COVID-19 WRAP | SA infections near 100,000 as death toll hits 1,737

June 18 2020 - 22:00

Dozens of new coronavirus fatalities as death toll hits 1,737

The health ministry on Thursday placed the SA's coronavirus death toll at 1,737, adding that 63 more deaths had been reported in the last 24 hours.  

The bulk of the fatalities again came from the Western Cape, which recorded 57 casualties.

The remaining six were from the Eastern Cape province.

“We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased,” said health minister Zweli Mkhize in a statement.

June 18 2020 - 20:10

Cape Town school reopens after 8 teachers test positive for Covid-19

The Western Cape department of education has confirmed that a high school in Dunoon, Cape Town, has been reopened following its temporary closure after eight teachers tested positive for Covid-19.

Inkwenkwezi Secondary School was closed a week ago following a recommendation from the school governing body (SGB).

Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the school reopened on Thursday following decontamination.

June 18 2020 - 19:36

Covid-19 has left 'R300bn hole' in the country's budget, Ramaphosa tells MPs

President Cyril Ramaphosa has told parliament that the 83-day national lockdown has left "a R300bn hole" on his government's national budget for this year.

Ramaphosa revealed the shocking figure while responding to questions from members of the National Assembly during a virtual sitting on Thursday.

Meanwhile, finance minister Tito Mboweni has warned that the country is facing a sovereign debt trap by 2024 if it does not change its spending habits soon.

June 18 2020 - 19:16

Over 1.2 million have received their R350 Covid-19 grants, but millions more are still waiting

Over 1.2 million people have received the R350 Covid-19 grant, but about 2 million others have been approved and are yet to receive payment, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) said on Thursday.

Sassa said it had been inundated with grievances from people it had rejected.

“Some applications have been declined as they did not meet the criteria. For one to quality for the Covid-19 grant, they must either be unemployed, without any income or not receiving any kind of government assistance - such as UIF, NSFAS, social grants or any other financial support - and must be above the age of 18,” it said in a statement.

June 18 2020 - 19:08

North West hospital head suspended for 'obstructive' conduct

The North West health department on Thursday confirmed that the Klerksdorp-Tshepong Hospital, the designated treatment facility for the coronavirus in the province, is without a head of internal medicine after it placed Prof Ebrahim Variava on precautionary suspension.

In a statement, health MEC Madoda Sambatha said he had suspended Variava due to a series of serious allegations against him, which the department labelled as “unprofessional conduct”.

June 18 2020 - 18:02

Trevor Manuel's mother dies of Covid-19 days after 94th birthday

The mother of former finance minister Trevor Manuel has died from Covid-19, four days after celebrating her 94th birthday.

Philma Manuel died on Thursday, according to a statement from the ANC's coordinator in the Western Cape, Ronalda Nalumango.

“We mourn with the Manuel family and wish to extend our condolences to comrade Trevor, his sisters, and Mrs Manuel’s 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren,” said Nalumango.

June 18 2020 - 16:59

Ulundi municipality to pay for private Covid-19 tests for all 400 employees

The Ulundi local municipality will pay for all 400 employees and councillors to be tested privately for Covid-19.

The municipality made the resolution in response “to a revelation regarding 19 Covid-19 cases at its neighbouring municipality of Mthonjaneni”.

Mthonjaneni municipality was forced to close when employees tested positive.

June 18 2020 - 15:29

Western Cape's Covid-19 testing backlog reduced from 26,000 to zero

The Covid-19 test backlog in the Western Cape has finally been cleared, provincial head of health Dr Keith Cloete said on Thursday.

“We are glad to announce that the NHLS [National Health Laboratory Service] has no backlog as of this morning. A few weeks ago, it was high as 26,000. As of this morning, all samples from the last 48 hours have been cleared,” Cloete told a news conference.

June 18 2020 - 13:33

Dexamethasone cannot be used to prevent Covid-19 but is a positive step towards finding a cure — experts

Experts have warned that the new Covid-9 breakthrough drug dexamethasone is available strictly on prescription and cannot be used to prevent or cure the virus, but rather to decrease the mortality rate among critically ill patients.

