South Africa’s top stories this week
In the news this week: The local government elections date has been declared, former president Jacob Zuma has been released on medical parole, and South African children to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.
SA children in Covid-19 vaccine trials
China’s Sinovac Biotech trials in children and teenagers began in South Africa yesterday (September 10). The study will assess the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in children aged between six months and 17 years. Children from a number of countries are participating, with 2000 children from South Africa participating.
SA to head to the polls
South Africans will head to the polls on 1 November 2021 to elect the political leadership of the country’s 257 municipalities, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced.
Registration weekend
The IEC has declared that in-person voter registration will take place next weekend (September 18 and 19), from 08:00 to 17:00. Find out all you need to know about the process by clicking here.
Zuma released on medical parole
National Commissioner of Correctional Services Arthur Fraser said on Wednesday (September 8) that he used his position as institutional head to overrule the medical parole board’s recommendation to keep former president Jacob Zuma in prison.
News of Zuma’s medical parole became a topic of debate on social media, with both members of the public and political parties weighing in. Many people are now questioning South Africa’s justice system.
Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, a legal expert at the University of Pretoria, said South Africans have the right to be sceptical about Zuma’s parole.
“We know of many other inmates in similar positions who have been trying to get parole from the commissioner. At face value at least, there is something to be sceptical about in the case of former president Jacob Zuma,” Curlewis said.
SA National Parks Week postponed to November
The 16th annual South African National Parks Week has been postponed due to the number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa.
The SANParks free access week will now be held in November, said SANParks general manager: media, PR & stakeholder relations, Rey Thakhuli.
“SANParks is postponing the free access week, which is traditionally held in September, to November due to concerns regarding the number of Covid-19 cases across the country. The safety of both guests and staff is of utmost priority and we, therefore, have to ensure that we are in a position to effectively implement the Covid-19 visitor management procedures in all our parks at all times.”
The exact date is still to be announced, he concluded.
SA economy grows by 1.2% in second quarter
South Africa’s GDP increased by 1.2% in the second quarter of this year, thanks largely to the transport, storage, and communication industry, which increased by 6.9% in the second quarter and made the largest contribution to GDP growth, namely 0.5 percentage points.
Members of N1 and R101 road-spiking gang nabbed
The police have caught two men believed to be part of a gang responsible for the recent spate of road-spike robbery incidents along the N1 and R101 roads.
The gang targeted motorists along the N1 and R101 roads between Pretoria and Polokwane.
“They place sharp objects on the road, resulting in the victims experiencing punctures and being forced to stop to change their tyres. They then attack the victims and rob them of their belongings at gunpoint,” police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapleo explained in a statement.
La Mercy landslide claims road and rips home apart
Inclement weather lashed parts of KwaZulu-Natal earlier in the week, causing localised flooding and large-scale property damage.
A home in La Mercy partly collapsed into a deep gully caused by a landslide.
