For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Tshwane’s finance MMC elected as deputy mayor; AfriForum wants Panyaza Lesufi gone over poor performing municipalities,; And, health official said Mpox vaccine rollout in Congo slower than expected

Tshwane’s finance MMC elected as deputy mayor

City of Tshwane Finance MMC Eugene Modise has been elected the new deputy mayor.

Modise replaces Dr Nasiphi Moya, who is now the mayor, following the removal of Cilliers Brink from the mayoral office through a motion of no confidence brought by the African National Congress, with the help of ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters.

He was elected unopposed at Friday’s special council meeting.

GOOD City of Tshwane Councillor and Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC Sarah Mabotsa said the GOOD party was looking forward to “seeing the positive impact” Modise would make working alongside Moya.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance called on Modise to pay his “huge overdue” municipal debt of R690 000.

DA Tshwane Caucus chairperson Jacqui Uys said he should should pay back the full amount or come to a payment arrangement with the municipality, considering Tshwane’s constrained finances.

AfriForum wants Panyaza Lesufi gone over poor performing municipalities

Civil rights organisation AfriForum is urging national government to remove Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi from office to “prevent a catastrophe” in the country’s economic hub, citing his failure to implement effective oversight mechanisms.

The organisation warned that Gauteng’s impending water crisis could be attributed to municipal decay and “Lesufi’s failure to act decisively”.

AfriForum argued that Lesufi’s failure to fix the province’s poorly performing municipalities through Article 139 interventions should serve as proof of the premier’s inability to carry out his duties.

AfriForum local government affairs manager Morné Mostert said the Auditor General’s latest report on Gauteng governments painted a grim picture, in which it revealed widespread financial mismanagement, governance failures, deterioration of infrastructure and noncompliance with essential legislative requirements.

He pointed to nearly 80% of municipalities and municipal entities in the province, which received qualified audit opinions.

And, health official said Mpox vaccine rollout in Congo slower than expected

Congo needs to do more to raise awareness about mpox and the availability of vaccines, an official with the response team said yesterday, warning the campaign to distribute the shots would take longer than anticipated

Congo's mpox vaccination campaign launched this month in the hard-hit east.

Cris Kacita, the head of Congo's mpox response team, said more needed to be done to boost vaccine uptake, adding that the ongoing vaccination campaign would last longer than the planned 10 days.

During a recent visit to a vaccination site in Kibati, a camp that hosts displaced people in North Kivu province, residents described receiving no information about the inoculation efforts.

Congo's mpox vaccination campaign is a key step in efforts to contain the outbreak at its epicentre, from where it has spread to numerous other African nations this year.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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