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

Making headlines: Covid-19 vaccine registration kicks off for 35 and above age group; Residents count cost as South Africa looting starts to die down; And, IEC launches online voter registration

Covid-19 vaccine registration kicks off for 35 and above age group

The Department of Health, today opened registration for the Covid-19 vaccine for persons aged between 35 and 49 years, with vaccinations for this age group to start on August 1.

The department said the national vaccination programme continues across the country despite violent unrest which resulted in the temporary closure of some vaccination sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

The health department called on people aged 35 and above to register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System to be eligible to be vaccinated.

It also is encouraging people to use the various other methods of vaccine registration available, such as the Covid-19 call centre and WhatsApp number, to avoid congestion and long waiting queues at vaccination sites.

Residents count cost as South Africa looting starts to die down

A week of violence that has engulfed South Africa slowly began to ebb today, and people counted the cost of arson and looting that has destroyed hundreds of businesses and killed at least 70 people.

Looting continued in parts of the eastern port city of Durban, but in much of the main commercial city Johannesburg, shopkeepers and other residents sifted through the debris, cleared up trash and assessed what remained of their ruined businesses.

At Diepkloof Mall in Soweto, South Africa's biggest township and one of the worst affected areas, about 50 people swept up broken glass and packed empty shoe boxes into plastic rubbish bags.

Authorities say 5 000 troops were already on the streets since Wednesday, double the number originally planned. It was unclear when the rest would arrive. Security forces have so far arrested at least 1 350 people.

And, IEC launches online voter registration

First time South African voters can now register to vote online and existing voters can now update their personal details on the Independent Electoral Commission’s online voter registration facility.

The IEC sees this to be a game-changer in promoting voter registration, especially among young and first-time voters.

On Wednesday, the IEC launched the second phase of its online voter registration facility, to allow all eligible voters to register and update their details using a computer, smart mobile device or tablet.

Last week the IEC rescheduled its planned voter registration weekend – July 31 to August 1 – owing to the third wave of the pandemic.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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