COVID-19 WRAP | SA's Covid-19 deaths rise past 300, as confirmed cases total 17,200
Image: Alon Skuy
May 19 2020 - 22:33
Commissions flooded with Covid-19 related price hike complaints
The Competition Commission continues to be flooded with complaints about price hikes for basic food items and coronavirus-related supplies like face masks and sanitisers.
Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele told a virtual meeting of parliament's trade and industry committee on Tuesday that it had received 1,354 complaints, In some cases, suppliers had hiked their prices by as much as 1,000%.
May 19 2020 - 22:03
'Debt-free' SABC to lose R1.5bn due to Covid-19, parliament hears
The SABC is “conservatively” projecting a budget shortfall of R1.5bn in the current financial year as its advertising revenue drops significantly due to the economic impact of Covid-19.
This was revealed to MPs on Tuesday night by SABC board chairperson Bongimusa Makhathini and group CEO Madoda Mxakwe during a meeting with the National Assembly's portfolio committee on communications.
May 19 2020 - 21:30
SA's Covid-19 deaths rise past 300, as confirmed cases total 17,200
SA's death toll from Covid-19 passed the 300 mark on Tuesday night, after 26 more deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said the toll was now at 312. There were also 767 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours, taking the national total to 17,200.
May 19 2020 - 21:03
I can't guarantee that nobody will die: Angie Motshekga on reopening schools
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga has told the country that she “cannot guarantee” that every single pupil will be safe from contracting Covid-19 when grade 7s and 12s go back to school on June 1.
Motshekga said she took exception from people who insinuated that the department was reckless for reopening schools despite being unable to guarantee that learners will be safe.
May 19 2020 - 20:25
These are the first groups of students who will be allowed back to UCT
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is set to allow three groups of students on its campus in a bid to save the 2020 academic year.
These are: final-year medical students, academically vulnerable students and those needing to access campus labs to complete their 2020 studies.
May 19 2020 - 19:55
More than 1,500 schools hit by vandalism, theft during lockdown
The vandalism of schools across the country continues to worsen during the Covid-19 lockdown — and most of it is taking place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Countrywide, 1,577 schools have been rocked by vandalism, thefts and break-ins. Of that number, 463 have been in KZN and 336 in Gauteng.
May 19 2020 - 19:40
Why reopen schools? Because school is good for children: Motshekga
The longer schools stay closed, the higher the risk that pupils might never go back.
This is according to basic education minister Angie Motshekga, who was answering the question “why reopen schools?” at a press briefing on Tuesday evening.
May 19 2020 - 19:22
Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 4.85 million, death toll tops 318,500
More than 4.85 million people have been reported to have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 318,539 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
- Reuters
May 19 2020 - 19:01
Thousands repatriated to SA, but some want to go back overseas: Pandor
International relations and co-operation minister Naledi Pandor says thousands of South Africans have been repatriated since the closure of international travel — but not everyone is home yet.
“We are in constant discussion with colleagues in other foreign ministries, with ministries of transport, with airlines ... and I am happy that we have had thousands of South Africans come back,” she said.
May 19 2020 - 18:47
IN FULL | Motshekga's address on the reopening of schools, feeding schemes and learner transport
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday evening that schools would reopen on June 1, starting with matric and grade 7 pupils.
Details of the reopening for other grades — as well as for crèches and other early childhood development centres — would be announced in due course, she said.
May 19 2020 - 18:06
Education minister says safety in schools is priority
The coronavirus has brought a lot of trauma and anxiety, education minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday.
She was aware of the many questions about the future of the academic year. It was important that the opening of schools did not contribute to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was uncharted waters, she added. There was an ongoing debate about children and contracting the virus.
She used the opportunity to condemn the "disturbing trend" of the vandalism of schools, saying a total of 1577 schools countrywide had been targeted.
Turning to the opening of schools, she said the preconditions for the reopening of schools will be met. This included the delivery of personal protective equipment and the cleaning of schools.
She said education officials met with teacher unions again on Tuesday to update them on the reopening of schools. Motshekga urged parents whose children had comorbidities to work closely with the schools on managing their situations.
