August 22, 2024.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lynne Davies.

Making headlines:

Floyd Shivambu announced as MK party’s national organiser

Busa wants urgent engagement with govt on NHI

And, Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b, second outside of Africa

Floyd Shivambu announced as MK party’s national organiser

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has announced changes to its executive, with the much-anticipated appointment of former Economic Freedom Fighters deputy president Floyd Shivambu as its new national organiser.

Last week, Shivambu submitted his resignation letter to EFF president Julius Malema.

Former Police Minister and African National Congress member Nathi Nhleko was previously MKP’s national organiser ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.

Nhleko is now the party’s national chairperson. Jacob Zuma remains the president and John Hlophe his deputy.

Last month, the party also announced changes to its secretary and treasurer positions, appointing Menzi Magubane and Dr Sifiso Maseko respectively.

Busa wants urgent engagement with govt on NHI

Business Unity South Africa has maintained that "structured, formal and urgent engagement" with government is needed on the Health Compact and the proposed National Health Insurance Act to ensure healthcare reform and universal health coverage without negatively affecting the economy and the existing skills in the private healthcare sector. 

Busa said the engagement should include the Presidency, National Treasury and the Department of Health. 

Busa has not signed the new version of the Presidential Health Compact, saying it was “unilaterally” amended by government, and that it had transformed its “original intent and objectives into an explicit pledge of support for the NHI Act”. 

It also claimed that the changes to the Health Compact were made without consultation. 

Deputy President Paul Mashatile will, in his capacity as Acting President, lead the signing by multiple stakeholders of the Second Presidential Health Compact at the Union Buildings, Pretoria today.

Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b, second outside of Africa

Thailand on Thursday confirmed an mpox case reported this week was the clade 1b strain of the virus, the second confirmed case of the variant outside of Africa.

The case is a 66-year-old European man who had arrived in Thailand last week from an unspecified African country where the disease was spreading.

No other local infections had been detected through contact tracing.

Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads though routine close contact.

A case of the variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent.

The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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