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President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that while the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the value of partnership, it also brought into focus the effects of unilateral action and unequal access to resources.

Speaking during the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response Roundtable, he pointed out that the panel’s mandate is founded on the conviction that the world acts as a global community to prevent another pandemic of such proportions.

He said the world could not overcome the pandemic while richer countries had most of the world’s vaccine supply, to the exclusion and detriment of poorer countries.

“We know that it is the virus that causes the disease, but it is human action – and inaction – that causes the pandemic. A vital lesson from the coronavirus pandemic is the necessity for collective leadership, collaboration, solidarity and innovation among the countries of the world,” Ramaphosa said.

He said efforts must be made to accelerate universal health coverage and to ensure that vaccines and other life-saving treatments are considered “public good”.

He reiterated the African Union’s support for a temporary Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver on Covid-19 vaccines, so as to allow more countries to produce vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, making them more accessible to poorer countries.

“This is about saving human lives. Not sometime in the future, but right now. We look forward to engaging further on the recommendations of the panel, which will enable all countries to strengthen pandemic preparedness. For more than a year, we have fought this global pandemic together as an international community. Let us now work together, with even greater resolve and focus, to not only prepare for the next pandemic but to build a fairer, healthier and more equitable world,” Ramaphosa pleaded.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the African National Congress (ANC) said on Tuesday that it reaffirmed the decision of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) that all members who have been charged with corruption or other serious crimes must step aside from their duties within 30 days or be suspended.

The NWC met on Monday to track the progress of various NEC decisions.

This means that embattled ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule , who has stated that he would not step aside after being charged with corruption, will be suspended.

“The affected member must update the relevant secretariat on a monthly basis regarding progress with their case. The decision by a member to step aside will be reviewed by the relevant structure of the organisation every six months,” the party said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the ANC, letters will be sent to suspended members, outlining the terms and conditions regulating their participation and conduct during suspension.

Meanwhile, Magashule’s bid to appeal the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling that the 2018 Free State ANC elective conference was unlawful, has been noted by the ANC.

“The NWC reaffirmed its decision that priority must be given to pursuing political solutions that will build a united and vibrant ANC in the Free State. It called for an intensification of the efforts being led by Comrade Kgalema Motlanthe to bring about a cohesive and inclusive interim structure in the Free State that will be able to take the province to an elective conference in due course. The NWC agreed to receive a progress report at its next meeting,” the NWC said.

The NWC also commended ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and national chairperson Gwede Mantashe on their testimonies at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

The ANC reiterated its support for the commission.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to continue to safeguard the country’s media freedom, as the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day, on Monday.

Celebrated on May 3 annually, World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, following the adoption of a recommendation at the 26th session of Unesco's general conference in 1991.

South Africa recently ranked 32 in media freedom, compared with 180 other countries.

Last week, Reporters without Borders published its 2021 World Press Freedom Index assessing global media freedom. The index describes the state of media freedom in South Africa as "guaranteed but fragile".

Ramaphosa pointed out that the South African media had played a pivotal role in uncovering much of what the country knows today about the true extent of State capture.

He added that the country’s media sustained its reporting despite intimidation, disinformation and attacks on their person.

“As we conclude Freedom Month, we recall how far we have come from the days where social protest by artists attracted banning orders, and critical reporting by journalists risked imprisonment or the closure of publications,” Ramaphosa said.

He said a robust media was more critical than ever as the country rebuilt its economy and society during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The report revealed that journalism is "totally blocked or seriously impeded" in 73 countries and "constrained" in 59 others. During the Covid-19 pandemic, media freedom deteriorated, with the various restrictions put in place having seemingly been used to curtail media activity in several places.

Ramaphosa said credibility was key to sustaining trust between journalists and the public, and warned that if the media was to remain true to its responsibility to support democracy, journalists must continue to report without fear or favour.

“Their sustained coverage must include gender-based violence, crime in our communities, and social ills like substance abuse. Our media should provide accurate and impartial information, enabling the public to make informed decisions, to access opportunities and to improve their lives,” he said.

The first batch of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines has landed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

In a social media post on Monday morning, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the 325 260 doses arrived in South Africa on Sunday night.

