Daily Podcast – July 22, 2021

22nd July 2021 By: Sane Dhlamini - Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

Daily Podcast – July 22, 2021

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

South Africa targets 35-million vaccinations by Christmas, Zuma granted compassionate leave to attend brother’s funeral and, ANC KZN distances itself from 'Free Jacob Zuma' marches

 

South Africa targets 35-million vaccinations by Christmas


South Africa aims to have given at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 35-million of its 60-million people by Christmas.

The Department of Health's Nicholas Crisp added during a briefing to a parliamentary committee that roughly 25 000 vaccine doses had been either stolen or destroyed during riots last week.

The country is the worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic on the African continent in terms of recorded infections and deaths, and is experiencing a "third wave" of infections.

Crisp says the pace of vaccinations has ramped up in recent days.

To date, South Africa has administered around 5.8-million doses of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson and two-dose Pfizer vaccines.

 

Zuma granted compassionate leave to attend brother’s funeral

The Department of Correctional Services has granted former President Jacob Zuma compassionate leave to attend the funeral of his younger brother Michael Zuma.

Zuma, who is currently serving 15 months sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Centre, was granted leave in line with Section 44 (1)(a) of the Correctional Services Act.

Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo reiterated that Zuma was still a sentenced offender despite being granted permission to leave the correctional centre.

 

ANC KZN distances itself from 'Free Jacob Zuma' marches

The ANC in KZN says marches and motorcades in the name of freeing Jacob Zuma are not sanctioned by the provincial structure.

A provincial party spokesperson said they were attending to issues of rebuilding after the unrest.

The eThekwini municipality has, however, given permission for those intending to take to the streets on Thursday and Friday.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says motorcades and marches, held in the name of freeing former president Jacob Zuma, and linked to protesting "racist attacks" in Phoenix, north of Durban, are not sanctioned by the provincial structure.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [@PolityZA]