Daily news update: Covid-19 stats, Gigaba and Molefe’s alleged Gupta money scandal and DA court battle

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Stage 2 load shedding back at 8am on Friday

Stage 2 load shedding will continue throughout Friday, starting at 8am and lasting until 10pm.

Load shedding was implemented on Thursday after several units went out of commission on Wednesday. In a statement, Eskom said four units were brought back online on Thursday, but this was not enough to avoid further blackouts.

“Staying in stage 2 load shedding will also assist us in preserving our emergency generation reserves, namely diesel and water,” the power utility said.

SA records 3,946 new Covid-19 cases as Gauteng sees decline in active cases

As of today, a cumulative total of 572,865 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa have been recorded. The country has also recorded a further 260 Covid-19 deaths – 68 from Eastern Cape, 62 in the Free State, 30 from Gauteng, 39 from KZN, 14 from Limpopo, 18 in Mpumalanga, 21 from Western Cape and 8 from Northern Cape. This brings the total Covid-19 deaths to 11,270.”

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased. The recoveries now stand at 437,617, which translates to a recovery rate of 76%,” said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

‘Mystery’ Zondo witness spills the alleged beans on Brian Molefe

The first witness, who is an employee at Transnet, provided his testimony “in-camera” against those implicated in allegations of corruption, money-laundering and racketeering in state-owned entities (SOEs) before the commission of inquiry into state capture on Thursday, 13 August.

The former executives include former Transnet CFO Anoj Singh, former Eskom and Transnet CEO Brian Molefe, and former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama.

DA hopes court can put them back in charge of Tshwane within weeks

The Democratic Alliance interim leader John Steenhuisen. Picture: Veli Nhlapo

The DA could regain power in the city of Tshwane in a matter of weeks, should the Supreme Court of Appeal rule in their favour on the High Court ruling which overturned the decision to place the city under administration, to be immediately implemented.

All systems go for matric exams! Get your full timetable here

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South Africa’s matric class of 2020 were expected to cram their whole syllabus into a few anxious months, but schools say they are ready and optimistic that most pupils will make it to the exam room.

Schools are welcoming the fact that according to the basic education department, exams council Umalusi would follow the normal process for examinations and keep exams at the same standard as every year, despite disruptions in learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 may not be the last pandemic we’ll see, says expert

In a webinar to outline post-pandemic viewpoints as the country paddles through the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Salim Abdool Karim noted the positive trends showing an improvement in how the pandemic was being managed by the country.

Karim’s remarks, however, noted that the pandemic may not be the last pandemic to hit the world as more pandemics or virus were a possibility going into the future.  The trick was to monitor, surveil and prepare for future outcomes.

WATCH: Dad spends hours unlocking bathroom door after kids shut it with ironing board

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For many parents, the lockdown experience has been like no other. School holidays are one thing, but never-ending days filled with childish havoc can be the bane of any parent’s life.

This is the case for The Citizen’s own Lyle Kruger, who found himself spending hours trying to ‘unlock’ his en-suite bathroom door to no avail.

Why was his bathroom door locked, you might ask.

‘When he said he cared about you, he showed it’ – Bob Mabena remembered by friends and family

Power FM host Bob Mabena. Image: Twitter / @HermanMashaba

Veteran radio broadcaster and DJ Bob Mabena was honoured on Thursday in a memorial service hosted by friends and family. The service was streamed by radio station Power FM, where Mabena hosted the station’s Power Breakfast show until his passing.

Mabena’s death was confirmed on Monday, 10 August, after a brief stay in hospital where he suffered cardiac arrest.

MC for the memorial service was fellow Power FM radio host Thabiso Tema.

Thunder(ous) Ford Ranger makes landfall along with revised XLS and XLT

After debuting in Europe three months ago initially as an Old Continent exclusive, Ford has added the limited edition Thunder to the locally built Ranger line-up as the spiritual successor for the pre-facelift FX4.

In a reversal of rolls though, the Thunder uses the Wildtrak and not the XLT as a base, and follows the same cosmetic approach by receiving blacked-out LED headlight clusters and fog light bezels, a reshaped Ebony black grille with red detailing, red-and-black Thunder badging at the base of the front doors and on the tailgate, plus a Mountain Top roller bed cover.

Bafana striker Foster joins Zungu’s former club Vitoria Guimaraes

The Bafana Bafana star joins the Portuguesa Primeira Liga side on a five-year deal.

Guimaraes confirmed Foster’s signing on their official website on Thursday.

“Vitória Sport Clube, Futebol SAD announces that it has reached an agreement with AS Monaco for the transfer of Lyle Foster, who signs a contract valid for the next five sports seasons,” read the club statement.

Troubles mount for Cricket SA as black Proteas unite

With a potential labour court battle already in store, in an ongoing tussle with former CEO Thabang Moroe, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) board has more issues to face after a group calling themselves Cricket United 2020 demanded that they be consulted in any of the federation’s transformation policies.

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