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A second person has died in South Africa this week from the viral infection mpox, the health ministry said on Thursday, less than 24 hours after it announced the first death.

The second person who died was a 38-year-old man. He was admitted to a hospital in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province with extensive lesions, headache, fatigue, oral ulcers, muscle pain and a sore throat. He tested positive for mpox on Wednesday.

"The patient has unfortunately demised in KZN the same day his test results came back positive," spokesperson for the national health department Foster Mohale said.

The total number of laboratory-confirmed mpox cases stands at six, with two deaths since the first case was recorded five weeks ago.

Mpox spreads through close physical contact. Most cases are mild but it can kill.

The Western Cape Parliament held its first sitting on Thursday when it saw the re-election of Alan Winde as Western Cape Premier for another five years, which the Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed.

Winde was sworn in alongside Speaker Daylin Mitchell and Reagen Allen as Deputy Speaker.

The elected members swore their oaths of office and Winde said it was a profound honour and privilege.

"In my first term of office, we achieved so much in our efforts to address the wicked problems facing this province, but I know that many of those still remain. As I crisscrossed this province, I saw how many of our residents are struggling and the responsibility that we as government have to step in and provide that critical social safety net for each of them. I owe it to you our residents to work even harder as I lead this government once more," he said.

The DA congratulated Winde and the new parliamentary leadership and expressed confidence that "they will serve in the best interest of all in the Western Cape".

Secretary to Parliament Xolile George said Parliament is fully ready to hold its first sitting of the National Assembly (NA), where the country's President and National Speaker will be elected on Friday, for which a budget of about R58-million has been allocated.

The first sitting of the NA and the National Council of Provinces, which will be held on Saturday, will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

George was briefing the media on Thursday on preparations for the first sittings of the two Houses of Parliament, where he highlighted that the budget refleced the expanded needs and rising costs associated with ensuring that all MPs were adequately supported in their roles.

He noted that five years ago, the establishment of the sixth Parliament incurred costs amounting to about R43-million.

"While the actual budget costs for the commencement of the seventh Parliament will be released at a later date, we can confirm that approximately R58-million has been set aside for this purpose," George said.

He explained that the allocation covered a wide range of necessities, including the preparation of parliamentary precincts, the provision of tools of trade for MPs, the facilitation of initial sessions and inductions, as well as the broadcasting infrastructure for all the dates of the sittings, including the Opening of Parliament Address by the new President.

Parliament expressed confidence that the proceedings would unfold smoothly and effectively, marking the successful commencement of the seventh democratic Parliament.

"Our comprehensive preparations ensure that every aspect of these inaugural sessions, from logistical arrangements to security measures, have been meticulously planned and implemented," said George.

The first sitting of the NA will see the swearing-in of all designated Members in attendance by the Chief Justice, followed by the election of the Speaker who will take over the proceedings and preside over the election of the Deputy Speaker.

Following that, the President of South Africa is elected.

The inauguration of the President-elect is scheduled for June 19.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday signed into law the Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Amendment Bill, which seeks to regulate the power of municipalities to levy development charges.

The Bill also establishes a system for municipalities to impose levies for land development applications as a condition for granting or approval of such an application for persons to use or develop land in a municipality.

The Bill will ensure accountability and transparency in the establishment, collection and expenditure of development charges, while also providing for a uniform regulatory framework to ensure that at least the basis for, principles and method of calculation will be the same across municipalities.

The Bill empowers municipalities, where authorised by national legislation, to impose taxes, levies and duties appropriate to local government.

Ramaphosa also signed the National Land Transport Amendment Bill, which seeks to amend the National Land Transport Act, 2009, to insert certain definitions and amend others and provide for non-motorised and accessible transport.

"…the amendments bring the Principal Act up to date with new developments and provide for certain powers of provinces and municipalities to conclude contracts for public transport services. It further expands the powers of the Minister to make regulations and introduce safety measures," he said.

