November 22, 2021.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Health regulator will assess efficacy of Pfizer booster shot: SAPS commissioner admits police were overstretched during unrest; And, Ramaphosa says men should take the lead against gender-based violence

Health regulator will assess efficacy of Pfizer booster shot

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority announced on Monday that it will assess the efficacy and safety of a Pfizer booster shot for protection against Covid-19.

The health authority said it received an application on November 17.

Many countries have already approved and administered booster shots.

Thus far, the authority has approved the use of AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the country.

SAPS commissioner admits police were overstretched during unrest

On Monday, national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole conceded that police were overstretched and didn't have enough capacity to deal with the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.  

Giving testimony at the South African Human Rights Commission's national hearings into the July unrest, Sitole said the other main cause was the nature of the modus operandi used. SAPS was so overstretched in such a manner that the current establishment could not be everywhere at all times, he said.

He added that, if the police had more members, they would have better responded to the unrest.  

And, Ramaphosa says men should take the lead against gender-based violence

President Cyril Ramaphosa said that just as ending gender-based violence cannot be the State’s responsibility alone, the onus cannot be on women and children to end the shocking levels of violence and abuse against them.
 
In just three months, between July and September 2021, 9 556 people, most of whom were women, were raped. This is 7% more than in the previous reporting period.
 
Of the nearly 73 000 assault cases reported during this period, more than 13 000 were domestic violence-related. The rate of child murders has climbed by nearly a third compared to the previous reporting period.
 
Ramaphosa said these statistics were shameful, saying South Africa was in the grip of a relentless war being waged on the bodies of women and children that, despite the country’s best efforts, it showed no signs of abating.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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