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2 SATURDAY, MAY 16 2020 | PRETORIA NEWS MMETRO As a child, as a teenager, I was kind of not allowed to wear fashionable clothes ELTON JOHN ICYMI | IOL.CO.ZA TO GO TO THE FITTING ROOMS OR NOT? WE are so used to collecting an armful of garments and heading off to the changing room and take our time trying them on. Is this something you would even consider doing now? Go to: www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/ style-beauty/fashion WEATHER GAUTENG TODAY’S FORECAST Sunny LONG WAIT PRETORIA 9 | 23 POPULAR CITIES & TOWNS Min |Max Johannesburg 8 | 23 Durban 15 | 23 Cape Town 13 | 21 Pietermaritzburg 8 | 21 Margate 16 |22 Bloemfontein 2 | 23 Polokwane 7 | 24 Upington 6 |26 Port Elizabeth 9 | 21 East London 11 | 21 George 10 | 19 Kimberley 2 | 23 PRETORIA FIVE-DAY FORECAST Sunday Partly cloudy 7 | 23 Monday Sunny 7 |24 Tuesday Sunny 8 |24 Wednesday Sunny 8 | 24 Thursday Sunny 7 |21 Phases of the moon New moon May 22 First quarter May 30 Full moon June 5 Last quarter June 13 Moonrise 01:05 | Moonset 14:09 GAUTENG TODAY Sunrise 06:40 Sunset 17:29 Humidity 20% Wind: Gentle – SSW INTERNATIONAL TEMPERATURES Harare 11 |25 Abuja 25 |34 Cairo 21 | 41 Jerusalem 26 | 37 Rome 16 |24 Madrid 11 | 21 Paris 8 | 19 London 10 | 17 Berlin 6 | 14 Moscow 8 | 15 New Delhi 34 | 42 Beijing 17 |30 Tokyo 14 |20 Canberra 2 | 14 Wellington 11 | 13 Ottawa 8 | 18 Washington 18 | 28 Brasilia 18 |25 CITIZENS try to rebuild their homes in the aftermath of typhoon Vongfong in San Policarpio, Philippines, yesterday. | JEROME PEDROSA CEPA-EFE More forecasts, weatherSA.co.za New Health DG named SOUTH Africa’s Department of Health has announced the appointment of Dr Sandile Buthelezi as its director-general. DR SANDILE BUTHELEZI A seasoned expert in health governance, policy, and programme management with more than 15 years in the field, the health department said Buthelezi promises to bring a wealth of knowledge to South Africa’s health system. Buthelezi is the chief executive of the South African National Aids Council (Sanac), a position he has held since September 2017. He trained as a medical doctor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and worked at the Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, before entering the health department. “The lessons we’ve learnt from dealing with HIV in South Africa are coming in handy as we are dealing with Covid-19, specifically when it comes to community-based testing and screening,” said Buthelezi. “With a visionary health minister like Dr Zweli Mkhize, and the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, I believe we are in safe hands. We all want to contribute towards quality health-care services for all South Africans. We are together in this, and for all of us, it should be all hands on deck.” | African News Agency A PICTURE from a drone shows the enormous queue of people waiting for food parcels in Mooiplaas/Spruit west of Pretoria. More than 10 000 parcels were handed out on Thursday by MealSA as part of a project involving a number of community organisations under the banner of the Spruit Community Support Forum and co-ordinated by Ziyaad Shaboddin. The parcels contained mealie meal, vegetables, masks and soap. • LEVEL 3 Public transport prepares for influx of commuters Mbalula checks up on readiness of buses and stations LIAM NGOBENI liam.ngobeni@inl.co.za THE public transport system must remain compliant with Covid-19 health regulations as more and more people return to work, said Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, bewailing cases of non-compliance which put commuters at risk. He was in Pretoria yesterday to inspect city buses as government prepares to relax the level of restrictions and allow many more people return to work in the weeks ahead. On Thursday he was in Soweto to inspect safety measures on Rea Vaya buses and stations, and he has previously inspected taxis. Already some sectors, such as e-commerce, have opened up and, at level 3, domestic workers, many of whom use public transport, can return. Mbalula was escorted to the Daspoort Putco bus depot to inspect controls around buses, and he also received donations of protective equipment from the Danish Embassy. He was satisfied with the sanitising measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of commuters, as well as markings within the depot to ensure workers comply with physical distancing rules. Mbalula said with the easing of the lockdown and the resumption of • REACTION Residents have mixed feelings over possible lifting of regulations STAFF REPORTERS City residents have mixed feelings about having to wait until the end of the month for level 4 restrictions to be relaxed to level 3. Joey du Preez said it was clear that the lockdown had been effective – the figures proved it. “For that, I am grateful. And I have been heartened