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Sixty-four more people died of COVID-19 in South Africa on Wednesday.

Of the latest fatalities, 24 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 14 from Gauteng, 11 from Mpumalanga, nine from the Western Cape and six from the Northern Cape, pushing the death toll to 15 705.

Meanwhile, there are now 653 444 confirmed COVID-19 cases after 1 923 new cases were recorded, Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, said.

In addition, the country has a recovery rate of 89.4% after 584 195 patients beat the disease.

Gauteng remains the hardest hit province with 215 898 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 116 910, the Western Cape 108 767 and the Eastern Cape 87 663.

The information is based on the 3 961 179 tests conducted of which 20 962 were performed in the last 24 hours.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa applauded South Africans for their resilient fight against COVID-19.

President Ramaphosa confirmed that the number of new Coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalisations are dropping. This as he announced that the country was moving to level 1 of the lockdown at midnight on Sunday.

“Two months ago, at the height of the storm, we were recording around 12 000 new cases a day. Now we are on average recording less than 2 000 cases a day,” he told the nation.

In addition, the demand for hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen and other essential medical requirements has also reduced steadily, he added.

“We have succeeded in overcoming the worst phase of this epidemic while protecting the capacity of our health system. I wish to applaud you, the people of South Africa, for this achievement and for the thousands of lives that have been saved through your collective actions,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa also warned against a second wave of infections while urging citizens to continue to wash or sanitise their hands and to keep practising social distancing. He urged South Africans to continue wearing their masks.

Globally, there are now 29 444 198 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 931 321 deaths reported to the World Health Organization.

Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy has urged countries to explore green industries as governments across the world work on economic recovery strategies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a result of the pandemic there has been minimal economic activity, jobs have been lost, industries and businesses have downsized or closed,” Creecy said.

Addressing the Waste Khoro 2020 event hosted virtually, Creecy said for many countries, placing their economies on a more sustainable growth path is central.

“Our country understands green industries can open new possibilities for development and create much-needed jobs. The waste management sector has strong potential to innovate and improve socio-economic conditions and contribute to sustainable development and resource use,” Creecy said.

Last week, Cabinet approved the National Waste Management Strategy 2020 aimed at promoting the waste hierarchy and circular economy principles while achieving both socio-economic benefits and the reduction of negative environmental impacts.

“The 2019 Khoro reflected on the progress made during the first decade of the Waste Act implementation and agreed on resolutions. The National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2020 builds on the successes and lessons from the implementation of that 2011 strategy.

“The NWMS provides government policy and strategic interventions for the waste sector and is aligned and responsive to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 adopted by all United Nations (UN) member States,” Creecy said.

Creecy said the introduction of recyclate content targets for specific products is an important mechanism to stimulate the demand for waste resources.

“In this regard, the department has also taken strides by ensuring product design changes that embrace circularity for the manufacturing of plastic carrier bags.

“We have received extensive comments on the amendments of the plastic carrier bags Regulations, and I am pleased that we are moving in the right direction to prevent and manage plastic pollution,” Creecy said.

Other initiatives that the department hopes will promote the circular economy include the exclusion regulations that recognise material that can be used for beneficiation purposes without requiring a waste license.

The Chemicals and Waste Economy Phakisa identified several waste initiatives and priorities.

The department has approved 48 applications for the beneficial use of several waste materials thus unblocking obstacles and promoting the full implementation of the waste management hierarchy.

Currently the department has designated municipal, provincial and national Waste Management Officers.

Gauteng Acting Health MEC Jacob Mamabolo has called on the department to ensure that where possible, temporary infrastructure, including fever tents that have been put up as part of the response to COVID-19 are strategically deployed beyond the pandemic.

Mamabolo said this on Wednesday as he completed his preliminary audit of COVID-19 temporary structures, as part of his province-wide visit to health facilities, since his appointment as acting MEC for Health over a month ago.

The department currently only has the NASREC Expo Centre as a field hospital. The Gauteng Disaster Management Provincial Command Council resolved a while back that there would be no expansion of field hospitals.

This was informed by, among other factors, the burden of disease, feedback by clinicians on the ground and how well the province has done in its response to the pandemic, reducing the need for field hospitals.

Mamabolo said the NASREC Expo field hospital remains operational.

