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Ramaphosa to address the nation at 8pm

By Chris Fallen

Image: Gov SA

South Africans were abuzz on Thursday with reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa might be addressing the nation on Thursday afternoon or evening.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday address the nation on the continuing efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the presidency has said.

“The president’s address follows a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council held yesterday, 8 April 2020 and consultations that the president would have held during the course of the day with various social partners during the course of the day.”

The president’s televised address will be at 8 pm.

South Africans have eagerly been awaiting news on whether the current lockdown will be extended from its initially announced end date of next Thursday, 16 April.

The country’s frayed nerves were not helped this week by Ramaphosa joking with journalists on Tuesday that although he had said the lockdown would end on 16 April, he had not said what year it would be.

Ramaphosa said this week he still had to make “serious decisions” about the lockdown after considering all the options based on scientific modelling, advice and the economic impact of the lockdown, suggesting government is yet to make up its mind about lifting the lockdown, or even just easing it. The restrictions have put a stranglehold on an economy that was already in distress before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world.

Government has said it will only be able to assess the effectiveness of the initial 21-day lockdown in the days ahead, suggesting any announcement about ending this lockdown as planned or extending it will only come next week, though Ramaphosa’s surprise announcement of an address may change all that.

The presidency’s spokesperson had earlier warned South Africa against “fake news on social media” about any address by Ramaphosa. Spokesperson Khusela Diko pointed out that an official advisory would have been sent if something so important were going to happen.

“Anything other than an official advisory is fake news,” she said, only for it to later turn out to be true.

The only planned activity for the president on Thursday that had earlier been announced was his trip to the department of health’s Covid-19 Information Centre at the CSIR.

The data from this centre will play a significant role in any future decisions the National Command Council will take.

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Sassa changes grant payout dates, will no longer pay on the 1st

by Chris Fallen

Image: SA Gov TwitterSassa

has announced that from May, disability and older persons’ grants will be paid over two days from the fourth of each month, while all other grants will be paid from the sixth. From May onwards, social grants will be paid three days later than usual for pensioners and people with disabilities, and five days later for other grant recipients.

The government has decided to delay the payment of grants to avoid the month-end rush, which has resulted in a stampede in some cases, as grant recipients and other people who get paid at the end of the month descend on banks and shopping centres to withdraw cash.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) said this was one of the lessons learnt from the last payment cycle during the national lockdown, which compelled the agency to review the payment dates going forward.From May, disability and older persons’ grants will be paid over two days from the fourth of each month, while all other grants will be paid from the sixth.

The grant payment for April was brought forward to March 30. The first two days – March 30 and 31 – were dedicated to those with disabilities and older people, to ensure compliance with the state of disaster requirements.The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is providing food parcels and vouchers to temporary disability grant recipients whose grants expired …But “impatient” child support grant beneficiaries could not wait for the April 1 and descended upon payment channels as early as March 30, said Sassa chief executive Busisiwe Memela on Wednesday.

Memela said this posed all sorts of health challenges and it became difficult at some stores and ATMs to maintain social distancing.”There was also a nasty scene in a Dobsonville shopping centre in Soweto, where a group of youngsters were captured on video pushing older people in order to access payment infrastructure first,” she said.In response to this, Sassa started consulting roleplayers such as the National Treasury, the SA Post Office, the Banking Association, retailers and the Consumer Goods Council.

What came out of this was that people with disabilities and the elderly need to be protected from the month-end rush at payment outlets, and their grant payments need to be staggered so that they receive their grants before others do.”To effect this, Sassa will make use of two payment files. The first one will cover the aged and the disabled, while the second payment file will cover all other grant types,” said Memela.

Memela explained that some pensioners who use one card to also receive child support and foster child grants will be able to access all linked grants from the fourth of every month.”Once the money is in the account, it will remain there until it is needed,” she said, adding that there is no need to rush to withdraw cash on the day that Sassa deposits it into one’s account.

