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President Cyril Ramaphosa explained on Monday that effective and comprehensive global vaccination is essential to ending the pandemic, calling for an urgent increase in vaccine production across the world, including in low- and middle-income countries.

Ramaphosa was addressing the seventy-fourth World Health Assembly (WHA74) taking place between May 24 and June 1.

He said millions of people in wealthier nations had been vaccinated, while billions of people in poorer countries still wait and are still vulnerable to infection, disease and death.

“We all need to work together to correct this. This is not only a moral imperative. Effective and comprehensive global vaccination is vital to ending the pandemic,” he said.

Ramaphosa said millions of lives had been lost, while every sphere of life had been disrupted, and citizens of every country had had to endure severe hardship.

He added that the pandemic had made individuals more aware of their strengths and vulnerabilities.

“It has also demonstrated how interconnected we are and how dependent we are on each other for our health and well-being,” he said.

Ramaphosa explained that ending the pandemic required individuals to urgently attend to the huge divide in the provision of the Covid-19 vaccines to people across the world.

FUNDING PARTNERS AND THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY

Ramaphosa called on all leaders to continue to support the development of vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other essential needs so that the $18.5-billion needed to ensure that appropriate tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment reach all parts of the globe.

He said all countries must support the call for a limited waiver on intellectual property rights as a mechanism to promote rapid, equitable access, to allow countries to use intellectual property, share technologies to produce vaccines and therapeutics, lower prices and expedite distribution to everyone, everywhere.

“As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, we need to build more robust pandemic response systems. We need to give attention to the establishment of a Global Health Council that collaborates with the WHO to support regional and national response mechanisms. We need to invest in our national health systems, understanding that these are vital to the health of our people and the sustainability of our economies,” said Ramaphosa.

Public interest law centre SECTION27 expressed its disappointment at the postponement of the Limpopo schools pit toilets case that was set to be heard in the Limpopo Division of the South African High Court on Monday.

In 2018 the court ordered that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE) must file plans to eradicate pit toilets and provide the court with an updated audit of sanitation needs at schools in the province.

SECTION27 is asking the court to rule that the DBE’s and the LDOE’s “plan” to abolish pit toilets is unconstitutional.

“SECTION27 is extremely disappointed that this matter is not going ahead on Monday. We will be asking for a date at the soonest possible opportunity for this matter to be heard,” said SECTION27 head of education rights programme Dr Faranaaz Veriava .

The matter was set down for Monday, however that date was not confirmed, with the presiding judge unavailable on that date.

“We are awaiting to receive an alternative court hearing date from the High Court in Polokwane. Given the seriousness of the matter, and because learners’ rights are at stake, we are requesting a preferential date. We will communicate the new dates and details with media in due course,” she said.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) and former shadow Minister of Communications Phumzile van Damme has made it clear that she will not be launching any attacks on the party after she turned in her resignation as MP to the National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise , on Thursday.

Van Damme said she was resigning as MP on her own terms, having made her own decision and that she was not joining another political party. She stressed that she was still a DA member.

“This was not an easy decision to make and it is done with a heavy heart. I have had a full and life-shaping journey as a DA activist, staff member, the longest serving National Spokesperson from 2014 to 2018, and Shadow Minister, which I put my all into,” she said.

She stressed that her resignation as MP was not because the DA is a “racist party” but rather she resigned because of “a clique of individuals”. She would not go further into the matter and said she would not be giving interviews.

She added that should the party choose to destroy her reputation and impugn her character, she would not engage in a back-and-forth.

“My good record of service and work speaks for itself, and I will not partake in any gun fights I am called to be part of,” she said,

Van Damme thanked members of the public who stood with her during her time as an MP.

Norma Mngoma , the estranged wife of former finance minister Malusi Gigaba , has denied that she told him she would refuse to testify at the State Capture Inquiry if he gave her a "big" divorce settlement and withdrew his criminal complaint against her.

