For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines: Zuma begins 15 month sentence, ANC tells members to remain calm and, COVAX aims to deliver 520-million vaccine doses to Africa this year

Zuma begins 15 month sentence

Former President Jacob Zuma turned himself in to police on Wednesday to begin 15 months in jail for contempt of court, the culmination of a long legal drama seen as a test of the post-apartheid state's ability to enforce the rule of law.   

Police spokesperson Lirandzu Themba confirmed in a statement that Zuma was in police custody, in compliance with the Constitutional Court judgment.

The Department of Correctional Services has said Zuma was admitted to Estcourt Correctional Centre, about 175 km from his rural homestead in Nkandla in eastern South Africa.

ANC tells members to remain calm

The African National Congress has called for calm among its members following former President Jacob Zuma’s incarceration.

Police had until midnight on Wednesday to arrest Zuma for being in contempt of court, according to the recent Constitutional Court ruling, or themselves be in contempt.

The ANC said this was a difficult period in the movement and has asked members to respect the decision taken by Zuma to abide by the rulings of the court.

Zuma’s legal team has been working fervently, this week, to rescind the court’s ruling, with judgment expected from the Pietermartizburg High Court on Friday and from the Constitutional Court hearing on Monday.

COVAX aims to deliver 520-million vaccine doses to Africa this year

The global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX aims to deliver 520-million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Africa this year.

Aurelia Nguyen, managing director of COVAX, told a news conference organised by the World Health Organization's Africa region that the scheme was not happy with progress supplying doses so far, but that deliveries should ramp up from September.

The facility has experienced delays partly as a result of Indian export restrictions that have prevented COVAX from obtaining doses from the Serum Institute of India, one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers, which is making shots of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca.

Nguyen said so far COVAX had delivered around 25-million doses to 44 African countries.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
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