"The virus has forced us to re-engineer the basic education system."
She said: "For learners, we will be reopening on the 1st of June... we will start with Grade 7s and 12s."
The remaining grades will be phased in and those dates will be published in the Government Gazette soon, said Motshekga.
May 19 2020 - 17:28
Covid-19 screening, testing on track thanks to Transnet health train
The Transnet Phelophepa health-care train will not only boost Covid-19 screening and testing but will also provide assistance in psychology, general health, dental and eye care, as well as a pharmacy.
Transnet in partnership with the Solidarity Fund handed over the mobile clinic to the department of health in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday.
The clinic will provide health services in Phoenix, Empangeni, Ulundi, Pietermaritzburg and Ugu over the next two weeks.
May 19 2020 - 17:22
Premier League confirms six positive cases of Covid-19 after testing
Six people from three clubs have tested positive for Covid-19 out of a total of 748 players and staff who were tested for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the Premier League said on Tuesday.
"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days," the league said in a statement. "No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided... due to legal and operational requirements."
- Reuters
May 19 2020 - 16:46
Screening and testing the new normal at taxi ranks
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday that screening and testing for Covid-19 will be the new normal at taxi ranks everywhere.
Mbalula, in partnership with Gauteng MECs, on Tuesday launched the testing and screening drive for the taxi industry at the Kopanong rank in Ivory Park.
“We are now at a stage where we are easing the lockdown and are embracing what we call 'the new normal', which includes wearing masks everywhere you go. This is the new way of life we are going to undertake,” Mbalula said.
May 19 2020 - 17:04
Sweden tops Europe Covid-19 deaths per capita over last 7 days
Sweden, which has opted for a more open strategy in combating the virus than other European countries, has the highest number of deaths in Europe per capita from the Covid-19 disease over the last seven days, data showed.
Sweden has kept most schools, restaurant and businesses open during the pandemic.
While deaths are on the decline Sweden had 6.25 deaths per million inhabitants per day in a rolling seven day average between May 12 and May 19, according to Ourworldinsata.org. That was the highest in Europe and just above the United Kingdom, which had 5.75 deaths per million.
Over the course of the pandemic Sweden still has fewer deaths per capita than the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium and France, which have all opted for lockdowns, but much higher than Nordic neighbours Denmark, Norway and Finland.
- Reuters
May 19 2020 - 16:23
Winde touts extra 2,300 hospital beds in new plea for lockdown easing
Four temporary hospitals for Covid-19 patients will have more than 2,300 beds, Western Cape premier Alan Winde said on Tuesday.
In addition to an 850-bed facility at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the hospitals will be located in Khayelitsha, on the R300 and in the wine lands, he said.
Winde said planning for the hospitals was part of a range of health interventions that meant the province was ready for the Covid-19 peak and could join the rest of the country in moving to a lower level of lockdown.
May 19 2020 - 15:51
Gauteng set to move to level 3 from June, says David Makhura
Gauteng will move to a less restrictive lockdown level at the beginning of June, premier David Makhura said on Tuesday.
BusinessLIVE reported that Makhura addressed a virtual sitting of the Gauteng provincial legislature in which he sketched a picture of the economic devastation facing the province, which ordinarily contributes more than a third to the country’s GDP.
“Gauteng will be going to level three at the beginning of June,” Makhura said.
He emphasised that the province will move to different levels as a whole, and not in a fragmented way which would see metros and districts at different levels. Last week Makhura said the province was too integrated for this type of approach.
May 19 2020 - 15:40
Covid-19 victim journalist Lungile Tom laid to rest
Broadcast journalist Lungile Tom, who died of Covid-19, was buried on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old succumbed to the respiratory illness — which is caused by the coronavirus — on Wednesday last week. A handful of relatives in masks bid him farewell at Maitland cemetery, in Cape Town, at 11am.
The sombre send-off did not befit the affable cameraman. His colleagues from various newsrooms — whose lives he touched — could not attend.
