Daily news update: Children die in Limpopo crash, state capture report delayed, J&J booster ‘highly effective’

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Children among six killed in N1 Limpopo crash

The N1 highway at Planknek, about 50km south of Polokwane, was closed following a serious two-vehicle collision involving a truck and a bakkie. 

According to Arrive Alive, preliminary reports indicated six people died at the scene, while two sustained serious injuries. 

The crash took place between the Nyl Plaza and Polokwane outside Mokopane.

Four children were reported to be among the six people declared dead at the scene. 

State capture report delayed to mourn Tutu, says Presidency

Minister in The Presidency Mondli Gungubele briefed the country on the outcomes of the special Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, and clarified when the State capture report will be released.

After waiting three years for the State Capture report to be finalised, South Africans will have to wait just a little while longer.

The state capture report was due on Friday, however, Gungubele said the release had been postponed due to the mourning period for the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Keep fighting corruption and GBV, even under a Covid cloud, says Ramaphosa in New Year’s message

2021 marks the second year in a row where ordinary celebrations to usher in a new year have been marred by a deadly pandemic. 

For many, Covid-19 also means loved ones have been lost.

In President Cyril Ramaphosa’s New Year’s address to the nation on Friday, he said that for many families, New Year’s Eve would be a sad reminder of what they have lost. 

J&J booster ‘highly effective’ against hospitalisation from Omicron – SAMRC

A preliminary South African government study published on Thursday showed a booster of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine was 85% effective in preventing hospitalisation from the Omicron variant, a finding that helps revive the shot’s reputation.

The SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) compared 69,000 health care workers who received two doses of the vaccine, based on viral vector technology, against a group of people who were unvaccinated. 

The research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was conducted from November 15 to December 20, a time when the heavily-mutated Omicron variant increased from 82 to 98% of Covid-19 cases in the country.

When a booster shot was given six to nine months after the first dose, vaccine efficacy against hospitalisation increased over time, from 63% at 0-13 days to 85% one to two months post-boost.

“This data is important given the increased reliance on the Ad26.COV.2 vaccine in Africa,” wrote the authors, using the formal name for the J&J shot.

Mampintsha who? Makhadzi shares on-stage kiss with Master KG

Over the last couple of days, singer and choreographer Bongekile ‘Babes Wodumo’ Simelane has been making headlines alongside Venda singer Makhadzi over what seemed to be a lovers tiff involving Babes Wodumo’s husband and baby daddy, Mandla ‘Mampintsha’ Maphumulo.

The gqom star took to social media over the weekend to go live on Instagram where she addressed the issue of Makhadzi allegedly making advances on her husband during a studio session.

In the live video, not only did the Wololo star insult Makhadzi by calling her “a b***h with no future”, but she also let the Venda singer know that her ex-boyfriend and Jerusalema star, Master KG had made advances on her in the past, but she ignored them simply because she respected the singer and the friendship which they shared.

With no time wasted, Makhadzi took to social media to let her fans – and Babes Wodumo – know that the allegations are not true, and that she highly respects the gqom artist and has never made any advances on Mampintsha.