Archives

South Africa conducted 36 216 Coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours, of which 3 197 came back positive, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the country logged 132 deaths, with 23 occurring in the past 24 to 48 hours.

According to the NICD, Gauteng continues to record the highest number of daily infections after 898 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus.

Gauteng is followed by 483 infections in KwaZulu-Natal and 460 in the Western Cape, pushing the positivity rate to 8.8%.

This means the country now has 3 585 888 laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak, while the death toll is sitting at 94 397 to date.

Data shows that hospital admissions increased by 179 to 6 284 since the last reporting cycle out of the 73 368 active cases.

In addition, the cumulative number of recoveries now stands at 3 418 123 with a recovery rate of 95.3%.

The Department of Health distributed 82 572 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Tuesday, bringing the total to 29 540 132 since the start of the vaccination rollout programme.

Meanwhile, the country is now home to 16 338 574 or 41.05% fully jabbed adults, while 517 539 booster shots have been administered.

Global view

Globally, as of 25 January 2022, there have been 352 796 704 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5 600 434 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The number of new COVID-19 cases across the world increased by 5% between 17 and 23 January 2022, while new deaths remained similar to that reported during the previous week.

According to the WHO’s weekly epidemiological update, over 21 million new infections were detected, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

In addition, WHO regions reported nearly 50 000 new deaths.

“A slower increase in case incidence was observed at the global level, with only half of the regions reported an increase in the number of new weekly cases, as compared to five out of six regions in the previous week.”

The Eastern Mediterranean region recorded the largest peak in the number of new cases (39%), followed by South-East Asia (36%) and Europe (13%), while Africa reported the largest dip in the number of new cases (31%).

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the United States (4 215 852 new cases, a 24% decrease), France (2 443 821 new cases, a 21% increase), India (2 115 100 new cases, a 33% increase), Italy (1 231 741 new cases, similar to the previous week), and Brazil (824 579 new cases, a 73% increase).

According to the agency, of the 372 680 sequences with specimens collected in the last 30 days, 332 155 (89.1%) were Omicron, 39 804 (10.7%) were Delta, while the rest of the circulating variants account for less than 1%.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has condemned the physical abuse of an Amathole District Municipality councillor at its East London offices.

Social media platforms were in uproar this week after a video circulated of Councillor Nanziwe Rulashe being forcefully removed from the municipality’s office.

In a statement, Dlamini Zuma said: “The images coming out of the video we have seen of the incident are a cause for serious concern. That this incident took place in the offices of government puts serious doubt in society about our commitment to end the scourge of gender-based violence.”

The Minister has since held a series of engagements with the leadership of the District Municipality and the Eastern Cape provincial leadership who have also condemned the incident. She said the incident was inconsistent with the ideals of government’s non-sexist, democratic society and a violation of the institution’s own operating procedures.

The Minister also called for law enforcement agencies, the municipality, and the province to investigate this incident so that those involved in this act of assault can be brought to book and that similar incidents are not repeated.

As the search for the killers of Phomolong Secondary School Deputy Principal continues, Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, has cautioned against the spreading of rumours and fake news around the tragic incident.

Addressing learners at Phomolong Secondary School on Tuesday, Motshekga said there are no leads yet in the murder of the 50-year-old Deputy Principal, Thembisile Ngendane, who was gunned down while driving out of the school.

Ngendane was shot and killed on Friday when three gunmen suddenly appeared and allegedly shot her three times through the passenger window.

Subsequently, she got out of the car, trying to evade the hailstorm of bullets but she fell just beside the car. One of the gunmen allegedly shot her twice while she was on the ground and they fled the scene without taking anything from her.

Motshekga, however, said the police are working around the clock to get to the bottom of the murder.

“I am shattered to hear of speculation that a Grade 12 learner who failed matric may have been involved in the shooting. This was even more depressing. I am looking forward to the police arresting the correct culprit,” she said.

Motshekga said the police are currently investigating the matter and will reveal the culprit.

The Minister further sent her deepest condolences to the learners and school staff at Phomolong Secondary School.

