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The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases identified in South Africa now stands at 1 588 221, with 2 073 new cases reported on Wednesday.

The number of tests conducted to date is 10 773 227. Of these, 33 414 tests were conducted since the last report.

Forty-six COVID-19 related deaths have been reported as follows: Eastern Cape 4, Free State 1, Gauteng 19, KwaZulu-Natal 2, Limpopo 18 and Northern Cape 2, which brings the total to 54 557 deaths.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased patients.

“The cumulative recoveries now stand at 1 510 385, representing a recovery rate of 95%,” Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Wednesday.

The number of health care workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol to date is 353 181.

North West Education MEC, Mmaphefo Matsemela has condemned the stabbing of a female teacher, allegedly by a male teacher.

According to the department, the incident took place on the first day of schools reopening on Monday, where a 64-year-old male educator from Tolamo Primary School at Letlhakaneng Village near Brits allegedly stabbed a 47-year-old female teacher at Tshefoge Primary school in Vaalboschloot.

The department noted that Tshefoge Primary has been under construction since last quarter, and learners were moved to a community hall as a temporary measure.

“It is alleged that the perpetrator forcefully entered the hall and refused neither to sanitise nor to check his temperature. It is reported that when he arrived at the hall, his face was covered with a balaclava. He called the victim and [they] went outside, where an argument ensued between them.

“It is alleged that the teacher had multiple stab wounds from the back of the neck (sic). The staff at school managed to rush in to apprehend the culprit and called the police. The injured educator is still in a critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital,” the department said in a statement.

Matsemela said the department is very disturbed and disappointed by such a heinous and barbaric incident.

“I wish to condemn in the strongest terms and indicate that gender based violence is not welcomed in our schools. Anyone who does that will be subjected to the full might of the law.

“This has also traumatised our learners, since it happened in front of them. I wish to thank the staff members who… apprehended the suspect,” Matsemela said.

Matsemela said both learners and teachers, who were exposed to the horrible incident, will be provided with counselling.

Matsemela is expected to visit the school on Tuesday.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has assured the public that South Africa is on high alert for the B.1.617 Coronavirus variant.

“All our ports of entry employ stringent containment procedures to minimise the importation of COVID-19,” he said, adding that government remained on high alert to screen passengers and test those who require further assessment.

He said while the variant was yet to be detected in South Africa, members of the genomics team had informed government that they had intensified surveillance to not only ensure detection of the virus but to also understand its implications.

This comes as India has seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases attributed in part to the circulation of different variants, including the B.1.617 Coronavirus variant.

The Minister said there were currently no direct flights from India.

Government has consulted members of the Ministerial Advisory Committee to advise on the approach to manage travellers from countries that have variants of concern.

“Their advice will assist us to determine the next steps forward, of which government will announce in due course,” he said.

He called for calm to prevail “as we continue to adhere to the health protocols, tighten containment measures at our ports of entry and keep a balance as we maintain economic activity”.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has also confirmed that the B.1.617 Coronavirus variant has not been detected in South Africa.

“The institution has tremendous empathy for the dire situation that is unfolding in India and would like to reassure the South African public that we are keeping a close eye on developments,” says Prof Adrian Puren, the NICD’s Acting Executive Director.

Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at the NICD said testing of COVID-19 positive samples from travellers entering South Africa from India and their close contacts will be prioritised.

“This will enable us to detect the B.1.617 and any other variants in a timely manner.”

The institute said the mutation of viruses is a natural occurrence in the lifecycle of any virus, evident with the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 lineage in South Africa in October 2020.

“Although viral mutations are unavoidable, adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions have proven to greatly lessen transmission of the disease.

“South Africans are reminded to wear their masks, wash their hands with soap and water or to use hand sanitiser, and to keep a physical distance of at least 1.5 m from others. Social activities and small gatherings should take place outdoors, if possible, or in well-ventilated areas with open windows and doors, as proper ventilation plays an important role in reducing the spread,” Puren said.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s COVID-19 statistics on Monday rose to 1 584 961, after 897 new infections were recorded.

“The number of tests conducted to date is 10 715 773. Of these, 16 752 tests were conducted since the last report,” the Health Ministry said.

In the last 24 hours, 35 COVID-19-related deaths were reported. Of these, two were in the Eastern Cape, six in the Free State, seven in Gauteng, 16 in KwaZulu-Natal, one in Mpumalanga, two in Northern Cape and one in Western Cape. This brought the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country to 54 452.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients,” said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

Recoveries stood at 1 508 558, representing a 95% rate.

