August 20, 2021

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sashnee Moodley.

Making headlines:

ConCourt hears urgent IEC application seeking postponement of local elections

Experts warn of complacency ahead of imminent fourth wave

And, UN calls for immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia

ConCourt hears urgent IEC application seeking postponement of local elections

The Constitutional Court will decide today whether the municipal elections should be postponed to next year, as recommended by the Electoral Commission, or whether elections will continue on the initial date of October 27.

The move follows the announcement by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma proclaiming October 27 as the date for the local government elections - until a court order postpones them.

Arguments are currently underway in court.

Experts warn of complacency ahead of imminent fourth wave

With Covid-19 vaccination ramping up and all adults being able to get the jab from today, health experts have warned against complacency in following non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Experts warn that the slow decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths could mean the country might experience the fourth wave as soon as the third wave ends.

Gauteng has reached the peak of the third wave, while KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are still experiencing high case numbers.

On Thursday, the country recorded 13 671 new cases with a positivity rate of 19.9%. There were also 317 reported deaths.

UN calls for immediate ceasefire in Ethiopia

The United Nations is pushing for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted aid access in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where millions of people needed help and women have suffered "unspeakable violence."

Ethiopian federal government troops and forces from the Tigray People's Liberation Front have been battling since November in a war that has killed thousands of people, led to a major refugee crisis and ethnic killings, rape as a weapon of war and a humanitarian crisis.

The UN is pushing for the start of an Ethiopian-led political dialogue to end the conflict.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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