The MEC said the equipment invested in this facility largely belongs to the department and will be repurposed to be used in Gauteng health facilities after the pandemic.

As part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mamabolo said the department made use of 26 fever tents, 13 of which are owned by the department.  The tents were set up in July 2020, mostly at the entrances of the various facilities and have been used to assist with the screening of patients.

He said that a request for services was sent through to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Property Management (GDID), for suppliers to provide the tents on behalf of the department.

This was done at a cost of R7 552 465.15 for rentals contracts, which were concluded through GDID, while R7 186 650 was for the total number of tents purchased to be owned by the department.

“The strategy of Gauteng province has always been to invest in legacy projects through major refurbishments and additional beds at existing hospitals such as Jubilee Hospital, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and others.

“The projects continue to be implemented and are at various stages. They are an investment in the health system, even post the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mamabolo said.

Funeral undertakers strike

Meanwhile, Mamabolo on Wednesday assured the public that the three-day funeral undertakers’ strike had not led to services at hospital mortuaries being hindered.

Undertakers demonstrated outside provincial health facilities in strike action that began on Monday and was expected to conclude on Wednesday.

Mamabolo said the department had put measures in place to assist communities with the collection and storage of bodies of loved ones during the strike.

He visited the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital to assess the impact of the funeral undertakers’ strike at the hospital.

“The department’s Forensic Pathology Services team has been directed to work together with the Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team to assist with the collection of bodies of people who died at home. We are satisfied with how Chris Baragwanath Hospital is handling the management of bodies during this period,” Mamabolo said.

The department had also enlisted the help of the South African National Defence Force personnel to assist at facilities for the duration of the strike and after to ensure that bodies are processed quickly and handed over to families.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to celebrate Heritage Day by reflecting on the country’s journey in the last six months in weathering the COVID-19 storm.

He has also called on citizens to get their groove on by taking part in the Jerusalema global dance frenzy by duo Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode on 24 September.

“There can be no better celebration of our South Africanness than joining the global phenomenon that is the Jerusalema dance challenge,” President Ramaphosa announced during his address on Wednesday.

“So, I urge all of you to take up this challenge on Heritage Day and show the world what we are capable of.”

Jerusalema has taken the world by storm and has over 139 039 790 views on YouTube and counting.

The hit continues to travel beyond the country’s borders and has topped the charts including the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the United States.

It was number one on iTunes in Africa and the top five in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

It has also reached number one the Top 200 France charts and reached a peak on the Shazam Global Top 200 at number four last month.

Apart from dancing to the President’s favourite song, President Ramaphosa has also encouraged South Africans to use this public holiday as family time, remember those who have lost their lives to COVID-19, and “quietly rejoice” in the remarkable and diverse heritage of the nation.

Despite the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa remains committed to promoting the well-being, socio-economic development and upliftment of the country’s people.

South Africa, said International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, is also committed to protecting the planet for future generations to ensure the prosperity of the country, region and continent.

The Minister made the remarks during a virtual lecture themed ‘South Africa’s place in the changing global order’ delivered at the Wits School of Governance on Wednesday.

The pandemic, she said, has added a significant new dimension to international relations for countries, resulting in major economic contraction that has altered every aspect of life and livelihoods.

Pandor said in the face of the challenging global order, South Africa is guided by its national interest, which has in turn shaped its foreign policy.

“In broad brushstrokes, South Africa’s national interest revolves on promoting the well-being, socio-economic development and upliftment of the country’s people, protecting the planet for future generations and ensuring the prosperity of the country, region and continent.”

This framework of South Africa’s national interest underpins its foreign policy, which is driven by the pursuit of human rights, development, conflict resolution, nuclear disarmament, climate change and championing the agenda of the countries of the South.

“In pursuit of these strategic goals, South Africa seeks to reposition itself as a consistent moral compass and a principled voice of reason in a changing world that is increasingly characterised by selfish and narrow interests,” Pandor said.

The Minister said South Africa’s position is affected by its normative approach, which can largely be considered as driven by the founding values and provisions enshrined in its Constitution, and based on its history of overcoming apartheid and, importantly, its relatively peaceful transition to democracy and efforts at reconciliation.

It is these values that have resulted in South Africa being a consistent voice in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Saharawi, and commitment to peace in Africa and the Middle East.

