COVID-19 WRAP | Gauteng hospitals treating 5,576 people for Covid-19
TODAY'S TOP COVID-19 ST
July 15 2020 - 21:55
Human Rights Commission backs return of pupils to schools
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has come out in support of the reopening of schools in the country.
The commission said on Wednesday it “supports the position of Unicef that children should return to schools as soon as possible because ‘evidence points to harm being done to children by not being in school'.”
The commission said it had become aware of studies that showed children were suffering more while at home, having lost between 20% and 50% of their scheduled schooling since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
July 15 2020 - 21:32
Covid-19 cases in SA pass 300,000 with 107 new deaths
SA recorded 12,757 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours — overtaking, at least for now, Spain to become the eighth worst-hit nation in terms of caseload.
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Wednesday evening that the national death toll had reached 4,453.
The cumulative number of infections in the country now stands at 311,049.
July 15 2020 - 20:40
Zindzi Mandela tested positive for Covid-19: report
Zindzi Mandela tested positive for Covid-19 the day she passed away.
The Mandela family confirmed this in an interview with the SABC on Wednesday evening, adding that she would be buried on Friday morning.
Zondwa Mandela, son of the former South African ambassador to Denmark, said she had tested positive for Covid-19 but it remained unclear if this was the cause of her death. The family are awaiting further autopsy results.
July 15 2020 - 17:27
Scientists urged government to tighten alcohol regulations before outright ban
Top scientists advised the government to impose stricter measures to curb alcohol abuse before an outright ban.
This was revealed in parliament on Wednesday when the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) presented a report used to brief health minister Zweli Mkhize's advisory committee.
Presenting the report, Dr Charles Parry, who is part of the SAMRC unit focusing on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, raised the issue of imposing stricter measures before an outright ban.
July 15 2020 - 16:49
Court orders Cape Town to rebuild home demolished during lockdown
The City of Cape Town broke the law when it demolished a shack at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
Ginola Phillips and the Hout Bay community of Hangberg sued the city following the demolition on June 19. According to judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe, it was the second time officials had destroyed Phillips' Wendy house.
“Unable to return to his mother’s home for reasons such as overcrowding, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, he built the structure with the physical and financial/material support of members of the community,” her Cape Town high court judgment said. “He managed to rebuild the dwelling within two days and took occupation thereof by June 13. He was in peaceful and undisturbed possession of the property when on Friday June 19 officials from the city council arrived at this place and in his presence took photos thereof.
July 15 2020 - 16:39
'Teachers' fears limit learning': Pupils share views on school during Covid-19
Pupils say Covid-19 hygiene protocols at schools help them feel safer than at home, but teachers' fears are having an effect on them.
This comes as basic education minister Angie Motshekga said on Wednesday that schools would "remain open until further notice" despite calls to close schools by the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu), National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA and Educators' Union of SA (Eusa).
Education department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said Motshekga would this week meet various stakeholders. The purpose of the meetings, which will conclude on Friday, was to discuss the peak of the pandemic and its relation to schools.
July 15 2020 - 16:09
Gauteng hospitals treating 5,576 people for Covid-19
The number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 in Gauteng has reached 5,576 the provincial government said on Wednesday.
This is an increase of 952 people being treated in private and public facilities since Monday.
Health spokesperson Kwara Kekana said the cumulative number of infections was now 107,070 in the province - an increase of 8,639 since Monday.
July 15 2020 - 15:01
Uber Eats fails to pay desperate Cape Town restaurant owner for months
A Facebook plea by the owner of a well-known Thai restaurant in Cape Town has helped break the deadlock he had in getting Uber Eats to pay him the more than R100,000 the international delivery platform has owed him for months.
“I have tried to call their call centre in India. I have emailed their head office in Canada. They keep making promises but doing nothing,” Nirun Kotkong of Yindees Thai Restaurant, which has been operating from its corner site in Kloof Street since 1994, wrote on Sunday night.
“It has been four months since I have been paid. I will be forced to close my restaurant, which I have given the past 25 years of my life to, if they do not pay me soon.”
July 15 2020 - 14:57
Cape Town doctor describes her day in a Covid-19 ward
A Groote Schuur Hospital medical intern has described her working days in Covid-19 wards.