The Bill was initially passed by Parliament and sent to the President for assent in 2020.

He explained that owing to constitutional reservations he referred the Bill back to the National Assembly for reconsideration in terms of Section 79(1) of the Constitution.

He also signed the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill, which seeks to promote economic growth and welfare of South Africans by promoting an effective and productive transport sector.

"That includes establishing a Transport Economic Regulator responsible for regulating prices in the transport sector, investigating complaints, and monitoring and enforcing compliance in the transport sector," said Ramaphosa.

He noted that the Bill further sought to establish a single regulatory body to focus on the economic regulation of the transport industry.

Parliament welcomes the Western Cape High Court judgment which dismissed, with costs, the Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF's) application to have the conduct of Parliament against its members during the 2015 and 2017 State of the Nation Address (SoNA) declared unconstitutional.

The High Court on Monday dismissed the application which sought a declaratory order.

The EFF brought the application to the High Court in April, alleging they were violently removed from the 2015 and 2017 SoNA in a manner that was "unlawful and unconstitutional."

The EFF sought an order declaring that Parliament acted unconstitutionally by ordering the EFF members to be ejected, which led to the Parliamentary Protection Services removing members from the house, which the EFF said was done with unreasonable force, violence and aggression. The EFF also sought constitutional damages, contingent upon the granting of the declaratory order sought.

In the application, the party contended that the Presiding Officers used their powers to frustrate MPs who were genuinely exercising their right to freedom of speech and fulfilling their obligations in terms of the Constitution and the law.

Parliament refuted these allegations stating that the EFF members, like other MPs, enjoy the equal right to freedom of expression, and that it was undemocratic for the EFF members to act in a manner which contravened the parliamentary rules by deliberately attempting to collapse SoNA.

"…in its judgment, the court noted that ejecting the EFF members was done as a last resort and was necessary to ensure that the programme of the day continued without unnecessary interruptions," Parliament explained.

It added that the court further found no evidence that any gratuitous violence was used in ejecting the EFF members, or that their constitutional rights were violated in any way.

Parliament said it remained committed to protecting and enabling the institution to perform its constitutional obligations diligently and without undue interference.

The House will continue to perform its functions with respect for the decorum required by the Constitution and its rules and will do so in the best interest of the people of South Africa, Parliament said.

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced on Wednesday that his department intends obtaining a stockpile of Tecovirimat (TPOXX) treatment for rapid deployment against the monkeypox disease, also known as Mpox, from which the country has recorded one death.

Phaahla was updating the public on the outbreak of Mpox disease, where he noted five laboratory-confirmed cases and said treatment would be donated by other countries in case the current situation led to a wider outbreak.

"…two of these cases were confirmed in Gauteng and three in KwaZulu-Natal. The death that occurred is amongst the two cases reported in Gauteng. The patient passed-on on Monday, 10 June 2024 in Tembisa Hospital," said Phaahla.

He highlighted that all current patients were males aged between 30 and 39 years without travel history to the countries currently experiencing an outbreak, which he said suggested there was local transmission of the infectious disease in the country.

In 2022, South Africa recorded five positive cases in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Gauteng, with no cases reported in 2023.

Some common symptoms of Mpox include a rash lasting for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen glands.

The department explained that the painful rash looks like blisters or sores and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital, and/or anal regions.

Phaahla said currently there was no registered treatment for Mpox in the country, however, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the use of Tecovirimat for treatment of severe cases, such as in individuals with a CD4 cell count of less than 350.

He added that three of the five cases had access to Tecovirimat treatment as advocated by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

The drug was obtained via Section 21 and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Saphra) approval process, and donated by the WHO.

He noted that Saphra has since approved a request for a small stockpile of Tecovirimat, which the WHO would support as a donation.

He said as far as the vaccine is concerned, options are being considered as to which population groups should be targeted, explaining that South Africa is trying to source vaccine from WHO member countries who have stockpiles that exceed their needs as well as from GAVI.

