COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Jacob Mamabolo appointed acting health MEC in Gauteng

July 30 2020 - 19:41

Five million have received Covid-19 grant, but opposition calls for Lindiwe Zulu's head

Opposition parties have called on social development minister Lindiwe Zulu to apologise and resign over her department's response to Covid-19.

But she was defiant in response. “I'm going nowhere,” she said.

“When the DA says I must resign, they must resign themselves before telling me to resign. I'm going nowhere, DA.”

July 30 2020 - 17:35

Eastern Cape 'will send patients to other provinces' as Covid-19 soars

The Eastern Cape will need to send Covid-19 patients to neighbouring provinces.

This was the admission from project management unit team leader Dr Sibongile Zungu, who said as new Covid-19 cases increased by about 2,000 a day, it would need help from its neighbours.

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane appointed the unit a week ago to provide technical support and advice to the province. Zungu is the former head of the KwaZulu-Natal health department and is health minister Zweli Mkhize's clinical adviser.

July 30 2020 - 16:20

Cape Town hospital shares ICU info in global bid to beat pandemic

Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital, one of the biggest public health facilities in the country, will be sharing what goes on in its intensive care unit with hundreds of other hospitals across the world.

The hospital and the University of Cape Town have joined a global study on how to help the people most critically ill with Covid-19.

The study is hosted by an international consortium and the aim is to share “clinical insights” and information on which technologies are most effective in treating those facing death from the infection. It was conceived at the beginning of the year.

July 30 2020 - 16:13

R6m KZN hospital burnt to the ground to protest its use for Covid-19

A security guard has been injured and a R6m hospital building in northern KwaZulu-Natal burnt to the ground, allegedly to protest the hospital being used as a Covid-19 facility.

In a statement on Thursday, the KZN department of health said it was shocked at the torching of a new centre at the Catherine Booth Hospital, at Amatikulu, near Eshowe, in the early hours of Thursday.

“It is believed that the torching of this brand-new centre — which was also burnt down three years ago — is linked to disquiet among sections of the community over the conversion of a section of the hospital into a Covid-19 treatment facility,” said the department.

July 30 2020 - 15:19

Jacob Mamabolo is acting health MEC in Gauteng as SIU probes 102 firms

Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo has been appointed acting MEC of health in Gauteng after Bandile Masuku temporarily stepped aside pending an investigation into alleged tender irregularities involving personal protective equipment (PPE).

The announcement was made by premier David Makhura on Thursday after the ANC provincial executive committee ordered Masuku to take a leave of absence.

Makhura also revealed that 102 companies were under investigation over Covid-19 tenders in the province.

July 30 2020 - 15:15

Lockdown changes will push curfew to 10pm, allow intraprovincial travel

The government has resolved to ease the curfew by an hour to enable restaurants to maximise their peak serving time to customers.

Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said the curfew would be shifted from 9pm to 10pm. Intraprovincial travel for leisure would also be permitted under level 3.

The move comes after a series of protests by the restaurant industry which took issue with the regulations, in particular the curfew and ban on alcohol sales which had a direct affect on their profit margins.

July 30 2020 - 15:11

Pandemic means no jams on Cape Town roads: 'Let's keep it that way'

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit Cape Town, the daily commute for thousands of people meant hours wasted.

But even after the easing of lockdown, gridlock has yet to return. In June, freeways carried just two-thirds of normal traffic.

Now Cape Town officials are plotting ways to sustain the new normal and confine Cape Town’s notorious traffic jams to the annals of history.

July 30 2020 - 13:57

Jacob Mamabolo appointed as acting health MEC in Gauteng

July 30 2020 - 13:08

Gauteng premier David Makhura briefs media on Covid-19 tender scandal 

July 30 2020 - 12:40

Wear a mask or face a fine, taxi associations warn drivers

“If you see a [taxi] driver not wearing a mask during a trip, report him,” warns Themba Kubheka, secretary of the Greater North Taxi Association in Durban.

