News24.com | LIVE | More nightmare repatriations\, economic strain starting to take its toll

LIVE | More nightmare repatriations, economic strain starting to take its toll

2020-05-06 05:30

News24 team

Stay up to date with the latest news, views and analysis as the number of coronavirus cases in SA increases.

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Last Updated at 07:53
07:45
Airlink ready to make 'new SAA' deal...if it makes sense

Privately-run regional airline Airlink would be open to getting involved in a public-private partnership with a "new" or restructured airline that replaces South African Airways - provided it makes sense, says CEO Rodger Foster.
07:10
Collins Khosa: State failed to correctly instruct SANDF and SAPS, says lawyer

Damning arguments were heard by the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday as lawyer for the family of deceased Alexandra township resident Collins Khosa, Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, made his submission.

Khosa, a father of three, died on April 10 and the “preliminary medical opinion is that the cause of death is directly related to the assault by the members of the SANDF”, said a letter written to President Cyril Ramaphosa by the family.
06:50
Living and breathing Covid-19: Interview with a Cape Town doctor on the front lines

Since January, Dr Arifa Parker has served at the coalface of South Africa’s fight against Covid-19. Biénne Huisman chats to her about what life is like in the eye of the storm.
06:49
Manufacturers behind SA’s struggle to access adequate Covid-19 test materials

Like many other countries, South Africa is struggling to access adequate testing materials to scale up the Covid-19 coronavirus testing.

A key challenge faced by laboratories in South Africa and elsewhere is that most of our diagnostic infrastructure requires the use of proprietary test materials – including reagents, consumables and cartridges.
06:16
OPINION: WHO’s catalogue of failures shines a light on an organisation that has lost its way

Unfortunately, while both the WHO and Trump have been hasty, irresponsible and wrong with their health advice, only Trump will be accountable in November – the WHO, it appears, will never be held accountable, writes Quentin Wray.
06:14

The US coronavirus death toll climbed by 2,333 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Tuesday, more than twice as many as the day before.

The Baltimore-based university said as of 00:30 GMT Wednesday that the country had suffered a total of 71,022 deaths.

On Monday, the United States recorded its lowest daily balance in a month, with 1,015 fatalities.
05:43

Coronavirus morning update: President says no agenda over cigarettes, and warning from SARS boss

The president has rubbished claims there is an agenda from the government in banning of tobacco products during the Level 4 lockdown; and the SARS commissioner says impending joblessness and business closures would hammer revenues even harder.
22:29
The coronavirus death toll in SA continues to rise as 10 more lives have been claimed, taking the death toll to 148. Meanwhile, the number of cases now sits at 7 572, an increase of 352 from Monday.

Here are the top stories of the day

The Department of Public Works, which is responsible with housing repatriated expats for mandatory quarantine, believes it was the victim of a scam after a group which returned from the US were wrongly put up in a dilapidated and dirty facility. They have been moved, and the department is now investigating how the group ended up there.

The Electoral Court has postponed by-elections scheduled for June in a bid to reduce the possible spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The court feared a possible widespread of Covid-19 if the by-elections had been allowed to go ahead as planned. By-elections were set to be held in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West.  

The Presidency has responded to a letter in which two advocates questioned the validity of a government body set up to respond to the coronavirus, saying the advocates’ questions are putting South Africans’ lives in jeopardy.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says grant recipients who received double payments this month because of an administrative “glitch” will have to pay back the money. It is estimated that about 435 000 people in the Western Cape received double payments, while more than 450 000 in KwaZulu-Natal received nothing at all. 

Surfers in Cape Town were arrested at the Muizenberg beach for violating lockdown regulations by standing still during the 06:00 to 09:00 exercise window, in protest of not being allowed to hit the waves. Protesters waved placards as members of the public looked on.




The coronavirus pandemic is starting to take its toll on the SA economy. SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter says the lockdown plus the stalled economy could lead to a shortfall of up to R285 billion in tax. Economies globally have been left bloodied and bruised by the virus, which threw a spanner in the works of most industries.

Kulula owner Comair has gone into business rescue, a decision brought on by the current strict flight restrictions. Meanwhile, The Passenger Rail Authority of SA has proposed job cuts due to its deteriorating financial position brought on by the coronavirus. 

Yet another magazine publisher has announced its closure - this time Caxton says it is withdrawing from magazine publishing, due to declines in readership and other difficulties which have been compounded by the coronavirus outbreak. Magazines affected include Food & Home, Garden & Home, and People. Last Week, Associated Media Publishing, the publisher of the SA version of Cosmopolitan closed down.