Phaahla added that these vaccines will be stored and distributed from provincial depots.

The uMkhonto we Sizwe Party Youth League (MKPYL) has criticised and rejected expelled MK Party leader Jabulani Khumalo's statement that party MPs will be present for the first Parliamentary sitting on Friday, saying it only recognised Jacob Zuma as the "rightful leader" of the party.

MK Party has indicated that its 58 elected members, who are expected to occupy seats in the National Assembly, will boycott and not attend the first sitting.

The party has also directed its attorneys to urgently seek an interdict from the Constitutional Court to postpone the first sittings of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, which are meant to be held on Friday and Saturday respectively.

It further wants the Constitutional Court to interdict the swearing in of party nominated candidates as members of the National Assembly until its grievances of voter rigging are addressed by the courts.

Khumalo said in a statement on Monday the "purported MK communication" that said that Parliament was not constituted based on the absence of 58 MK Party MPs was "misguided in law and frankly embarrassing".

"The true leader of MK, being myself, does not agree with it. Parliament has been constituted with 400 members as at the confirmation of 400 elected members following the elections," he explained.

Khumalo said if any MKP MPs did not avail themselves in Parliament on Friday for "understandable fear of victimisation" by Zuma and his "clique", this he said would not in itself be basis for Parliament not to continue with business of swearing in MPs and continue with its scheduled business on the date chosen by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

Parliament said on Monday that it had cancelled all flights and accommodation arrangements for members of the MK Party in light of the party's communication that its members would not attend the first proceedings.

The MKPYL said it stood firm in its rejection of Khumalo claiming to be the leader of the party, and added that it will "always protect and stand firm in what is right and is for the greater good, and that is President Zuma".

The Youth League highlighted that it did not have place for "treacherous and deceitful" individuals who it said claimed to be leaders of the party "and yet they can easily sell for a fully specked Land Cruiser".

"It would do Khumalo and his feebleminded handlers and supporters to stop their behaviour and let President Zuma continue to gallantly lead the party towards the economic freedom of our lifetime," the MKPYL said.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has appealed, based on its own initial assessment, for the declaration of a Local State of Disaster in the eThekwini metropolitan area in line with "Processes for the Classification and Declaration of a State of Disaster" as outlined in the National Disaster Management Framework.

This after a Tornado ploughed through Tongaat and surrounding areas last Monday.

It is reported that, to date, there have been about 10 fatalities and countless hospitalisations and injuries.

The commission's preliminary inspections reveal that about 1 500 persons have been displaced and 20 schools in the area have reportedly been damaged.

The SAHRC explains that there is widescale destruction to public infrastructure, including power and cell phone towers, and bridges. The damage and demolition to the environment is extensive.

In addition, hundreds have lost their personal belongings, including homes, vehicles, and important documents such as identity documents and education materials. Livestock have also reportedly been affected.

The financial cost of the disaster is still undetermined.

However, the Commission explained that its magnitude far exceeds the ability of the affected persons and families to recover using only their own resources.

The Commission explained that following its initial evaluation, it believes that the occurrence of the tornado can be classified as a disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act (DMA).

The SAHRC has written to the Head of the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre, and the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to relay its initial observations, and to request a copy of the initial on-site assessment report on the disaster.

The Commission noted that Section 49 of the DMA states that in the event of a disastrous occurrence, the local Disaster Management Centre of the affected municipality must immediately conduct an assessment.

"…it is advised that the initial assessment should be conducted within 72 hours following the occurrence of an incident, and its results must be submitted to the relevant Provincial, and National Disaster Management Centre," it explained.

In terms of Section 23 of the DMA, the outcomes of the initial on-site assessment indicate whether the occurrence can be classified as disastrous in nature or not, and whether it should be declared as a Disaster by the NDMC.