by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership in an extremely TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula has been inspecting buses and depots to ensure Covid-19 regulations are adhered to. He also received PPE donations for transport workers. | OUPA MOKOENA African News Agency (ANA) economic activity in certain sectors, the role of public transport could not be overstated. But, he said, public transport was also an area of high risk for the transmission of the virus if strict protocols were not followed. “The disinfection of stations at regular intervals is equally important to ensure that surfaces people come into contact with when waiting to board a bus, are free of the virus,” he said. “(Regular) intervals for disinfecting both buses and stations are important in keeping the environment safe.” difficult situation,” she said. “What has bothered me – a lot – is the authoritarian streak we have seen in some of our ministers, who believe they can control, somehow, how people will behave,” she said. “This has resulted in irrational regulations, which have negatively affected how people respond to the lockdown. What I would like to see is rational leadership that balances the need to curb the spread of the He reiterated that lockdown rules meant that every driver and passenger must wear a mask, and he thanked law enforcement officers for diligence in ensuring this. Addressing metro traffic officers and police (but without mentioning the Collins Khosa case) he said they should conduct themselves in a manner that “respects the rights of our people, when enforcing the law.” Mbalula committed to continued monitoring of the situation within public transport to ensure adherence to social distancing norms. This includes strict compliance disease, while allowing people to have a livelihood. “All businesses that are able to trade safely should do so. NGOs should be helped, not hindered, by the state to provide relief for the poor.” For another city resident, going for walks whenever she wanted would make her feel much better about the situation. “More time outside the house with the 70% limit to licensed passenger capacity at all times – and marking off certain seats to ensure social distancing. He said he had received complaints of buses being over the allowed limit. “Drivers must practice what we have seen here (at the depot). It must be the new norm and we must not receive a lot of complaints that buses are overloaded or we will close down the depot,” he warned. Mbalula thanked the Danish government for its donation of PPE for drivers and other essential services workers in the front line. would lift my mood,” she said. “I don’t smoke and drink, but I feel for my friends who literally suffer day in and day out without their vices. I hope they can buy their fix very soon.” For siblings, Mgidvo, 10, and Sihlangule, 14, the opening of borders could not come soon enough so they could visit family in eSwatini. But Sihlangule – who is in Grade 9 – is worried about the academic • TRIBUTE High praise for Mini at service GOITSEMANG TLHABYE goitsemang.tlhabye@inl.co.za THE gentle freedom fighter with a naughty smile is no more, but his legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of the people he touched. These were the words used to describe Dr Clarence Mini, chairperson of the Council for Medical Schemes, who died on Monday. The 69-year-old medical professional died after testing positive for Covid-19, triggering an outpouring of praise for his legacy at a memorial service in his honour yesterday. Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, a close friend and former comrade, said although nuch could be said about Mini’s naughty smile, his leadership and courage, it would not suffice to describe the kind of man he was. “He was not one to be restricted to theoretical debating and did not fear to get his hands dirty to get things done. If anything, whenever there was a price to pay for social justice, Mini’s simple response to it would end up being: ‘So be it.’” Ntsaluba said Sars-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) arrived in the country “like a well-trained army”, adding: “It has robbed us of our most trusted general (Mini) as we are preparing for the fight of our lives, but you (Mini) have given it your all.” Mini went into exile as a member of Umkhonto weSizwe’s June 16 detachment and trained in Angola. He went on to study medicine in Bulgaria and later contributed to the reform of the health-care sector. Dr Sipho Kabane, chief executive and registrar of the CMS, said Mini had made submissions to the minister of Health aimed at ensuring legislation was in place to make sure people were covered for Sars-CoV-2 screening, testing and other Covid-19-related issues, irrespective of the scheme under which they fell. year. She spends her mornings doing school work but says it was not the same as being in class. Similarly, Grade 11 learner Mpho Selepe said his parents were making sure he was keeping up with his studies, but he hoped the relaxation meant he could see his friends. Lehlogonolo Moeti was waiting to hear what the details of level 3 would be to know if she could return to work.