Gigaba accused Mngoma of having "ulterior motives" and said she approached him in his study in January and advised him to ask his divorce attorneys to contact her attorneys to engage in settlement discussions. He also claimed Mngoma said he must "immediately" withdraw the criminal complaint against her and that she had been approached by the commission, following her eNCA interview, but would refuse to testify if he complied.

However, during her testimony on Friday morning Mngoma denied this.

"I didn't do that," she told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo , who chairs the commission.

"Me appearing at the commission [has] got nothing to do with our divorce, and it was never at hand."

She said by appearing at the commission, she wanted to "clarify the arrest" and why her gadgets were taken by the Hawks.

Mngoma also told the commission her children were affected by her arrest.

"… the school sent an email to both of us, saying our kids are affected [by] what was happening. What affected our kids is them seeing the Hawks arresting me inside the house. They told the teachers, and the teachers told us. I saw how my kids were affected."

In February, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria found that Mngoma's arrest was unlawful.

Mngoma was arrested for allegedly trashing a luxury car that belonged to a friend of her husband.

The court found that Mpumalanga Hawks officers Captain Kenneth Mavuso and Sergeant Norton Ndabeni 's decision to apply for and execute a warrant for her arrest in July 2020 was unlawful. The court ordered that all the information the officers obtained from her devices after they unlawfully seized them, must be returned to her.

"It appears in this matter that the arresting officers abused their powers and positions as members of the Hawks, presumably to avenge a wrong or perceived wrong as complained and alleged by Mr Gigaba and not for any lawful purpose… the warrant was obtained for ulterior purpose," the judge said at the time.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba announced on Thursday that he is putting his name forward for mayor of the City of Joburg in the upcoming local government elections.

Mashaba served as the mayor of Johannesburg for three years before he resigned from his post in 2019 and quit the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Mashaba said the decision to make himself available as a candidate in this election has been one that he had wrestled with for some time.

“As president of ActionSA, I have had the opportunity to travel the length and breadth of our beautiful country, and while the problems may seem impossible, South Africans are hopeful that new political leadership can finally bring positive, and permanent change to their lives.

“So now, I am asking you, the residents of Johannesburg, to once again afford me the honour and privilege to serve you, and to complete the work we began together in 2016,” he said.

He explained that when he left as mayor, he was disappointed that he was unable to complete the mission that he had set out on under the DA.

“Although the multi-party government made many strides during my tenure as mayor, there is no doubt that there is still much to do, in order to get our City back to work. Much of the progress made by the multi-party government, which I led, has been reversed by the present administration,” stated Mashaba.

He said residents have suffered the brunt of a decline in key services needed to lead dignified and fulfilled lives.

Mashaba said ActionSA will only contest four metros, three in Gauteng and one in eThekwini.

“The work of rebuilding our nation starts with these local government elections, and getting Johannesburg, the heartbeat of this beautiful country, back on track. I have said it before and I will say it again, if Johannesburg works, South Africa works. I am ready to work with every resident to get our Johannesburg working,” he stated.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Thursday the appointment of former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead a process to evaluate whether conditions in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic were conducive for the holding of free and fair local government elections later this year.

Announcing the appointment, IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini expressed that the commission was grateful that Mosekene agreed to lead the process under extremely tight timelines.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the local government elections would take place on October 27.

Moseneke’s evaluation will take place as the IEC continues with preparations for an October election.

The Electoral Commission Act provides for the commission, should it deem necessary, to publish a report on the likelihood or otherwise that it will be able to ensure that any pending elections will be free and fair.

The decision for an evaluation comes after the IEC engaged with leaders of political parties represented in the National Political Party Liaison Committee over recent weeks.

During these consultations, it emerged that some political parties were concerned with the trajectory of the pandemic and the holding of elections under those conditions.

Mashinini said preparations to host the elections were at an advanced stage and the Commission was satisfied that it would be possible to conduct successful elections within the current circumstances.