The SAHRC said it has written to the Head of the eThekwini Disaster Management Centre, and the Head of the NDMC to relay its initial observations, and to request a copy of the initial on-site assessment report on the disaster.

The Commission also expressed concerns about reports of criminal activities in the affected areas, as power has not yet been restored in many parts, and many personal belongings are not secured.

Former president Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party has applied to the country's top court to block the newly elected parliament from sitting this week on the grounds that the May 29 vote was marred by fraud, it said on Tuesday.

The National Assembly is due to convene on Friday for lawmakers to swear the oath of office and elect their speaker, deputy speaker and the country's president.

The challenge from MK comes at a time when South Africa is facing a level of political uncertainty unseen in 30 years of democracy, with no clarity as to who will govern the country when the electoral dust settles.

The African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since the end of apartheid in 1994, lost its majority but remains the biggest party, and is now negotiating with a range of other parties with diametrically opposed policy aspirations.

MK came a surprisingly strong third, winning 14.6% of the vote which translates into 58 seats in the 400-seat chamber, but despite its success it has alleged vote-rigging took place and threatened to boycott the new parliament.

"The 2024 elections were anything but free and fair," said Sihle Ngubane, MK's secretary-general, in the party's application to the Constitutional Court, which it circulated to media on Tuesday via a WhatsApp group.

The Independent Electoral Commission and other parties said the election was free and fair, and South Africa does not have a history of significant vote fraud.

A new entrant in South African politics, MK gained momentum after Zuma announced in December he would be backing the party and soon became its leader.

The party advocates rewriting the constitution, seizing land from white farmers and nationalising all natural resources including mines.

A longtime pillar of the ANC, Zuma fell out with the party after he was forced to quit as president in 2018 over a string of corruption scandals. He was jailed in 2021 for refusing to give evidence at a public inquiry that found there had been widespread public sector corruption during his administration.

Zuma retains a vast and loyal following, especially in his populous home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where MK won 45.9% of the vote to a humiliating 17.6% for the ANC.

MK's name, which means "Spear of the Nation" in Zulu, was also the name of the ANC's armed wing from the apartheid era, but an attempt by the ANC before the election to prevent its rival from using that name and branding was unsuccessful.

Chief Justice Rayomnd Zondo has announced that the first sitting of the National Assembly, where the country's President and National Speaker will be elected, will be on Friday at 10h00, while National Council of Provinces (NCOP) sitting will be on Saturday.

Four hundred members of Parliament will be sworn in at the Cape Town International Convention Center.

Following the declaration of the 2024 national and provincial election results by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the IEC handed over the lists of designated members of Parliament (MPs) and members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) to Zondo.

According to the Constitution such sittings are required to take place not more than 14 days after the declaration of election results.

The Chief Justice in turn handed over the list to the Secretary to Parliament Xolile George in preparation for the first sitting of the National Assembly.

In a statement on behalf of Zondo, his office noted that during the first sitting of Parliament, Zondo will administer the prescribed oath or affirmation to members or the national Assembly.

"Atter the members or the National Assembly have been sworn in or after the prescribed affirmation has been administered, the Chief Justice will

then preside over the election of the Speaker of the National Assembly," the office explained.

It added that once the Speaker of the National Assembly has been elected, he or she

will then preside over the election of the Deputy Speaker.

"…after the Deputy Speaker has been elected, the Chief Justice will then

take over again and preside over the election of the President," it explained.

Zondo will swear in, and administer the prescribed affirmation to members of the NCOP before he presides over the election of the Chairperson of the NCOP.

"…thereafter, the Chairperson of the NCOP will preside over the election of the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP."

The Chief Justice has designated Judges-President in the Provinces to

determine the first sittings of the Provincial Legislatures in their respective

Provinces.

It highlighted that the Judges-President will administer the prescribed oath or affirmation to members or the Provincial Legislatures, preside over the election of

the Speaker of the Legislature and the election of the Premier