COVID-19 WRAP | SA death toll climbs to 18, Ndabeni-Abrahams says sorry, Durban hospital closed indefinitely

April 8 2020 - 21:17

Uyinene Foundation steps in to help GBV victims during lockdown

The Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation has vowed to offer online psychological support to victims of gender-based violence during the nationwide lockdown. 

The offer comes in the birth month of Mrwetyana, who was raped and bludgeoned to death on August 8 2019 at the Clareinch post office in Cape Town.

The service is expected to be run by a qualified psychologist daily between 9am and 4pm for the rest of April.

April 8 2020 - 20:17

SA Covid-19 death toll climbs to 18

The number of South Africans to have died of Covid-19 has increased to 18, the health ministry announced on Wednesday.

In a statement, minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that there had been five additional deaths confirmed since he released the figures at an event on Tuesday.

There were also 96 additional confirmed cases since Tuesday, taking the total to 1,845.

April 8 2020 - 19:34

Government to delay payment of social grants

From May, social grants will be paid three days later than usual for pensioners and people with disabilities, and five days later for other grant recipients.

Government has decided to delay the payment of grants to avoid the month end rush, which had a negative impact on, particularly, the elderly.

April 8 2020 - 18:55

Durban hospital closed indefinitely due to Covid-19 outbreak

Durban's St Augustine's Hospital has been closed indefinitely.

This is after five of the eight Covid-19 related deaths in the province stemmed from an outbreak at the private facility.

KZN health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu made the revelation on Wednesday evening during a media address alongside premier Sihle Zikalala.

Simelane-Zulu said the hospital would be closed to the public and only one ward would remain open. That ward will be used as a quarantine unit for the 48 nurses and 18 patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

April 8 2020 - 18:34

South Africans who were stranded in Europe are coming home

The department of international relations and cooperation announced on Wednesday that the flight carrying South Africans who were stranded in Europe during the lockdown has left Germany for their home country.

On their arrival, they would be quarantined for 14 days.

April 8 2020 - 17:48

KZN drug rehab centre to reopen during lockdown after legal threat

Drug rehabilitation centres in SA, which were forced to close during the lockdown, have now been authorised to accept new patients on referral by a social worker.

The regulation change by social development minister Lindiwe Zulu, gazetted on Tuesday, followed a threat of legal action by at least one centre, The Cedars, a private facility in Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, which argued that the ban on new patients, other than through a court order, was a direct contradiction of disaster regulations allowing people to access medical attention.

April 8 2020 - 17:07

Prisoners using coronavirus fake news to try to get out of jail

Prisoners are spreading fake news about the coronavirus in the hopes of getting early release.

This is according to justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola, who said on Wednesday that the government was looking at many ways to create physical distancing at the country's overcrowded prisons.

April 8 2020 - 17:06

April 8 2020 - 16:53

Easter Bunny given essential-worker clearance

As most of the world braces to spend Easter in some form of lockdown, many children have a pressing question on their minds: will they get a visit from the Easter Bunny this year?

Social media was abuzz on Wednesday as users shared letters children had written to world leaders asking if the festive rabbit's annual delivery of Easter eggs and other chocolatey treats would be affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.

April 8 2020 - 16:48

Western Cape Covid-19 infections at 510 as premier Alan Winde takes a test

Covid-19 infections in the Western Cape topped 500 on Wednesday.

Twenty new infections took the provincial total to 510, premier Alan Winde said in his daily update. Thirty-one patients were in hospital, including nine in intensive care.

April 8 2020 - 16:19

Zimbabwe needs more than R2bn to avert a 'hunger catastrophe'

Zimbabwe is urgently in need of US$130m (about R2.36bn) for an operation which could stretch up to August to prevent the country’s most vulnerable people from plunging deeper into hunger because of the effects of Covid-19.

A recent nationwide assessment – the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – shows that the number of acutely food-insecure Zimbabweans has risen to 4.3-million, up from 3.8-million at the end of last year.

April 8 2020 - 16:16

OPINION | It's the police's turn to act on Ndabeni-Abrahams to show we're all equal before the law

Should she have been fired? Certainly, but the matter is far from over yet as more action is likely to be taken against the communications minister, writes Thabo Mokone.

April 8 2020 - 16:07

SAB staff arrested for sending booze trucks out of depots in Gauteng

Gauteng premier David Makhura's office said on Wednesday that numerous arrests had been made after South African Breweries trucks were found leaving depots with alcohol worth millions.