“The Commission is not oblivious to the uncertainties and unpredictability of the pandemic and the risks associated with hosting events which bring together large numbers of people. We also understand that these circumstances will require political parties and candidates to adjust their traditional campaign strategies. Under such abnormal conditions, the minimum requirements for what constitute free and fair conditions may be different from the standards we apply during ordinary times,” he said.

He gave assurance that the commission would provide all the necessary support to Moseneke to carry out his work and said the IEC was aware of the weight of its responsibility to find a balance between protecting Constitutional democracy and protecting lives.

The IEC appealed to all political parties to assist Moseneke in meeting the deliverables within the available timelines.

Accepting his appointment, Mosekene said the Constitution provided clear guidance on a number of elements relating to South Africa’s electoral democracy.

He said as the country prepares for the fifth local government elections, South Africa’s democracy and all democracies around the world, face an unprecedented threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Electoral democracy has not been spared. Almost 80 countries have postponed elections over the past 18 months due to concerns over the pandemic while a further 118 countries opted to proceed with elections. The responses of democracies around the world show that there is no right or wrong approach,” he said.

While the Constitution is silent on how exactly such unforeseen circumstances should be dealt with, he said it does provide overall guidance that all elections must be free and fair.

“The key considerations cannot only be whether the elections meet timing prescripts, but also whether they meet the prescripts of freeness and fairness,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again come out against the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian violence, calling it “worrying” and likening it to South Africa’s history under apartheid.

Speaking to French media following the Summit on Financing of African Economies, Ramaphosa said as South Africans watch people being driven out of their homes, “we can’t but side with the Palestinians”.

“Our support as a country for the Palestinians is based on principle. Palestinians want their own self-determination rights, they want their own State, they want to be able to run their own affairs and have freedom and not have to be restricted to move around,” he said, adding that a negotiated settlement was vital in resolving the differences.

He said as a nation that has gone through this type of situation, South Africa is prepared to help play a role to bring both sides together.

He said although the problem might seem intractable, South Africa was able to find a solution in overcoming apartheid.

He said South Africa had a leader like Nelson Mandela to bring both sides together and he urged the leaders of Israel and Palestine to negotiate.

Ramaphosa explained that the way the Palestinians have been denied their rights, the bombings in the area and the terror unleashed, qualifies it being characterised as an apartheid type of State.

When asked about the bombings from Hamas into Israel, he said the situation has become a tinder box where those who are living under oppression, whose rights have been violated feel that they have a right to defend themselves.

“When the ANC [African National Congress] took up arms to fight apartheid we said that that is justifiable because we were fighting against an authority that was using both the law and absolute terror against people who were fighting for their own rights," Ramaphosa said.

FINANCING OF AFRICAN ECONOMIES SUMMIT

Ramaphosa said he was satisfied with “concrete results” that came out of the summit.

“We have come up with a declaration, a very balanced declaration that addresses the need for a new deal for Africa in terms of dealing with what Covid has done to our economies but what Covid has also done to our health situation on our continent and we address two issues principally,” he said.

He spoke of “vaccine apartheid” and repeated that it was unacceptable that only 2% of the African population had been vaccinated.

He said western countries had prepaid for vaccines and have a huge surplus while Africa has no access. He said it could be characterised as vaccine imperialism.

He said it was discussed at the summit that vaccine nationalism must come to an end and that vaccines should be accessible to all people, because African lives are just as important as European lives or American lives.

“We will never be able to defeat the pandemic if we try to defeat it in the northern hemisphere only and not in the South. It must be done all over the world at the same time,” said Ramaphosa.

He urged the immediate access to surplus vaccines from the north to countries of the south.

He spoke of the waiver of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement, which would suspend intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks, on products required to fight Covid-19 for the duration of the pandemic.

Ramaphosa said he was confident that a solution to intellectual property rights around the vaccine would be found and stressed that South Africa and other countries were only calling for a temporary TRIPs waiver, for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was satisfied with “concrete results” that came out of the Summit on Financing of African Economies, hosted in France by President Emmanuel Macron .