Regarding the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Mkhize said the number of vaccinated healthcare workers remained at 329 098 under the Sisonke Protocol.

Two men and a woman are expected to appear in court on Wednesday after they were caught in possession of drugs estimates to be worth R5.5 million, said the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The arrest of the 30 year-old woman and the men aged 39 and 32 comes after detectives from the Organised Crime, Narcotics unit in Vredendal followed information about a vehicle transporting drugs to Cape Town on Monday afternoon.

According to the Office of the Provincial Commissioner in the Western Cape, detectives assisted by provincial traffic officials pursued the vehicle.

The vehicle was pulled over and searched. A total 8.98 kilograms of crystal meth, 2.08 kilograms of heroin and 3.26 kilograms of cocaine were found in the vehicle.

“The suspects will appear in court in Klawer on Wednesday on charges of possession of drugs and dealing in drugs. The operational response of all parties involved is applauded by the Western Cape SAPS management as efforts to rid communities of drugs gain momentum,” said the police in a statement on Tuesday.

The revitalisation of the Northern Cape coastal town of Port Nolloth, has the potential to stimulate various economic activities around the port that will benefit small and medium enterprises.

This is according to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, who visited the area on Monday where she attended a meeting with officials from all three spheres of government.

The meeting discussed the nine-point socio-economic development plan produced for the Namakwa District Municipality as part of the District Development Model (DDM).

“The Northern Cape coastal town of Port Nolloth has the potential to once again become a beehive of economic activities, if all stakeholders work together to implement the nine-point socio-economic development plan produced for the Namakwa District Municipality,” the Deputy Minister said.

Gina expressed optimism and confidence that tourism, mining, fisheries, hospitality and beneficiation can be revived in the town, with quite tangible economic spin-offs, which will lead to eradication of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

She said the implementation of the plan will take place in various local municipalities through collaboration of the district leadership as well as the provincial and national governments.

“The main objective is to change the lives of the people for the better. As we revitalise the harbour and open up more opportunities for small-scale fisheries, more jobs will be created. The wealth of this area requires to be fully exploited in order ensure that small enterprises thrive and [the] beneficiation of minerals takes place.  There are also unlimited opportunities for tourism and hospitality industries to blossom,” Gina said.

The Deputy Minister was accompanied by Northern Cape MEC for Land Reform, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Environmental Affairs, Mase Manopole and the Mayor of the Namakwa District Municipality, Councillor Mervin Cloete.

She was hosted by the Mayor of the Richtersveld Local Municipality, Councillor Arthur Jansen.

Manopole said that the DDM in the Richtersveld local municipality was a vehicle to create more job opportunities in the Northern Cape, as envisaged by the National Development Plan.

“The National Development Plan is clear on eliminating poverty by drawing on energies of our people in growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities and promoting leadership and partnership throughout society. In the province, our District Development Model, which is focusing mainly in the Boegoebaai Port and the Port Nolloth Small Harbour, has got the potential to grow and create an inclusive economy,” the MEC said.

Jansen said he was excited that the implementation of the district’s Nine-Point Plan will go a long way in uplifting the people of Richtersveld.

“We are excited about this project as it means socio-economic development and job creation in our area. It will benefit our people as it talks directly to what needs to happen to revive the economy of this town. The economic focus has always been on mining.

“Now we are happy that our economy will diversify and we will see other sectors contributing to job creation and economic growth. We are fully committed to support this process to make sure that it succeeds,” Jansen said.

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has announced the appointment of Makano Mosidi as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

In a statement issued on Monday, the PIC said Makano’s mandate will be to provide sound leadership in all aspects of the business’ information and communications technology as well as leveraging technology to position the PIC as the leading asset manager.

Makano joins the PIC from Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) at Standard Bank.

“She is a seasoned and highly experienced CTO, having been in Executive roles for the past 24 years, with an overall ICT working experience of 31 years,” the corporation said.

Her career spans across both private and public sectors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in organisations including IBM, Accenture, Ernst and Young, the North West Provincial Government, the State Information Technology (SITA) SOC Ltd, New Dawn Technologies, EDS Enterprise Solutions, Relational Database Consulting  (RDC), Dimension Data and Transnet SOC Ltd.

In the statement, PIC Chief Executive Abel Sithole, said: “The PIC is pleased with the appointment of Makano and trusts that her executive experience within the information technology environment will assist the PIC’s efforts to exceedingly deliver on clients’ mandates”.

Makano’s appointment was effective from 1 May 2021.

School safety will come under the microscope when Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and MECs meet to discuss matters affecting the sector this week.