A Nigerian court sentenced a man to death in the country's first ever virtual ruling during its five-week coronavirus lockdown. Olalekan Hameed was sentenced to death by hanging for murdering a 76-year-old woman. Stay informed with News24

Beware | A fine during the lockdown means a criminal record
Get involved | Here’s how you can help those in need
The workplace | Here’s how the new office set up should be
Eat | Here are the fast food outlets that will be open during Level four
Transport | Level 4 lockdown rules for cars and taxis
The numbers | Covid-19 in South Africa statistics
FAQs | News24 answers all your questions
Checklist | These are the first symptoms
21:40
10 more Covid-19 deaths, as cases rise by 352

The coronavirus death toll in SA continues to rise as 10 more lives have been claimed, the Health Department says. 

Seven of those deaths have come from the epicentre, the Wetern Cape, while one each came from the Eastern Cape, KZN, and Gauteng. 

The national death toll is now 148. 

Meanwhile, the number of cases now sits at 7 572, an increase of 352 from Monday. 

More to follow
20:51
Coronavirus' effects beginning to take serious strain on the economy

Fin24 has reported on the serious financial position of local entitles 

The owner of airline Kulula, Comair, has gone into business rescue, a decision brought on by the current strict flight restrictions.

Meanwhile, The Passenger Rail Authority of SA has proposed job cuts due to its deteriorating financial position brought on by the coronavirus. 

Yet another magazine publisher has announced its closure - this time Caxton says it is withdrawing from magazine publishing, due to declines in readership and other difficulties which have been compounded by the coronavirus outbreak. Magazines affected include Food & Home, Garden & Home, and People.
20:13
NGO recruits influencers to battle misinformation, chaos in India as alcohol allowed to be sold again - international Covid-19 update

The Red Cross has launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation about the coronavirus and spread lifesaving content about the pandemic.

In India, police swung batons on Monday to beat back thirsty Indians jostling to buy alcohol for the first time in 40 days as the government eased further the world's biggest coronavirus lockdown.

And Uganda began slowly easing coronavirus measures, allowing a number of businesses to re-open, even as its five-week lockdown was extended for another two weeks.
19:28
Struggling without live sport? Well there may be something to satisfy your craving...

As the rest of the sporting world takes a break from competing, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) industry has soldiered on in quite bizarre fashion. 

Even as the United States entered its own lockdown period, WWE was somehow signed off as an "essential service" by the city of Miami and allowed to continue filming. 

No fans have been allowed inside the performance centre during taping, though, and it has made for a testing few weeks for a business that normally feeds off the energy of its live audiences. 

Pictured is legendary wrestler The Undertaker (left) doing battle with Bam Neely. (Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)
19:07
Dept of Basic Education ready to forge ahead with reopening plan after court victory

The Department of Basic Education has welcomed the dismissal of an application in the high court which sought to block the government from resuming teaching at schools under Level 4 of the nationwide lockdown.

The Limpopo High Court struck the matter from the roll on Tuesday, ruling that it did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the Tebeila Institute of Leadership, Governance and Training and the African Institute for Human Rights and Constitutional Litigation on an urgent basis.

The department reiterated that a final reopening date has not been set yet. 
18:53
UK now has second-highest death toll

The UK's death toll from the coronavirus has topped 32 000, according to an updated count released today by the country's Office for National Statistics.

The figures pushed UK past Italy to become the second-most affected country after the US. The new toll has not yet been incorporated into the official daily figures, which record the current number of deaths as 29 427.

The health ministry had previously announced only the deaths in hospitals of those who had tested positive for the virus.

- AFP 
18:34
Western Cape roads get busier over travel 'grace period'

Road travel in the Western Cape picked up during this week's grace period for a once-off movement of people to go home as the lockdown was eased slightly to Level 4.

In terms of changes to nationwide lockdown regulations, a once-off movement of people is allowed this week to accommodate those who were not at home when the lockdown began, or for people who need to move between provinces or metropolitan areas to get home or to work. 

People have until 7 May to make use of this once-off grace period.
18:10
Tobacco ban heats up - now Ramaphosa weighs in

President Cyril Ramaphosa has rubbished claims there is an agenda from the government in banning of tobacco products during the Level 4 lockdown.

"No one is trying to pursue any interests. The only interests we are pursuing is the health of our people, finish and klaar," the president said.

This comes after the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association had launched a legal challenge to South Africa's ban on the manufacture, export and sale of cigarettes.
17:09
More woes for repatriated South Africans, by-elections get postponed, surfers in a tussle with cops and the President sends a warning....