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Police use rubber bullets to stop homeless people leaving Cape Town camp

Street people claim they are not being fed and were deceived about conditions at Strandfontein Sports Grounds camp.

by Chris Fallen
Image: online

Homeless people at the Strandfontein Sports Grounds, Cape Town, were shot at with rubber bullets by police after they began to protest about conditions at the tent camp set up as part of the national lockdown to disrupt the spread of Covid-19.

The protest possibly broke out after some people who were moved to the camp demanded to be let out. Many people GroundUp spoke to said they had not been properly fed and they did not have access to basic amenities.

GroundUp saw a group of homeless people break down a barrier fence. Police then shot at the group with rubber bullets. They retaliated by throwing stones. Soon after, a huge police contingent quashed the camp rebellion.

Street people across the city have been grouped in four different tents, according to where they were picked up by police. Each tent has a small outside area surrounded by fencing. It is believed that the tent at the epicentre of the protest housed people from the southern suburbs. This tent is now under total lockdown.

Since Sunday evening, hundreds of homeless people have been moved to the City’s temporary site at the Strandfontein Sports Grounds, as part of the City’s response to the national disaster. Upon arrival, people are screened for Covid-19. There are no other health services for the many underlying health issues, including mental health, substance dependency, and chronic illness.

There are many people in the camp with chronic illnesses, such as HIV and TB, and there is no identifiable way that people with these conditions can get access to treatment. There is no protective equipment, such as masks, and there is one basin at each marquee for people to wash their hands.

Inside the tents, there is no social distancing. Some people have set up smaller tents inside the marquee, but most are sleeping close together, because of lack of insulation inside the tents.

Many of the people GroundUp spoke to claimed they were told that they would be moving to individual accommodation, and would be fed and kept warm. They were not informed about the conditions at the camp. Many now want to leave.

The City has said that homeless people were moved to prevent a health crisis, but according to health professionals who have witnessed conditions at the camp, the camp may be putting people at risk. Doctors visiting the site expressed shock at the conditions. One described it as a “shitshow”.

Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith released a statement on Tuesday afternoon. He said that the conflict involved a newly arrived group of street people from Somerset West.

“They were under the impression that they would be allowed to return to their areas after being screened at the site, and when it became clear that they were required to remain in Strandfontein, a few of them pulled down one of the internal fences and four climbed over the perimeter wall,” said Smith. “Three have since been apprehended.”

Smith continued: “While some of the group has since indicated that they will remain on site, the City would like to make it clear that, according to SAPS, any person who leaves the site will be in violation of the national lockdown regulations and will be dealt with accordingly.”

He said: “The City remains committed to ensuring that street people are offered a place to stay for the duration of the lockdown, as instructed by national government, and to provide the necessary amenities.”

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Ramaphosa puts Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave, orders her to publicly apologise

08/04/2020 by Chris Fallen

Image: online

President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a firm stance against Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, following allegations that Ndabeni-Abrahams breached lockdown regulations by visiting a friend.

On Wednesday, Ramaphosa put Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave and directed her to apologise publicly after a picture of her having a meal at the home of former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana went viral on social media.

The post, which appears to be a screengrab of Manana’s Instagram page, shows the two politicians and several others seated at a table.Ramaphosa summoned Ndabeni-Abrahams to a meeting on Tuesday where he expressed his disapproval and told her that she undermined lockdown regulations which required all citizens to stay at home to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has asked South Africa to find it in their hearts to forgive her for breaking lockdown regulations and has issued an apology to the nation.On Wednesday, Ramaphosa said in a statement that while he accepted Ndabeni-Abrahams’ apology, he was “unmoved” by mitigating factors she tendered.As for allegations that Ndabeni-Abrahams breached lockdown regulations, Ramaphosa said the law should take its course.

He reprimanded Ndabeni-Abrahams, put her on a special leave for two months, of which one month will be unpaid, and asked her to deliver a public apology.”The nationwide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans. Members of the national executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who are having to make great sacrifices.”None of us – not least a member of the national executive – should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation.