This was in contravention of lockdown regulations restricting not only the sale but also the movement of alcohol during the 21 days.

April 8 2020 - 15:52

EFF's Vuyani Pambo lays criminal charges against Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

April 8 2020 - 15:41

Durban July hangs in the balance as coronavirus fears continue

Concern is mounting about the fate of SA's premier horse racing and social event, the Vodacom Durban July, as the Covid-19 crisis continues to deepen.

The event, which attracts thousands of punters, fashionistas and a fair dose of celebrities, is scheduled to take place at the Greyville Racecourse on July 4.

It is understood that the organisers have adopted a "wait-and-see approach" for now.

April 8 2020 - 15:37

Pupils challenge Durban principal to shave his moustache - after already making him lose his hair

Raj Kemraj has been challenged to shave off his moustache - and he "is game for any challenge".

The Hillcrest Primary School principal has already had to shave his head after he challenged pupils of the Durban school to post photographs of the activities they were doing during the lockdown on Facebook by 4pm on Tuesday.

April 8 2020 - 15:25

WATCH | After 76-day lockdown, people leave Wuhan as airport reopens

April 8 2020 - 15:19

DA to challenge legality of BBBEE requirement for Covid-19 relief

The DA wants to legally challenge the government's decision to follow BBBEE codes in allocating emergency relief for businesses affected by Covid-19.

DA interim leader John Steenhuisen said the party was consulting its lawyers on Wednesday to seek advice on the legality and constitutionality of what he calls the racialisation of the government’s Covid-19 financial relief measures.

April 8 2020 - 15:10

Moms worried and disappointed by prohibition on sale of baby goods

Nothing beats the excitement of becoming a parent. But that joy is being affected by the struggle to buy baby items during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“It is extremely frustrating to be a new mother and sit in this situation [lockdown]. It is extremely sad because all a mother wants is the best for her child in all aspects,” Faith McCallum told TimesLIVE on Wednesday.

April 8 2020 15:04

Medical expert to investigate Covid-19 outbreak at St Augustine's hospital

Acclaimed epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim will lead an investigation into the outbreak of the coronavirus at St Augustine's hospital in Durban.

This was revealed in a statement from Netcare management on Wednesday who moved swiftly to deny that medical staff and employees at Durban’s St Augustine’s hospital — at which 66 people have tested positive for Covid-19 — were not given appropriate personal protective equipment.

April 8 2020 15:03

WHO denies being 'China-centric' after Trump comment

World Health Organization officials on Wednesday denied that the body was "China-centric" and said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding, after US President Donald Trump said he would put contributions on hold.

The United States is the top donor to the Geneva-based body which Trump said had issued bad advice during the new coronavirus outbreak.

US contributions to WHO in 2019 exceeded $400 million, almost double the 2nd largest member state contribution. China, in contrast, contributed $44 million.

April 8 2020 15:00

Nelson Mandela Bay dam levels dropping faster in lockdown

As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases increase in Nelson Mandela Bay, the dam levels continue to decrease — sitting at a combined level of 23.77% on Monday.

Three days before the forced lockdown on March 26, the combined level of the city’s four major storage dams was 25.05%.

Infrastructure and engineering political head Andile Lungisa said the city was facing two disasters, with the consequences of both dire for the city, reports HeraldLIVE.

April 8 2020 14:50

'Lockdown ends April 16 ... but I didn't mention which year,' jokes Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa became a walking meme this week when he joked that while people expected the lockdown to end on April 16, he didn’t say what year that would be.

A meme circulating on social media contains a picture of an emotional woman pointing at Ramaphosa saying “you said 16 April” in reference to the end of the nationwide lockdown. 

Ramaphosa, laughing, replies: “I didn’t mention which year”.

April 8 2020 14:40

At least 11,000 UP students were part of virtual graduation ceremony

The University of Pretoria (UP) conferred 11,000 degrees, diplomas and certificates to students in absentia during a virtual graduation ceremony.

The ceremony was presided over by UP vice-chancellor professor Tawana Kupe on Monday.

“Today I am conducting a virtual graduation in absentia for all of you, our valued graduates, in the context of a global pandemic caused by Covid-19,” Prof Kupe said. 

“This virtual ceremony is to enable you to formally graduate so that you can get your certificates and get on with your lives. We can call this ceremony and the title of these brief remarks Graduating in the Time of a Coronavirus Covid-19.”