“I thought I should come here as part of this family and as a teacher myself, and also as a resident of this area. I bring nothing but condolences. I want to say to teachers your pain is our pain. As I said, this was shuttering for me. The pain you are feeling, we are also feeling as a nation,” Motshekga said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has released the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) report into COVID-19 procurement to the public this morning.

The report is a culmination of an 18-month investigation by the SIU into billions of Rands worth of contracts entered into by the state for resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of these contracts remain under investigation by the unit and a supplementary report will be handed over to the President by June this year.

“This investigation targeted individuals and institutions who believed they could exploit a moment of national vulnerability to enrich themselves and those with whom they colluded to abuse public resources.

“It is unacceptable that so many contracts associated with saving lives and protecting livelihoods were irregular, unlawful or fraudulent,” President Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

At least 5467 government contracts awarded to some 3066 service providers with a total value of R14.3 billion were or are being investigated by the SIU.

The investigation of some 4549 contracts have been completed with at least 2803 of these found to be irregular.

According to The Presidency, the following consequences have so far been managed by the SIU since the start of the investigation:

• Forty-five matters – constituting a combined value of R2.1 billion – have been enrolled with the Special Tribunal on Corruption, Fraud and Illicit Money Flows.
• The SIU has made 224 referrals for disciplinary action against officials in government departments or entities.
• The SIU has made 386 referrals to the NPA, as well as three referrals for Executive Action.
• The SIU has made 330 referrals for administrative action, which includes blacklisting.
• The rand value of actual cash and assets to be recovered on the basis of the investigation is R551.5 million, while cash and assets recovered to date total R34.2 million.
• The value of potential loss prevented by the investigation is R114.2 million, while contracts set aside amount to R170.4 million.

The President said the report “demonstrates our determination to root out corruption and to deal with perpetrators” and called the report an essential phase in bringing corrupt individuals to account.

“The submission of the final report is an important step in our fight against corruption in the public and private sectors, and against maladministration.

”The final report details matters referred by the SIU to the National Prosecuting Authority, departments and entities in the public sector and other parties, who will finalise the process of bringing wrongdoers to book and addressing weaknesses identified by the SIU investigation,” he said.

Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, has publicly released the report into the unfortunate incident where three South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) employees lost their lives when the aircraft they were traveling in crashed two years ago.

The three officials — Captain Thabiso Tolo, first officer Tebogo Lekalakala and flight inspector, Gugu Mnguni — were traveling from George Airport on a flight calibration mission on 23 January 2020 when this unfortunate incident happened.

“While the report is final, parties may still bring forth any new evidence they believe is material to the investigation and will add value in preventing future accidents and incidents of this nature,” the Minister said on Tuesday.

Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria, Mbalula said the full report is immediately available on the website of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACCA), www.caa.co.za.

The initial investigation was conducted by the Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID), a functionally independent unit reporting to the Minister, but administratively attached to the SACAA.

The preliminary report was released by AIID in February 2020, 30 days after the accident and as required by Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention.

“Following engagements with the families in the period following the accident, who they (families) and the aviation industry expressed discomfort with the proximity of the AIID to SACAA and expressed preference for an independent investigation, I then issued an order to this effect.

“I then appointed the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), who undertook the independent aviation safety investigation,” Mbalula said.

There were delays with the investigation, which were occasioned by the travel restrictions and some members of the investigating team contracting COVID-19. Despite the challenges, the investigation was concluded.

“On Sunday 23 January 2022, I met the Tolo, Lekalakala and Mnguni families and handed over the final report which had been released to us by the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

“The report was then published and also uploaded on the website of the SACAA on the same day as required by Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention.  I extended my apologies to the families for the delay in finalising the report, which process was impacted on by the COVID-19 restrictions.

“Death of any kind brings sorrow, anguish and unanswered questions and many of us battle to find closure as those we lost are forever lingering in our memories,” the Minister said.

In terms of Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, the sole purpose of the investigation is the prevention of accidents and not to apportion blame or liability.

“I am equally bound by the same Convention, to which South Africa is a signatory and have domesticated its provisions. With the report having been publicly released, affected parties can submit any further portfolio of evidence to the AAIB should they wish to rebut any finding in the report in terms of Annex 13 of the Convention, Standard 5.13,” the Minister said.

