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Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has appealed to men to stop the brutal killing of women and children.

The Minister’s appeal follows reports of six cases of murder by an alleged serial killer that could be on the loose in KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast.

“This barbaric act is a persistent shame to our society, especially during the month of August when the country should be embracing women`s rights,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said on Thursday.

In the last six months, six bodies of women were found within the same area in KwaZulu-Natal.

Three bodies were found in sugarcane fields in the province between April and July.

Two bodies were found in sugarcane fields at Mnamfu in April and the third woman’s body was also found in a sugarcane field in Nomakhanzana in July.

On Wednesday afternoon, a fifth decomposing body of a woman was found in the Mthwalume area.

She was found with her chest open and she was covered with a scarf and appeared to have been strangled.

A case of murder has been opened for investigation.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane appealed to the investigating task team to work around the clock to ensure that the perpetrator(s) of these gruesome murders are arrested.

Nkoana-Mashabane pleaded with communities to work together with the police in finding the perpetrators of the gruesome murders.

“The day men decide to stop the brutal killing and raping of women and children, there will be no gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. As we commemorate Women’s Month, we must dismantle toxic masculinity and its impact on women and girls, which underpins gender-based violence and the brutal killing of women and girls,” said Nkoana-Mashabane.

“We must unpack what it means to be a real man so that men play a meaningful role in empowering women changing their own behaviour and breaking of stereotypes, towards the goal of and the achievement of gender equality,” she said.

Meanwhile, the department will engage the Department of Social Development to follow through on psychosocial support for all affected families.

“We do know that not all men are bad but at the same time we cannot blame women and children for losing trust in men.”

“Whether you consider yourself to be a good man, or a responsible father, the fact is that women continue to experience abuse at the hands of those who claim to love them, and they associate you with abuse and pain,” she said.

GBV and femicide must be a conversation within families and communities.

“We need you to be a change agent, bringing about behaviour change in your homes and in your communities. This must be from the ground up and as a collective, men must denounce any form of violence or degrading behaviour towards women and children,” the Minister said.

South Africa has recorded 3 954 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of infections to 572 865 since the first case was reported in March.

On Thursday, 260 deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 11 270.

Of the new fatalities, 68 were reported in the Eastern Cape, 62 in the Free State, 39 in KwaZulu-Natal, 30 in Gauteng, 21 in the Western Cape, 18 in Mpumalanga and 14 in Limpopo.

Gauteng remains the province with the most infections with 195 820 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 102 233, Western Cape 100 976 and Eastern Cape 83 002.

Free State has 30 049 cases, North West 22 483, Mpumalanga 20 111, Limpopo 11 019, Northern Cape 7 122. Fifty are unallocated.

The Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have the highest number of deaths, with 3 506, 2 791, 2 400 and 1 563, respectively.

Meanwhile, the country’s recovery rate is sitting at 76% after 437 617 people recovered from COVID-19.

The figures are based on a total 3 315 497 tests, 20 063 of which were done since the last report.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there are now 20 439 814 cases and 744 385 deaths globally.

According to WHO, the outbreak in the African region has continued to slow down.

A total of 75 326 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, which  translates to a 9% increase, were reported in 44 countries between 5 and 11 August, compared to the 13% jump recorded during the previous reporting period between 29 July and 5 August, WHO said this week.

“While South Africa reported the majority of new cases ( 44 791 or 60%), it also recorded a remarkable downward trajectory in trend.

“There were also reductions in incidence cases in Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria in the past week. While these indicators are encouraging, the figures should be cautiously interpreted, as they may be affected by many factors, including the current testing capacity and strategy,” WHO said.

The Gauteng Health Department has expressed concern over the spate of abandoned babies after birth.

This year alone, 118 babies were left at various public hospitals in the province.

Chief reasons cited range from teenage mothers being fearful of their parents, unwanted and unplanned pregnancies to lack of immediate basic supplies of clothes and toiletries for the mother and the newborn upon discharge, the Gauteng Health Department said.

Also, some mothers lack emotional, financial and social support from the father, while others are undocumented migrants.

The department said the worst affected hospitals include Carletonville and Leratong, which reported 19 incidents each and Far East Rand with 13 cases. Both Tembisa and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital recorded 10 cases each.