A weekly arrival of the same number of doses is expected until the end of May, which will provide the country's vaccination programme with 1.3-million doses by the end of the month.

"Thereafter, the vaccine supply will increase to an average of 636 480 doses weekly from 31 May, which will see us accumulating close to 4.5-million doses by the end of June," the health minister said in a statement.

A shipment of Johnson & Johnson vaccines is also expected to be ready in the middle of the month.

"In the meantime, we will continue to vaccinate our healthcare workers with the remaining early access doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines (through the Sisonke protocol), and we will proceed to vaccinate with Pfizer.

"We, therefore, continue to call on all healthcare workers, including traditional healers, and all citizens 60 years and above to register on the EVDS as we continue to roll out vaccines."

According to Netwerk24, only around 10% of people who are aged 60 and older have registered for the vaccination.

Only 500 000 people who fall in this age bracket have reportedly registered, although there are around five-million.

The second phase of the vaccine rollout is expected to begin on 17 May, targeting citizens aged 60 and older.

The African National Congress's (ANC's) national working committee (NWC) is expected to meet on Monday to discuss – once more – the implementation of its resolution that members charged with serious offences should step aside.

This comes after the deadline passed for corruption-accused secretary-general Ace Magashule to step down or face expulsion.

Magashule didn't budge when the deadline came and his supporters in the Free State's Fezile Dabi region have threatened to interdict the national executive committee (NEC) if it forces him out.

The party's top six were expected to meet over the weekend to discuss reports from structures in the provinces on how the rule should be implemented in their provinces, as well as lists of members charged with serious crimes – like corruption, murder and rape – who should step aside.

Treasurer-general Paul Mashatile said last week that most of the reports were in and that the NWC would consider these ahead of the NEC meeting this weekend.

Party spokesperson Pule Mabe could not be reached for comment but he confirmed to SABC radio news that the meeting would go ahead. He said the NEC "will pronounce itself on the implementation and operationalisation of that decision".

The party's integrity commission recommended in December that Magashule, who is out on R200 000 bail, should step aside from his position so that he can clear his name in court.

He has been charged with corruption linked to a multimillion-rand asbestos tender that was granted during his time as the Free State premier.

The NEC later accepted that decision and at its meeting at the end of March, it set the 30-day deadline.

Last week, Magashule paid a last-minute visit to former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe , two weeks after going to Nkandla with some of his allies to meet former president Jacob Zuma .

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) on Friday announced the passing of Professor Bob Scholes , one of the world’s leading Climate Change scientists.

Scholes passed away on Wednesday evening, following a hike.

The university has described Scholes as a giant in the field of climate science.

“Professor Scholes was a true leader, a conscientious and dedicated scientist, and a teacher to all. An A-rated scientist and Professor of Systems Ecology at Wits, he served as the director of the Global Change Institute. He was among the top one per cent of environmental scientists worldwide, based on citation frequency, and published widely in the fields of savanna ecology, global change, and earth observation,” the statement said.

Scholes led several high-profile global studies in the fields of climate change and environmental studies.

He was one of the lead authors in the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and served as a member on the steering committees of several global earth observation bodies.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the royal family after the death of regent of the Zulu nation, Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu .

"Personally and on behalf of government and all South Africans, I offer my sincerest condolences to the royal family and the Zulu nation. We extend our thoughts, prayers and hearts once more to the royal family who, in the midst of mourning the passing of the beloved king, are now called upon to bid farewell to the regent in sadly, short succession," Ramaphosa said.

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi announced her death in a statement on Thursday night.

Dlamini Zulu, 65, had been admitted to hospital on Tuesday.

The African National Congress (ANC) also expressed its condolences: "The ANC has learnt with shock and sadness about the untimely passing of Her Majesty, Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, regent of the Zulu nation. The ANC sends its heartfelt condolences to the royal family, the Zulu nation and the people of South Africa as a whole. We hope that they will find solace in the knowledge that the entire nation shares in their grief. We wish them strength and fortitude during this difficult time."

"It is an unfathomable double blow not only to the royal family, but to the people of this province and the nation in its entirety. Even more shattering is that Her Majesty has left us in the middle of the mourning period for our beloved monarch, King [ Goodwill ] Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu ," KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said.

