For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I am Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: Busa meets with Ramaphosa over NHI, comes away ‘encouraged’; South African Treasury to coax funds to invest in infrastructure; And, Gavi to buy 500 000 mpox vaccine doses from Bavarian Nordic

Busa meets with Ramaphosa over NHI, comes away ‘encouraged’

Business Unity South Africa said it is encouraged by government's apparent “openness” to engage on its concerns around the controversial National Health Insurance Act, following a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Last month, the Presidential Health Compact was signed, to much criticism.

Busa and the South African Health Professionals Collaboration, including the South African Medical Association, on principle refused to sign the Compact, which it said used the NHI Act as its basis.

Busa has since called for urgent engagement with government on the NHI, saying this will ensure healthcare reform and universal health coverage without negative impacts.

Tuesday’s meeting included Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and Deputy Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, as well as senior officials of the department.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the meeting was “constructive and forward-looking”, with Ramaphosa requesting specific proposals from Busa on the remaining issues of concern, for further engagement.

Busa said it would prepare a proposal detailing solutions to address its concerns.

South African Treasury to coax funds to invest in infrastructure

South Africa’s National Treasury is working on measures to encourage private investment in infrastructure projects, an initiative it hopes will silence calls from other quarters in the government to compel pension funds to help finance their development.

Amendments may be proposed to pension-fund legislation to “crowd in” private-sector financing, David Masondo, one of the country’s two deputy finance ministers, said today. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana may make an announcement in his budget update in late October “that may make the calls for asset prescription unnecessary,” he said.

Prior to May elections, the African National Congress, which had ruled South Africa since apartheid rule ended in 1994, pledged to make it mandatory for the financial sector to make adequate funds available for industrialisation and economic development. But the party lost its outright majority in the vote and entered into a coalition with nine rivals, some of which oppose the plan, and it’s unclear if the new administration will implement the policy.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority, a government regulator, has warned that any move to dictate to pension funds how to invest would infringe on their fiduciary duties.

Masondo said that a prescriptive investment policy would adversely impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the capital markets, and money allocated to under-performing state companies that they would not otherwise have received could be squandered.

And, Gavi to buy 500 000 mpox vaccine doses from Bavarian Nordic

The global vaccine group Gavi will buy 500 000 doses of Bavarian Nordic's mpox vaccine, its first purchase of the shot to help battle an outbreak in parts of Africa, the group said today.

In 2024, there have been more than 25 000 suspected mpox cases and 723 deaths in Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

Gavi, a public-private alliance which co-funds vaccine purchases for low-income countries, said it will spend up to $50-million on the plan, which includes the transportation, delivery and costs of administering the vaccines. The doses are due to be delivered this year.

Around 3.6-million doses of mpox vaccine have already been pledged to the DRC by rich nations which have stockpiles, the World Health Organization has said, but only a small portion has arrived so far. The WHO approved the vaccine for use on Friday last week.

Gavi's purchase, using a new facility set up after the Covid-19 pandemic to respond quickly to public health emergencies, could speed up the response in Congo and other affected countries.

The price of the vaccine was not disclosed. The $50-million investment would equate to around $100 per vaccine, lower than previous estimates. But the actual price is likely lower still because the money includes funding for the storage and roll-out.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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