May 19 2020 - 15:21
Covid-19 could take 30% off top-end house prices, experts warn
House prices could drop by up to 30% after lockdown, as an extended buyers' market is projected for at least 18 months to two years.
This is the view of Grant Smee, MD at estate agency Only Realty, on how house prices will be affected by a lack of demand brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We foresee an extended buyers’ market kicking in in the next six months, and we anticipate it to last at least 18 to 24 months,” he said.
May 19 2020 - 15:16
At wine o'clock (3pm) people get thirsty: online pre-orders tell a tale
Things are looking up for alcohol online delivery services as customers create a high volume of pre-orders.
Judy Brower of wine.co.za said her business has seen sharp interest in Gauteng and the Western Cape for alcohol orders. To her surprise, she said, people from the Eastern Cape and Limpopo have joined her clientele.
Her business has been in operation for more than nine years, but the past weeks have been dramatically good for revenue.
May 19 2020 - 15:04
Two Sars employees test positive for Covid-19
Sars has confirmed that two of its employees have tested positive for Covid-19.
This brings the total number of infections in the revenue service to seven since the beginning of the pandemic.
“One of the Covid-19 positive employees is in the Free State, one in KwaZulu-Natal, one in North West and four the Western Cape. A colleague who had earlier recovered was also based in the Free State. A second employee is still in intensive care and remains on oxygen support. We continue to wish them all the best for a speedy recovery,” Sars said in a statement.
May 19 2020 - 14:33
Four stores shut as Woolworths staffer tests positive for Covid-19
Woolworths has had to temporarily close four stores in Cape Town this week.
The retailer closed three of its grocery stores in Cape Town's northern suburbs on Monday after a staff member who visited all three stores tested positive for the coronavirus.
May 19 2020 - 14:29
Almost 11,000 HIV-positive patients in Gauteng have skipped ARV collection during lockdown
The Gauteng health department on Tuesday said it was trying to trace thousands of TB and HIV-positive patients who have failed to collect their medication since the start of the lockdown on March 27 2020.
The approximate number of patients who failed to collect their TB medicines is 1,090, while the number of patients who failed to collect their antiretroviral medicines is about 10,950.
“Since the lockdown the average percentage reduction in medicine collections for TB is 1.4% and 19.6% for HIV,” read a statement from the Gauteng health department.
May 19 2020 - 13:57
R250m of Oppenheimer fund delivered to small businesses, says bank
All the funds, totalling R250m, assigned to Standard Bank by the SA Future Trust (SAFT) have been allocated to the employees of qualifying SMMEs after six weeks of administering the fund.
“As one of the official six SAFT partner banks, we are proud to have played our part in this initiative. We are closing out the last few applications, which will conclude with us having supported more than 3,500 small businesses and 22,000 employees with SAFT loans to the value of approximately R250m,” said Simone Cooper, head of business banking at Standard Bank SA.
May 19 2020 - 13:05
Helen Zille slated for comparing lockdown with Nongqawuse and the great cattle-killing
DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille has come under fire for comparing lockdown consequences to the Xhosa cattle-killing movement which took place in 1856 in the Eastern Cape.
In her criticism of Nkosana Dlamini-Zuma, Zille said the consequences of the lockdown, should it not be lifted soon, would be worse than the tragedy of Nongqawuse and the great cattle killing.
She also accused Dlamini-Zuma of using the lockdown regulations for what she said was “control and authority”, exercising power “for power's sake”.
May 19 2020 - 12:46
Limpopo health MEC advises Cuban medics not to do things the 'South African way'
The Limpopo health department on Tuesday welcomed 13 Cuban doctors to the province, with health MEC Phophi Ramathuba saying they were relying on their expertise.
The group comprises eight family physicians, one epidemiologist, one biostatistician and three health technologists.
Ramathuba said the Cubans had come at the right time, adding that being a rural province, Limpopo had been struggling without epidemiologists and biostatisticians who are key in guiding the province on how best to approach the Covid-19 pandemic.