Fluid geopolitics

Pandor said the outbreak is compounding an already fluid global geopolitics, where some of the dominant Western States are seen to be opting for foreign policies, which undermine the stability of the inter-State system, as they face draining counter-claims to global influence from emerging powers.

This, Pandor said, throws up massive repercussions for the existing balance of forces.

“Africa should be concerned that as we discuss shifting global forces, the continent remains on the margins, observing rather than reshaping,” she said, adding that the continent needs to use the current crisis to define a new relationship with the world, based on African terms.

“There are other objective developments shaping the international scenario, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the impact of Brexit on the global economy, the rise of anti-immigrant nationalism in the European Union (EU) zone and US, and increased terrorism and extremism activities worldwide.”

Case for multilateralism

In terms of the broader global approach, South Africa continues to defend multilateralism, the rules based multilateral system and the reform of global institutions of governance, which underpin the global power asymmetry.

South Africa also deploys efforts to strengthen the G77 and the Non-Alignment Movement, as well as other multilateral agencies.

This is done within the context of Pan-Africanism, where South Africa is building strategic alliances with other countries on the continent in pursuance of common objectives.

These alliances start with Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries and then include other countries in the rest of the continent. The integration of SADC is critical for the region’s economic development and for South Africa’s global competitiveness.

“Beyond the SADC region, South Africa was able to advance the African Renaissance agenda when there were close relations and exchanges with Nigeria, Algeria, Ethiopia and Senegal, which led to the drafting and then adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD),” Pandor said.

South Africa, she said, is aware that the world is not monolithic and the normative aspects of the country’s positioning could run counter to certain geographical, developmental or economic partners, such as with regard to respect for human rights and democratic values.

“These nuances need to be taken into consideration when finally deciding South Africa’s approach to specific issues, notwithstanding the need to be guided by South Africa’s identity and values in the international system. Ultimately, pragmatism and idealism need to be balanced on a case by case basis,” said the Minister.

In this regard, South Africa aims to continue to advocate for the strengthening of the key pillars of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has approved a proposal by United Kingdom-based film and production company, Plimsoll Productions, to film a wildlife documentary series on Marion Island.

The approval, which follows a rigorous approval process involving key stakeholders, will see film makers and scientists collaborate to ensure the continuation of important research projects on Marion Island.

“There are significant, globally valued long-term science and conservation projects on Marion Island that were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and both parties viewed this as an opportunity for collaboration,” the department said on Wednesday.

The agreement with Plimsoll Production includes the charter of a private vessel at their own cost, with an offer to transport seven members of the M77 over-wintering team to the island in September 2020.

“This would allow for the mitigation of the impact of COVID-19 on science activities by enabling filmmakers and scientists to combine efforts to enable the continuation of field science programmes on Marion Island, as well as filming incredible natural behaviour. Some of these scientific datasets on Marion Island are nearing 40 years of uninterrupted observations,” the department said.

There has been a thorough analysis of the proposed activities and a permit with very strict conditions has been issued.

“To monitor compliance with the permit conditions, a departmental official will accompany the film crew to ensure that they observe the necessary regulations and protocols. The proposal also went through an extremely rigorous interrogation by the Prince Edward Island Advisory Committee (PEIAC).

“The PEIAC was established in compliance with the Prince Edward Island Management Plan to ensure that the pristine nature of the Prince Edward Island is maintained and all activities are controlled and in compliance with the Management Plan,” the department explained.

Keeping with COVID-19 prescripts

In keeping with the COVID-19 prescripts and regulations, the entire team will adhere to a strict working protocols.

“For the trip to Marion Island, the charter vessel will be de-contaminated prior to departure. A full inspection will be conducted on the vessel by DEFF to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

“The entire filming team, scientists and vessel crew will all be quarantined and COVID-19 tested in the lead up to departure. All participants on the expedition will undergo full medical examinations prescribed for visitors to the Antarctic or Sub-Antarctic,” the department said.

The expedition will depart from Cape Town to Marion Island in mid-September.

The Department of Water and Sanitation in KwaZulu-Natal has reiterated its commitment to implement long-term measures to address water scarcity issues in different parts of the province.

