Daily news update: Covid cases top 3 million, more children hospitalised and mandatory vaccinations

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Anti-vaxxers, take note: Your children are ending up in ICU

The Omicron variant and fourth wave of Covid-19 infections has revealed a hair-raising statistic for the unvaccinated among us: more children are being hospitalised.

Public health specialist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Dr Waasila Jassat, addressed the media on Friday to explain why.

While it’s still too early to say for certain if there is an immunity gap between vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens, unvaccinated children appear to be at higher risk.

The data from one hospital showed all children who were admitted had not been vaccinated. In fact, most of the children’s parents were unvaccinated as well.

Covid-19 update: SA breaches 3 million case mark, deaths at 89,944

South Africa has breached the three million case mark after recording 16,055 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,004,203.

 This increase represents a 24.3% positivity rate. 

The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (72%). Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal each accounted for 6% and North West 5%. Mpumalanga accounted for 4%; Limpopo 3% and Free State and Eastern Cape each accounted for 2%. Northern Cape accounted for 1% of today’s new cases.

Four Sibanye-Stillwater miners die in two separate incidents

Four mineworkers have died in two separate incidents at Sibanye Stillwater operations in the Free State and North West on Friday.

Vice president James Wellsted confirmed the deaths and said one miner died at the company’s operation in Rustenburg, while three others died at the company’s Beatrix Mine.

In the Rustenburg incident, the miner was working underground, cleaning up the area and clearing loose rocks to make it safer for the miners to work when a rock fell on him and he died at the scene, Wellsted said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

Jubilation as Ramaphosa allies elected mayors

Jubilation was the order of the day at two district municipalities in Limpopo after ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s political allies were elected executive mayors on Thursday.

Dowelani Nenguda and Stan Ramaila were elected uncontested as executive mayors for the Vhembe and Sekhukhune district municipalities respectively.

Nenguda’s appointment was, marred by controversy as his political detractors made an urgent bid to get a court interdict at the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou to nullify his appointment.

Defence department blows over R1 billion on outsourced medical services

Parliament’s joint standing committee on defence has slammed the Department of Defence and Military Veterans for blowing over R1 billion on outsourced medical services in the past 10 years.

The department has had to seek outside medical treatments because of its neverending repair and maintenance programme at 1 Military Hospital.

Outsourcing medical treatment has also led to a skills drainage at the country’s military health services hospital in Tshwane.

Ford SA injects R600m into its Gqeberha engine plant

Ford has invested a further R600 million in South Africa, with its latest investment earmarked for a third engine programme and upgrades to the company’s Struandale engine plant in the Eastern Cape port city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

Vice president of operations at Ford South Africa Ockert Berry said on Thursday the investment in the engine plant is in addition to the group’s R15.8 billion investment in the Silverton assembly plant and supplier tooling it announced in February this year to support production of the next-generation Ford Ranger.

Anglo American to introduce mandatory vaccinations, other corporates move quietly

Global commodity producer Anglo American will require all employees to be vaccinated from next year, according to a report in the UK’s The Telegraph.

It says an “internal update about the proposals states that employees will need to be vaccinated ‘to be able to perform their role’ and those who refuse may be let go ‘as a last resort’.”

Anglo American confirmed the intention to Moneyweb.

The newspaper says documents seen by it “indicate that when introduced, the vaccine requirement will apply to all employees, contractors and any visitors to Anglo sites. It will also apply to all new joiners”.

‘Jub Jub raped me too’: More alleged victims speak out

Actress Amanda du-Pont called for more alleged victims to speak out against Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye in her emotional video on Thursday and more women have heeded her call.

Du-Pont’s Instagram video, where she accuses Jub Jub of raping her, trying to kill her and other disturbing claims, has been viewed over a million times on Instagram.

And now, spokesperson for Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Masechaba Khumalo, has tweeted that Jub Jub raped her too.

Urgent interdict against Shell’s seismic survey dismissed

The urgent interdict against Shell brought forward by four applicants in the Grahamstown High Court has been dismissed with costs. 

Acting Judge Avinash Govindjee ruled on Friday that the arguments presented by Natural Justice, Greenpeace Africa, Border Deep Sea Angling Association and Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club against Shell and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe were not enough to convince him that the planned 3D seismic survey should not take place.