Pretoria News Weekend Saturday, January 23, 2021

‘CANNOT CRIMINALISE CHILDREN UNDER 10’ MASK PUSH BACK ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za CHILDREN under the age of 10 should not be subjected to criminal prosecution if they do not wear a face mask in public, lobby group AfriForum has argued. It has sent a letter to Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in which it calls for an amendment to the adjusted level 3 regulations in order to protect young children from possible wrongful arrest and prosecution should they not wear a mask. Regulation 34 of the regulations makes it compulsory for every person older than the age of 6 to wear a mask which covers the nose as well as the mouth in public. It stipulates that any person who fails to adhere to the…

MEMORANDUM DELIVERED TO PRESIDENCY Pastors demand churches open ‘for support’ RAPULA MOATSHE rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za Thobile Mathonsi African News Agency (ANA) PASTORS yesterday went to the Union Buildings to urge President Cyril Ramaphosa to allow churches to reopen while the country was in lockdown. “It is not a very logical thinking that the restaurants and casinos are open, the gym and cinemas. What is the difference between these places and churches?” spokesperson of Pastors Against Church Closure, Moafrika Maila, said. A group of around 100 representatives from a variety of churches congregated at Church Square yesterday morning to pray for a divine solution to Covid-19 before representatives headed to the Union Buildings, escorted by police and metro police, to hand over a memorandum to a representative from the Presidency. The protest comes…

TRAGEDY Doctor killed in chopper crash had helped treat Mthembu IOL REPORTER THE FATAL flight of the Netcare 911 helicopter was delayed because one of the doctors on board had earlier in the day been called upon to assist a team trying to save the life of the Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu, who died on Thursday. This tragic turn of events was revealed by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who sent his condolences to the families of the five people who died when the helicopter crashed near Bergville en route to Durban. Those on board have been identified as Dr Kgopotso Rudolph Mononyane, an anaesthetist, Dr Curnick Siyabonga (Sia) Mahlangu, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and Mpho Xaba, a specialist theatre nurse, all from Netcare Milpark Hospital, along with Sinjin Joshua…

LEGAL CHALLENGES MOUNT AGAINST REGULATIONS THE issue of children and masks is not the only legal challenge facing the government. It is expected that Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will be served with an urgent application against the implementation plan for the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines. This comes after the minister failed to respond by Thursday to a letter of demand that was issued by court papers by AfriForum and Solidarity. According to AfriForum, there was more than enough time for her to respond to questions and they accuse the government of playing a reckless game in the midst of a pandemic. “A government incapable of demonstrating basic transparency on matters of such a serious nature cannot be given the benefit of the doubt,” Ernst…

Tropical cyclone heads our way TROPICAL Storm Eloise in the Mozambique Channel was forecast to intensify into a tropical cyclone yesterday and make landfall around Vilankulas today. Heavy rainfall, strong winds and thunderstorms are expected in several districts of Mozambique and stretch along the South African Indian Ocean coastline. The South African Weather Service warned of extreme rainfall which could lead to flooding in the eastern lowveld and escarpment and northern KwaZulu-Natal. The KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has placed disaster management teams on alert. The system may lead to some rain in Gauteng and North West on Monday, but not of the same extreme nature. Saws is monitoring the system and will notify residents of any changes in the storm’s behaviour. Pretoria can expect another hot…

COURT NPA charges Beale with murder, fraud STAFF REPORTER PAEDIATRIC surgeon Prof Peter Beale, who is accused of causing the death of a 10-year-old boy during surgery, has been charged with murder. Beale and anaesthetist Dr Abdulhay Munshi were charged with culpable homicide after Zayyaan Sayed, 10, died following a routine laparoscopic operation at Joburg’s Park Lane Hospital in October 2019. The operation, which was expected to last an hour and a half, took almost four and soon after, Zayyaan’s lung collapsed. He was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU), but died. Life Healthcare, under which the Park Lane falls, suspended the two doctors and the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) investigated the case. The two were later arrested and charged with culpable homicide. On Wednesday the National…