Innholdsfortegnelse for Saturday, December 19, 2020 i Pretoria News Weekend

Country loses 24 000 to Covid-19 COVID-19 is continuing its spread during the second wave of infections in the country, with the death toll topping 24 000 and more than 9 000 new confirmed cases reported on Thursday. On Wednesday, the country topped 10 000 new cases for the first time since August. During the first wave, the highest number of daily new infections confirmed was 13 994 on July 24. To date there have been 892 813 confirmed cases. Some 184 people died as a result of Covid-19 on Thursday, with the Eastern Cape recording 103 fatalities. The Eastern Cape now has the highest number of total deaths at 5 873, followed by the Western Cape at 5 288 and Gauteng at 5 146. Figures for the other provinces:…

COMPETITION Win a copy of latest Madame & Eve collection STAFF REPORTER THE popular Madam & Eve collection has a new addition: Days of Our Lock-down Lives, published by Jacana. The Madame & Eve collection was first published in 1993 with more than 30 published in South Africa and a number in other languages. Written and illustrated by Stephen Francis and Rico (Enrico Schacherl), you will find all the favourite characters, including Gwen Anderson and Eve Sisulu, Gwen’s gin-drinking mother and young Thandi. The new collection has as a primary theme lockdown, but there are many other reflections on talking points of the past year including reference to SAA and Eskom, the EFF, the Public Protector, and the Zondo Commission. Loot price is R135 (instead of R185-R199 in the book…

UCT’s Phakeng a THE top achiever UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been named among the Times Higher Education’s (THE) 10 People of the Year. Phakeng is among the people “who mattered in higher education in 2020”. The list comprises “the academics and administrators who have shaped the debate in the past 12 months”. According to THE: “There is no doubt that higher education will need strong, transformational leadership as the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, and few people embody this more than Phakeng. “Vice-chancellor of UCT since 2018, she continued to speak out powerfully against inequality in South Africa and in academia globally over the past year… ” Speaking at this year’s THE World Academic Summit, Phakeng said universities needed to show more “reflection and humility” around their…

ICYMI | IOL.CO.ZA SA SHOUID NOT BE STARVING Ultimately, the greatest lesson that Covid-19 can teach humanity is that we are all in this together. KIraN MazUMDar-shaw Indian billionaire entrepreneur While the poverty and food insecurity rates are alarming, there is no justification for a single South African going hungry in a middle-income country with abundant natural resources and sufficient capital to support all, should an effective taxation system be applied, and maladministration and corruption be eliminated.…

Bombing at Qur’an reading ceremony GHAZN: A suspected bomb killed at least 15 people, including 11 children, yesterday at a Qur’an recitation ceremony in central Afghanistan, officials said. Initial information suggested that explosives were placed in a rickshaw in a district of Ghazni province, interior ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said. At least 20 people were wounded. Afghanistan continues to be hit by violence even as the Afghan government and the insurgent Taliban have been holding meetings since September to discuss an end to the 19-year war. Western countries have begun a sharp troop drawdown. Most of the victims in yesterday’s attack were under 18 years old, Wahidullah Jumazada, spokesperson for the provincial governor of Ghazni said. Reuters…

NIGERIA Tired but smiling, dozens of freed pupils return home DOZENS of boys who were rescued from kidnappers in north-west Nigeria arrived back home yesterday, many of them barefoot and clutching blankets. TV pictures showed the boys dressed in dusty clothes, looking weary but otherwise well, getting off buses in the city of Katsina and walking to a government building. One of them, with flecks of dried mud on his face, told Channels TV their captors fed them bread and cassava. “It was cold,” he told the reporter. Asked how he felt when the bus arrived in Katsina, he said: “I was really happy,” and broke into a smile. “We are grateful. “We are very grateful. “We are very grateful,” a man who said he was the father of two…

BURUNDI Former president Buyoya dies from Covid-19 PARIS: The former president of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya has died in Paris of Covid-19 at the age of 71, several close relatives said yesterday. “President Pierre Buyoya died last night in Paris. He had Covid-19,” a member of his family said, requesting anonymity. Buyoya served as special envoy of the AU to Mali and the Sahel since 2012 until last month, when he resigned. Buyoya “had been hospitalised Wednesday last week in Bamako where he was placed on a respirator,” the family member said. “He was evacuated to Paris yesterday afternoon,” the source said. Buyoya resigned as AU envoy last month after being sentenced to life imprisonment in Burundi the month prior over the 1993 assassination of his successor, which he denounced as…

