Pretoria News Weekend Saturday, January 16, 2021

HOSPITAL’S HEAVY BURDEN Sheer volume of cases with more young people seeking treatment caught staff off guard NTANDO MAKHUBU ntando.makhubu@inl.co.za JACQUES NAUDE African News Agency (ANA) BY adhering to the regulations, the public can help alleviate the immense pressure on hospitals and frontline workers during the second wave of Covid-19 in Gauteng. This as patients – many in the prime of their life – flood hospitals, putting pressure on staff and affecting their morale. Yesterday, CEO of Steve Biko Academic Hospital Dr Mathabo Mathebula admitted that while they had been expecting a surge in Covid-19 cases as the second wave hit Gauteng, what caught them somewhat off-guard was the timing, sheer volume of cases, and the number of younger people being affected. "It is extremely emotional for our…

PUSHED BACK Schools’ reopening moved to February 15 VAL BOJE val.boje@inl.co.za COURTNEY AFRICA African News Agency (ANA) PUBLIC and private schools will only reopen officially on February 15. Addressing the media on the start of the 2021 school year, Deputy Minister of Basic Education Reginah Mhaule said the calendar for schools had been revised to move back-to-school from January 13 to January 27, and was now being moved to February 15. After consultations on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Council of Education Ministers, the Heads of Education Departments Committee, the national school governing body associations, teacher unions, learner formations, principals associations, as well as the national associations representing independent schools and learners with special education needs, it was decided to delay the opening for another fortnight. While state schools and…

RESEARCH NEEDED Ivermectin battle could end up in court ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za WHILE medical experts say the science behind the use of Ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19 is inadequate at this stage, civil rights organisation Afri-Forum has instructed its legal team to look into possible legal action after the medication usually used to treat animals was banned for human use. AfriForum is considering this option after the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority banned the medication of which 3.7 billion dosages had already been distributed. Although Ivermectin has been available for human use in several countries for a while, in South Africa it is used only for livestock. AfriForum insists that investigations regarding studies that have already been conducted globally on the use of Ivermectin be carried out as…

Cape Town asks for a later curfew THE City of Cape Town has called for the extension of the curfew by two hours. The city’s MEC for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, James Vos, said he had written to Minister of Cooperative Governance, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to implore her to consider making the curfew 11pm rather than 9pm. “I have been inundated with calls and correspondence from desperate businesses in hospitality, manufacturing, retail and SMMEs across the business value chain, including the Cape Chamber of Commerce and the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, who, after just managing to survive the first round of lockdown, are now facing closure due to having to close their doors by 8pm.” He said Cape Town’s economy relied on the food and beverage, manufacturing,…

CENTENARY YEAR End of an era as Covid claims iconic Hartbeespoort shop ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za THOBILE MATHONSI African News Agency (ANA) WHO on a visit to Hartbeespoort Dam did not stop at the iconic Tan’ Malie se Winkel? But, in the centenary year of its opening, it has become a victim of the pandemic. A liquidation order and sale of assets later this month is the outcome of the owners who rented the building, and ran the shop and restaurant, not being able to pay creditors because of a drastic fall-off in visitors. Dynamic Auctioneers will conduct an online auction of all the memorabilia, including the antique signs. The shop near the dam wall was closed for most of last year due to Covid-19 and creditors applied for a liquidation…

INFLUX: ALARM RAISED ON FAKE COVID-19 RESULTS Stricter border controls to be implemented amid pandemic surge BALDWIN NDABA baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za TIMOTHY BERNARD  African News Agency (ANA) MINISTER of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi is to implement stricter border controls in a bid to stop the illegal movement of people into South Africa, especially while the Covid-19 pandemic is surging in the region. Motsoaledi made the announcement as South Africa experienced an influx of people trying to make their way illegally into the country especially from Zimbabwe; Mozambique and Lesotho. The influx worsened at Beitbridge after the Zimbabwean government introduced stricter lockdown regulations including a 6pm to 6am curfew. Some were this week still converging at the border, hoping to cross into South Africa despite the presence of the SANDF and SAPS, who…