I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no-one is above the law,” Ramaphosa said.While Ndabeni-Abrahams is on special leave, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in her place.On Tuesday, Manana attempted to set the record straight, saying he and Ndabeni-Abrahams were on essential business during the lunch.He said Ndabeni-Abrahams had dropped by his private residence to collect gloves, masks and hand sanitisers, which was a donation to students working on “Covid-19 digital services”.

Manana added the donation was from his foundation and another donation was expected to be made on Wednesday.”In hindsight, it was irresponsible to post a picture without giving a clear context and thereby creating the impression that it was a social lunch. For this, I profusely apologise,” Manana said.

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5 important things happening in South Africa today

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

Coronavirus: Global coronavirus cases have reached 1,431,973, with deaths at 82,096. While 302,209 people have recovered, over 1 million cases remain active, with 47,895 people in serious or critical condition. In South Africa, the health department has confirmed 1,749 cases, with deaths now up to 13.

Lockdown: President Cyril Ramaphosa says he does not yet know whether or not the nation-wide lockdown will be extended – but data coming in the next few days should give us an indication of how the lockdown has worked. The president said that the lockdown has definitely reduced the spread of the virus, as new cases are lower than anticipated – however, more testing needs to be done. Every country that has implemented a lockdown so far has extended it, analysts have noted.

Downgrade/Upgrade: Junk status is not the end for South Africa – in fact, economists note, the country could fall even further into junk, or be a ‘comeback kid’ and work its way back above investment grade. However, South Africa has been on a downward path to junk over 8 long years, and was not able to reverse the trend during this time despite the many warnings from the ratings firms themselves. Strong institutions will need government to step up policy reform and counter political interference to achieve a stable outlook and start reversing the trend.Co-parenting changes:

In yet another flip-flop on the lockdown regulations, divorced parents can now move their children between households, on condition that certain requirements are met. There needs to be a court order allowing the movement and a parental responsibilities plan that is registered with a family advocate. Previously the moving around of a child between parents was prohibited, and the child(ren) would have to wait out the lockdown with the parent they are currently at.Lawyers’ legal troubles:

The High Court has reminded lawyers that they are not above the law, and should lead by example and uphold the country’s lockdown regulations. This after 9 out of 10 lawyers crossed borders to attend to legal matters without permits. The presiding judge scolded the lawyers, revoked their fees, and sent the matter to the provincial legal practice council for further action. The judge said that the legal profession must be seen to adhere to the country’s laws – not flout or advocate against them.

Markets: South Africa’s rand firmed by more than 2% on Tuesday, in line with a broad rally in emerging market currencies and other riskier assets on hopes of a slowdown in the spread of the coronavirus in some countries. Stocks were also significantly higher, as investors who had kept on the sidelines through recent volatility re-entered the market to take advantage of historically low prices. On Wednesday the rand was at R18.32 to the dollar, R22.56 to the pound and R19.90 to the euro.

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Thando Thabethe spills the tea on leaving 5FM
by CF

Thando Thabethe talks about the real reasons why she left 5fm.
Image: Via Thando Thabethe’s InstagramRadio personality Thando Thabethe has taken to social media to reveal the reason why she resigned from 5FM.

The star announced her resignation last month, but at the time gave no reasons for her departure.She took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to finally open up about her exit, detailing alleged meetings she had with the station’s management.

“On Friday 28 Feb I had a meeting with the programmes manager who let me know that the show was renewed, as per our annual negotiations. I then tried to negotiate a raise of R200 an hour. At this point he had agreed for me to take two weeks leave to shoot housekeepers,” she explained.She said the following Monday she heard that her popular afternoon drive-time show would no longer be aired, as it allegedly did not fit into the SABC’s two to five-year plan.The radio personality alleged that she was instead offered a slot on Sunday mornings, which she turned down”I have ploughed many hours into the work that I do, and found this an insult after 11 years on radio. I then proceeded to resign.

The current line up at 5FM is not a representation of the diverse country that we live in. It’s also very easy to dub me as ‘demanding’ to the powers that be in the hope that the truth doesn’t come out,” she added.Thando claimed she was later offered her original slot back, which she refused in fear of being victimised. After discussions with a friend and reflecting on the impact it may have on her and her team, she decided to accept this latest offer.