The department said the time spent in hospital for the babies range from a week to a month or longer depending on the medical condition.

However, another factor is how long social workers can facilitate pre-statutory processes for the transfer of the baby to an accredited child protection organisation in terms of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, the department explained.

The department said the hospital social workers are working tirelessly in conducting education awareness campaigns with pregnant mothers to reduce child abandonment.

This includes teaching them about various options that are available to them such as adoption, temporal and foster care.

“Through networking with child protection organisation, hospital social worker are able to provide mothers at risk for abandonment basic material support for both mother and child.”

The department said nurses are now able to identify expectant and new mothers who are likely to abandon their babies and refer them to social workers for psychoeducation, counselling and other care.

Where the mother agrees to take care of the baby, the new mom is then referred to a child protection organisation for further support.

South Africa on Wednesday recorded 2 879 new COVID-19 cases.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said this brings the cumulative COVID-19 cases to 568 919 since the first case was recorded on 5 March.

In addition, 259 more people succumbed to COVID-19 related fatalities, pushing the death toll to 11 010.

Of the new deaths, 108 are from Gauteng, 74 from KwaZulu-Natal, 46 from the Eastern Cape and 31 from the Western Cape.

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

The number of people who have recuperated stands at 432 029, which translates to a recovery rate of 75.9%, while 3 295 434 tests have been conducted, with 16 457 being done in the last 24 hours.

Gauteng remains the hardest-hit province with 194 685 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 101 499, Western Cape 100 536 and Eastern Cape 82 779.

Free State has 29 578 cases, North West 22 205, Mpumalanga 19 755, Limpopo 10 875 and Northern Cape 6 957.

Fifty cases are still unallocated.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are now 20 162 474 cases and 737 417 deaths globally.

The Health Department says 240 healthcare professionals have succumbed to COVID-19 in South Africa, with the public sector being the hardest hit.

“We salute these fallen soldiers and pay tribute to them for their commitment to serving the people of South Africa right until the very end. We extend our condolences to all the family, friends and colleagues of these valuable members of society,” the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Wednesday.

According to the reported deaths, 37 are from the private sector, while 203 are from the public sector.

Meanwhile, 27 360 healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 as of 4 August, Mkhize said.

According to the breakdown, 6 027 (22%) of these health professionals are from the private sector, while 21 333 (78%) are from the public sector.

Meanwhile, nursing is the worst-hit profession, recording 14 143 infections, while 1 644 are doctors.

Also, 11 545 are from other categories of clinicians, while 28 are port healthcare workers.

“The overall infection rate among healthcare workers, compared to the total number of cases identified nationally, is 5%, which is well below the global average of 10%,” Mkhize explained, adding that the recovery rate is 58%.

The Eastern Cape recorded the highest number of deaths with 85 fatalities, Gauteng 43, Western Cape 38, KwaZulu-Natal 30, Free State 21 and North West 16.

Meanwhile, four healthcare workers died in the Northern Cape and three are from Mpumalanga.

Limpopo is the only province that has zero fatalities reported.

As of 7 August 2020, there were 7 500 active cases, 751 (10%) of which were hospitalised, 6 557 (87%) were in self-isolation and 192 (3%) were being isolated in a facility.

“We wish all healthcare workers currently battling COVID-19 a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming them back to the workforce when they are fully recovered,” Mkhize said.

Despite South Africa’s well-documented low economic growth and high unemployment rates, South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago has warned the country against considering risky monetary policy changes.

The Governor sounded the alarm during a virtual keynote address, titled the shadow of COVID: lessons from 20 years of inflation targeting at the University of Pretoria on Wednesday.

“We have a well-established inflation-targeting framework, which is delivering low interest rates and low inflation,” he said.

The address came after the pandemic saw the SARB reduce the repo rate by 250 basis points in an effort to soften the economic impact of the virus on consumers.

Kganyago emphasised that getting monetary policy right isn’t going to be enough. “South Africa’s debt situation is critical. And our rebound from lockdown is looking weak compared with other countries,” he said.

As a country, said the Governor, South Africa needs to find a path back to fiscal sustainability and growth.