PRETORIA NEWS | Saturday, May 16 2020 3 There is only one thing people like that is good for them; a good night’s sleep EW HOWE CORONAVIRUS (Covid-19) Proposed rules for sale of liquor in level 4 submitted ICYMI | IOL.CO.ZA LOCKDOWN EFFECT STUDY A CONSORTIUM of researchers from SA universities are investigating the effects of the lockdown on daily routine as it relates to lifestyle behavioural factors – including sleep – and associations with anxiety and depression. Go to: www.iol. co.za/capeargus/news MMETRO THERE could still be two weeks to go before South Africans are allowed to buy alcohol – and even then it will be strictly controlled. In terms of the risk-adjusted lockdown policy, alcohol sales only come in at level 3, which we can expect to be implemented in most areas between now and the end of May. The Liquor Traders’ Association of SA (LTASA), in a document submitted to the government, makes recommendations on how this should be reintroduced to prevent chaos. In terms of the level 3 proposals announced at the start of lockdown, ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za Daring acts in search for fags After lockdown there will be dramatic stories to share over how rules were defied in pursuit of smokes WHILE South Africans will have many stories to tell once lockdown is over, ways smokers have circumnavigated the ban on cigarette sales must be one of the most dramatic. The ban – which started on Day 1 of lockdown on March 27 and remains in place today – has seen those dependent on nicotine go to extraordinary lengths to get cigarettes. From office workers to housewives, teachers, lawyers and even pensioners, normally law-abiding citizens have resorted to dodgy deals, and have been willing to pay exorbitant prices for a packet of cigarettes. As a 72-year-old smoker who lives in an upmarket eastern suburbs old age home said: “Quite frankly my dear, I am too old to worry.” Grandma M said she had her “connections” – about which she was not very clear – but someone who knows someone has ensured she has had a steady supply of cigarettes during lockdown. “This is not my brand,” she says, but during this time “one can’t be choosy, can you?” Even though she’s a pensioner, she had paid R80 to R100 for a no-name brand box of 20. And, while she is not much bothered by lockdown rules, she will not break the rules of her retirement home so she does not leave the premises. Instead, her supplier delivers to the gate where the guard will call her down to collect her packet. As the lockdown continues, the availability and cost of cigarettes has become steeper. And, while some smokers have seen it as a chance to quit and others have turned to vaping, there is still a strong market for illegal cigarettes. This – along with individual rights – is one of the arguments put forward to allow the legal sale of cigarettes because, as those selling on the black market enrich themselves, SARS is losing vital revenue from cigarette tax. City worker Mr H, a decent honest man who cannot do without his cigarette breaks working under lockdown, said the prices being asked were ludicrous especially as he had to take a salary cut. Cigarettes are openly offered on social media and the going rate is R850 to R1 200 per carton. He had been on leave before lockdown forced him and his family home, and he had not realised that it would become impossible to buy so he did not stock up on cigarettes. H went into lockdown with just two packets and it only hit him when, a few days later he drove around trying to buy more. CORONAVIRUS UPDATE FOR BREAKING NEWS AND UPDATES IOL.CO.ZA alcohol may be sold from 8am to noon, Monday to Wednesday, for consumption at home. Sean Robinson, a spokesperson for the liquor association, warned that such limited trading hours would lead to long queues, making social distancing almost impossible. He said the reality of the lockdown and prohibition on the sale of alcohol meant that thousands of independently owned liquor stores faced financial ruin. Already, SAB has dumped beer and he said liquor stock worth tens of millions of rand was close to reaching its expiry date. WITH the ban on cigarettes during lockdown, smokers are doing dramatic things to sate their cravings. | Pixabay He managed to buy four packets from a tiny garage shop. On the way home he passed a cafe he had not been in before and, after some negotiation, managed to buy eight packs of his usual brand at the usual price. By the time these ran out, his local cafe was open again and he got a carton of Sharp Menthol – a cheap brand – at R350. “It was cash-only. I had to wait in my car and the guy comes out, opens your