“We have come up with a declaration, a very balanced declaration that addresses the need for a new deal for Africa in terms of dealing with what Covid has done to our economies but what Covid has also done to our health situation on our continent and we address two issues principally,” he said.

He spoke of “vaccine apartheid” and repeated that it was unacceptable that only 2% of the African population had been vaccinated.

He said western countries had pre-paid for vaccines and have a huge surplus while Africa has no access. He said it could be characterised as vaccine imperialism.

He said it was discussed at the summit that vaccine nationalism must come to an end and that vaccines should be accessible to all people, because African lives are just as important as European lives or American lives.

“We will never be able to defeat the pandemic if we try to defeat it in the northern hemisphere only and not in the South. It must be done all over the world at the same time,” said Ramaphosa.

He urged the immediate access to surplus vaccines from the north to countries of the south.

He spoke of the waiver of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement, which would suspend intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks, on products required to fight Covid-19 for the duration of the pandemic.

Ramaphosa said he was confident that a solution to intellectual property rights around the vaccine would be found and stressed that South Africa and other countries were only calling for a temporary TRIPs waiver, for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that there is no witch hunt against former President Jacob Zuma as he faces a trial for corruption.

Speaking to French media following the Summit on Financing of African Economies, Ramaphosa was asked whether he thought Zuma was escaping justice.

“Well, I don’t think he is escaping justice, if he was escaping justice he would have run away, but he’s not. He is obviously trying to exercise his rights as a person who is accused. I think he would want to say that [it is a witch hunt] but it isn’t. He knows very well that our justice system is a fair justice system and our democracy is a robust democracy that enables all these things to happen, and when one is found not guilty it basically means one is not guilty,” he said.

When asked about Zuma’s refusal to appear before the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, Ramaphosa said Zuma has given his reasons for not appearing and said the African National Congress (ANC) has pledged its support for the commission.

Ramaphosa said he would appear before the commission again to testify as South African President and as former Deputy President during Zuma’s presidency.

When asked if he regrets not speaking out earlier about State capture, Ramaphosa joked that his testimony should be listened to when he appears again at the commission.

He was also asked about suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule ’s claim that Ramaphosa was targeting him to help his re-election campaign.

“Well there’s no real substance to many of those things. He is a person who is himself facing criminal charges, who will seek to find ways to defend himself. When you are President you are attacked by anybody,” Ramaphosa said.

He added that despite the challenges it faces, the ANC was committed to strengthening itself.

“Through all these trials and travails that we are going through the ANC will come out stronger and even better and we will be even more renewed and even more united,” he ended.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Tuesday criticised the health department over the manner in which many elderly people are expected to register for the vaccine, saying this may lead to poor people being excluded from the vaccination process.

Last week Cabinet announced that Phase 2 of the vaccination programme, which includes inoculation for elderly people, will roll out on Monday, running simultaneously with the vaccination of health care workers, which was meant to end on May 14.

The EFF said it was “seriously doubtful” of the impact of Phase 2 in the fight against the Coronavirus (Covid-19).

“In numerous communities across the country, particular in rural, townships and informal settlements areas, there is still a need to engage and communicate with the elderly about the need to register for vaccination and the steps needed to have them registered,” the party explained.

It added that the health department seemed “ignorant” that digitised registration could be exclusionary for the elderly and the general population, as many people did not have the means to register online for the vaccine.

The EFF stressed that there had been no targeted communication campaign by the department to register elderly people to be vaccinated.

The party went on to explain that it was now common cause that no less than 600 000 health care workers had not been vaccinated by Monday, saying this is one of many deadly mishaps in the manner the Department of Health has handled the Covid-19 pandemic.

The party urged Health Minister Zweli Mkhize to kickstart a door-to-door campaign in townships, rural and informal settlements to register pensioners for the vaccine.

The EFF warned of vaccine hesitancy if vaccine registration and vaccination information was not properly disseminated to the public.