3 THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 Truth About Cosmetic Treatments: BBC Earth at 7pm Never before have women – and men – spent more on cosmetic treatments. Science has advanced so that knife-free “tweakments” are available at a fraction of the cost of traditional surgery. This film unearths the modern reality of self-enhancement. MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 Father Brown Christmas Special S6: BBC Brit at 8pm It’s December, and Father Brown, Mrs McCarthy and Bunty are visited by an old friend as they make mince pies and decorate the presbytery. Sid has returned for Christmas, bearing gifts from Lady Felicia. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 Manhunt: Deadly Games S2: M-Net at 9.30pm The miniseries based on a crime drama on real events, sees security guard Richard Jewell save hundreds of…

YOUR STARS Barbara Kiselev If today is your birthday: See yourself in a new light this new year, and you can achieve so much. It’s never been easier, so take all those opportunities. You may be tested, but you’re up for it. No problem you can’t overcome, no challenge too big. Aries (21 March-20 April) No time better than the present to think about your career, as the year winds down. Things can possibly be greatly improved. Perhaps some advance, and you’ll finally find yourself in a better position, than you were earlier in the year. Taurus (21 April-21 May) You may have great challenges this week ahead. Or maybe things are just falling into place. Either way you are changing things up. A fresh new attitude, brings you closer…

TENNIS Women’s tennis set to serve aces HERMAN GIBBS Supplied ROXANNE Clarke will become part of South African tennis history when she leads the country' first Billie Jean King Cup team in the Europe/Africa Zone Group III competition next year. She has just been appointed captain of the SA women's team for four years. The newly named Billie Jean King Cup competition was previously known as the Fed Cup and even earlier the Federation Cup. It is the world's biggest annual women's international team sports competition. She takes over from former international star Rene Plant who held the reins for the past four years, and her term has ended. Plant, a former junior Wimbledon singles finalist, decided not to re-apply for the post. The 35-year-old Clarke was raised on the…

The pupil who said ‘no’ to a matric rewrite VAL BOJE val.boje@inl.co.za WHAT made a matric girl decide to challenge the minister and Department of Basic Education after the announcement of the planned rewrite of two exam papers? The 18-year-old, whose name appears on the judgment that came as a relief to 391 000 matrics who, as a result, did not have to rewrite maths paper 2 and 282 000 who did not have to write science again, is Lienke Spies. Asked about it, she said it was the stress of the exams after an unsettled year that spurred her on. “When I sat for the first session of the exam, I was literally sick because of the stress. The prospect of going through that same stress again is what…

Ramaphosa appoints climate commission PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a long-awaited Climate Change Coordinating Commission to coordinate and oversee the transition towards a low-carbon and climate change resilient economy. A statement from the Presidency this week said the commission, an initiative resulting from a jobs summit held in October 2018, would provide independent monitoring and review of South Africa’s progress in meeting its emissions reduction and adaptation goals. “Under the commission’s terms of reference it will advise on and facilitate a common understanding of a just transition, cognisant of the socio-economic, environmental and technological implications of climate change,” the Presidency said. “This covers adaptation, mitigation as well as means of implementation.” The commission, under deputy chair Valli Moosa, will provide a platform for the engagement of stakeholders on the National…

CRIME SAPS arrest one of their own for corruption LIAM NGOBENI liam.ngobeni@inl.co.za THE SAPS in Gauteng have arrested one of their own for alleged corruption and defeating the ends of justice. The 43-year-old male constable from the Silverton K-9 Unit was arrested by the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit following media reports of corruption. Gauteng Commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela confirmed that the arrest came after the allegations were brought to the attention of management by producers of an investigative journalism-related TV series in November. According to the story, a complainant reported that his car had been stolen during a house burglary in Pretoria in December last year. He said he was contacted in January 2020 and advised by police that his car had been recovered and he should bring R20000 in cash…