He said: “We can borrow from new creditors; we can shift our debt towards short-term borrowing; we can move things around different balance sheets – but this is not a recovery strategy; it is just a way to buy time.

“If public sector borrowing were the way to achieve sustained growth, the last 10 years of debt accumulation should have been enough.”

Kganyago said the real task now is restoring the country’s fiscal credibility and implementing structural reforms so the economy has a way to become more efficient and grow.

“In many ways, as a country, we seem to be depressed, unable to get out of bed. Yes, it is winter, and it’s cold. But we can’t live like this. Spring is coming, and inflation and interest rates are low. We need to focus on the opportunities, get up, and get to work,” he added.

Right now, South Africa does not have the high inflation and high interest rates of the past.

“But we also don’t have the zero rates and close-to-zero inflation of the rich countries. The inflation-targeting paradigm is working pretty well,” he said.

“Given all the challenges facing South Africa, we should recognise that monetary policy is the last place where we should consider risky changes. We have a well-established inflation-targeting framework, which is delivering low interest rates and low inflation.”

This, he said, is the most functional part of the macroeconomic framework.

The Department of Water and Sanitation says rising spring temperatures are causing the country’s dam levels to continue to drop week-on-week.

“The trend is expected to continue until the first summer rains come down at the end of October this year,” the department said on Thursday.

According to the department’s latest weekly report, since the beginning of August, temperatures have soared to an average 23 degrees Celsius in most provinces, causing water reservoirs to drop by a percentage due to evaporation.

“Most dams have dropped marginally, but the water situation is fairly satisfactory with 21 713.4 cubic metres (60%) of volumes water stored in South Africa’s reservoirs,” the department said.

However, the report noted that total winter rains in the Western Cape have increased the province’s dam levels to 68.9%, a one percent improvement from last week’s recordings.

“The province’s levels are expected to increase exponentially as more rains are expected to drench major parts of the province in the next few months before the end of a local hydrological wet season in November.”

Even though the Free State is among the provinces that are affected by evaporation, the province continues to store large volumes of water in the Gariep, Vanderkloof and Sterkfontein dams.

Sterkfontein retained last week’s level of 94% while Gariep the biggest dam in the country, recorded 64.9% and Vanderkloof remained stable at 85.8%.

Gauteng’s smaller dams have also dropped marginally from 99.1% to 98.8% this week, with Bronkhorstspruit Dam in eastern Pretoria dropping from 97% to 96.7%, while Bon Accord in Pretoria north increased slightly from 104.5% to 105.1%.

Roodeplaat and Rietvlei dams remained stable at 100.2% and 99.1% respectively.

In the past week, Northern Cape dam levels increased from 89.9% to 92.9% this week.

KwaZulu-Natal reservoirs remain stable at 58.5% with its coastal belt receiving sporadic rains.

However, the department warned that inner parts of the province, especially Zululand and Umkhanyakude districts, remain dry due to lack of rain.

The North West is holding out at 68.2% having dropped from 68.8% last week. However, the Madibeng, Bojanala and Tswaing Districts continue to experience acute water shortages.

The department said that it is working together with Madibeng Municipality to supply water with water tanks in Maboloka, Jericho, Mothutlung and parts of Letlhabile.

Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces recorded 70. 2% and 62.6% respectively.

Nandoni Dam continues to be a reliable source of water for the Mopani District Municipality with current dam levels at 99.5%.

“An estimated 57 villages in Giyani rely almost exclusively on water that is piped from Nandoni Dam. The project is constructed and managed by the Construction Unit of Water and Sanitation,” the department noted.

Eastern Cape is the only province whose dam levels are threatening to plunge below half as they teeter at 51.2%. The province has dropped last week’s water volumes in its reservoirs from 932. 7 cubic metres to 926.6 cubic metres this week

The department has urged South Africans to continue saving water, and assured them there is no need to panic.

“The current state of water is normal during this time of the season and dam levels are generally expected to increase when rains begin to come down in earnest in the next few months,” the department said.

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has welcomed the arrival of the oil and gas drill rig – DeepSea Stavanger in Cape Town.

The rig has been commissioned by petroleum giant Total and its partners to drill the Luiperd prospect in Block 11B/12B off the Mossel Bay coast, Western Cape.

