Daily news update: NCCC meeting, load shedding suspended and Shell protest

Lockdown on the cards? Ramaphosa calls urgent NCCC meeting

Should SA brace for a hard lockdown? President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) to look at Omicron interventions as Covid-19 infections surge.

Ramaphosa will return from his West African tour on Wednesday. Meanwhile, members of his security team who tested positive while in Abuja, Nigeria, had already been airlifted to South Africa.

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said the NCCC will convene an urgent sitting as soon as Ramaphosa lands on Wednesday.

The president and the NCCC’s priority would be to discuss the interventions required to combat the spread of the Omicron variant while keeping the economy afloat.

Load shedding: Here’s when stage 2 rolling blackouts will be suspended

After implementing stage 2 load shedding on Saturday afternoon, Eskom issued a second power alert on Sunday when generation capacity stabilised.

The power utility said emergency reserves was adequately recovered, and approximately 4,100MW generation capacity should return to service by Monday evening.

Due to the latest development, Eskom will be suspending load shedding from 9pm on Sunday evening.

The power utility initially intended for rolling blackouts to be suspended at 5am on Monday morning.

KZN has officially entered Covid-19 fourth wave, Zikalala confirms

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has officially entered the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Premier Sihle Zikalala confirmed on Sunday.

Giving an update on the Covid-19 development in KZN, Zikalala indicated that Covid-19 cases were rising ” at an alarming rate”, placing the blame for the surge in infections on the new Omicron variant.

“In the past three weeks, our province has observed a significant climb in the rate of infections on a daily basis. The number of daily cases that have been registered in the past seven days has been rising at an alarming rate.

“In fact, it is twice the number received two weeks ago. Clearly a new wave of infections is fast rising and the Omicron variant is the driver behind this new wave of infections,” the premier said during a media briefing.

Shell protest photos: Wild Coast ‘not for sale’, say activists

Environmental activists gathered across different parts of the country on Sunday to protest against Royal Dutch Shell’s seismic survey plans along the Wild Coast.

This follows after acting Judge Avinash Govindjee on Friday said the arguments presented to the court were not enough to convince him that the surveys should not take place. 

The fossil-fuel company had planned to start seismic testing on 1 December but operations were delayed when an urgent interdict was filed by environment lobby groups.

Spanish newspaper apologises for racist Omicron cartoon

A Spanish newspaper and its cartoonist has apologised after coming under fire for printing a cartoon with racist undertones and a factually incorrect depiction of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.

The cartoon by Javi Salado, printed in the newspaper on 28 November, depicts brown coloured virus’s on a boat with the South African flag heading for Europe.

The newspaper La Tribuna de Albacete and Salado said the caricature printed in the opinion section said wanted to apologise to readers who may have felt annoyed or offended.

Flood update: Man drowns after vehicle swept into Hartbeest Spruit

A team of divers and rescue technicians recovered the body of a drowned man after his vehicle was swept into the Hartbeest Spruit by fast-moving floodwater.

Emergency services were notified on Saturday evening of a light motor vehicle being swept off a low-crossing bridge near Seekoei Road, with victims possibly trapped inside.

Emergency teams located the submerged vehicle but could not carry out a search due to the level and speed of the water, as well as poor visibility.

On Sunday morning, divers recovered the body of a man – believed to be in his fifties – from inside the vehicle.

Amanda du Pont to open rape case against rapper Jub Jub

Amanda Du Pont’s lawyer confirmed the former Skeem Saam actress would be opening a rape case against rapper Jub Jub (Molemo Maarohanye).

Earlier this week, du-Pont posted a heartrending video on Instagram and urged other victims to speak out against Jub Jub, and more women have since stepped forward.

The video was in reaction to Jub Jub boasting on Podcast and Chill how he “smashed” Du Point, and later cheated on her with Kelly Khumalo.

Du Point hit back by saying he didn’t “smash” her, he physically abused and repeatedly raped her during their two-year relationship.

Sekhukhune edge SuperSport to move second on the log

The match between SuperSport United and Sekhukhune United had all the makings of a great game except the most important ingredient – which is the goals – as there was just one scored by Sekhukhune United in the latter stages of the match at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.

The victors chiseled out a 1-0 win to move second on the DStv Premiership table.  

While the supporters might have been treated to just one goal by Tshidiso Patjie, there was no lack of drama as referee Victor Gomes flashed two red cards in the opening stages of the game.