Danielle Moulton takes just three things into the hospital with her in the morning: her car key, a pen and her cellphone in a plastic zipper bag. The rest of her belongings stay in the car as her day in the Covid-19 wards in the Cape Town hospital starts.
At work she has a quick cup of coffee and big gulp of water, knowing she won’t get a break for a while. At the entrance to the wards she starts in the clean room, donning her personal protective equipment (PPE).
July 15 2020 - 14:56
You're smoking your socks: Fita has 'no grounds for appealing tobacco ban'
None of the grounds for appeal the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) has put forward bear any reasonable prospects for success, a lawyer representing the government has argued.
Fita is seeking leave to appeal against a Pretoria high court ruling that dismissed its challenge of the ban on the sale of tobacco products.
Marumo Moerane SC, for the state, argued in a virtual hearing on Wednesday that Fita’s application had not met the tests for leave to appeal.
July 15 2020 - 14:45
Will you still get your booze delivery if you ordered online before the ban?
THE QUERY
I placed an online order for wine and paid for it last week, just days before the president’s announcement on Sunday about the renewed ban on the sale of booze. I was wondering, hoping really, whether I will still get my wine. Please help. — Wineless, Port Elizabeth
THE ANSWER
I turned to TimesLIVE's expert consumer journalist, Wendy Knowler, for her advice. Unfortunately, the answer is not the one you were hoping for. Knowler said the order cannot legally be fulfilled as both the sale and distribution of alcohol have been suspended.
July 15 2020 - 14:43
'I was out cold, shivering': Gail and Kabelo Mabalane on testing positive for Covid-19
Kabelo and Gail Mabalane are the latest celebs to reveal they have tested positive for Covid-19, opening up about their journey on social media.
The couple took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm the news and urge followers to take the coronavirus seriously.
Kabelo said he was diagnosed two weeks ago after experiencing fatigue and cold shivers.
July 15 2020 - 14:41
Covid-19 claims the lives of more than 80 law-enforcers - Bheki Cele
Covid-19 has claimed the lives of 53 law-enforcement officers and 31 correctional services officials, police minister Bheki Cele said on Wednesday.
He added that "7,021 SAPS members and 2,203 correctional services officials have been confirmed positive for Covid-19”.
The minister added that crime hotspots were being noted in provinces with the biggest increases in Covid-19 cases.
July 15 2020 - 14:22
At least four KZN municipalities close offices as Covid-19 cases grow
At least four municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal have reported Covid-19 cases.
On Wednesday, the Newcastle local municipality confirmed that five municipal staff members had tested positive for the virus.
“The employees are in isolation, and in line with the department of health protocols, four units have been closed until necessary disinfection and decontamination measures are conducted. Employees who have been in contact with the staff members will undergo testing and self-isolation,” municipal spokesperson Mlungisi Khumalo said.
July 15 2020 - 13:25
3-million lost their jobs after first month of Covid-19 lockdown
Employment has decreased substantially since the lockdown began in April and close to half of the population has experienced hunger at some point during the same period.
The public also seems to have limited knowledge of the three most common Covid-19 symptoms, especially tiredness. This implies that many South Africans will not be in a good position to make decisions about when it would be vital to quarantine or seek care for Covid-19 symptoms.
These are some of the findings of the first wave of the National Income Dynamics Study- Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (Nids-Cram).
July 15 2020 - 13:23
LISTEN | Blanket booze ban is not a solution – DA
In light of the ban on the sale of liquor and gazetting of updated lockdown regulations, the DA has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of paying lip service to public participation.
The DA in the Western Cape said: “The blanket liquor ban fuels criminal syndicates, results in job losses and will do more harm than good in the long run.”
July 15 2020 - 12:52
Tobacco ban has led to blossoming of illicit trade: Fita's court appeal
There is no evidence that the ban on the sale of tobacco products alleviates the burden on the health-care system.
This is an argument put forward by the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) in its application for leave to appeal against a Pretoria high court ruling that dismissed its challenge against the ban on the sale of cigarettes.
In a virtual hearing on Wednesday, Arnold Subel SC appeared on behalf of Fita and argued that the case was of national importance. This, he said, was one of the grounds for an appeal.
July 15 2020 - 12:16
'NDZ is the aunty who wants everyone to live a holy life': Phumzile van Damme on booze ban
The DA's Phumzile van Damme says co-operative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is “that mean, judgmental aunty in the family who expects everyone to live a holy life as per her moral code".