“The arrival of the drill rig, following the recent successful Brulpadda discovery, reaffirms confidence in South Africa as an investment destination of choice for the exploration of oil and gas. This is despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies around the world,” Mantashe said on Wednesday.

The rig is part of the US$400 million oil and gas exploration drilling campaign by Total, of which R1.5 billion will be spent in South Africa through the hospitality industry; off-shore services and equipment; training and contracting of local companies to support the drilling programme.

Mantashe said the investment will further enable South Africa to diversify its energy mix, as envisioned in the Integrated Resources Plan, by using all the primary energy resources that the country is endowed with, including gas.

“Government will be supporting this project by finalising the Upstream Petroleum Bill which aims to strike a balance between the need to attract investment into this key sector of the economy, and ensuring that oil and gas activities do not happen at the expense of the environment and water resources,” Mantashe said.

The duration of the drilling campaign is expected to be between 180 and 300 days (6 and 12 months).

The Prudential Authority (PA), an entity of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), has expressed its intention to appeal a court judgment setting aside sections of the Venda Building Society (VBS) Bank audit report.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the PA said it considered the Pretoria High Court judgment.

“Following the Senior Counsel’s advice that there are good grounds to appeal the judgment, the PA will proceed to file an application for leave to appeal. The Prudential Authority’s grounds for appeal will be fully addressed in the application for leave to appeal,” read the statement.

On Tuesday, Judge Vivian Tlhapi — in the matter between ANC politician Mamphe Daniel Msiza, Advocate Terry Motau SC and the Prudential Authority — ruled in favour of Msiza. She found that Motau, in compiling the “The Great Bank Heist” report, had unconstitutionally failed to provide Msiza the right of procedural fairness, violating his rights. The PA was ordered to pay Msiza’s legal costs in the matter.

The report relates to the looting of the now defunct VBS Bank. In the report, Msiza is identified as a key protagonist, the middleman who allegedly played a central figure in the facilitation of illegal transactions with several municipalities.

Eight former VBS directors are currently out on bail after they were arrested by the Hawks in June for their alleged role in the plundering of R2 billion from the institution.

A team from the North West Department of Health, led by Administrator Jeanette Hunter, on Wednesday raided offices of the Mmabatho Medical Depot and uncovered unpaid invoices of 50 companies, worth millions.

Some of the unpaid invoices dates back to 2014.

When the Administrator’s team arrived at the department in 2018, the stock level of essential medicine was at 64% and it was improved to about 85% through the intervention.

However, the level started dropping in the beginning of the year and some companies stopped delivering medicines in March 2020 citing non payment of invoices.

The stock levels did not change despite money being made available in April 2020. The department then received technical assistance to speed up payment of suppliers.

Through the intervention, it has come to the attention of the department that a number of invoices were missing.

The Medical Depot could not pay companies as invoices were missing. As a result, companies stopped supplying medication which has affected stock level at the medical depot.

A decision was then taken to raid the offices and block the workers from accessing the depot. The search, which uncovered a number of unpaid invoices, continues.

One unpaid invoice that was found at the Medical Depot in a drawer was worth more than R16 million.

The department confirms that all the invoices will be verified before payment can be processed.

“We owe companies who are the suppliers. As a result, we are unable to get enough supply of medicine from the same companies because we owe them.

“There are people who are employed to process invoices by the Provincial Government and they are not doing their job. This technically leads to unavailability of medicine in the medical depot,” said North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha.

“The raid now provides the management of the department led by the Administrator to work out a plan on how to catch up with payment of suppliers. This will lead to improved availability of medicine which will then be delivered to clinics and hospitals, where they are needed the most.

“It breaks my heart to know that there are people in the department who decide to withhold payment of medicine which should be assisting our parents, family members and communities at large. It’s treasonous and the situation has to be corrected,” he said.

MEC Sambatha said he has noted with dismay that whenever a decision is made to correct the situation at the Medical Depot an anonymous letter always surfaces.

Four managers, two from the Medical Depot and another two from the provincial office in Mahikeng have been put on precautionary suspension, following alleged mismanagement involving expired medication.

A plan to improve delivery timelines and turnaround has been put in place. It involves direct deliveries of medication to hospitals while the Medical Depot will now deliver directly to clinics.