Also expected to be deliberated on is the possibility of primary school learners returning to classes on a full-time basis and the impact COVID-19 has had on the sector.

This as the Department of Basic Education (DBE) declared its readiness to welcome back teachers, staff and learners back to school for the second term in 2021 that commences today.

Motshekga, Deputy Minister Dr Makgabo Reginah Mhaule and all education MECs will on Thursday and Friday hold a two-day meeting to deliberate on key issues affecting the basic education sector.

“In the meantime, schools will continue to apply the rotational approaches as the department intensifies its implementation of the safety campaign aimed at saving lives and livelihoods,” said the DBE ahead of schools reopening on Monday.

The department said health and safety protocols remain in place with social distancing, the washing of hands and sanitising being the basic hygiene practices, that must still be adhered to at all times.

“The department is currently investigating the possibility of returning all learners at primary school level due to the learning losses suffered as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic,” it said in a statement.

The proposal is now being considered at the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) where the department has since delivered a presentation at the relevant work streams.

An announcement on the outcome of the discussions will be made in due course.

In the first term, the sector experienced several tragedies that resulted in the loss of lives.

“Bullying and violence in schools became an issue that had to be addressed.”

As the second term begins, the department has reminded learners to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the statement of commitment.

The statement of commitment states that learners are expected to, among others, accept that the main reason for being in school is to learn and develop academically, socially and culturally.

It also states that learners are expected to adhere to school rules; respect the legitimacy and authority of teachers.

Learners are also to participate in Learner Representative Councils (LRCs) to safeguard their interests and show respect to other learners and not to discriminate.

In addition, leaners are expected to avoid anti-social behaviour like theft, vandalism, assault, sexual harassment, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as other activities that disrupt the learning process.

The department said it was also preparing for a vaccination programme that will target citizens that are over the age of 60 years and employees at risk who have been identified as essential workers.

“Parents and guardians of learners will be required to register as part of the preparation for the vaccine programme to be rolled out in a date to be announced by the Department of Health,” said the DBE.

The department also welcomed newly elected members of school governing bodies (SGBs) around the country. SGB elections concluded on 23 April after the process began in March.

Due to COVID-19, the period for the elections had to be extended to allow for safety measures to be observed by everybody participating.

“The department is satisfied with the SGB elections and that there were no major incidents,” it said.

The price of petrol is set to come down by nine cents a litre as of Wednesday, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced.

The price of 95 (ULP and LRP) and 93 (ULP and LRP) will come down by 9 cents a litre.

This means that a litre of 95 ULP in Gauteng, which currently costs to R17.32 a litre will come down to R17.23 a litre.

Meanwhile, diesel (0.05% Sulphur) will decrease by 31 cents a litre, while the price of diesel (0.005% Sulphur) will decrease by 30 cents a litre.

The price of illuminating paraffin (wholesale) will decrease by 23 cents.

The price of illuminating paraffin (SMNRP) will decrease by 30 cents, while the Maximum Retail Price for LPGAS will decrease by 172 cents per kilogram.

“The average international product prices for petrol and illuminating paraffin increased whilst diesel decreased during the period under review,” said the DMRE.

It added that the rand had appreciated against the US dollar during the period under review, on average, when compared to the previous period.

In a statement on Friday, the Automobile Association which had predicted a drop in petrol prices, said the drop will aid those who use paraffin for lighting.

“As we head into winter, South Africans who use paraffin for lighting, cooking, and heating especially will no doubt be glad at this news. For its part, the AA is hopeful the recent streak of price stability will continue to provide more price relief to fuel users in the short to medium term,” it said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken out about the intimidation journalists, saying the trend is unacceptable and harmful, especially when threats are directed at women journalists.

“The South African media has played a pivotal role in uncovering much of what we know today about the true extent of capture of the State by self-serving, corrupt individuals and entities,” President Ramaphosa said.

In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa said if media is to remain true to its responsibility to support democracy, journalists must continue to report without fear or favour on the issues of the day.

“Their sustained coverage must include gender-based violence, crime in our communities, and social ills, like substance abuse.

“Our media should provide accurate and impartial information, enabling the public to make informed decisions, to access opportunities and improve their lives.

“They should continue to produce journalism that goes beyond the headlines and front pages, and contributes to human development. They should report both the good news and the bad news, the progress we make and the challenges we face,” President Ramaphosa said.

He said credibility is key to sustaining trust between journalists and the public.

“When journalists allow themselves or their platforms to be used to fight political battles or settle scores on behalf of vested interests, their credibility suffers.