Here are some of the top stories of the day you may have missed:

The Department of Public Works, which is responsible with housing repatriated expats for quarantine, believes it was the victim of a scam after a group which returned from the US were wrongly put up in a dilapidated and dirty facility. They have been moved, and the department is now investigating how the group ended up there.

Surfers in Cape Town were arrested at the Muizenberg beach for violating lockdown regulations by standing still during the 06:00 to 09:00 exercise window, in protest of not being allowed to hit the waves. Protesters waved placards as members of the public looked on.



The Electoral Court has postponed by-elections scheduled for June in a bid to reduce the possible spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The court feared a possible widespread of Covid-19 if the by-elections had been allowed to go ahead as planned. By-elections were set to be held in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the worst of the coronavirus is still to come. He said the important thing was to lessen the pace at which the virus spreads. He was speaking in Durban today. 
 
16:59
Big virus outbreak among medical staff in Spain, Congo prison records more than 100 cases - international Covid-19 news

More than 70% of new virus cases detected in Spain over the past 24 hours have been among medical staff, its health ministry said on Tuesday.

And the DR Congo government fears a "large-scale" spread of the Covid-19 pandemic after around 100 inmates of a military prison tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Lesotho has announced that a coronavirus lockdown would be tentatively lifted, in the only country in Africa yet to report a single case of Covid-19.

And in the US, exports plunged 9.6% in March - the biggest monthly decline on record - increasing the trade deficit to $44.4 billion as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global commerce.
16:35
Urgent court application to stop schools reopening struck off roll

The Polokwane High Court in Limpopo has struck an urgent application off the roll that sought to prevent the Department of Basic Education from reopening schools under Level 4 of the national lockdown.

The application was lodged by the Tebeila Institute for Leadership, Education, Governance and Training and the African Institute for Human Rights and Constitutional Litigation.

- Russel Molefe
15:54
Electoral Court postpones by-elections to curb Covid-19 spread

City Press reports that the Electoral Court has postponed by-elections scheduled for June in a bid to reduce the possible spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Citing a possible widespread of Covid-19 if the by-elections had been allowed to go ahead as planned, the court ruled that the elections be postponed to a later date regardless of a possible infringement to the 90 days legislated period for the filling of councillor vacancies.

By-elections were set to be held in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West. 
15:25
Govt department investigating alleged 'scam' after repatriated expats suffer in 'unhygienic' quarantine facility 

A group of South Africans who were repatriated from the United States on Sunday have endured a nightmare, after they were taken to a facilities that they were not meant to be sent to in what the Minister of Public Works, Patricia de Lille, believes to be a scam.

Speaking to News24, de Lille said the department was investigating an incident where 180 repatriates from the US were taken to different quarantine sites that the department had not signed off on. 

Here is a related video of expats being stranded:
14:54
The new rules about cars, taxis – including a ‘grace period’ when you travel at night in lockdown

The new transport regulations for lockdown Level 4 have just been published, and includes new rules about when you are allowed on the road.
14:14
South Africans may own a big stake in Oxford’s promising Covid-19 vaccine – eventually

Oxford University has already started trials as part of a fast-track vaccine testing process that, as of late April, has global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca behind it.
13:34
13:29
13:16
Prisons, overcrowding and preventing transmission

More than 163 000 people are in correctional facilities in South Africa. Outbreaks of Covid-19 in these prisons can have catastrophic consequences for both prisoners and the public healthcare system. Professor Lukas Muntingh unpacks the issues at stake.
12:54
Virus deaths top 250 000 as billions pledged for vaccine push

The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped a quarter of a million on Tuesday, with the US government predicting a further surge in fatalities as an international vaccine drive garnered $8 billion in pledges.
12:31
12:31
12:30
Ralph Mathekga | Tobacco, booze, grilled chicken: triple threat to government's lockdown authority

Because stubbornness is mistaken for strategy in some quarters, chances are that government would aim to defend the cases in court instead of opting to engage with groups and find a workable solution.
12:15
12:05
12:05
Covid-19 wrap | Russia's cases rise by over 10 000, India embarks on 'massive' repatriation and Spain adds 280 000 jobless during April lockdown

Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.
12:04
Sassa glitch: Recipients of double payments will have to pay back the money - Lindiwe Zulu

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant recipients who received double payments because of a technical glitch will have to pay back their accidental windfall.
12:02
12:01
12:01
12:01
12:00
EXPLAINER | Tobacco, jogging and movement: How the government makes lockdown decisions

Regulations governing South Africa's nationwide lockdown, from those relating to industries that are permitted to resume operations, to those prohibiting the sale of liquor and tobacco, were made by the Cabinet collectively, experts and analysts believe. 
11:59
11:59
04 May 21:51
BREAKING | About 200 repatriated South Africans stranded at OR Tambo airport without food and water

About 200 people who took a flight from Washington DC in the US last night and arrived at OR Tambo this afternoon are stuck on the airport's tarmac with nowhere to go.

