Author: The Bulrushes
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was self-isolating on Monday “Freedom Day” when all COVID-19 restrictions were done away with. Johnson had been in contact with twice vaccinated health secretary Sajid Javid who tested positive for Covid-19 at the weekend. As many as 50 000 people tested positive for the virus a day before Freedom Day that ended a year of restrictions, “If we don’t do it now we’ve got to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it?” Johnson said. Alarmed, TV personality Piers Morgan tweeted: “It’s so dumb when the pandemic is still raging hard and UK’s now got…
Johannesburg’s premier indoor concert arena – The Dome – is changing hands and the new owners are not into having fun with loud music and large crowds. Widely known as the gateway into Johannesburg, the Ticketpro Dome has been the venue of choice for international as well as local music and comedy shows. For 20 years it was the largest indoor venue in South Africa, with uninterrupted floor space that could host shows in a variety of setups. RX Venue Management said it was with “a heavy heart” that it announced on Monday the sale of the popular concert venue.…
Duduzane Zuma on Monday denied that he encouraged looters during the week-long arrest that began as the #FreeZuma campaign. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika‘s Xoli Mngambi, the son of former president Jacob Zuma denied his video posted on social media incited looters. He, however, said he did not post the video on social media. Duduzane Zuma said the Twitter account purporting to him was not his. “I am not on social media … it’s not mine,” said Duduzane Zuma. Commenting on the video in which he appeared to encourage looting, Dudzane Zuma said: “I was not instigating any violence … a lot of…
South Africans remembered freedom icon Nelson Mandela on Sunday with many activities including cleaning up shopping centres that were vandalised in the week of looting madness. “On this occasion, we urge South Africans to embrace Madiba’s values and honour his legacy through humanitarian acts and initiatives that acknowledge his never-ending quest to change the world for the better,” said the African National Congress. “Let us use Mandela Day to provide food to the most vulnerable in our society, to clean up our streets and to start the task of rebuilding. “Over the past few days, the country experienced violence that…
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday declared that the insurrection had failed. He said the security forces had defended democracy. “The insurrection has failed,” Ramaphosa said, adding: “South Africans have rejected it”. He made his remarks after he visited KwaZulu-Natal, where the unrest has been the worst. The president said the violence was a “deliberate, coordinated, and well-planned attack on our democracy”. The unrest began a week ago with the #FreeZuma campaign. He said 212 people have lost their lives. As many as 198 died in KwaZulu-Natal. Police have arrested more than 2 500 suspects for public violence and looting. Ramaphosa said…
The Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday visit trouble spots in KwaZulu-Natal, where nearly 100 people have died in the unrest. As many as 32 schools have been vandalised adding to the billions of rand of destruction to infrastructure in the province that is still experiencing looting. “President Cyril Ramaphosa will this morning, Friday, 16 July 2021, undertake an oversight visit to Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, to assess the impact of recent public violence and the deployment of security forces,” the Presidency announced in a statement. Ramaphosa will interact with the provincial government…
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala on Thursday said he was sorry and regretted giving a young boy a mighty whack on the back as looters caused havoc in an area he had visited. A video of the premier beating the boy has gone viral on social media and attracted criticism. The KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier said the incident occurred when Sikalala, and his delegation were visiting the worst affected areas. The visit was part of assessing the damage on the ground to bring an end to the wanton looting. “While the action of apprehending a resisting looter is justified, the…
The deadly virus has silence the golden voice of Tsepo Tshola, who had been in hospital until his passing on Thursday. The “Village Pope” as Tshola was affectionately known succumbed to Covid-19 a month before his 68th birthday. Fans, friends, and family have taken to Twitter to express their loss of the accomplished African Jazz musician. The Lesotho-born musical genius was once the lead vocalist of the famous band Sankomota, whose name means a mighty warrior from Basotho. Tshola was indeed a mighty warrior. He was, however, unfortunate to be one of the many who have fallen to the virus.…
South African authorities on Wednesday unexpectedly lifted COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings just as more than 600 people died of the virus in one day. South Africa is in the throes of the third wave, driven by the more deadly Delta variant. The country is also in the grip of unrest. At least 72 people have died in looting incidents in different parts of Gauteng and KwaZuluMembersprovinces. More than one thousand people have been arrested for public violence and looting. Hundreds of looters have brazenly ignored the Covid-19 restrictions that prevent gatherings and impose a curfew from 10pm to 4am. In…
More than 600 people died in one day in South Africa, where the third wave, driven by the more deadly Delta Variant is spreading seemingly unabated. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Tuesday released the shocking death count. A further 633 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 65 142 to date,” said the NCID, a division of the National Health Laboratory Service. “Today the institute reports 12 537 new Covid-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 219 316. “This increase represents a 24.2% positivity…