Sunday Independent Sunday, January 17, 2021

GRAFT State capture: CR ‘must come clean’ Political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga says Molefe’s allegations are serious and place Ramaphosa at the centre of Eskom crisis MANYANE MANYANE manyane.manyane@inl.co.za THE allegations levelled against President Cyril Ramaphosa by former Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe are serious and place the ANC leader at the centre of decision-making at the embattled power utility. This is according to political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga, who urged Ramaphosa to also appear before the Zondo Commission and give his version of events. This comes after Molefe told the Zondo Commission this week that Ramaphosa had been involved in state capture and the peddling of political influence for personal benefit. He said Ramaphosa used his position as the country’s deputy president to protect and secure lucrative coal deals…

COVID-19 Lehohla slams MAC over vaccines MANYANE MANYANE and AMANDA MALIBA FORMER Statistician-General Pali Lehohla has launched a scathing attack on the government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee of health experts (MAC), saying they dismissed without scientific basis a Covid-19 medical solution discovered by local pulmonologist Dr Emmanuel Taban. Calling on the MAC to review its decision, Iris Bajabulile Conochie, the co-founder of the Mpumalanga-based company, said the firm’s potential coronavirus pharmaceutical intervention was stymied by senior government officials despite a CSIR study having confirmed its capability to inhibit the growth of the Sars-CoV-2 virus and subsequently recommending animal and human trials in October last year. Lehohla told Sunday Independent that Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize’s advisors rejected Taban’s therapeutic bronchoscopy procedure in November last year even though it had already cured…

Tail Piece ‘GO FOR IT,’ SAYS FIRST PERSON VACCINATED IN INDIA’S COVID-19 CAMPAIGN Hospital cleaning worker Manish Kumar became the first person in India to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched one of the world’s largest immunisation campaigns to bring the pandemic under control. Kumar received his shot at Delhi’s premier All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one of 3,006 vaccination centres established around the country. Reuters…

SAPS Concerns over SAPS suspensions KARABO NGOEPE karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za TOP SAPS officials have raised concerns about the suspension of more than 10 senior officers, saying the move was unprecedented and has weakened the police. They say they believe there are ulterior motives behind the high rate of suspensions and investigation of senior police officers for various allegations. The sources say it for the first time in the history of the country where so many members are either suspended, under investigation or being dismissed. "This is unprecedented. The organisation is being weakened and almost every week, more and more officers are being targeted," said a source speaking on condition of anonymity. Currently, about 10 senior members of SAPS are either in courts, being investigated internally, suspended or face dismissal. The list includes…

TailPiece TENNIS-COVID CASES ON PLAYER FLIGHTS LEAVE AUSTRALIAN OPEN BUILDUP ThE build-up to next month’s Australian Open was thrown into disarray on Saturday when 47 players were forced into two weeks of strict hotel quarantine after coronavirus infections were reported on two chartered flights carrying them to Melbourne. Two dozen players and their staff landed from Los Angeles to go into quarantine after an aircrew member and a passenger, who was not a player, tested positive for COVID-19. A further 23 players arriving by a chartered flight from Abu Dhabi met a similar fate after another non-player passenger was found positive, the organisers of the year’s first grand slam said in a statement. The players will “not be able to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days and until they…

EDITOR’S NOTE A great newshound with a heart of gold zINGIsA MKHUMA zingisa.mkhuma@inl.co.za WE RECENTLY lost Solly Maphumulo. The late news editor of the Sunday Independent died last week due to complications related to her contraction of Covid-19. My heart bleeds for Solly’s family, her mom, sister, brothers, and her friends. I know it takes effort, love, faith, hope, prayers, tears, strength and many sacrifices for a mother to raise an African child and to nurture her into what Solly finally became – a great newshound with a big heart of gold. Solly, like many children from poor black families, represented the hope and aspiration of her parents, siblings and her community. It is the norm in many of our African families, once a child has overcome all the ills…