NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 7 February 1 pm

Good afternoon,

In this bulletin:

# The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority registers two Covid-19 vaccines
# The UDM supports the Judicial Service Commission’s recommendation of Justice Maya as the next chief justice
# And Olympics: Gold in Beijing for a Canadian who was diagnosed with cancer three years ago

# The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has registered two new Covid-19 vaccines. According to Sahpra representative Yuven Gounden, the COMIRNATY vaccine by Pfizer Laboratories and the MC PHARMA vaccine by MC Pharma have both been approved to be used in South Africa:

Play sound: ENG Sahpra 1

Gounden says the COMIRNATY vaccine, is indicated for people of 12-years and older administered three weeks after the initial dose, while MC PHARMA is indicated for those aged 18-years and older, administered as two doses at an interval of two to four weeks:

Play sound: ENG SAHPRA 2

# United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has welcomed the Judicial Service Commission’s recommendation of Supreme Court of Appeal president Mandisa Maya as the next Chief Justice. Holomisa says he hopes president Cyril Ramaposa agrees with the JSC, and that Maya will consolidate proposals made by the other candidates on how to improve the judiciary. Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and Judge President of the Gauteng High Court Dunstan Mlambo were also interviewed by the JSC for the position last week.

#  Fifty-six-year-old Daniel Smit from Klawer on the West Coast appeared in the local Magistrate’s Court this morning in connection with the murder of a 13-year-old boy. Jerobiojin van Wyk’s mutilated body was found in a sewer pipe at Smit’s house in the town last week. Police members had to fire shock grenades to keep a large crowd of protesters at bay at the police station this morning. Eric Ntabazalila of the National Prosecuting Authority says there are various charges against Smit:

Play sound: ENG EricONKlawer

# The Bathurst 1820 Centenary Hall in Ndlambe in the Eastern Cape has been badly damaged by a devastating fire that started in the early hours of this morning. Municipal manager Rolly Dumezweni says the local fire services were able to save a portion of the building housing municipal offices and documentation. He says a structural engineer has been appointed to determine the damage, while an investigation is also underway.

# Olympics: A Canadian athlete clinched gold at the Beijing Winter Games – three years after receiving the news he had cancer. Max Parrot won the snowboard slopestyle event, beating local teenager Su Yiming, while another Canadian, Mark McMorris, won bronze. Twenty-seven-year-old Parrot was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphona in late 2018 and beat the disease after 12 rounds of chemotherapy. He won silver at the previous Winter Games in South Korea. Parrot told BBC Sport today’s achievement was the best run of his entire life.

# Financial indicators: The dollar is trading at 15-rand-50-cents and the euro at 17-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 20-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 42-thousand-456-dollars-2-cents. Gold is selling at one thousand-812-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

For the latest news stay tuned to ………….