The warning comes less than a week after a trial by the University of Oxford which found that a low-dose steroid treatment cuts the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators and by a fifth for those on oxygen.

June 18 2020 - 13:17

Nzimande visits TVET colleges as they prepare to reopen under level 3

June 18 2020 - 12:51

Military ombud probing 29 complaints against soldiers in lockdown, Collins Khosa investigation ongoing

The military ombud is still investigating the conduct of soldiers during their interactions with Collins Khosa's family, as well as other complaints lodged against troops in lockdown.

Khosa, 40, of Alexandra, died on April 10, allegedly after an altercation with soldiers and Johannesburg metro police.

Military ombud Lt General (Ret) Vusumuzi Masondo said in a statement that he would announce the outcome of the investigation “after my team of investigators presents their findings to me at the conclusion of the investigation”.

He said the office of the military ombud "continues to investigate the conduct of soldiers concerning the interaction with the Khosa family" while the police were investigating the murder case.

June 18 2020 - 12:50

Advanced level 3 lockdown: what you can and can't do, and what needs clarity

Some South Africans are under the impression that lockdown is over after President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Wednesday night - but this is not the case.

Ramaphosa announced new changes under level 3 lockdown, easing some restrictions. The changes include easing the restrictions on sit-down restaurants, accredited and licensed accommodation, conferences and business meetings, cinemas, theatres and casinos, to name a few.

June 18 2020 - 12:54

‘Grateful to hug my wife and kids again,’ says cop who beat Covid-19

There is no greater joy than being able to hug and kiss your wife and children again, says a Cape Town police officer who has overcome Covid-19.

“More than anything, being able to hug my wife and kiss the kids made me feel complete again. This isolation made me feel helpless and gave me the idea that I can’t provide or protect my family, so returning back to doing what I used to do was a great achievement,” Lowellan West told TimesLIVE on Thursday.

West, who is based in the Western Cape where infections and deaths are surging ahead of the other provinces, tested positive for the virus at the end of May.

June 18 2020 - 11:59

'Thrilled by SA talent': Amazon creates 3,000 new jobs in SA, and you can work from home

International online retailer Amazon on Thursday announced the creation of 3,000 new virtual jobs in SA - and all you need is matric along with the electronic support to work virtually.

The posts range from customer service associates to technical experts who will work virtually and provide 24/7 support to Amazon customers in North America and Europe, the company said.

The addition of 3,000 permanent and seasonal full-time positions will bring the total permanent workforce in SA to 7,000.

June 18 2020 - 11:52

If Ramaphosa wants to redeem himself he must reinstate alcohol ban: EFF

June 18 2020 - 11:22

'Zoombombing' on its way out, plus tips on how to ace video conferencing and save data

“Zoombombing” looks set to be a thing of the past — Zoom has just announced that it will soon allow all users of its videoconferencing software to enable end-to-end encryption, protecting conversations from all outside parties.

The security feature is currently restricted to paid users.

The company has been heavily criticised for failing to beef up its security when usage spiked as countries went into Covid-19 lockdown, with private videos being hacked and uninvited guests dropping in on calls with porn and sexist or racist taunts — aka Zoombombing.

June 18 2020 - 11:15

Medical motorbikes in Eastern Cape 'not a scam': Zweli Mkhize

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has once again defended the medical motorbikes rolled out in the Eastern Cape last Friday.

Mkhize said they were not a scam.

“If people think there’s something wrong or corrupt, then they can give us information and we will deal with that,” he told Power 98.7 on Thursday morning.

The government on Friday unveiled 100 of the specially adapted motorbikes which can ferry patients either seated or lying down, and are covered to ensure they are waterproof.

June 18 2020 - 11:14

Zweli Mkhize 'quite excited' about dexamethasone to treat Covid-19

Health minister Zweli Mkhize on Thursday said the latest Covid-19 treatment breakthrough, which found that the steroid drug dexamethasone can be used to save lives, will be of great benefit in the country’s fight against the virus.

“This drug has been there with us for a long time, but what is good is that there is now evidence that it is definitely helpful and for that reason we are quite excited.