Well-known legal eagle dies aged 90 PRETORIA attorney Isaac “Ike” Swartz-berg has died. His son Mark Swartzberg, who is also an attorney, said his father had complained of a cold last week, and was admitted to hospital when his condition deteriorated. He tested positive for Covid-19. But Mark believed that this was not the cause of death, rather that his father’s heart simply gave in, as he had lived with a pacemaker for years. “He was 90 and had a good life,” his son said. Swartzberg defended hundreds of people in the criminal courts over the decades. One of the big cases he was involved in as a defence lawyer was the well-known 1970s Vonsteen love triangle murder. While Mark could not remember exactly when his father started his law…

LAID BACK May it be a cool Yule on which to end the year JOUBERT MALHERBE ABOUT half an hour after we booked into the chalet we were hiring in the KZN Midlands, the mother of all lightning strikes hit. I was having a little lie-down after the journey and had nodded off. As a result, I was somewhat startled by the ferocity of the storm – “Jumpin’ Jack Flash/it’s a gas gas gas…” indeed. The sky had been pale blue, but rapidly became overcast and grey – just as it was on hanging day in the Bob Dylan song about Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. The weather remained pretty much that way during our entire stay at Midlands Saddle and Trout. There was no call at all…

CARPING POINT Let’s do Christmas differently this year KEVIN RITCHIE @RitchKev THE armchair critics had a field day this week. George Orwell once proclaimed all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Here in South Africa, it’s the beaches. The tin foil hats and deepstaters are convinced this is WMC (white monopoly capital) at play – or maybe it’s RET (radical economic transformation) because the problem with these lobbies is that the membership differs depending on whose Christmas present is being played with. That’s right, Uncle Cyril held a family meeting this week. He’s looking tired. It’s been a k** year for most of us, him included. If Santa’s handing out gifts for patience next Friday, the president should find one in his Christmas stocking at…

Reward for fugitive Tigrayan leaders ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia is offering a 10-million birr (R3.8m) reward to anyone with information on the fugitive leaders of the rebellious force in the northern region of Tigray, the government said yesterday. The reward to help capture leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was announced on state-run broadcaster EBC and tweeted by the government’s taskforce on the Tigray crisis. TPLF leaders, believed to be hiding in the mountains since the capital of the region was captured by federal forces on November 28, have said that they are fighting back. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and nearly a million fled during air strikes and groundbattles in Tigray last month. Ethiopia, host to the AU headquarters, is a diplomatic heavyweight in…

PANDEMIC WHO to get 2 billion doses of vaccine A UN-LED initiative to share Covid-19 vaccines fairly between poorer and richer countries has secured access to nearly 2 billion doses, the project partners announced yesterday. At least 1.3 billion of these doses will be offered to 92 developing countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and several global health funds that back the so-called Covax project. “With today’s news, the light at the end of the tunnel has grown a little bit brighter,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Covax plans the first vaccine deliveries in the first quarter of next year, with the aim of protecting health workers and social care workers first. With further doses becoming available in following months, the Covax project partners aim…

FIJI Powerful cyclone tears across archipelago A POWERFUL cyclone pounded Fiji, killing two people, including a three-month old baby, and leaving a trail of destruction across the Pacific Island nation, authorities said yesterday. Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm, made landfall over Bua province on the northern island of Vanua Levu on Thursday evening, bringing torrential rain, widespread flooding and winds of up to 285km/h across the archipelago. Scores of houses were destroyed, while power was cut to some areas and roads blocked by fallen trees and flash flooding, authorities said. Images shared on social media showed roads blocked by landslides, floodwaters and power lines. All roads in Rakiraki, a district on the main island with about 30000 residents, were flooded, Fiji’s Road Authority said. Fiji Prime Minister Frank…

BOOKS Even in a good marriage, being first lady is the worst BEFORE every campaign of Barack Obama’s political career, he knew he needed Michelle’s buy-in. Even though she gave the go-ahead each time, the former president writes in his recent memoir, A Promised Land, she set boundaries around her involvement in any campaign and made it clear when she wasn’t happy. With Obama away from home so often – first in Springfield, Illinois, and then in Washington, DC – the bulk of the domestic duties fell to her, he writes, and that’s not how they had envisioned their partnership. When it came time for his biggest ask – What did she think of him running for president? – Michelle said no. But after some time passed, they discussed it…