back door and pushes the box under the seat, and says go! When that carton ran out, I went back to him, but he said he had run out of stock.” Desperate H found himself deeper in the underworld… “I got a number for one Habib,” who would provide him with a carton of his preferred brand for R600. While he waited, he found an old cherry cigar, given to him eight years ago when his son was born. “That lasted me a day while I tried to get hold of Habib. “So one day, without smokes, I’m on edge. Habib says I can come but he only has Voyager at R350 a carton. “He tells me to stop in front of the shop and go up to the gate. When I got there he tells me to drive around for 10 minutes and then go up to the gate of the block of flats above his shop. “There another guy pushes a bag with two cartons under my seat and tells me to get the hell out of there.” Meanwhile, the local shop has been raided by the cops so that option no longer exists. Instead a schoolteacher he knows offers his connection… but his connection is running scared. Back to the original supplier, but now it is R700 for a carton of a dodgy brand. H has a few packets left and watched keenly as the president gave his address on Wednesday hoping for relief. “I can’t afford this any more,” H said his pockets were empty and his nerves frazzled. Research from the Human Sciences Research Council shows that people from across the spectrum have found ways to buy cigarettes illegally during lockdown. FACT BOX CIGARETTE BAN DEBATE FEW lockdown regulations have caused as much unhappiness as the ban on the sale of cigarettes. So it was with relief that smokers – and those supporting their right to smoke – welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa during an address to the nation ahead of moving from level 5 to level 4 restrictions that the ban was to be lifted. But that was not to be, as Corporative Governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced shortly afterwards that the decision had been rescinded. This means that for the past seven weeks, cigarettes have not been sold legally, leading to a massive increase in the illegal trade, with boxes of 20 selling in places for more than R100 and cartons for more than R1 000. A survey by the HSRC found cigarettes (11.8%) were more accessible than alcohol (2.5%) during lockdown, while an armed robbery at Makro Centurion showed criminals will also go to any lengths to get cigarettes to sell. Smoking is a known riskfactor for respiratory infections, and there is an increased risk of more serious symptoms and death among Covid-19 patients who have underlying conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. However, the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association described the ban on cigarette sales during level 4 lockdown as “irrelevant and illegal”. In a court application challenging it, it asked to see minutes of the National Command Council which voted against lifting the ban as planned. Activists have argued for the lifting of the ban for economic reasons, saying millions of rand is being lost in tax and going instead to the illegal cigarette trade. “Government needs every cent of revenue to fight this pandemic, save lives and rebuild our nation once the worst has passed,” said one. The ongoing ban means tax revenue from the sale of cigarettes – estimated to amount to R100 billion a year before lockdown – is lost. Another concern is the illicit sale of cigarettes. “We cannot claim as a country that we are on top of it. At a time like this when the legal sale is not permitted, it encourages the trade of these products in the illicit economy,” Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said. Thousands of local elective procedures to be called off COVID-19 disruptions will lead to 28 million surgeries being cancelled worldwide – 146 000 in South Africa, according to a new research. Cancelling or postponing elective surgeries mean a long wait for patients who are suffering from a variety of health issues. The CovidSurg Collaborative has projected that, based on a 12-week period of peak disruption to hospital In arguing that liquor trading for off-site consumption should be allowed sooner than at level 3, the association said: “Many of our members’ liquor stores are suffering severe short-term economic stress and are on the verge of collapse.” The association has argued for the sale of liquor during level 4 under the following conditions: 1. Trading hours: 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 4pm on Saturday. This would spread demand and enable retailers to cope, ensure adherence to safety protocols, LTASA said. 2. Quantity restrictions: A consumer can buy five items of liquor at a time. An item is a tray of beer or ready-to-drink pack (24 cans or bottles); a crate of beer (12 returnable bottles), a box of wine (6 bottles), a unit of wine (1 box), a bottle of spirits, liqueur or fortified wine. 3. Adherence to all Covid-19 health and safety protocols. 