Department spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the department is on course with the implementation of the Greytown Bulk Water Supply, which is set to provide emergency water relief and long-term water supply to Greytown and Enhlalakahle.

Ratau said Phase 1 of the project included refurbishing and upgrading aging water infrastructure, unclogging drainage systems and the installation of new interconnecting pipes with valve chambers to restore water treatment works to an estimated peak capacity of 6 megalitres per day.

“I can confirm that Phase 1 of the project was successfully implemented and completed in September 2010. We are now rolling out the implementation of Phase 2, which entails the extension of the Greytown Water Treatment Works (WTWs) by 7 megalitres per day.

“The total capacity of the WTW will then be 13 megalitres per day,” Ratau said.

Phase 2 will also include the development of abstraction works at Craigie Burn Dam, raw water pump stations, and bulk conveyance between Craigie Burn Dam and Greytown WTW for capacity of 12 megalitres per day to 16 megalitres per day.

“What this means is that there will be additional potable water storage to maintain specific hours of storage capacity and achieve spatial balance of bulk delivery with the growth of the town.

“This will be through a 2.5-megalitre reservoir at Greytown WTW, an additional 2.5-megalitre reservoir at Enhlalakahle Reservoir and the rehabilitation of the existing 2.5-megalitre Enhlalakahle Reservoir,” Ratau said.

“We are working very closely with UMzinyathi District Municipality as the implementing agent, to ensure accountability and prevent any possible acts of corruption,” Ratau said.

The Greytown Bulk Water Supply Scheme is one of the department’s Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant Projects.

Ratau said the project implementation is still ongoing and further updates will be provided in future.

“We are committing to be as transparent as possible with the work that is being done on the ground. We are working to ensure water supply, especially in communities still experiencing the negative impact of drought.”

A total of 7 199 claims have been lodged with the Compensation Fund for COVID-19 sickness contracted while at work.

Of the total claims, 4 595 have been submitted directly to the Compensation Fund (CF) and a further 2 385 to Rand Mutual, while Federated Employees has received 219 claims.

“Rand Mutual, which operates under licence as granted by the Minister of Employment and Labour, covers mostly workers in the mining and iron and steel industries. It has seen a sharp rise in claims.

“This is due to a number of claims that were originally repudiated due to incomplete information, but the outstanding information has been furnished. The cases have since been enrolled and are awaiting adjudication,” CF Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said.

The Compensation Fund has paid R462 612 in medical aid claims, and Federated Employees has paid out R11 356.56.

Over R500 000 paid for Temporary Total Disablement

A combined R514 963.22 has been paid by for Temporary Total Disablement, while R3.25 million in dependent benefits has been paid out.

A total of R51 477.53 has been paid out as permanent disablement lump sum, while Rand Mutual has disbursed R18 251 for a burial costs.

Of the 4 595 claims received by the CF, 2 358 come from the Western Cape, followed by Eastern Cape with 1 107, KwaZulu-Natal 491, Gauteng 481, Mpumalanga 91, Northern Cape 35, North West 29 and Limpopo three.

The CF has also accepted liability for 3 109 claims, which represents 67.7% of the claims received. It repudiated 544 claims (which is 11.8% of claims), while 942 await adjudication, which represents 20.5% of the claims received directly.

“Of the 2 385 claims received by Rand Mutual, Gauteng has received 1 870 claims, Eastern Cape 160, KwaZulu-Natal 91, Western Cape 72, Free State 58, North West 38, Limpopo 20, while 64 are unknown.

“Of the 2 385 claims received so far, 2 156 (90.4%) are pending adjudication,” Mafata said.

Federated Employers, which represents workers mostly in the construction sector, has received a total of 219 claims, mostly from Gauteng (120), Western Cape (32), KZN (19), Northern Cape (11), North West (9), Free State (5) and (3) in Mpumalanga.

Mafata said in cases where claims have been repudiated, with better information, the claim “could still be approved and the Fund will accept liability”.

Matjhabeng Local Municipality in the Free State has agreed to hand over its 139 farms to Eskom as security for debt owed.

“In its ongoing efforts to recover more than R3.4 billion in unpaid debt owed by Matjhabeng Local Municipality, the municipality has agreed to hand over to Eskom 139 farms belonging to the municipality as security on the debt. The farms are valued at approximately R2.5 billion,” said the power utility on Tuesday.