April 8 2020 14:33

Ndabeni-Abrahams sanction better than Zuma's 'I hereby reprimand you' action on rogue ministers

When President Cyril Ramaphosa decided to put communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months and dock a month's pay for violating a government-imposed lockdown, there were mixed reactions as to whether that was an appropriate sanction.

It was, however, quite an improvement from the reprimand meted out by former president Jacob Zuma to ministers in his cabinet for their role in the government’s overspending of taxpayers' money on his Nkandla homestead.

April 8 2020 14:32

ANC welcomes special leave for minister Ndabeni-Abrahams

The ANC threw its weight behind President Cyril Ramaphosa’s suspension of minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on Wednesday and called on all its deployees to adhere to the lockdown regulations.

“The African National Congress fully supports and welcomes the decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to place minister of communications and digital technologies, comrade Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for breaching lockdown regulations,” the party said in a statement.

April 8 2020 14:30

'A fairytale': Mzansi reacts to Mduduzi Manana's statement on #Stellalunch

Mduduzi Manana's explanation for his lockdown rule-breaking “social lunch” with communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has been met with mixed reactions online.

On Tuesday, he denied that the viral picture showing him and Ndabeni-Abrahams seated at the table having a meal was a social visit.

April 8 2020 14:25

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

It's been a bad 24 hours for Europe in its efforts to coordinate a joined-up response to the pandemic among its 27 member states. First, news broke that the president of the EU's main science organisation quit over red tape and infighting; then the bloc's finance chiefs failed to broker an EU-wide rescue package for the economy after all-night talks collapsed.

Officials said a feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached to euro zone credit was blocking progress on half a trillion euros worth of aid. They will try again to break the deadlock on Thursday night.

April 8 2020 13:15

Advocates and attorneys who flouted lockdown rules 'should not be paid'

An acting high court judge has expressed displeasure at legal representatives who flouted lockdown regulations to appear before him in Mpumalanga.

Advocates and attorneys who appeared in an urgent court matter at the high court in Middelburg on March 31, barring one, were found by the court to have not complied with the rules while travelling to court. They had travelled across a provincial border or did not have a permit to appear.

The court ordered that the seven lawyers not be paid for their appearance and for any costs incurred travelling to court.

April 8 2020 12:55

'Two month suspension imposed on Ndabeni-Abrahams nonsensical': EFF

The EFF has called for the removal of communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

"The two month censure imposed on the minister for breaching the lockdown is nonsensical and suggests that ministers and and members of the executive must be treated as if they are above the law."

President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended Ndabeni-Abrahams following a picture of her visiting the home of former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana during the 21-day lockdown made its rounds on social media.

April 8 2020 12:45

DA seeks legal advise on 'challenging race criteria for Covid-19 financial relief'

The DA says it is consulting its lawyers on the legality and constitutionality of the racialisation of government’s Covid-19 financial relief measures. 

"The DA will not allow the ANC to use this crisis to further divide our nation, and we will use every avenue available to us to fight for the right of all South Africans, black and white, to benefit from emergency assistance."

April 8 2020 - 12:29

SA Army Foundation donates goodie bags to soldiers during lockdown

In keeping with the spirit of ubuntu, the SA Army Foundation has donated goodie bags to all soldiers deployed around the country during the national lockdown.

SA Army Foundation head Angel Ramphele said this was a move to boost the soldiers' morale.

“We felt this was one of those things we needed to do to cheer them and say they are doing a great job.

April 8 2020 - 12:28

South Africans advised to get flu vaccine

April 8 2020 12:02

Close down St Augustine's hospital immediately, says union, after 66 people test positive for Covid-19

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) has called for one of the country's biggest private hospitals, Durban's St Augustine's, to shut its doors immediately after the national health minister announced that 66 people had tested positive for Covid-19 there. 

The call comes after health minister Zweli Mhkize announced on Tuesday that he was "concerned" after it emerged that 66 people, including 48 staff members, had tested positive for Covid-19 at the hospital.

April 8 2020 12:00

Noticed a yeast shortage? Cooped up families are baking up a storm in SA

There has been a significant increase in demand for some items in shops since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lockdown - and yeast is one of them.

Baking yeast has been flying off the shelves.

Joanne Clarke, director of consumer relations at Anchor Yeast, said their retail partners have battled to service the significant increase in demand.

April 8 2020 - 11:54

Dis-Chem offers drive-through coronavirus testing: what you need to know

Pharmaceutical retailer Dis-Chem has launched drive-through Covid-19 testing sites in shopping centre parking lots.