May 19 2020 - 12:33
Eastern Cape mayor turns to Vavi after wife tests positive for Covid-19
Amathole District Municipality mayor Khanyile Maneli says he will seek advice from SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) leader Zwelinzima Vavi on how to conquer Covid-19. The municipality announced on Monday evening that Maneli was self-isolating after his wife tested positive.
Maneli told DispatchLIVE that he was hoping to get words of encouragement from Vavi, who recently made headlines after defeating the virus.
“A friend of mine has given me his contacts and I will give him a call,” the mayor said.
May 19 2020 - 12:06
Want to avoid the Covid crowds? There's an app for that
A Durban businessman has created a mobile app to manage social distancing by allowing shoppers to pre-book for when they’ll be in public spaces.
The application, created by Mfundo Dzanibe under Mzansi Digital Partners, comes as some parts of the country await a move to level 3 of the lockdown, which could see people flooding into public spaces.
He said the key was to manage shoppers before they left their homes and the DigitalQ application would do just that.
May 19 2020 - 12:03
Man invents 'cuddle curtain' so he can give granny a 'socially distant' Covid-19 hug
Antony Cauvin, a 29-year old man from Stratford-upon-Avon in England, created a "cuddle curtain" so he can safely hug his grandmother whom he had not seen in months.
This as people are encouraged to avoid physical contact to prevent and minimise the spread of the potentially deadly Covid-19 virus.
A video shared on Facebook by Cauvin's wife, Mariam, shows his grandmother, Lily, put on long plastic gloves before she runs towards the transparent jacket-like curtain to hug her grandson. The curtain is made from see-through shower curtain and has two sets of sleeves, top and bottom.
May 19 2020 - 12:02
Boom times for approved informal traders - but not for gogo without a licence
Street traders are central to food security in Johannesburg but since being declared an essential service under lockdown, street trade in SA’s biggest city has returned to uneven ground.
Five minutes make all the difference to Yeoville’s early morning harmonies. Still wrapped in inky darkness at 4.30am, the streets are almost completely quiet. Animals make the only sounds. A scurrying rat here, the song of an early bird there.
By 4.35am, the tone has changed. Gates to apartment blocks creak open, and the crunch of rubber soles treading on tarmac announce the morning commutes of essential workers.
May 19 2020 - 11:26
Alcohol ban has taken us back to apartheid days, says shebeen owner
With the sale of alcohol banned for more than seven weeks, the illegal booze trade has mushroomed and prices have rocketed.
People who used to frequent shebeens in the southern Cape said syndicates have stepped in and are charging exorbitant prices for conventional brands of alcohol. In response, many have started to brew their own liquor at home, mostly using pineapples and apples.
On the coast, many people are now making a living from it, brewing 25-litre buckets of iqhilika in places such as Nekkies in Knysna, Nonqaba in Mossel Bay, Nokuthula in Plettenberg Bay, and Lawaaikamp and Thembalethu near George.
May 19 2020 - 11:21
Ebrahim Patel hints at Cape Town remaining on level 4 lockdown as country moves to level 3
Trade minister Ebrahim Patel has hinted that Cape Town could remain on level 4 lockdown when some parts of the country move to level 3 at the end of May.
This after the Western Cape recorded the most confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths — accounting for almost 60% of the cases in SA.
May 19 2020 - 11:16
Gauteng's Covid-19 cases rise to 2,343, with 26 deaths
Gauteng has recorded 2,343 Covid-19 cases, with 1,671 recoveries and 26 deaths.
According to the provincial health department, out of a total of 10,631 contacts traced (those who were in contact with people who tested positive for Covid-19), 8,266 people had completed the 14-day monitoring period with no symptoms reported and were de-isolated.
May 19 2020 - 11:05
Acsa seeks R3bn Covid-19 relief from taxpayers over next three years
Airports Company SA (Acsa) says it needs an injection of R3bn over the next three years, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the air travel business.
The company told the parliamentary portfolio committee on transport this week that it has been revising its corporate plan in line with scenarios that set out the potential impact of Covid-19 on traffic volumes and thus on its financial performance and position.