The title deeds of the farms will be endorsed in favour of Eskom until the debt dispute between Eskom and the municipality is finalised.

This agreement has been made an order of high court in the Free State.

“This step on the part of Eskom is a result of the repeated failure by the municipality to adhere to its payment obligations to Eskom for the bulk supply of electricity,” said Eskom.

As part of the agreement, the municipality has withdrawn its application in which it sought to uplift the attachment of its bank account by Eskom, which was granted on 4 September 2020.

Eskom has agreed to uplift the attachment of the account and the account was handed back to the municipality. The funds in the account, namely R2.7 million, will remain attached and in the care of the Sheriff of the Court.

The power utility has been involved in numerous court processes since 2014, when the municipality’s outstanding debt totalled R372 million, and employed other collection mechanisms to recover the funds.

Eskom said the municipality has consistently failed to honour its obligations and payment agreements, as well as court orders, resulting in debt escalating to R3.4 billion over the period.

The total outstanding municipal debt of R31 billion, as at end July 2020, continues to threaten Eskom’s sustainability.

Eskom said municipalities have a responsibility to fulfil their financial obligations for the bulk supply of electricity.

Meanwhile, in the cases involving the Vaal River Development Association and the Lekwa Rates Payers’ Association versus Eskom, following the judgment of the Pretoria High Court on 28 August 2020, Eskom applied for leave to appeal against the whole judgment and the orders granted by Judge Millar in the two matters.

Eskom filed its grounds of appeal in both matters involving Lekwa and Ngwathe Municipalities, setting out its basis for challenging the orders granted against it.

Eskom’s opposed application for leave to appeal was argued fully in the high court by all sides on 11 September 2020.

On 14 September 2020, the court delivered its decision and granted Eskom leave to appeal the whole judgment and orders of the judgment to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

“Eskom notes the previous media statements made by some residents’ associations and the municipalities following the judgment of 28 August 2020. However, the effect of the court’s order in favour of Eskom means that the issue of Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) is now pending before the SCA,” said the power utility.

It welcomed the decision of Justice Millar granting it leave to appeal to the SCA.

“The granting of the leave to appeal to the SCA vindicates Eskom’s position that it has always sought to act within structures of the law,” Eskom said.

Following recent posts on social media alleging incidents of human trafficking, the National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, has appealed to anyone with information on these crimes to contact the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“We are appealing to anyone who may have information on these crime categories, preferably before they are committed, to contact the SAPS on our Crime Stop number 086 00 10111. Information may also be communicated via the MySAPS App, an application which can be downloaded on any iPhone or Android.

“All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous,” he said.

In light of the social media posts, Sitole highlighted the seriousness with which human trafficking and other closely related crimes are dealt with by SAPS and specialised units such as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).

Just last week a video surfaced on social media of an incident that occurred on 10 September 2020 of a man who tried to grab a four-year-old girl while under the watchful eye of her mother at a pizza shop in Florida, Johannesburg.

The SAPS said while the suspect was charged with assault and intent to cause grievous bodily harm, the incident was not a case of human trafficking but served as a stark reminder of the realities of these type of crimes.

He called for a collective approach to be adopted to ensure that not a single person, man, woman or child becomes a victim of this crime.

“We have had sporadic reports in the past of young people, especially females that were allegedly lured away from their homes on the promise of lucrative jobs only to find themselves being trafficked for sex,” said the Commissioner.

The cases of kidnappings, abductions and missing persons are also areas of serious concern to the South African Police Service.

To deal decisively with such cases, the SAPS together with other government departments have put both proactive and reactive interventions in place.

“Each of these crimes are committed under different circumstances and with different motivations.

“Persons may be reported missing following a crime that may have been committed like murder, kidnapping, abduction or the missing person may have just simply run away from home. Whatever the circumstances, such must be reported immediately to the police and there is no waiting period for such a matter to get reported,” urged Sitole.

A person is deemed kidnapped if such a person is removed against his or her consent and deprived of his or her freedom of movement for ransom.

In the case of abduction, a person is deemed abducted if such a person is removed from the custody of his or her parents for the purpose of marriage or sexual intercourse.

However, if such a person is under the age of 16 then the act of sexual intercourse would constitute rape.