The testing sites are at some Dis-Chem stores in Gauteng.

SA now has 1,749 confirmed Covid-19 cases with a death toll of 13 and 95 recoveries.

April 8 2020 - 11:37

Ndabeni-Abrahams 'regrets' flouting lockdown rules

Communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has apologised for flouting lockdown regulations.

“I regret the incident and I am deeply sorry for my actions. I hope the President and South Africans will find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

April 8 2020 - 11:32

Roadblocks across SA to ensure lockdown compliance 

April 8 2020 - 11:30

Anger as forced quarantine extended in Kenya

Hundreds of people held under mandatory quarantine in Kenya after returning from abroad are up in arms after the government extended their confinement for another 14 days.

Around 2,000 people were placed in forced quarantine as they arrived in the country from March 22 until international flights were banned three days later, a chaotic process criticised by some passengers as likely to have helped spread the virus.

April 8 2020 - 11:25

EU nations battle to bridge bitter split over 'coronabonds'

EU finance ministers were mired in marathon talks on Wednesday unable to bridge differences on how to rebuild their economies after the coronavirus, with a North versus South split on burden-sharing for hard-hit countries.

The European economy has been battered by the pandemic as national governments impose strict lockdowns that have closed businesses and put normal life on hold.

The ministers' video conference dragged on for over 15 hours from Tuesday into Wednesday, with Italy and Spain pleading for a solidarity fund that would be paid for by European partners jointly borrowing money on the financial markets.

April 8 2020 - 11:21

IN PICTURES | Largest supermoon of 2020 rises on a world battling Covid-19

The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose in the night sky on Tuesday over hushed cities, stilled factories and countries in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands worldwide.

If the moon is within 10% of its closest distance to the earth at the moment of full moon, it is considered to be a supermoon, according the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

April 8 2020 - 10:28

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams placed on special leave for lockdown lunch

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave for two months – one month of which will be unpaid.

This is after a photo appeared on social media showing Ndabeni-Abrahams at the home of Mduduzi Manana, contrary to the lockdown regulations.

April 8 2020 10:20

POLL | Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams violated lockdown regulations but should she be fired?

Communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has come under fire for violation of lockdown regulations, after visiting a friend for lunch. 

On Sunday, former deputy education minister Mduduzi Manana posted a picture of himself and a group of people having lunch at his home.

April 8 2020 08:20

WATCH | Mpumalanga woman on crutches describes Covid-19 lockdown shopping difficulty

A Mpumalanga woman has issued a plea to South Africans to show kindness to people with disabilities attempting to shop for essential groceries, while sharing an unhelpful experience of her own.

Michelle Schoeman told TimesLIVE that because she was on crutches, she attempted to join a queue she thought would serve the elderly, pregnant women and the disabled at a supermarket in Mashishing.

She took to social media to detail her experience, which she described as embarrassing

April 6 2020 08:00

Joy, relief as exodus from Wuhan begins

Voicing joy and excitement from behind face masks, tens of thousands of people fled Wuhan on Wednesday after a 76-day travel ban was lifted on the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic first emerged.

Previously quiet train and bus stations bustled as an exodus began from the city of 11 million, with some passengers wearing hazmat suits.

April 8 2020 07:30

Covid-19 taking toll on the poor, elderly and front-line health workers

Sleeplessness, concentration difficulties, loss of hope and suicidal thoughts – these are some of the psychological effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on many South Africans.

This is according to Abdurahmaan Kenny, mental health portfolio manager at Pharma Dynamics, who says levels of distress are likely to increase as more South Africans become infected, lose their incomes and are forced to isolate.

The pandemic is taking a toll on the mental health of everyone - particularly the poor, elderly, children, parents and front-line health-care workers, said Kenny.

April 8 2020 07:20

Britain's Johnson spends second night in intensive care

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was spending a second night in intensive care battling the coronavirus which has infected more than 55,000 across the country and killed nearly 6,200.

"He stayed at work for you... now pray at home for him," The Sun tabloid splashed across its front page Wednesday while the Daily Express said: "Boris 'will pull through'."

April 8 2020 07:23

'How do we stay safe?': Life in an informal settlement, where following lockdown rules is impossible

“Practising good hygiene and following physical distancing rules is impossible for my family,” 47-year-old Evelyn Masuvhelele said.

This, she said, is because she lives together with her family of 10 in a two-room shack. The luxury of space is something they do not have.