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

Making headlines: Ramaphosa says events in Phoenix an attempt at division; Aspen to start supplies of J&J Covid-19 vaccine to South Africa; And, Political parties give thumbs up to reinstatement of social relief grant

Ramaphosa says events in Phoenix an attempt at division

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that correcting spatial distortions must be part of the country’s work of building an inclusive economy and improving the living conditions of all South Africans, referring to the recent events that took place in Phoenix, in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ramaphosa said that while the violence and destruction that engulfed parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng two weeks ago caused significant damage to property and livelihoods, it also had a huge impact on the cohesion of communities.

He was speaking of the racial tensions that ignited in and around Phoenix and which resulted in a number of deaths.

Ramaphosa stated that the narrative around the events in Phoenix is dominated by attempts to turn Africans and Indians against each other and has been stoked by anonymous people on social media and in messaging groups.

Aspen to start supplies of J&J Covid-19 vaccine to South Africa

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare will supply the first batch of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to the country from today.

It will be the first set of vaccines to be manufactured in the country from active pharmaceutical ingredients sourced from Europe.

South Africa's vaccination drive suffered a major setback in April after US Federal Drug Administration halted production of J&J vaccines at a plant in Baltimore after it was found to be contaminated.

The supplies will also be distributed to other African countries under the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team under which J&J has committed to supply 220-million doses of the single shot vaccine.

And, Political parties give thumbs up to reinstatement of social relief grant

Political parties have welcomed the reinstatement of the social relief grant following a presidential address on Sunday night.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa would move from lockdown alert Level 4 to Level 3. This will allow bars and restaurants to sell alcohol on-site.

In addition, he announced that the Social Relief of Distress grant will be reinstated until March 2022.

The grant of R350, administered by the South African Social Security Agency, will also be extended to unemployed caregivers who currently receive child support grants.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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