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

Making headlines: Health authority approves covid vaccines with conditions; Ramaphosa to outline government action after release of July unrest report; And, Ramaphosa calls for peace in Africa

Health authority approves covid vaccines with conditions

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has announced the authorisation of Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine and the Covid-19 vaccine MC PHARMA, also known as Sinopharm/BIBP vaccine for use in South Africa.

Sahpra says the approval is based on acceptable safety, quality and efficacy data submitted by companies.

Sahpra CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela pointed out that both vaccines have been registered in terms of Section 15 of the Medicines and Related Substance Act, with conditions.

The Comirnaty vaccine was registered on January 25, while the Covid-19 vaccine MC Pharma was registered on January 31 following a rolling submission from MC Pharma to Sahpra.

Other Covid-19 vaccines currently under various stages of review by Sahpra include vaccines from Sputnik V, Sinopharm and Novavax.

Ramaphosa to outline government action after release of July unrest report

President Cyril Ramaphosa will in his State of Nation Address on Thursday outline government’s response to the findings and recommendations made in the report into the July unrest by an expert panel.

Ramaphosa authorised the release of the report to the public today.

The unrest took place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal after former President Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail on July 8 for snubbing the State capture inquiry. The protests widened into grievances over longstanding poverty and inequality. The unrest resulted in the deaths of about 340 people. 

The panel was appointed by Ramaphosa in August and consists of Professor Sandy Africa as chairperson, as well as Advocate Mojanku Gumbi and Silumko Sokupa.

The panel was tasked to lead a thorough and critical review of the security services’ preparedness for the July events and was mandated to examine all aspects of the security response and to make recommendations on how to strengthen security capabilities.

And, Ramaphosa calls for peace in Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized the need for good governance in Africa and called for peace and prosperity as South Africa’s term as Chair of the African Peer Review Mechanism Forum came to an end over the weekend, at the thirty-fifth African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

In his weekly newsletter to the public today, Ramaphosa said efforts are underway to encourage all remaining AU member States to join by the end of this decade.

The forum aims to promote and protect human rights, consolidate democracy and advance good governance and the rule of law among African countries.

Of the AU’s 55 member States, 42 are now members of the forum.

In the last two months, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi became the most recent countries to join the mechanism.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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