Covid yorks Proteas again STUART HESS stuart.hess@inl.co.za TWO members of the Proteas Test squad tested positive for Covid-19, Cricket South Africa announced yesterday. The latest tests followed the last round of the Four-Day Domestic Series, in which two matches were directly impacted by positive Covid-19 tests. Ten players, picked in the initial Test squad, were involved in those matches. The players, who tested positive will not go into the bio secure environment today, and instead will isolate immediately. In keeping with Cricket SA’s policy the players weren’t identified. It is a significant blow to the Proteas, in a season where the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the sport. On Thursday Cricket SA postponed the Four-Day Domestic Series until next year after the positive tests this week. The match between the…

State vaccine plans challenged Health body and opposition party want answers STAFF REPORTER THE Health Justice Initiative is threatening to go to court to get access to plans for the planned roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa, while the DA is to complain formally that the deadline for a down payment for the Covax programme to procure and distribute a Covid-19 vaccines was missed. This week the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) announced it would perform rolling reviews of the safety and efficacy of all vaccine candidates, and that it had received its first submission from Johnson & Johnson. The company’s vaccine is one of at least 200 in development worldwide, 11 of which are in advanced stages of testing with four being trialled in the country:…

CHARITY Cyclist puts pedal to the metal to support young boys SAKHILE NDLAZI sakhile.ndlazi@inl.co.za MORNé Basson, who broke a Guinness World Record last year for the most consecutive half marathons, has just added another record to his belt: cycling 72km a day for 72 days on a stationary bicycle. Previously he ran 21km a day on a treadmill for 72 days to draw attention to motor neuron disease; this time he was focused on mental health issues faced by young men and mentorship. He started his tour on October 9 using different Planet Fitness gyms and urging people to sponsor him at R72 a month, with money going to the Character Company which provides mentors for boys between the ages of eight and 10. The Character Company helps young boys…

Bail for accused in Nathaniel murder ONE of the three police officers at the centre of a murder case involving disabled Eldorado Park teenager Nathaniel Julies been granted bail. Sergeant Voster Netshiongolo was granted R10000 bail at the Protea Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Netshiongolo, Sergeant Simon Ndyalvane and Constable Caylene Whiteboy were arrested in connection with the death of Nathaniel who was shot in August. They were all attached to the Eldorado Park police station. Ndyalvane and Whiteboy face charges of murder, discharging of a firearm in a public place, being in possession of prohibited ammunition and defeating the ends of justice. Netshiongolo had been charged with defeating the ends of justice and being in possession of prohibited ammunition. Magistrate David Mhango had denied them bail, saying they had failed to…

BOPHELO RECYCLING IS AN AWARD-WINNING BUSINESS ‘Trash is bread’ for this project SAMEER NAIK sameer.naik@inl.co.za The Saturday Star SHE spent her life in a town with high rates of unemployment and a drug problem among its youth, and it’s always been a dream of Johanna Leshabane’s to be able to help her community in a positive way. But her dream took a huge knock two years ago, when she was retrenched from her job as a store manager at a retail outlet in Ermelo, Mpumalanga. Leshabane found herself among the thousands of other local residents who were unemployed. “It was an extremely difficult time for me. I had nowhere near enough capital to start my own business. “Ninety-five percent of our youth don’t have matric, and they are not…

COMMENT 2020’s proven that life is too short to trifle with lINDsaY slOgrOvE lindsay.slogrove@inl.co.za “THEY” say there are two types of people: those who live to eat, and those who eat to live. “They” say an awful lot of things but “they” are correct with this observation. With thanks to my friend Peta, who first made me laugh with this expression, I have a kitchen only because it came with the house. It’s there to dish up the muesli or make the toast or the occasional fried eggs that are staples. It’s also the spot the five dogs gather around for the peanut butter sarmies we share. They have theirs, so I can cunningly disguise the medicine they need and won’t take any other way, and I get mine for…