“When media disseminate stories that are inaccurate or that they know to be false, the public loses faith in them. It is in the best interest of all who love this country and wish for it to succeed that our media is supported, and not hindered in its work.

“As society, let us continue to work together to jealously safeguard our country’s media freedom. It was hard won, and without it, we cannot hope to flourish,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa said not just journalists but any member of the public is able to freely articulate their views, their opinions and their dissatisfaction without fear of retribution.

“At a time when we are working together to rebuild our economy and our society in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, a robust media is more critical than ever,” President Ramaphosa said.

The organisation, Reporters without Borders, published the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, a barometer of the state of media freedom across the globe.

The report said that journalism is ‘totally blocked or seriously impeded’ in 73 countries and ‘constrained’ in 59 others.

In this latest report, South Africa ranked 32nd out of 180 countries. The index describes the state of media freedom in South Africa as ‘guaranteed but fragile’.

A High-Level Panel appointed to review policies has recommended that South Africa halt the captive breeding of lions, keeping lions in captivity, and using captive lions or their derivatives commercially.

The High-Level Panel Report on the management, breeding, hunting, trade and handling of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros was released on Sunday by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, in Pretoria.

“The Panel identified that the captive lion industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism, which funds lion conservation and conservation more broadly, the negative impact on the authentic wild hunting industry, and the risk that trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching and the illegal trade,” the Minister said.

Creecy has requested the department to action the recommendation accordingly and ensure the necessary consultation for implementation is conducted.

“It is important to stress that the recommendations are not against the hunting industry. Preventing the hunting of captive lions is in the interests of the authentic wild hunting industry, and will boost the hunting economy and our international reputation, and the jobs that this creates,” the Minister said.

Creecy appointed the High-Level Panel in October 2019 after hosting a Colloquium on Captive Lion Breeding in August 2018, which recommended putting an end to lion breeding in South Africa.

It was also in response to the number of emotive and complex conservation and sustainable use issues raised by the public, particularly those involving keystone species. These included the lion bone trade, hunting of captive-bred lions, the elephant culling debate, the ivory stockpile, and trade in rhinoceros horn.

“We will be taking forward the recommendations to develop a Policy on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable use and adopt a One Welfare approach for wildlife.

“There are key recommendations to reposition and organise protected areas, simplify and make more effective legislative and administrative processes, as well as to improve cooperative governance. The department will initiate processes to resolve these,” the Minister said.

She said transformation of the wildlife sector will be prioritised, in terms of improved inclusion of marginalised groups, especially communities living with or adjacent to these species, and in the role and influence of traditional leaders and healers in the wildlife sector.

In terms of captive rhino, the panel made clear recommendations as to how partnerships with private owners of rhino can lead to strong conservation outcomes for the species, while enhancing potential benefit streams.

“We have accepted that the country adopt the recommended positions on ivory and rhino horn trade, such that we will not be making proposals to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) for further trade in these derivatives until certain conditions have been met.

“On the rhino these are based on the Commission of Enquiry’s report Option 3 as approved by Cabinet and the Rhino Action Plan and the development of a global consensus for legal international trade in rhino in the interest of rhino conservation,” the Minister said.

As South Africa protects the largest component of the global rhino population, the country intends to play a global leadership role in this.

“For elephants, although we hold a relatively small portion of the population, South Africa wants to play a key role to bring African consensus on ivory trade in the interest of ivory trade on elephant.

“We will be initiating a participatory process, with recognition of the important role and contribution by private owners, including some major ecotourism-based rhino populations, to rhino conservation, to find win-win solutions to safeguard rhino conservation and broaden and deepen the bio-economy associated with rhino,” the Minister said.

In adopting the report’s recommendations, the Minister said the following are the key outcomes for the country:

• Improved policy and legislative coherence, which will provide certainty and a stable base for growth and development;
• Better balancing economic, social, cultural and natural heritage needs, including re-imagining the role of protected areas, both state and others, in contributing to ecologically sustainable rural development;
• Placing communities living with wildlife at the centre, focussing on enhancing human-wildlife co-existence, and transformative approaches to access and benefit sharing for communities living on the edges of protected areas;
• A renewed focus on transforming the ownership and management of the commercial wildlife economy particularly in the eco-toursim and authentic hunting sectors;
• The ending of certain inhumane and irresponsible practices that greatly harm the reputation of South Africa and the position of South Africa as a leader in conservation; and finally,
• Contributing to ensuring Africa’s coherence and unity in relation to conservation; sustainable use and management of these species.