For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: Health Minister concerned more teenagers testing positive in Western Cape and Northern Cape, SAPS Commissioner welcomes arrest of seven suspects in Babita Deokaran murder and, Zambia's new finance minister to prioritise IMF talks

Health Minister concerned more teenagers testing positive in Western Cape and Northern Cape

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has expressed concern over what he calls a "worrying trend" in the Western Cape and Northern Cape, where younger people between ages 10 and 19 are testing positive for Covid-19.

He said while some clusters could be traced to school openings there were also indications of social activities such as partying without precautions.

Phaahla said the third wave was dragging longer and in the absence of new variants it could only mean that more people were not taking precautions.

To date South Africa has recorded a total of 80 826 Covid-19 deaths with 357 of those in the last 24 hours.

SAPS Commissioner welcomes arrest of seven suspects in Babita Deokaran murder

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service General Khehla Sitole has commended the investigating team’s breakthrough which led to the arrest of seven suspects in the murder case of Babita Deokaran.

Deokaran, who was the chief director of financial accounting in the Gauteng Department of Health, was shot outside her home, in Johannesburg, on Monday.

Special Investigating Unit spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that she was a witness in the province's personal protective equipment probe.

Zambia's new finance minister to prioritise IMF talks

Zambia's newly-appointed finance minister has pledged to conclude talks with the IMF on a lending programme by October, as he seeks to pull the southern African country out of its protracted debt crisis.

President Hakainde Hichilema, who was elected earlier this month by a landslide, named Situmbeko Musokotwane, an experienced international economist, to a second stint as Zambia's finance minister.

The appointment of Musokotwane, who held the same post from 2008 to 2011, was announced three days after Hichilema pledged at his swearing-in ceremony to bring public spending and the budget deficit under control.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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