In March, Dlamini Zulu was appointed interim ruler of the Zulu nation, pending the installation of the king's successor.

Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers is calling on the public for donations for its intervention in India, where there has been a surge in Covid-19 cases.

The country had more than 18-million cases by Thursday and hospitals and mortuaries reported that they were overwhelmed. On the same day, India recorded 379 257 new infections and 3 645 deaths.

The organisation has a campaign to supply the Indian government with oxygen and South African-made CPAP machines.

"The world is watching a catastrophe unfolding in India. A Covid-19 tsunami has struck the country, the official figures [are] nowhere near the real tragedy," said Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman .

"Healthcare workers and the population are on edge, exhausted and burnt out. They need humanity to respond. Gift of the Givers is in discussion with the Indian government and Dirco (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) to intervene decisively, practically and effectively. The request is very simple: 'We need oxygen and oxygen delivery devices. We have everything else'," he said.

The organisation is calling on the public to donate towards the purchase of oxygen concentrators, which Gift of the Givers is busy procuring, and CPAP machines, which deliver a flow of concentrated oxygenated air to patients.

"Oxygen concentrators will be purchased initially, followed by the purchase of CPAP machines if the important policy issues around it could be resolved," he added.

"Intense discussion on registration, permits, procurement and acceptance are [ongoing]."

Donations can be made directly to the Gift of the Givers.

An African National Congress (ANC) ward councillor accused of killing two of his comrades has been stripped of his party membership and may lose his position in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality.

Lucky Mbuzi faces two murder charges, for the death of ANC activists Mduduzi Madikizela and Hleliphi Thotshe in separate incidences in Jali Village in the Eastern Cape.

Mbuzi is a councillor in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Municipality.

Mbuzi, Luthando Manyana and Simbongile Mjuleka initially appeared in the Mbizana Magistrate's Court in connection with the murder of Madikizela.

Madikizela was planning on standing against Mbuzi for a council position later this year.

When the accused appeared in court on Wednesday, a charge of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition were added against Mbuzi and Mjuleka, in connection with the murder of Thotshe.

Thotshe was killed on 10 March.

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said he had visited the families of the victims last week, as well as ANC members in the ward.

"Truth be told, we are so hurt by the incident - both the assassinated are ANC members," he said.

The party has taken a hard line on the accused, Ngcukayitobi added.

"We immediately suspended [Mbuzi's] membership and further instructed the council to remove him from being our representative. Our hope and sincere request is that justice must proceed and take appropriate action against those found guilty."

Mbuzi, Manyana and Mjuleka are expected back in court on 13 May for a formal bail application.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is probing a company, linked to African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe , over an allegedly unlawful tender received in 2017.

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the SIU the green light to investigate the R27-million tender, which was allegedly awarded illegally to Enviro Mobi by the Gauteng agriculture and rural development department and the Ekurhuleni municipality.

The investigation will probe procurement made in March 2017 for the supply of 200 portable, three-wheel motorised waste collection vehicles.

"Ekurhuleni appointed Enviro Mobi on 31 October 2018 to supply a further 70 three-wheel vehicles at a contract price of R7.8-million," said SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago .

In 2018, the Mail and Guardian reported that the Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development contracted Enviro Mobi to render a service, which would require them to supply 58 waste-pickers in the Ekurhuleni municipality with 200 three-wheeler motorbikes, known as Karikis.

However, the company failed to deliver a year after the tender had been awarded.

Company

In 2016, while still a Member of Parliament, Mabe made it known and declared his directorship of Enviro Mobi and another company, called Kariki Media, in the register of members' interest.

The SIU said the aim was to determine whether the procurement and payments made were in relation to the three-wheel waste collection vehicles tender, which were done in a manner that was "not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost effective, or contrary to applicable legislation, guidelines issued by National Treasury or the relevant provincial treasury".

"The SIU will also look at whether there was any related unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the institutions or financial losses suffered by the institutions or government.

"Furthermore, the SIU will investigate any irregular, improper or unlawful conduct by contractors, employees or officials or the institutions or the suppliers, service providers or any other person or entity, relating to the allegations of corruption or maladministration," Kganyago said.