She was responding to a video of Dlamini-Zuma detailing the ban on the sale, distribution and transportation of alcohol under level 3 lockdown.
On Monday, the national coronavirus command council briefed the media on amended lockdown regulations. The briefing followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday amid the surge in Covid-19 infections.
July 15 2020 - 12:13
Newcastle mayor tests positive for Covid-19 but 'is in good spirits'
Newcastle mayor Ntuthuko Mahlaba has tested positive for Covid-19.
Municipal spokesperson Mlungisi Khumalo said Mahlaba decided to test for the virus after coming into contact with a person who had tested positive.
“As a precautionary measure and to ascertain the extent of the risk of exposure to others, and as gazetted in the Covid-19 regulations, Dr Mahlaba will self-isolate at home and monitor his health. The mayor will continue to execute his mayoral duties via virtual platforms and provide much-needed advice on dealing with the novel coronavirus. He is in good health and has not displayed any symptoms yet,” he said.
July 15 2020 - 12:11
Department of basic education claps back at school opening criticism
The department of basic education has, in an open letter, hit back at criticism over the reopening of schools.
In the past few months, the department has been at the receiving end of criticism from parents, unions and politicians since announcing that schools would reopen during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest criticism came from Prof Jonathan Jansen, who concluded that the school year was pretty much over as a result of coronavirus.
July 15 2020 - 12:09
Zweli Mkhize: all districts in SA are now Covid-19 hotspots
Health minister Zweli Mkhize says all 52 districts in SA are now Covid-19 hotspots.
July 15 2020 - 12:00
WATCH | Ministers in security cluster provide feedback on updated Covid-19 regulations
July 15 2020 - 11:30
Teacher union concerns about spreading Covid-19 need to be aired: Prof Glenda Gray
It is unlikely that children are worse off at school than they are at home when it comes to Covid-19 transmissions, says the president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Prof Glenda Gray.
"We haven’t seen an adverse outcome of their exposure in households or in transportation of children and the areas in which they live ... It is unlikely to expect that children coming to school are doing worse than when they were at home,” Gray told eNCA on Wednesday morning.
July 15 2020 - 11:13
A change in your lifestyle can help save your life and those around you
July 15 2020 - 10:54
Professional boxing gyms set to open on August 1
Professional boxing gyms around the country are set to open on August 1‚ but with a strict set of protocols that forbid all forms of contact training‚ notably sparring and hand pads.
This is the second phase of Boxing South Africa’s (BSA) three-phased return-to-competition plan that was approved by government.
The first phase was training at home‚ and the third phase will include spectator-less tournaments‚ although no timeline was given for this‚ with BSA saying it was not sure if permission for fights would be even granted under Alert Level 2 restrictions.
July 15 2020 - 10:52
Parents stressed about home schooling without access to internet, resources
Parents who do not send their children back to school in 2020 for fear of Covid-19 are required to home school their children — but many are unhappy about this.
According to the Eastern Cape department of education, mandatory home schooling is required for pupils whose parents opt to keep them at home for the rest of 2020.
Department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said the situation was unavoidable as it was the law for children to be in school.
"It is understandable that parents may want to opt out of taking their children back to school."
July 15 2020 - 10:51
WATCH | 'It's game time, Mzansi' - John Kani urges South Africans to support local businesses
Veteran actor John Kani is urging South Africans to support local brands and help create and sustain jobs as the economy continues to be battered by Covid-19 and lockdown.
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July 15 2020 - 09:55
This is why Motshekga will absolutely not scrap the school year
In his open letter to minister of basic education Angie Motshekga, Prof Jonathan Jansen argues passionately for the school year to be abandoned.
He appears first to strike an encouraging tone with the minister before he admonishes her with: “Unfortunately, minister, you cannot dictate academic terms to a novel coronavirus.”
The choice of words is not lost on the reader; the eminent professor employs his skilful language punch to characterise the minister as a dictator in the eyes of those whose sympathies lie with the professor’s argument. These sympathies are bought by fearmongering tactics that he so cunningly deploys. To drive his point into the trembling hearts of a public seized with uncertainty over a virus that morphs daily and evades medical science, he throws in a salvo: “Teachers have died, principals have been on ventilators. Children have been infected. Non-teaching staff have become seriously ill.”
