#5Things: COVID-19 vaccine, TelkomONE channel, South African in the White House, and more

1. Promising results in COVID-19 vaccine development 

Pfizer and BioNTech are developing a COVID-19 vaccine that has been able to prevent more than 90% of infections in a study of tens of thousands of volunteers. Preliminary results could pave the way for a vaccine by year-end if further research shows the shot is also safe. BioNTech’s CEO Ugur Sahin described the effectiveness rate as “extraordinary”.

For more details, read here.

2. Master KG wins MTV EMA for Best African Act

The 2020 MTV EMAs honoured some of the biggest names in global music this year. South African musician and 'Jerusalema' hitmaker Master KG added another award to his cabinet when he won the coveted Best African Act. He joins the ranks of previous MTV EMAs Best African Act winners such as Burna Boy, Davido, and Tiwa Savage and was nominated this year alongside many fellow continental hitmakers.

Watch his acceptance speech here

3. Telkom partners with SABC for new streaming channel

Telkom has partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to launch a new streaming channel, TelkomONE. The mobile operator channel will carry the public broadcaster’s free-to-air radio and TV channels. The new service will stream live SABC television channels 1, 2, Sport, and Education, as well as all 19 SABC radio stations under a five-year partnership.

4. Joe Biden's daughter-in-law is South African

On Saturday evening, a 34-year old South African appeared with the Biden family on stage in Wilmington, Delaware, as the new US president elect thanked the nation in his victory speech. Melissa Cohen, from Johannesburg, married Joe Biden’s 50-year old son Hunter last year – within a week of meeting him. Melissa has claimed in the past that she was raised by a Xhosa woman; frequently visiting the Transkei, and that she only learned to speak English when she was six.

5. A business opportunity thanks to Donald Trump

After Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, held a press conference between a crematorium and a sex shop outside of Four Seasons Total Landscaping on Saturday, the landscaping shop is now selling merchandise, while the Four Seasons Hotel have distanced themselves from any involvement. SNL writer Zack Bornstein has Tweeted that he could write jokes for 800 years and not come up with something funnier.

READ: #5Things: Biden's winning moment, pranksters mock Trump, serial killer in Empangeni, and more

IMAGE CREDIT: Twitter/derekalberts1

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