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

Making headlines: National Dialogue paused to ‘protect neutrality’ ahead of election; ActionSA pushes for expanded impeachment inquiry; And, WHO official says test shortages slow fight against Ebola in Congo

National Dialogue paused to ‘protect neutrality’ ahead of election

The National Dialogue process will enter a temporary pause from September to December to safeguard its neutrality ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

Scheduled for November 4, the election date was recently officially announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The steering committee resolved to implement the “pause and reflection period” on the National Dialogue to “protect the non-partisan credibility, integrity, and independence of the dialogue during a time of heightened political campaigning”.

The steering committee stressed that despite the pause, the mission of the National Dialogue remains to advance a “shared national vision built on accountability and ethical leadership, social justice and human dignity and democratic participation and social cohesion”.

ActionSA pushes for expanded impeachment inquiry

ActionSA has written to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza demanding formal confirmation that the revived Section 89 Impeachment Committee will not be “artificially constrained” by the 2022 evidentiary record.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the National Assembly acted illegally, unlawfully, and irrationally when the majority in Parliament voted against adopting the Independent Panel's report in 2022.

It ordered that the independent panel’s report be officially referred to a parliamentary Impeachment Committee.

Now ActionSA insists on evaluating all subsequent developments.

The party’s parliamentary leader Athol Trollip noted that while the inquiry's subject matter remained tied to the initial Section 89 process, he argued that the accountability process must take into account events and facts that have emerged since.

The party is requesting formal clarification to ensure that the Impeachment Committee can consider relevant supplementary evidence and developments arising after 2022.

ActionSA asserted that any credible constitutional inquiry must be empowered to review all relevant evidence to determine if President Cyril Ramaphosa committed conduct contemplated under Section 89 of the Constitution.

And, WHO official says test shortages slow fight against Ebola in Congo

Six tons of medical supplies to fight Ebola are set to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congoon today but limited testing capacity was slowing the response to the outbreak, a World Health Organization official said.

The World Health Organisation says there have been at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths from Ebola, which has also spread to neighbouring Uganda.

The organisation has sent 12 tons of supply. An additional six are arriving today. These include personal protective equipment for frontline health workers and samples.

World Health Organization Representative in DRC's Ituri province Anne Ancia said there was "great uncertainty" about the extent and scale of the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and efforts were under way to increase surveillance, testing and contact tracing.

She said testing for the Bundibugyo strain was limited, with only six tests an hour possible. The outbreak took weeks to detect, she said, partly because tests used in the outbreak zone were designed for the more common Zaire strain.

Ancia said funding shortages were having a tremendous impact on the World Health Organization’s ability to fight Ebola.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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