Author: Gugu Lourie

A total of 324 079 COVID-19 tests has been conducted, of which 16 327 are new tests from those reported yesterday. Case Data “There are 525 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the total number of confirmed cases at 9 420,” said Dr Zweli Mkhize, Health Minister. Province New cases Total cases Percentage total Eastern Cape 89 1078 11,4 Free State 1 134 1,4 Gauteng 60 1910 20,3 KwaZulu-Natal 54 1308 13,9 Limpopo 7 51 0,5 Mpumalanga 1 61 0,6 North West 0 41 0,4 Northern Cape 1 28 0,3 Western Cape 312 4 809 51,1 Unknown 0 0 0,0 Total 525 9 420 100 Deaths…

Correctional services centres across South Africa have 172 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with three deaths and 59 recoveries. A total of 95 officials have tested positive for COVID-19, with 77 inmates also being affected by the virus. “Currently, our COVID-19 preventative measures are stretched to the brink. We have managed thus far, but the spread of the virus continues. We ought to act decisively and prevent this invisible killer from rapidly multiplying in our centres,” Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola said. The Minister was on Friday briefing members of the media in Tshwane on the Special COVID-19 Parole…

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that he has authorised the placement on parole of selected categories of sentenced offenders as a measure to combat the spread of COVID-19 in correctional facilities, which are considered high-risk areas for infection. In a statement, Ramaphosa said the presidency has taken this step in response to a call by the United Nations for all countries to reduce prison populations so that social distancing and self-isolation conditions can be observed during this period. The President has taken this decision under the terms of Section 82(1)(a) of the Correctional Services Act of 1998 which empowers…

The Vumatel investment is an excellent case study of how mezzanine debt can unlock growth opportunities where banks remain risk-averse,” says Warren van der Merwe, co-managing partner at Vantage Capital. “In this way, Vantage Capital plays an important role in supporting mid-size corporates before they are sufficiently established to fully fund its operations and growth ambitions with bank debt.” Africa’s largest mezzanine debt fund manager Vantage Capital announced it had fully exited its investment in fibre-to-the-home operator Vumatel. “Mezzanine” refers to a hybrid of debt and equity financing that gives the lender the right to convert to equity interest in the case…

by Vijay Reddy By mid-April, about 1.725 billion students globally had been affected by the closure of schools and higher education institutions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the UNESCO Monitoring Report, 192 countries have implemented nationwide closures, affecting about 99% of the world’s student population. This is unprecedented. The scale and complexity of what’s happening is entirely new territory. In recent decades crises such as natural disasters, armed conflicts and epidemics have disrupted education around the world. For example, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina in the US destroyed 110 of New Orleans’ 126 public schools. In the past…

As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 8, 232. Testing Data A total of 292 153 tests have been conducted to date with 12 774 tests done in the past 24 hours. “There are 8 more COVID-19 related deaths: 2 from KwaZulu Natal and 6 from Western Cape. This brings the total national deaths to 161,” said Dr Zweli Mkhize, Health Minister. “We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and thank the healthcare workers who treated these patients.”

Internet of Things (IoT) player XLink has collaborated with global technology solutions expert Fastcomm to bring connected solutions for South Africa’s retail industry. The COVID–19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work and even eat, with many businesses being forced to shut down to implement effective social distancing measures. The restaurant industry has been hard hit and restaurants are realising the need to become more digitally driven, with many introducing a form of online ordering and delivery in order to stay afloat. International company Fastcomm, with its headquarters, based in Cape Town, has a range of innovative, technology-driven platforms…

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is spending more than R10 million to assist the local taxi industry in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The assistance comes in the form of more than 65 000 litres of sanitisers, 2 000 face masks, as well as COVID-19-related marketing initiatives. With regards to sanitisers, TSAM confirms that a total of 2 000 x 25 litres, 3 000 x 5 litres, 20 000 x 100ml, as well as 2 000 hand-wash dispensers have been distributed to regional taxi structures across the country’s nine provinces. Under lockdown Level 4 regulations, minibus taxis can…

Vodacom is planning to drive new revenue streams through the recently launched Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centre. AWS has opened a cloud region in Cape Town, allowing customers to run applications and store data locally in South Africa. The new region has three geographically separate data centres or “availability zones” for resilience and brings AWS to 23 regions around the world. The data centre will help millions of people, businesses and organisations benefit from faster connectivity and viable access to next-generation technology. “The launch of the AWS Africa (Cape Town) Region will enable us to fully leverage AWS’s capabilities…

We have received several queries from readers on what is free basic electricity. We have generated a quick explainer from the public government documents. In 2001 South Africa adopted a policy intended for the provision of free basic services to poorer households. Under this policy, municipalities were tasked to identify indigent households that would receive services – such as water and electricity – for free or at substantially subsidised rates. Households are required to register with municipalities to qualify for free basic services. A municipality’s role is to vet every application, selecting only those households that meet various criteria. Successful…