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

Making headlines: Ramaphosa says coronavirus command council not established in terms of any act, Dlamini-Zuma orders investigation into Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral vacancy and, Solidarity Fund commits R250m grant for 1.1m tests

Ramaphosa says coronavirus command council not established in terms of any act

The National Coronavirus Command Council was not established in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

This was revealed in President Cyril Ramaphosa's answers to DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach.

Breytenbach posed two written questions to Ramaphosa on the topic of the controversial NCCC, a body established after the declaration of a national state of disaster.

Ramaphosa explained that the NCCC co-ordinates government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The NCCC makes recommendations to Cabinet on measures required in terms of the national state of disaster. Cabinet makes the final decisions.

Dlamini-Zuma orders investigation into Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral vacancy

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has ordered Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha to urgently investigate the mayoral vacancy in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The mayoral position has been vacant for six months.

This comes after Democratic Alliance Eastern Cape provincial leader and party mayoral candidate Nqaba Bhanga wrote to Dlamini-Zuma and detailed speaker Buyelwa Mafaya's delaying tactics in the voting of a new mayor.

Solidarity Fund commits R250m grant for 1.1m tests

The Solidarity Fund announced that it has committed to support the National Health Laboratory Service with a R250-million grant, which will be used to conduct another 1.1-million test as coronavirus cases increase across South Africa.

This will help government’s efforts in ramping up testing, tracing and quarantining to slow the spread of the virus. 

Meanwhile, the Fund has also given the South African Medical Research Council and a consortium of universities a grant of R88-million to ramp up testing in their virology laboratories.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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