The Convention states that after the investigation has been closed, new and significant evidence becomes available, the State, which conducted the investigation, shall reopen it. However, when the State, which conducted the investigation, did not institute it, that State shall first obtain the consent of the State, which instituted the investigation.

“While our Civil Aviation regulation would ordinarily be applicable, were we the ones who conducted the investigation, the full provisions of the Chicago Conventions are applicable in this instance,” the Minister said.

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has welcomed the decision of the Western Cape High Court to approve Steinhoff International Holdings Proprietary Limited’s proposed global settlement.

The settlement aims to pay out claimants who suffered when the company lost its value as a result of alleged accounting irregularities, the PIC said.

According to media reports, under the settlement proposal, Steinhoff will pay out R25 billion to verified claimants. Claimants will in turn not pursue any legal challenges against the conglomerate.

“The PIC further notes the SENS announcement by Steinhoff that both Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. (SIHNV) and SIHPL ‘have undertaken preparations for the co-ordination of the steps required and will separately contact those counterparties who need to take any action (for example, to receive funds and/or PPH shares)’,” said the PIC.

The PIC, together with other institutional investors, have since 2018 been involved in legal processes to recoup losses suffered when the company lost its value.

The PIC said it believes the settlement agreement is a positive step for those invested in Steinhoff.

Steinhoff and the PIC in September last year entered into a settlement agreement aimed at supporting the implementation of the Steinhoff global settlement.

At the time, the PIC said the proposed settlement forms part of the global settlement first announced by Steinhoff in 2019 and the ongoing related settlement processes in the Netherlands and South Africa.

In 2018, the PIC joined a group of approximately 40 institutional investors that had brought damages claims against SIHNV before a Dutch court. A process of mediation ensued thereafter.

The PIC in September 2021 said it believed the proposed settlement was in the best interests of its clients, given the alternative cost of protracted litigation and related uncertainties, and the prospect of further diminishing share value.

The Western Cape Human Settlements Department has unveiled its contractor’s framework, targeting particularly women and youth contractors.

Western Cape Human Settlements MEC, Tertuis Simmers, said this initiative, which is a first of its kind in South Africa, invites bids from historically disadvantaged individuals (HDI) in engineering and construction to participate in a framework agreement with the department.

Simmers said the agreement will be applicable for a period of three years.

“This means that all those with successful bid submissions are placed on the framework, where, should they meet all the relevant criteria for a specific contract, they would then be able to submit quotations for that contract,” Simmers explained.

Simmers said the scope of engineering and construction work for the purpose of the implementation of human settlements infrastructure delivery may fall within one or more of the classes of construction work.

These include general building; civil engineering; electrical engineering works – building; electrical engineering works – infrastructure; landscaping, irrigation and horticulture works; and steel security fencing or precast concrete fencing.

The MEC said the framework has strict conditions, which should be met in order for a contractor to bid. These include 51% women ownership, 51% black youth ownership and 51% black ownership by people with disabilities, amongst others.

Simmers said the launch of the framework demonstrates the department’s continued commitment to empowering the country’s HDI.

“We’ve already shown that we invest in the empowerment of our contractors by spending more than 50% of our Human Settlement Development Grant on their development. With this historic initiative, we’re taking it a step further, as this will ensure that more contractors have access to these types of opportunities,” Simmers said.

The bid submission opened on 21 January 2022 and will close on 25 February 2022 at 11am.

Simmers encouraged all those who meet the various criteria to use this opportunity and make submissions.

“We’ve specifically opened this door to this group, so that those who might not have had an opportunity before, can now also be part of this exciting process.”

All those interested in bidding can collect the tender documents from the 6th floor at the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, 27 Wale Street, Cape Town or the 2nd floor, Department of Human Settlements, York Park Building, York Street, George, from the Supply Chain Management Procurement office.

Any further queries regarding the tender procedure can be directed E Pillay on 021 483 3173 or email Esther.Stephanus-Pillay@westerncape.gov.za, or S July email Simthandile.July@westerncape.gov.za.

Queries around technical aspects may be directed to Sandile Gqoboka on 021 483 3973 or email sandile.gqoboka@westerncape.gov.za(link sends e-mail).