She alleged that the station then u-turned on the offer.”Yet again 5FM decided to stick to their original plan and offered me a slot I was again not able to accept,” she added.When approached for comment, acting SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo told TshisaLIVE that Thando had resigned of her own accord.”The SABC is aware of Ms Thando Thabethe’s public comments on social media and we would like to put it on record that Ms Thabethe resigned from 5FM on her own accord, and the station accepted her resignation.”

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Should social grant be increased to mitigate COVID-19 economic impact

The costs of dealing with the long-term Should social grant be increased to mitigate COVID-19 economic impact economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will be enormous for most countries all over the world.

The 21-day lockdown has left some people unemployed and some companies struggling to make ends meet.

Should the country increase social grants to ensure that those living in poverty have enough to survive during the lockdown?

The country is currently paying R18.3-million per month on social grants.

South Africa’s fiscus is under enormous strain and the junk status rating will make borrowing difficult and expensive.

Eusebius McKaiser speaks to Katherine Hall of University of Cape Town Children’s Institute, who says locking down the population to make sure everyone was safe meant that a good part of the economy was also shut down.

This we know has had enormous implications for household poverty levels, unemployment and people in the informal sector etc.

— Katherine Hall, Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town

Hall says many organisations submitted a letter to the Presidency and the Department of Social Development on Friday asking for the social grants to be increased.

The letter called for an additional amount to the child support grant. It is about using the child support grant as a mechanism to get more cash into households.

— Katherine Hall, Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town

The child support grant is the quickest and easiest one to do. It has the broadest reach in the social grants in the count

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Criminal charges opened against man who claimed Covid-19 swabs are contaminated

A Cape Town man, whose identity is known to TimesLIVE, has been spreading fake news on Facebook about Covid-19 testing – just as the government is sending out officials to test door-to-door for the virus.

Criminal charges have formally been opened against a Cape Town man who claimed that the swabs used to test for Covid-19 were themselves contaminated with the coronavirus.

The charge were laid on Monday by DA MP Siviwe Gwarube, who said spreading fake news was against the Covid-19 disaster management regulations and warned of potential jail time for anyone found guilty of doing so.

“The regulations are clear that transgressors can be jailed for up to six months. Laying these criminal charges is meant to send a strong message to South Africans that the spreading of fake news will not be tolerated,” she said.

Gwarube said the mass screenings currently being rolled out in various parts of South Africa were an important step towards understanding the true extent and reach of local transmissions. She said the health department needed to reach people where they are in order to screen them and refer them to the nearest health facility for full testing.

Criminal charges opened against man who claimed Covid-19 swabs are contaminated

Criminal charges have formally been opened against a Cape Town man who claimed that the swabs used to test for Covid-19 were themselves contaminated …

She said it was not true that the community health workers would use swabs or draw blood. Their work is to screen South Africans who may be showing symptoms and to bring services closer to where they are, she said.

Earlier, Western Cape premier Alan Winde strongly denied the man’s claims.

The man took to Facebook on Sunday, claiming that Covid-19 swabs in the country have been contaminated. TimesLIVE has taken a decision not to identify him as a possible criminal case is under investigation.

The man said in a video that the government would be sending thousands of officials “door to door” to test citizens for Covid-19. “Do not under any circumstances allow them to test them. There is a possibility that the swabs are contaminated with Covid-19. If they stick the swabs into your mouth and up your nose, there is a strong possibility to spread the virus. Don’t take the risk. Deny being tested,” he said.

Winde said he reported the matter to the police on Sunday but had not formally laid a charge.

“We strongly condemn spreading fake news. The Western Cape government has released messaging on our social media channels to indicate that the content of the video is false,” he said.

“Testing is performed with a mouth swab, which is clinically safe and not contaminated.

“We are aware of other similar messages being shared about testing and we urge people not to share this kind of content as it causes widespread fear and panic,” added Winde.

“It could also result in people not wanting to test out of fear or mistrust, which could have a severe impact on their health and the health of others.”

National police spokesperson Brig Vishnu Naidoo was not available for comment on Monday morning.

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