July 15 2020 - 09:50
How to know when you need a hospital for Covid-19
One of SA's top Covid-19 experts has advised South Africans to “seek help immediately” if they have chest pains and shortness of breath.
“The main symptoms of low oxygen are chest pain and difficulty with breathing,” explains Professor Shabir Madhi, who is on the Covid-19 advisory council to the department of health and is head of the vaccine trials in the country.
He adds that “dizziness” follows as one fails to get enough oxygen to the brain.
He said people should “seek assistance immediately” if they are experiencing “chest pains, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or confusion”, as these are all “telltale signs that your oxygen levels are not adequate”.
July 15 2020 - 09:45
Stay safe in style: 10 SA brands making affordable, fashionable cloth masks
As well as being better for the environment, reusable face masks are a lot prettier than the throwaway kind.
July 15 2020 - 09:43
'We're pleased': Results show Moderna Covid-19 vaccine is safe, induces immune response
Moderna Inc's experimental vaccine for Covid-19 showed it was safe and provoked immune responses in all 45 healthy volunteers in an ongoing early-stage study, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
Volunteers who got two doses of the vaccine had high levels of virus-killing antibodies that exceeded the average levels seen in people who had recovered from Covid-19, the team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. No study volunteers experienced a serious side effect, but more than half reported mild or moderate reactions such as fatigue, headache, chills, muscle aches or pain at the injection site.
July 15 2020 - 09:42
Food Lover’s Market rooted out for excessive pricing
Food Lover’s Market was caught overcharging for ginger during lockdown, and it has been made to pay.
It will donate essential goods worth R18,579 to an old-age home.
July 15 2020 - 09:40
Enhle Mbali gets real about being hurt & revealed she has tested positive for Covid-19
Actress Enhle Mbali has opened up about the emotional turmoil she has faced over the past three years, also revealing that she has tested positive for Covid-19.
Enhle took to Instagram on Tuesday to post a lengthy note to herself, giving her followers a glimpse into her state of mind.
“The last 3 years have been testing. Emotionally, physically and mentally. I have been through so many life changes and I’m grateful as the universe continues to show me my greatness, even when it was being viciously stripped away from me, and non existent finish lines were being drawn on the ground and removed just before I reach them, the spirit of hopelessness would knock at my door reminding me of my unhappiness.”
July 15 2020 - 08:49
'This is bullsh**t, you don't get to decide for free people in a free country': Gareth Cliff to Ramaphosa
Radio personality Gareth Cliff has again taken aim at president Cyril Ramaphosa, calling his Sunday address “bullish**”.
On his CliffCentral show this week, the controversial radio host said Ramaphosa had no right to decided what people, who live in a free country, could do or where they could go.
“He goes on TV this president, willy-nilly and makes rules,” said Gareth.
“He sits with his national coronavirus command council and they go, 'ah, I think we need to ban alcohol', and they decide among themselves and that's it and your right to do what you want is gone.”
July 15 2020 - 07:24
Wearing masks, fines imposed and how it affects you
The government is considering taking action against store managers, public transport drivers and other compliance officers who fail to enforce the wearing of face masks.
On Monday, justice minister Ronald Lamola said the government has been reluctant to criminalise those who have not been compliant with the regulations on the wearing of face masks and has been left with no choice but to hold lawbreakers accountable.
July 15 2020 - 07:23
Lockdown got you down? How to access public mental health services
If you have reached the point where you know you need help, but you cannot access private health care and aren’t sure where to turn next, this may be the help you need.
The first question to ask yourself is what you need. Are you in a state of intense emotional distress and need to speak to someone right now? Has a doctor or loved one suggested you see a counsellor or therapist? Do you feel ready, or able, to start meeting a counsellor or therapist?
Therapy works best in the context of a relationship, such as when you meet the same therapist over a period. But there are times when this is not possible.
July 15 2020 - 07:22
Pressure mounts as another teacher union calls on Motshekga to close schools
Pressure is mounting on basic education minister Angie Motshekga to close schools.
Another teacher union, the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (Naptosa), on Tuesday night added its voice to those of Sadtu and Educators Union of SA (Eus) in calling for schools to be closed as Covid-19 cases spike.
Naptosa executive director Basil Manuel said in a statement that its National Standing Committee (NSC) met on Tuesday before a scheduled meeting between unions and the ministry on Wednesday, and it was decided by the union that schools should no longer keep their gates open.