EDITORIAL Festive Covid caution IF WE are unable to enjoy the festive season, as we have done in previous years, we have only ourselves to blame. Despite repeated warnings and reminders about the need to wear masks, sanitise, maintain safe distances when in public and to keep the numbers of people at gatherings to a minimum, we thought we knew better. As the rate of infection slowed down, we let our guard down. We joined the throngs looking for bargains on Black Friday, we held braais, we travelled in packed taxis and, despite all logic, sent our children to Rage festivals, with a predictable rise in infections among teens who attended the events. On Thursday night, Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced there had been more than 9 000 new…

New ‘leash’ on life for rescued dogs LOS ANGELES: Dozens of dogs saved from slaughterhouses in China will meet their new fur-ever families in California this weekend thanks to a Big Apple-based rescue group. The 27 pooches — including 18 adorable beagles — will be flown 14 hours from Beijing to Los Angeles by No Dogs Left Behind, which rescues pups from the dog meat trade. To save the dogs destined for the dinner plate, volunteer Jeffrey Beri and a group of animal activists spent 10 months — in “tougher than normal” pandemic conditions — following meat trucks and confronting the owners of illegal wet markets and slaughterhouses in China, the group said. The dogs are scheduled to families in Oregon, Colorado and California. No Dogs Left Behind, which partnered…

The People Royal family ‘to keep in touch via Zoom’ this Christmas BRITAIN: Prince Harry will reportedly keep in touch with the Royal family over Zoom this Christmas. The Duke of Sussex will video call his family from his home in California over the festive season, as they can’t all be together due to the coronavirus pandemic. A source told Entertainment Tonight: “The family is planning Zoom calls and games online because they can’t all spend Christmas at Sandringham together like they normally do.” Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have a small Christmas celebration with their 19-month-old son Archie and the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland. The source said: “The couple will be spending Christmas at home in California quietly with Archie and Doria joining them. Meghan, who…

OLYMPIC GAMES Breakdancing wins a spot in Paris 2024 to attract youth THE inclusion of breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics may been surprising, but organisers were drawn to the sport’s potential to attract a younger fanbase and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age, Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said. Breakdancing was one of four new sports to win a spot at the Games in Paris – alongside surfing, skateboarding and sports climbing – after the International Olympic Committee ratified their inclusion earlier this month. Estanguet said most of the feedback he had received had been overwhelmingly positive. “What attracted us to this sport was its ability to attract the youth,” he said. “It’s very impressive, technically and physically, what these athletes manage to do, and that’s why we…

TELEVISION Encouraging people of colour to speak up TARAJI P Henson is here to deliver something that can seem in short supply these days: peace of mind. That’s the name of a new Facebook Watch show the Golden Globe-winning actress and Oscar nominee will debut on Monday. A long-time mental health advocate, Henson wants to normalise the conversation around mental health issues, particularly among African-Americans, who are less likely to seek treatment and more likely to encounter racial disparities when they do. It’s a mission that’s personal to the Henson: her late father, a Vietnam veteran, struggled with mental health issues. In 2018, she launched a non-profit bearing his name; the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation connects African-Americans to mental health resources, including – as of earlier this year – free…

TV GUIDE SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER Boxing: International Catchweight: Patrick Ferguson v Kevin Lerena (10 Rounds), 6.30pm, VR4, ACT (7.15pm) Cricket: Big Bash Twenty20: Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Renegades, 2.05am, CRI; Test Series: Australia v India, First Test, Day 3, 5.50am, GSD, CRI Golf: LPGA Tour: CME Group Tour Championship, Day 3, 8pm, GOL Rugby: Currie Cup - Premier Division: Tafel Lager Griquas v Vodacom Bulls, 4pm, RUG, GSD; Xerox Lions v Cell C Sharks, 6.45pm, GSD, RUG; Heineken Champions Cup: Leinster Rugby v Northampton Saints, 2.55pm, ACT; Gloucester Rugby v Ulster Rugby, 5.10pm, ACT; Sale Sharks v Edinburgh Rugby, 9.55pm, RUG Soccer: Premier League: Crystal Palace v Liverpool, 1.30pm, EPL, SSM (2.15pm), Southampton v Manchester City, 4.30pm, EPL, SSM (4.45pm); Everton v Arsenal, 7pm, EPL, SSM (7.15pm); Newcastle United v…