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

Making headlines: Agrizzi to appear in court for allegedly bribing Vincent Smith; Mboweni requests to move mid term budget to October 28; And, South Africa's Biovac in talks to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines

Agrizzi to appear in court for allegedly bribing Vincent Smith

Former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi will make his first court appearance on fraud and corruption charges on Thursday, alongside former African National Congress MP Vincent Smith who he allegedly corrupted with a string of bribes.

Agrizzi faces a charge of corruption for instructing staff to pay for a R200 000 electric fence around Smith's home in 2014.

In 2015, according to the indictment, he saw to it that R276 667 was paid to Smith. In 2016, a further sum total of R345 076 allegedly found itself into Smith's bank accounts via Bosasa, paid in three instalments.

 

Mboweni requests to move mid term budget to October 28

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has asked for an extended timeframe to table the 2020 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement. 

The Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise acceded to the request for the Minister to table the budget on October 28, instead of October 21, pending approval of the Parliamentary Programming Committee.

Mboweni cited his rationale for the delay as the complex and unusual circumstances brought about by Covid-19, including the tabling of a supplementary budget in June and government's Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

The Minister and the National Treasury have had to adjust their approaches and budgetary consultation process.

 

And, South Africa's Biovac in talks to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines

A South African company, part-owned by the government, is in talks with the global Covid-19 vaccine distribution scheme and pharmaceutical companies to produce some of the vaccines the country needs to protect itself against the disease.

The Biovac Institute, a Cape Town-based joint venture between the government and private sector, could produce up to 30-million doses of Covid-19 vaccines per year, depending on the technology involved, Chief Executive Morena Makhoana said.

Depending on whether the vaccines require a one- or two-dose regimen, that could be enough for a quarter or half of South Africa's population.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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