delivery and Capex spending; the electrification of all informal settlements; the construction of 100 000 housing units; the provision of 59 000 serviced stands; and putting the Ekurhuleni university issue on the national agenda.

He said Ekurhuleni would also fast-track the up-scaling of services in informal settlements; invest in water infrastructure; start the process of establishing a power station in Ekurhuleni; fight fraud and corruption; accelerate the piloting of 24-hour clinic services; and speed up the BRT and Wi-Fi roll-out.

Masina was elected mayor on Tuesday afternoon after he beat the Democratic Alliance’s Ghaleb Cachalia, while Patricia Kumalo was elected as the Speaker.

Parliament's ad hoc committee tasked with finding a new Public Protector is expected today to decide on a candidate to replace Thuli Madonsela.

Last week, the committee whittled the 14 remaining candidates down to five. In a relatively short meeting, MPs called for certain candidates to “fall”.

Candidates including Madonsela’s current deputy Kevin Malunga and former NPA asset forfeiture unit head Willie Hofmeyr did not make the cut.
The five candidates are judges Siraj Desai and Sharise Weiner, advocates Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Muvhango Lukhaimane, and Professor Bongani Majola.

Whoever receives the most support will be tabled for endorsement in the National Assembly by August 31.

The World Health Organization has announced that an emergency meeting will take place next week to discuss counter-measures for a yellow fever outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.

An estimated 500 individuals have already been killed across the two African countries, according to the international charity Save The Children, which warned last week that the outbreak could soon spread globally if not contained.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told reporters on Tuesday that Director-General Margaret Chan had asked the committee of independent experts to meet on August 31 to analyse the situation and respond accordingly.

A large-scale vaccination campaign is already under way, with 14-million people in the DRC set to be immunised against the acute viral disease that is spread by mosquitos.

Makeshift clinics were set up last week in churches and schools across Kinshasa, DRC's densely populated capital, as well as other regions bordering Angola.

Also making headlines:
SAA whistleblower heading to CCMA
And, Hawks mum on Gordhan arrest report

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today