“We have received a report from Oxford University [UK] that has indicated that about one third of the people on ventilators and 20% of those on oxygen tend to do much better [with the drug]. For us that is good news because at least we have something that has been proven, so we really hope it is going to help us reduce the numbers of people who succumbed to the infection,” Mkhize said.

June 18 2020 - 10:38

From reopening the economy to GBV - five critical points from Ramaphosa's address on lockdown changes

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday gave an update about the Covid-19 risk adjusted strategy.

June 18 2020 - 10:23

Fresh virus outbreak hinders Beijing's return to normal

A fresh coronavirus outbreak in Beijing has hampered the Chinese capital's hesitant return to normality, rekindling fears for the economy as some businesses grind to a halt and consumers stay away.

City authorities have locked down entire residential areas, imposed a partial travel ban and advised companies to let employees work from home after a cluster of cases emerged last week at a wholesale food market.

After struggling through months of closures during the epidemic, many businesses in the service industry have once again been forced to close their doors or reintroduce restrictions.

June 18 2020 - 09:51

As lockdown restrictions eased, SA places eighth globally for new Covid-19 infections

On the same day that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a series of lockdown changes which will see hair salons, restaurants, movies and theatres, among others, reopen, SA again made it into the top ten of a global list for the amount of new Covid-19 infections.

June 18 2020 - 09:47

‘You are not just another statistic’: Nurse succumbs to Covid-19

Her bubbly, fun-loving  personality brightened up the ward and she always made herself available to people who needed her help.

This is how friends and colleagues of Merle Jacobs, 42, a much-loved nurse at Port Elizabeth's Livingstone Hospital who died late last month after contracting Covid-19, remembered her this week.

In a moving tribute to Jacobs posted on Facebook, Livingstone doctor Adam Woodford wrote: “It happened so quickly. I had so much I wanted to thank you for, and I couldn’t give it to you in person once you were in ICU.

June 18 2020 - 09:42

'Give us a date,' hair and beauty industry tell government

Minutes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday evening that the hair and beauty industry could reopen during level 3, scores of salon owners posted advertisements on social media advising clients that they would be open as early as the next day.

But the hair and beauty industry is not yet celebrating as there has been no date given as to when it can officially start operating.

The Employers Organisation for Hairdressing, Cosmetology and Beauty (EOHCB) told TimesLIVE that it was “thankful” that the government was allowing the industry to reopen but “will only rejoice once we know the effective date”.

June 18 2020 - 09:30

Visiting friends, restaurants & hair: Mzansi responds to new lockdown regulations

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night announced amendments to the level 3 lockdown regulations, stating that hair salons, restaurants, theatres and movies would be allowed to open.

Ramaphosa said strict prevention protocols at these services would be in place to ensure the safety of South Africans.

The president again mentioned the balance between livelihoods and saving lives.

June 18 2020 - 8:18

‘You are not just another statistic’: Nurse succumbs to Covid-19

Her bubbly, fun-loving  personality brightened up the ward and she always made herself available to people who needed her help.

This is how friends and colleagues of Merle Jacobs, 42, a much-loved nurse at Port Elizabeth's Livingstone Hospital who died late last month after contracting Covid-19, remembered her this week.

In a moving tribute to Jacobs posted on Facebook, Livingstone doctor Adam Woodford wrote: “It happened so quickly. I had so much I wanted to thank you for, and I couldn’t give it to you in person once you were in ICU.

June 18 2020 - 7:44

June 18 2020 - 7:02

We are already overwhelmed by Covid-19: WC health care workers

Bodies are piling up in a small room that doubles as a makeshift mortuary in one of Cape Town’s district hospitals, said an emergency nurse working there.

By Wednesday (June 17) 1,205 people had died of Covid-19 and 45,767 had been infected in the Western Cape, the epicentre of the pandemic in SA. At least 31,824 have recovered so far.

June 18 2020 - 6:14

Tobacco giant takes government to court over 'unconstitutional' ban

Cigarette manufacturing company British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa) has filed papers in the Western Cape High Court challenging the ongoing ban on tobacco sales.

The company, which filed a joint application with some tobacco farmers and a tobacco consumers' group, is hoping that their matter will be heard in court by next Monday.