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A total of 40 654 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with 4 322 new cases being identified in South Africa in the last 24 hours.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 568 900.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said this increase represents a 10.6% positivity rate.

Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the National Department of Health (NDoH), the institute said there may be a backlog of COVID-19 mortality cases reported.

The Department of Health said 156 deaths have been reported and of these, 36 occurred in the past 24 – 48 hours, and this brings the total fatalities to 93 707 deaths to date.

“The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 3 390 027 with a recovery rate of 95%. More than 29 million vaccine doses have been administered,” the department reported.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will later today announce the much-awaited 2021 National Senior Certificate Examination Results.

The department on Wednesday said owing to limited space, the release of the results would be broadcast live on SABC 1, SABC 404.

“A clean pool feed will be provided by the SABC while also being broadcast across the department’s social media accounts,” it said.

The Minister and Deputy Minister, Dr Makgabo Reginah Mhaule, are this morning hosting the country’s top achievers at a breakfast session at The Houghton Hotel, Houghton.

This comes after the Umalusi, the Quality Council in General and Further Education and Training, on Tuesday approved the release of the 2021 national examination results. The council, however, requested that the department block the results of candidates implicated in irregularities pending investigation.

Matric results will on Friday also be published on various media platforms following a Pretoria High Court ruling regarding the release of the National Senior Certificate examinations results.

The department this week said it would abide by the ruling. This means that the department will make available the results to stakeholders who requested access.

The conditions of the court ruling must be taken into account in line with the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.

“In addition to accessing results from media platforms, the Department also urges candidates to register on the website to view the results when they become available. Candidates will have to go through a two-step verification process before receiving confirmation of their registration. A 13-digit ID number and Exam Number will be required for registration.

“The DBE website is zero-rated, which means it can be accessed whether you have data or not. Registration is now open. More than 30 000 people have successfully registered,” it said.

South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will resume daily flights between Johannesburg and Durban in March.

SAA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Kgokolo, said the services will resume after assessing demand from both customers and partners.

“The short-haul route between Johannesburg and Durban is one of the busiest in South Africa, and our customers and partners have been asking us to fly this route since we took to the skies again. We’ve been waiting for the data to guide us on timing and we’re delighted that the time is now right to add this important route back to the SAA network and further support the recovery of South Africa’s business and tourism sectors.

“SAA will make it easier for customers from across its growing Africa network to reach Durban on a single SAA ticket, and easier for Durbanites to conveniently connect on SAA to Accra, Harare, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lusaka and Mauritius services,” Kgokolo said.

The national airline resumed flights in September following a period where it was grounded and then put into business rescue.

“SAA has been back in service for just over three months and is constantly evaluating passenger volumes and revenue projections on all its existing and target routes. The goal is to match capacity with demand as closely as possible and add new routes only where and when it makes sense,” he said.

Kgokolo added that the airline would be choosing routes based on several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic with flights already operational to Cape Town and some countries in Africa.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the aviation industry the world over requiring airlines to be nimble but deliberate with network plans. Our overriding remit is to make sure SAA becomes and remains a successful and profitable carrier in this constantly changing and highly competitive environment,” Kgokolo said.

Government says it is concerned about the escalating tensions in the Gulf region after a deadly drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Monday in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

According to reports, three people were killed when the strikes hit fuel trucks near the Abu Dhabi International Airport, while six were injured and caused a fire near the airport.

The incident follows the hijacking of the UAE-flagged Rwabee cargo ship and its crew on 3 January 2021 by Houthi militia.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, has since expressed her concerns that such attacks only serve to destabilise regional security, including that of the UEA.

“Of particular concern is the fact that the attacks are targeting industrial and civilian areas. Furthermore, these continued attacks have the potential to derail the United Nations’ mediation efforts in Yemen,” she said on Tuesday.

The Minister believes that these attacks that resulted in several casualties and injuries could have a severe impact on the goal of peace in Yemen and the broader Middle East region.

“South Africa continues to maintain that an UN-mediated and Yemeni-led peace process is the only means to realising lasting peace and regional stability.”

She has since urged all parties to exhibit restraint in pursuit of the mediation process.

The Minister also assured the government and the people of the UAE that South Africa supported them.

