Daily news update: Standard Bank data breach, SA mourns Themsie Times and De Klerk’s memorial service

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Covid-19 vaccines still effective against Omicron, experts assure

Current data shows Covid-19 vaccines administered in South Africa are holding up well against the new Omicron variant. 

As of Friday, 43% of adults had received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Department of Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said during the weekly Covid-19 briefing. 

Phaahla confirmed that rapid antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were also detecting the variant. Current treatment methods, such as steroids, oxygen, antivirals and anticoagulants are also still relevant. 

The news of vaccines doing well in protecting people comes at a time where the Omicron variant’s child-infection rates have dropped from 21% to 8%. 

Covid-19 update: 27 million vaccine doses administered in SA

More than 27 million vaccine doses have been administered in South Africa as of Friday, the health department has announced.

The country will next month start giving Pfizer booster shots against coronavirus, health officials announced on Friday, a day after the country reported a near-record high in daily cases of the disease.

“The first people who will qualify for the booster dose in South Africa will be people over the age of 60 years,” Dr Nicolas Crisp, director general at the health ministry, told a weekly news conference.

The booster shots were approved by the South African Health Products Authority (Sahpra) for individuals over 18 years of age earlier this week.

Standard Bank: Victims of data breach must ‘keep a close eye on bank statements’

Standard Bank and property firm Lightstone have confirmed that they have been hit by a data breach, through property valuation platform LookSee, and that the personal information of property owners has been exposed.

LookSee is one of Standard Bank’s Home Services platforms which provides property valuations and trends. LookSee uses Lightstone as an information provider in respect of valuation and market intelligence on properties in South Africa, said the organisations in a statement on Friday.

RIP Maria: 7de Laan’s Themsie Times passes away

Long-time 7de Laan cast member Themsie Times has passed away.

For over a decade, Times played the role of the beloved Maria Zibula.

SowetanLIVE reports that the show’s publicity manager Kayleen Bessit confirmed the news to its sister publication, TshisaLIVE, on Friday.

Although it was confirmed that Times, 70, passed on Thursday, little else is known about her death.

Neither the production company responsible for 7de Laan (Danie Odendaal Productions) nor the SABC have released a statement about Times’ death. 

NatJoints warns against disruptions at FW de Klerk’s state memorial service

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) says it is satisfied with preparations ahead of Sunday’s state memorial service in Cape Town for the former president of apartheid South Africa, FW de Klerk.

De Klerk, who served as deputy president under the government of national unity, died last month at the age of 85 after a battle against cancer. He was cremated at a private ceremony.

He will be remembered on Sunday at a state memorial service that is scheduled to take place at the Groote Kerk in Cape Town.

DA appoints mayoral committee in Mogale City, while Gauteng metros stay in limbo

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday announced its mayoral committee members for Mogale City Local Municipality, in the West Rand, which comprises councillors from the opposition benches.

But there is still no word from the party on the appointment of members of mayoral committees (MMCs) and the chairpersons of council oversight committees for the DA-run metropolitans of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

It’s been almost three weeks since the party’s mayors for the metros – Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse, Tshwane mayor Randall Williams and Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell – were elected in council through the support of opposition parties, and the ANC is now piling pressure on the DA to appoint the MMCs.