The physical address for the closing of bids are: Tender Box, Ground floor, Western Cape Government Department of Human Settlements, 27 Wale Street, Cape Town, or 2nd floor, Department of Human Settlements, York Park Building, York Street, George.

The Department of Health has refuted claims by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) that vaccines may cause a small change to the women’s menstrual cycle length, citing a “new study” published in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology medical journal.

The CGE said: “When scientists establish a connection between COVID-19 vaccinations and women’s reproductive health, such as menstrual cycles, many women may not be comfortable taking vaccines, due to possible long-term effects. These women’s wish to delay vaccinating should be respected in the context of our country’s human rights’ commitment”.

The Commission went further and warned against imposing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination on employees and students.

However, the department has since rebutted the Chapter 9 institution’s statement that was released on 16 January 2022.

“It is of concern that the statement released by the CGE on menstrual irregularities associated with COVID-19 vaccines appears to have been done without consultation with any of expert institutions.”

The department also believes that the statement has not considered all available evidence and the substantial benefit associated with vaccinating women of reproductive age and pregnant women.

“The department respects the freedom of expression by any individual or organisation as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic. However, we believe such freedom should be exercised responsibly to impart information or ideas to empower our people to make well-informed health choices during these difficult times.”

The department has also backed the latest media release by various organisations in the health sector, including the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) disputing the facts presented by the CGE.

“COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against severe illness, and immunising women of reproductive age is important as both South African and global data have clearly shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy significantly worsens obstetric and neonatal outcomes, making it imperative that vaccination programmes target young women before and during pregnancy.”

In addition, it emphasised that the current discussions around vaccine mandate have no bearing on the effectiveness and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We dismiss any argument against the constitutionally of vaccine mandate based on fallacious and non-scientific evidence.”

Meanwhile, the department said committees of highly qualified scientists and clinicians including the Ministerial Advisory Committee of Vaccines (VMAC) and National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) whose mandate entails reviewing vaccine safety data advice to the Health Minister.

In addition, the South African Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG) and the South African Medical Association (SAMA), also offer evidence-based recommendations on vaccine use.

“The conclusion by the Commission that ‘many women may not be comfortable taking vaccines, due to possible long-term effects’ is not supported by data and is not based on a risk-benefit analysis.”

The department is of the view that the CGE’s statement may contribute to misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in young women, and at its worst, lead to maternal and neonatal deaths.

The department said it would also be engaging with the CGE further on the matter.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has received a complaint requesting a formal investigation into the alleged interference of the Cadre Deployment Committee of the African National Congress into Public Service appointments.

The complaint was lodged by Member of Parliament, Dr Leon Schreiber.

The Commission is assessing the complaint, including the question of the PSC’s legal mandate to investigate such complaint in order to determine the appropriate action to take in the matter.

The PSC is tasked and empowered to, amongst others, investigate, monitor, and evaluate the organisation and administration of the Public Service.

This mandate also entails the evaluation of achievements, or lack thereof of government programmes.

The PSC also has an obligation to promote measures that would ensure effective and efficient performance within the Public Service and to promote values and principles of public administration as set out in the Constitution, throughout the Public Service.

South Africa detected 1 332 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24-hour reporting cycle, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Monday.

According to NICD data, Gauteng remains the hardest-hit province, with 460 people who have contracted the virus, followed by 232 in the Western Cape, 213 in KwaZulu-Natal and 114 in Mpumalanga.

Meanwhile, the rest of the provinces recorded under 100 infections, bringing the positivity rate to 7.8%.

This means the country now has 3 582 691 laboratory-confirmed cases to date.

In addition, the Department of Health reported 88 deaths due to the ongoing audit exercise and backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases.

According to the department, of the latest fatalities, only 14 occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours, pushing the death toll to 94 265 since the outbreak.

Hospital admissions have increased by 89 to 6 387 out of the 74 500 active cases.

In addition, the department administered 78 888 new COVID-19 vaccine shots in the last 24 hours, meaning that there are now 29 452 653 jabs that have been distributed.

Meanwhile, the country is home to 16 300 265 or 40.96% adults who are fully jabbed, while 1 151 223 children between the ages of 12 and 17 have received their vaccine.

Globally, as of 24 January 2022, there have been 349 641 119 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5 592 266 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation.