For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: SA to finalise contents of Brics Summit at Russia-Africa Summit; Loadshedding bumped to Stage 5; And, health and law initiative wants government to disclose records of Covid-19 procurement contracts

SA to finalise contents of Brics Summit at Russia-Africa Summit

The Presidency noted that South Africa will use the second Russia-Africa Summit backdrop to further engage Russia at a bilateral level to finalise the contents and substance of the upcoming fifteenth annual Brics Summit.

South Africa will, in August, host the first in-person Summit of Brics nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.

Before that, President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a South African delegation to the second Russia-Africa Summit, in St. Petersburg on July 27 and 28.

The Presidency explained that the Summit background will also offer an opportunity to African Heads of State who are part of the African Leaders Peace Mission to continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on measures to create conditions for a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Loadshedding bumped to Stage 5

Power utility Eskom has announced that Stage 5 loadshedding will be implemented from 2pm today.

This was "due to further delays in returning generating units to service", as well as "the further failure of 5 generating units" today.

Stage 5 loadshedding will be implemented from 2pm today until 5pm on Tuesday.  Thereafter, Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented until further notice.

Eskom said it would publish another update should any significant changes occur.

And, health and law initiative wants government to disclose records of Covid-19 procurement contracts

Public health and law initiative, the Health Justice Initiative, will approach the Gauteng High Court tomorrow to get the Department of Health to disclose the records relating to vaccine procurement contracts that it concluded with manufacturers and suppliers, as well as records of negotiations with those parties.

More than 38-million Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in the country by June 2023 and this has been driven by South Africa’s ability to buy directly from pharmaceutical companies, through the COVAX facility and by donations.

The 2021 National Budget allocated an amount of R10-billion for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines and, given the great cost of acquiring these, the HJI has bemoaned the secrecy surrounding the details of these contracts as they deem this to be a matter of public interest.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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