This follows dozens of complaints from commuters about taxi drivers who defy regulations to slow the spread of Covid-19 by not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly during trips.

“Some taxi drivers are not wearing their masks, some wear it on their chin and that is not acceptable ... We will be running a campaign to teach them about the importance of safety especially during the pandemic,” said Kubheka.

July 30 2020 - 12:39

V&A Waterfront the first 'Covid-19 safe' tourist attraction in SA

Cape Town's V&A Waterfront has become the first tourist attraction in SA to be considered Covid-19 safe.

The attraction was awarded a “global safety and hygiene stamp” by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The Waterfront joins an international list of 80 top travel destinations and 1,200 companies globally to be awarded the stamp.

July 30 2020 - 10:33

ANC GP resolves to subject Diko and Masuku to integrity committee

July 30 2020 - 09:42

Florida to close virus test centers with storm looming

Florida will close its coronavirus testing centers on Thursday, a day after the state reported a record 216 deaths from the disease, as authorities batten down for a looming storm.

Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to hit the southern state by the end of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center, and is already packing winds of 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour.

Authorities said they would respond by closing all Covid-19 test sites -- already hamstrung by delays -- from 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) Thursday until further notice.

July 30 2020 - 09:40

Social distancing at Andrew Mlangeni's home — a police investigation & denials

Minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu says there was no contravention of lockdown regulations at the home of struggle stalwart and Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni earlier this week.

Mthembu’s response came as scores continued to take to social media on Tuesday and Wednesday, to question whether leaders were exempt from abiding by the law, which allows for up to 50 people to gather at funerals.

July 30 2020 - 08:46

WATCH | SANDF officials caught on camera smoking

Videos of three military officers caught enjoying a smoke break during the funeral of anti-apartheid veteran Andrew Mlangeni have caused a buzz on social media.

The officers were caught on camera by Newzroom Afrika smoking on Wednesday with their face masks down, lighting their cigarettes while standing close together.

Video clips and photos of the officials circulated on Twitter and left many, including the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association's (Fita) chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni and the SA Tobacco Transformation Alliance (SATTA), demanding answers.

July 30 2020 - 07:59

Buhle Samuels slams SA's Covid-19 response: 'Our people continue to suffer'

Actress Buhle Samuels has shared her heartbreak at seeing social grant recipients line up in groups to collect their money when they should be at home, trying to stay safe from Covid-19.

The star took to Twitter this week to criticise the government's response to the pandemic, which has left the vulnerable still needing to go out and collect grants. 

“It hurts me to see people lined up at the post office for their grants. I wish there was a better solution to the problem,” she said.

July 30 2020 - 07:37

It was all just an error of judgment: Diko

He should have read the room.

That's the word from the president’s spokesperson Khusela Diko on her husband’s tender saga.

July 30 2020 - 07:35

Fear, self-respect and hope swirl in minds of newly jobless in UIF queue

Scores of Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) applicants stand anxiously  in long queues at the labour centre in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg.  

Applicants wearing face masks clutch onto their documents as they watch the slow-moving queue. Some pass the time by listening to music on headphones. Others sit in the sun on the pavement while waiting for their turn. No-one speaks.

TimesLIVE visited the centre this week. A wooden table with a labour department official is stationed at the gate at the centre. Every person entering the centre has to sign in at the register.

July 30 2020 - 07:34

Data shows Western Cape Covid-19 cases are dropping

The Western Cape has not only passed its Covid-19 peak but the dreaded “long plateau” seems to have given way to a steady decline in cases, according to data presented during a provincial government press briefing on Wednesday.

Provincial head of health Dr Keith Cloete said sequencing of viral strands showed that during February and early March there were already about nine cases of local transmission, which helped to explain why the Western Cape was the first province to peak.

July 30 2020 - 07:20

Covid-19 recoveries in Gauteng surpass 100,000 mark