Police are investigating after an Eskom contracted security officer was shot dead after him and six of his colleagues foiled a copper cable theft attempt at Eskom’s Customer Network Centre in Klipspruit, Soweto on Tuesday.

According to an Eskom statement, the seven security guards were driving out of the centre to return to their post at Mapetla substation when they were shot at by at least 30 “heavily armed suspects” during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“It is alleged that the suspects were attempting to steal the City Power copper cable when the team of seven security officers drove towards them. Other security officers managed to escape unharmed,” the statement read.

Eskom’s Safety, Health, Environment, Risk, and Quality manager in Gauteng, Kith Maitisa, said the incident warrants deep concern about the safety of its workers.

“Eskom sympathises with the family of the deceased security officer and is deeply concerned about such criminal acts that cost the life of a breadwinner.

“Our role is to provide safe and reliable electricity to customers, however, such acts have a negative impact on us achieving this obligation. We will not compromise the safety of our employees should their safety be at risk,” Maitisa said.

The state power utility said it continues to experience high volumes of theft of infrastructure “beyond what Eskom can handle” despite putting measures to mitigate theft.

“The unfortunate incident took place during a campaign which Eskom has embarked on to create awareness on the impact of electricity infrastructure vandalism and theft on the security of supply. The power utility condemns these acts of criminality and requests members of the public to provide information that can lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of those involved,” the power utility said.

Members of the public are encouraged to send any information to Eskom’s crime line on 0800 11 27 22 or to contact the police.

Officials from the Department of Employment and Labour in the Free State province will in the next week host a series of service delivery campaigns in the Fezile Dabi and Lejweleputswa Districts.

The four-day campaign will run from 24 – 27 January 2022 and will take place in four towns – namely: Deneysville, Vredefort, Vierfontein and Bothaville.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Employment and Labour said the campaign, spearheaded by one of the department’s entities, the Compensation Fund, aims to bring a basket of services to communities in order to expedite client inquiries, registrations, and claims.

“By focusing on remote communities, such initiatives bring a one-stop-shop to clients who would otherwise incur travel costs to access their benefits,” the department said.

The following services will be provided: registration and processing of unemployment and insurance fund applications, payments, registration, claims, and inquiries for occupational injuries and diseases, inspections and enforcement services, and registration of job seekers on the South African Employment System.

Members of the public are urged to note the details of the campaign as follows:

–       On 24 January 2022 at Refengkhotso Community Hall, Deneysville

–       On 25 January 2022 at Vredefort Multipurpose Centre

–       On 26 January 2022 at Vierfontein Community Hall

–       On 27 January 2022 at Boneni Community Hall, Bothaville

The department said that members of the public that wish to be assisted on the above-mentioned services are encouraged to bring along their ID Documents/Valid Passport and proof of residence

An OR Tambo District Municipality service provider has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for theft and money laundering amounting to R4.5 million.

The sentence was on Monday handed to Thumeka Qongqo, 44, the Director of Ogiyonke Construction Company, by the Mthatha High Court.

Thumeka was convicted on 20 May 2021, following a marathon trial. This was after it emerged that she defrauded the OR Tambo District Municipality of approximately R 4.5 million through two payments authorised by her sister, Nyameka Qongqo for services that were never rendered in 2014.

Captain Lloyd Ramovha said the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit started on the case in September 2014, resulting in her being charged on 15 August 2015, along with her sister, who was the municipal project accountant.

“The investigation revealed that from November 2012 to 2014, Nyameka Qongqo authorised claims and transferred funds to service providers’ bank accounts which included Zingce Enterprise owned by her boyfriend, Thobani Notshokovu and Ogiyonke Construction Company.

“During the trial that lasted about 15 days, Thumeka elected to plead innocent and was consequently convicted. Nyameka on the other hand entered into a plea bargain with the state and received a 15-year effective jail term. Notshokovu turned state witness and was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment with an option of a R50 000 fine,” said Ramovha.

The high court sitting in Mthatha ordered that Qongqo undergo 10 years’ direct imprisonment, of which half was suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of similar charges during the period of suspension which closes the chapter on this case.

Parliament has welcomed the 2021/22 salary agreement between National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) and the South African Legislature Employers’ Organisation, representing Provincial legislatures and Parliament.

This follows conclusion of the negotiations where the two bodies reached an agreement on Friday.