May 19 2020 - 10:53
WATCH | Eastern Cape slams 'manipulated videos' of 'racist, farting' MEC Sindiswa Gomba
Video clips circulating on social media seemingly showing Eastern Cape health MEC Sindiswa Gomba being racist and “farting” while being interviewed were “manipulated” by “creative social media gurus” to distort her image and portray her as racist without manners, the health department said on Tuesday.
In one of the videos which have been widely circulated on social media platforms, Gomba is heard stumbling over a word and then apologising for her mistake. In the edited version the loud sound of gas being passed is heard before she apologises while somebody laughs in the background.
May 19 2020 - 10:43
Keen to work, but surplus miners must wait in hostels until lockdown level 3
Mineworkers who went back to their workplaces when they heard about the easing of lockdown restrictions are now in a waiting pattern until level 3 of the lockdown kicks in.
They are confined to their hostels as they do not fall within the critical skills parameters permitted under government rules, says their employer, Harmony Gold Mine.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) earlier claimed 60 workers at the Kusalethu mine in Carletonville had been stranded for at least a week.
May 19 2020 - 10:34
Cruise ship leaving SA instructed to return after crewman falls ill
A departing cruise liner was forced to turn back towards Durban after a New Zealand crewman required urgent medical attention on Monday.
Jonathan Kellerman, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station commander, said the ship was in deep waters off the Eastern Cape coast when authorities instructed it to head towards Durban.
A Western Cape government emergency services doctor, who was in communication with the ship's medical crew, confirmed that a 26-year-old man needed immediate hospitalisation. The nature of the man's illness hasn't been disclosed.
May 19 2020 - 09:47
Virus pushes science and its controversies centre stage
Hydroxychloroquine, double-blind studies, convalescent plasma, herd immunity -- the coronavirus pandemic has thrust the language of science into public view as never before.
Having escaped the confines of the laboratory, these and other once-obscure terms are fast becoming part of household parlance.
But familiarity with the terminology does not necessarily lead to a better understanding, especially when there is an avalanche of new findings, experts caution.
May 19 2020 - 08:00
Joburg NPO provides food and shelter for city's homeless as Covid-19 bites
The organisation provides food parcels within a 30km spread of their service area. Those in need can request via a Whatsapp line, where their details are recorded. When parcels are available, they are contacted to collect them at a nearby spot.
With the help of donations, Fountain for the Thirsty has distributed over 1,800 food parcels during the lockdown.
May 19 2020 - 08:00
Lockdown rules are based on science, insists Cyril
President Cyril Ramaphosa insists lockdown regulations are based on scientific and economic data.
His remarks come as pressure mounts on the government to ease lockdown.
May 19 2020 - 07:15
Lockdown taking toll on breadwinner's mental health
He was able to do everything for his parents and his sister, before the Covid-19 lockdown saw his work hours cut by half — along with his salary. On top of this, the ever-growing number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has taken a further toll on his mental health.
This is the story of an IT support engineer who is trying to keep calm and adjust to the pandemic.
He says the lockdown has affected his finances — he's now only earning half of what he used to get before the pandemic.
May 19 2020 - 07:00
Don't pay a lockdown admission of guilt fine: lawyers
Magistrates, attorneys and advocates say many, if not most, apparently trivial charges emanating from lockdown arrests will not stick in court.
But if you pay a fine you will have a criminal record.
May 19 2020 - 06:30
Study finds that only one in three online symptom checks proves accurate
Don’t rely on “Dr Google” to diagnose Covid-19 — or just about anything else — if you’re feeling sick. A new study shows that online “symptom checkers” are inaccurate most of the time.
Only about one in three results are accurate, according to Michella Hill from Edith Cowan University in Australia.
May 19 2020 - 06:00
Life was better in quarantine, says Western Cape resident
It was the first time that she had stayed in such luxury. She said all that people did was watch television, eat three-course meals and a full breakfast, and drink a concoction of ginger, lemon and garlic every day.
May 19 2020 - 06:00
How to save a school year?
Think outside the box, say education experts.