Author: Agency
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases jumped by 19 842 on Wednesday, pushing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 071 064. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), this increase represents a 26.8% positivity rate, with Gauteng continuing to record the highest daily infections. The latest data shows that Gauteng registered 11 703 additional infections, followed by 1 989 in KwaZulu-Natal, 1 899 in the Western Cape and 1 103 in Mpumalanga. Meanwhile, 36 more people lost their lives to the virus, bringing the death toll to 90 038 since the outbreak. In addition, South Africa recorded 374…
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has welcomed the coming into operation of certain sections of the Cybercrimes Act, with effect from 1 December 2021. In a statement, the Minister said it was necessary to align the country’s law with international trends and best practices. He said: “Another consideration is the evolving nature of cybercrime. The methods of committing cybercrimes change rapidly and our laws need to keep pace with the more intrusive and complex investigative measures which are needed to investigate cybercrime. “Various countries, including other countries on our continent have enacted or are in the process of…
Customers of the South African Post Office (Sapo) have one week left to renew their post box rental for 2022 at this year’s rate. In a statement on Thursday, the post office said the early bird special for post box renewals expires on 30 November 2021. “Post boxes can be renewed at any post office nationally or on line 24/7 by clicking on https://www.virtualpostoffice.co.za/. At bigger post offices, we have introduced a separate queue for customers who are collecting their COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) grant. “This ensures that customers who visit the post office for a regular transaction…
Gauteng accounted for 605 of the 868 new COVID-19 infections that were recorded on Tuesday. This comes as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) flagged a peak in the seven-day moving average in new COVID-19 cases in the province. According to the NICD, the second hardest-hit province is the Western Cape with 52 cases, followed by 47 in Mpumalanga and 43 in the North West. The increase represents a 2.1% positivity rate, pushing the total of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 948 760 since the outbreak. As of Tuesday, the rapid antigen tests have been included in the country’s official…
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has noted an increase in the seven-day moving average in new COVID-19 cases in Gauteng. According to the NICD, the peak has been detected in Tshwane among those who are aged between 10 and 29 over the past week. Also, the NICD said it has recently identified cluster infections amongst the 20 to 44 age group at the Tshwane University of Technology. According to the latest data, the country recorded 312 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 930 174. The highest number of additional…
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has welcomed a Responsible Asset Allocator Initiative (RAAI) survey that ranked the corporation amongst the top 30 global sovereign wealth funds and asset managers for their responsible investment practices. The annual survey acknowledges the PIC’s commitment to incorporate ESG principles – Environmental, Social impact and Governance – into all its investment decisions. The PIC, as a signatory of both the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investments (UNPRI) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), subscribes to the Code for Responsible Investment in South Africa (CRISA) and applies the King IV codes on good governance. In…
Medical experts say it is beneficial to take the COVID-19 vaccine, as they try to address vaccine hesitancy. According to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (SAHPRA) Pharmacovigilance Manager, Mafora Matlala, adverse side effects is one of the leading drivers of vaccine hesitancy. The drug watchdog’s data shows that some of the top adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for COVID-19 include headache, local reaction, fever and dizziness. “We are not surprised they are minor. So, this is just to alleviate that fear that you do not have to be scared of the AEFI,” she said. “However, people should rather…
The Green Hydrogen Export Special Economic Zone to be developed in the Northern Cape, with Sasol as an anchor investor, is expected to economically benefit the previously marginalised sectors in a province that is one of the poorest in terms of demographics. “The intention is to have a dedicated green grid, electrolizer park and green hydrogen related Special Economic Zone to manufacture green hydrogen industry related goods and services in the Northern Cape,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said on Monday. Addressing the launch of the Northern Cape Green Hydrogen Strategy at the United Nations Framework…
Energy investments will help overcome the debilitating load shedding that the country is currently experiencing, as new electricity generation capacity comes online, says President Cyril Ramaphosa. In his weekly newsletter to the country, the President said that energy continues to be an area of growth in South Africa as the 25 preferred bidders in the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme are together expected to invest around R50 billion into the economy. He said that the increase of the licensing threshold for embedded generation to 100 megawatts is likely to result in substantial private investment…
South Africa has vaccinated 10 930 people on Sunday, of which 2 361 were children between the ages of 12 and 17. According to the Department of Health, this means there is now 23 151 823 distributed doses since the start of the inoculation programme. Data shows that 12 855 692 or 32% adults are now fully vaccinated. In addition, there are 210 149 single Pfizer doses given to teenagers in the country. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases identified in South Africa now stands at 2 923 956 with 205…