One person on the flight who wanted to return home to Cape Town, told News24 that the group was set to be housed at a hotel for quarantine.

He said, however, that the group found out only after landing that there was an issue with an agreement between the government and the hotel, meaning the group has nowhere to go. 

"People are trying to remain in good spirits," he said, "but I don't know how long this will last. We've been here since 17:00 and all I really want is some rest and some food."

The man said not a single government official is there at the airport, but said airport staff had allowed the group to use toilet facilities. They are not, however, allowed to enter the airport terminal. 

He said he is also concerned about where the group may be taken, after hearing reports of unsatisfactory housing arrangements made for those in quarantine. 

News24 has reached out to government departments. This is a developing story.

- Kerushun Pillay

Pictured are those stuck on the tarmac.
04 May 20:40
7 more Covid-19 deaths

Seven more people have died from Covid-19 in South Africa, as the total number of infections hit 7 220, an increase of 437.

Six deaths were from the Western Cape - the epicentre - while one was from KwaZulu-Natal.

The death toll now stands at 138.

However, 2 746 people have recovered.

More to follow.
04 May 19:56
WHO hails 'global solidarity' as world leaders raise $8bn for Covid-19 vaccine

World leaders on called Monday for cooperation in the quest for a coronavirus vaccine, as they pledged $8.1 billion at a fundraising telethon.

However, the conference narrowly missed its target of 7.5 billion euros - although a handful of contributors did not put a sum on their pledges - but UN chief Antonio Guterres warned much more would be needed, putting the final sum required near 38 billion euros (about $41bn).
04 May 16:58
Italy records 50% more deaths than in previous years, Iran opens mosques - international Covid-19 news

Italy recorded 49.4% more deaths across the country in March 2020 than the average for the same month over the previous five years, official data showed.

Meanwhile, Russia has registered a near record in new daily coronavirus cases on Monday as total infections topped 145 000, cementing its position as the European country reporting the most new cases.

Iran has reopened mosques in parts of the country deemed at low risk from coronavirus, as it said almost 80 000 people hospitalised with the illness had recovered and been released - but mosques will have strict regulations. 

Pictured is a man disinfecting a mosque in Frankfurt, Germany. (Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
04 May 15:47
If cigarette sales spread coronavirus, prove it – tobacco association turns to the courts

Government has not shown how the banning of the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products would be instrumental in reducing the spread of Covid-19, the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) has argued in court papers.

The association served government with court papers, filed at the Pretoria High Court, to challenge a decision to retain the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco product sales during Level 4 of the lockdown. FITA is also seeking the courts to have cigarettes and tobacco declared as essential goods.
04 May 15:17
Grant recipients left in the lurch because of a 'glitch' in the payment system

The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) was hit by accidental double payments in some areas, and no payments in others, due to glitches in the system as it tried to make payment days less crowded by extending the dates.

A spokesperson said some beneficiaries had found that their money was not available. She said that some recipients in the Western Cape had been paid double by mistake.

Pictured is a long row of people queuing to collect their social grant payment in Makhaza, Khayelitsha on Day Four of National Lockdown in Cape Town. (Gallo Images/Roger Sedrus)
04 May 14:23
SA's film and TV industry back to work amid Covid-19 – without extras or studio audiences

South Africa's film and TV industry got the green-light to reopen but as cameras start rolling and lights flicker back on it won't be business as usual. 

After the country's film and TV biz was frozen to a standstill for over five weeks during lockdown - except for the ongoing production and broadcast of TV news and current affairs programming- there's a new hope.
04 May 13:46
Sports Minister confirms golf being considered for return behind closed doors

Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa says his department is considering allowing golf to return behind closed doors during the current Covid-19 enforced lockdown.

However, indications were that football (and by association as a contact sport, rugby) were still some way off getting the green light to resume any activity under the current State of Disaster.
04 May 13:27

PICS | Lockdown Level 4: Signs of life return to Cape Town CBD, as some go back to work

Movement started to return to the Cape Town CBD on Monday, the first working day since Level 4 lockdown restrictions were implemented.

The city centre, however, was anything but bustling, and traffic was also not congested. Most people lined up outside ATMs and banks as social grants were disbursed.
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