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

Making headlines: UN chief in full support of SA government's Covid measures, Solidarity launches international campaign against racial discrimination and, South Sudan vice president, wife test positive for coronavirus

 

UN chief in full support of SA government's Covid measures

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has described actions taken by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government in fighting the spread of the deadly coronavirus as "strong" and "necessary" measures.

Guterres said while he understood the frustrations expressed by those demanding an immediate reopening of the economy, he believed steps taken by Ramaphosa were correct.

In total 286 people have died of Covid-19 in South Africa, while 16 433 have been infected.

More than 4-million people across the globe have contracted the coronavirus.

 

Solidarity launches international campaign against racial discrimination

Lobby group Solidarity called for a “strong stance” against racial discrimination being applied to coronavirus relief measures, as it launched its international campaign to put pressure on the South African government to remove racial quotas in the allocation of relief funds.

The organisation has written to over 30 governments and organisations, including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The letter mentions the South African government’s tourism relief fund under Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, as well as Small Business Development Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s decision to apply racial quotas when granting financial assistance to small business.

 

South Sudan vice president, wife test positive for coronavirus

South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar and his wife Angelina Teny, who serves as defence minister, have tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on Monday.

It said that "a number of his office staff and bodyguards" had also tested positive for Covid-19.

Machar has announced that he would be in self-isolation for 14 days in his residence.

To date, South Sudan has recorded 347 cases of coronavirus and six deaths.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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