4. Manage the initial surge in demand by allowing staff to work in liquor stores four days before opening. In addition, LTASA proposes an alphabetical system for the first week of opening whereby customers must services due to Covid-19, 28.4 million elective surgeries worldwide will be cancelled or postponed this year. The modelling study, published in the British Journal of Surgery, indicates that each additional week of disruption to hospital services will be associated with a further 2.4m cancellations. In South Africa, it is estimated this will result in over 146 000 cancelled surgeries, including 12 000 cancer procedures. These cancellations will create a backlog that would subsequently need to be cleared after the Covid-19 disruption ends. Professor Bruce Biccard, of the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at UCT, said that following the surge in the epidemic, there would need to be a safe resumption of elective surgery at the earliest opportunity. BUYING alcohol could be very different at level 3. | African News Agency (ANA) present their ID and may only shop on certain days according their surnames. | Staff Reporter The government would have to ensure the Department of Health was provided with additional funding and resources to ramp up elective surgery so as to clear the backlog. The main reason for cancelling the surgeries is to reduce the risk of patients being exposed to Covid-19 in hospital, and to support the wider hospital response to the pandemic. | STAFF REPORTER ONE way of limiting the spread of Covid-19 is to practise social distancing. | Pixabay Use the length of a bed to judge distance SOCIAL distancing calls for us to keep 2m apart – but how can one easily judge that? CNN Health came with a list of items to assist, ranging from the length of a bed or the height of a door, to the more imaginative “two golden retrievers standing nose to tail”. Among the others which may be useful as we get in the habit of keeping our distance are the width of an average car, the length of a standard threeseat sofa, an eight-seater dining room table, and a decent-sized bathtub. The reason for social distancing, according to the World Health Organization, is to prevent droplets from the nose or mouth of others who may be infected with the coronavirus, from infecting us. Dr William Schaffner, of Vanderbilt University, explained that “without a cough or a sneeze, if we exhale, the distance three to six feet (0.9m to 1.8m) from each other is called the ‘breathing zone’ ”. “It’s in that kind of volume of air that what I exhale begins to mix with the air that’s already in the room,” he said. | STAFF REPORTER Steenhuisen, SABC clip goes viral A CLIP from DA leader John Steenhuisen’s interview with SABC anchorwoman Flo Letoaba went viral after she asked which South Africans he spoke for. The 2-minute clip discusses the party’s decision to file papers in the High Court, challenging the rationality of lockdown-related issues. “You’ve said in the press briefing that you had, that South Africans are begging for clarity on the way forward… Which South Africans are you speaking for?” Letoaba asked. “Well I’m having conversations with South Africans, who are frankly fed up with the lack of information,” Steenhuisen said. The interview grew tense as Letoaba requested to get her point across and Steenhuisen repeatedly asking, “would you like a list?” | STAFF REPORTER Good Samaritan comes to women’s aid IN tough times, there is nothing like help from a stranger. This was the experience of Nomzamo Mbali Vezi of Chatsworth in KwaZulu-Natal. Vezi, 40, lives with her daughter, 19, and two sons, one in matric,18, and one who is autistic, 14. Due to lockdown, neither she nor her daughter could find work, and they had only a packet of mealie meal left to eat. Desperate, she put out a cry for help on a women’s support group on Facebook and received a voucher from Brenisha Moodley, in Gauteng. She contacted Vezi via Facebook and sent her a R1000 grocery voucher through cellphone banking. “When I received the notification for the voucher, I just fell to my knees and began to cry. She put a smile on our faces,” said Vezi. | STAFF REPORTER Relief for domestic and farm workers THOSE who employ domestic workers should help them apply for Covid-19 relief. This is the advice of the Department of Labour, which said yesterday it wanted to reach domestic workers and farm labourers so they could also benefit from the state Covid-19 relief scheme. Minister Thulas Nxesi said the department had handed out almost R12 billion in benefits to close on 2.1 million workers through employers and appealed to those of domestic and farm workers to also apply on their behalf. To apply, go to labour.gov.za and fill in the TERS registration form. | STAFF REPORTER
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