The agreement includes:

• An annual increase of 1.5% on the total salary package of all employees in the legislative sector for the 2021/22 Financial year;
• A once-off payment of R22 000 (R1 833.3 per month for the period 01 April 2021 to 30 March 2022) for all employees of the South African Legislative Sector;
• The negotiation team to start working on the harmonisation process by March 2022; and
• Implementation of annual increase and once-off payment shall be on or before 15 February 2022.

Safety of buildings on Parliamentary precinct

Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, said Parliament management met with NEHAWU leaders on Monday to share important information relating to the safety of buildings on the Parliamentary precinct.

“Parliament’s management reiterated their commitment towards ensuring the safety of all the employees and other stakeholders on the Parliamentary precinct. Following these fruitful engagements, all employees who were expected to be at work on Monday returned to their workstations,” Mothapo said.

Parliament reiterated that only the National Assembly, Old Assembly, and the National Council of Provinces’ buildings were affected by the fire and are currently off-limits to staff.

The other buildings, including the Marks building, 90 Plein, 100 Plein, and the Good Hope Centre, are open and safe for officials.

“Despite the devastation of the fire disaster that gutted parts of the Parliamentary precinct, Parliament once again assures workers of their safety in buildings that were not affected by the fire,” Mothapo said.

There were 39 654 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, with 3 658 new cases reported across the country.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this represents a 9.2% positivity rate.

Of the latest infections, Gauteng is leading with 814 cases, followed by 745 in the Western Cape, 329 in the Eastern Cape, 305 in Limpopo and 202 in the North West.

This means the country now has 3 564 578 laboratory-confirmed cases since the outbreak.

In addition, 30 more patients lost their battle to COVID-19 related complications, pushing the tally to 93 551 to date.

Meanwhile, hospital admissions went up by 198 to 7 363 since the last reporting cycle.

According to the Department of Health, 85 885 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 29 084 975.

The department said 16 125 558 or 40.52% adults are now fully jabbed, while over one million vaccine doses have been given to children aged between the ages of 12 and 17.

Globally, as of 18 January 2022, there have been 328 532 929 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 5 542 359 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Global view

Globally, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased between 10 and 16 January 2022, while deaths remained similar to that reported during the previous week.

According to the WHO, over 18 million new cases were reported this week, a 20% jump compared to the previous week in all regions.

Meanwhile, over 45 000 new fatalities were recorded.

“Despite a slowdown of the increase in case incidence at the global level, all regions reported an increase in the incidence of weekly cases except for the African region, which reported a 27% decrease,” the agency said on Tuesday.

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the United States (4 688 466 new cases, similar to previous week’s figures), France (2 012 943 new cases, a 26% increase), India (1 594 160 new cases, a 150% increase), Italy (1 268 153 new cases, a 25% increase), and the United Kingdom (813 326 new cases, a 33% decrease).

Among the 405 739 sequences with specimens collected in the last 30 days, 71.9% were Omicron, 28% were Delta, less than 0.1% were Gamma, Alpha and other circulating variants.

The fraud, money laundering, corruption and breach of financing laws case against former member of Parliament Vincent Smith has been postponed to April in the Palm Ridge Specialised Crime Court.

During an appearance in the court on Tuesday, the state handed over an additional docket to Smith’s legal representatives after charges of tax fraud were added to the charge sheet.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka explained the addition of the new charges.

“The tax fraud charge stem from Smith’s and [his company] Euroblitz’s failure to disclose taxable income from 9 March 2009 and 11 July 2018, totaling R28 million.

“The Investigating Directorate was able to enrol the further tax charges through the help of the South African Revenue Services,” she said.

Smith stands accused of accepting gratifications from BOSASA in the form of security upgrades to his home and accepting money transfers – through his company Euroblitz – in exchange for shielding the company from scrutiny while he was chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services.

“He further faces corruption charges by accepting further gratifications from [companies] Waterfall Golf Estate and Clidet 69. The accused also faces charges of accepting cash transferred into his bank account and his company from BOSASA and other people unknown to the state.

“Additional charges include failure to disclose to Parliament’s Register of Members’ Interest the gratifications, cash deposits and money that was paid to him by Waterfall Golf Estate and Clidet,” Seboka said.

Smith is expected to appear in court on 6 April.