Government

5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·3 Jan 2022

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

Coronavirus:  In South Africa, 18,970 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, with 4,379 new cases. A further 30 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, taking total fatalities to 91,228 to date. The total number of vaccines administered is 27.97 million.

• Parliament fire: The Hawks have arrested a 49-year-old man in connection with a massive fire that gutted sections of Parliament on Sunday. The man is expected to appear in court on Tuesday and is facing several security charges. The fire is believed to have started in one of the older buildings in the Parliament precinct. Significant damage was inflicted on the New Assembly Wing, including the National Assembly Chamber. [News24]

• Call to move Parliament: The Economic Freedom Fighters says any funds allocated for repairs to the National Assembly building should be spent on relocating Parliament to Tshwane. The party said maintaining the legislature in Cape Town is a waste of taxpayers’ money as it results in unnecessary expenditure for travel and accommodation for parliamentarians and cabinet members. [TimesLive]

• Zondo report: The first part of the report into allegations of state capture, corruption and fraud is set to be published next week after acting chief justice Raymond Zondo hands it over to president Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday. The president will have until the end of June to submit the report and the government’s plan to implement its recommendations. [BusinessDay]

• Return to work: Road authorities have indicated that traffic is expected to increase significantly in the coming days as schools prepare to reopen from mid-January. The N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) said peak traffic conditions are expected to continue on Monday, with motorists warned of wet conditions. The country currently faces a La Niña climate condition that causes above-normal rainfall. [IOL]

• Markets: The local currency started the new year on the back foot as a Christmas rally showed signs of fatigue and lingering fears over the Omicron variant, and uncertainty about economic prospects for 2022. On Monday, the rand was trading at R15.97/$, R18.12/€ and R21.57/£.