Daily Podcast – July 17, 2020

17th July 2020 By: Sane Dhlamini - Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

Daily Podcast – July 17, 2020

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula

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

Making headlines: Netherlands flies in over 130 000 vials of Covid-19 solution to help SA ramp up testing, Mbalula says the rejected R1.135bn taxi relief fund is 'safe' in government coffers and, Cogta's adjustment budget to fight Covid-19 tops R107bn

 

Netherlands flies in over 130 000 vials of Covid-19 solution to help SA ramp up testing

Over 100 000 vials of GLY, used in testing and diagnosing coronavirus, has been donated to South Africa by the Netherlands.

The Glucose-Lactalbumin-Yeast, a virus transportation medium for human samples used in testing and diagnosing the coronavirus, arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday aboard a cargo flight from Amsterdam.

According to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, the donation of the 130 879 vials will be used by the National Health Laboratories Services to enable it to ramp up testing.

 

Mbalula says the rejected R1.135bn taxi relief fund is 'safe' in government coffers

The R1.135-billion government relief fund rejected by the taxi industry is "safe" in government coffers.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told the nation that the rejected funds are with his department and that there were no plans to send them back to National Treasury.

Mbalula promised that the funds would finally be distributed among taxi operators after some negotiations with the industry.

 

Cogta's adjustment budget to fight Covid-19 tops R107bn

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has tabled a R107-billion adjustments budget to aid government's fight against Covid-19.

Minister Nkosazana-Dlamini-Zuma delivered her adjustment budget speech during a virtual debate in the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.

On top of the R107-billion adjusted budget, Dlamini-Zuma said R544-million was also approved by National Treasury for "labour-intensive infrastructure programmes".

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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