Daily news update: Covid-19 stats, Zuma’s court application dismissed and rare creature found in Plettenberg Bay

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Covid-19 update: 305 more deaths bring total to 9,909

As of today, South Africa has recorded a total of 545,476 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 7,292 new cases identified.

The country has recorded 305 new Covid-19 related deaths: 57 from Eastern Cape, 136 from Gauteng, 76 from KwaZulu-Natal, 29 from Western Cape and 7 from Northern Cape. This brings the cumulative number of deaths to 9,909.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased. The number of recoveries currently stands at 394 759 which translates to a recovery rate of 72%,” said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

KwaZulu-Natal is set to have more Covid-19 infections than the Western Cape during its peak, Mkhize said on Thursday.

Zuma loses again in Derek Hanekom defamation matter, this time in ConCourt

Former president Jacob Zuma’s application for leave to appeal a KwaZulu-Natal High Court order about his defamatory remarks about former tourism minister Derek Hanekom, on Twitter in 2019, has been dismissed by the Constitutional Court.

The ConCourt said it “bears no reasonable prospects of success”.

In 2019, Zuma tweeted Hanekom was a well-known agent of the enemy. This came after it was revealed that Hanekom had met with the EFF to discuss a motion of no confidence in Zuma when he was president.

Hanekom sued Zuma for R500,000 for defamation following the tweet on 25 July 2019.

Dlamini-Zuma disputes Chefs Warehouse’s reasons to lift alcohol ban in restaurants

Minister of Cogta Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Picture: ANA reporter

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has disputed a claim by a group of restaurants that people are not frequenting restaurants solely because no alcohol can be sold with meals.

She said restaurant groups have not considered that there are risks associated with frequenting public places during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In her 103-page affidavit submitted to the Western Cape High Court, opposing the application led by Cape Town-based Chefs Warehouse restaurants, Dlamini-Zuma said the restriction on on-site consumption of alcohol was rational and lawful.

“It is denied that the eating-out experience would ‘be so absurd and unpleasant that nobody would actually want to do it’. The statement assumes, as a fact, that all people that frequent restaurants consume alcohol or go out for the alcohol, not the food,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

PICS: Rare creature washes up on Plettenberg Bay’s shore

A leopard seal, was spotted on Plettenberg Bay’s Robberg Beach. Photo: Danielle Conry

Marine biologist Dr Gwen Penry says she was alerted to reports of a seal on Robberg Beach, Plettenberg Bay on Monday morning, in which on closer inspection it was established that the animal was a leopard seal (hydrurga leptonyx).

According to Penry, spotting these creatures along the South African coastline is a truly rare occasion as their normal range is in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands more than 4,000km away.

Last month the carcass of a juvenile leopard seal was found along Cape Recife beach in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

Benoni brothers behind bars after human head found in septic tank

Some of the illegal firearms and ammunition found together with a severed head in Putfontein. Two brothers were arrested, 6 August 2020. Picture: Twitter / @stolencarRSA

Gauteng police are piecing together a possible link between two murders in Putfontein, Benoni, following the discovery of a human head in a septic tank on a smallholding in the area. Two brothers and a third man have been arrested and 19 firearms have been confiscated at several locations in the area this week.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters, police opened an inquest docket in May this year after discovering a badly burnt body of an unknown man in Putfontein.

At the same time, a family reported a missing person at the police station and, working closely with the family, officers were able to confirm that the body was that of the missing person, with evidence of a gunshot wound. A murder case was then registered for further investigation.

Mkhwebane claims ‘good reason to probe Sars unit’s use of equipment’

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, left, and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, right.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s legal representative has said there were special circumstances to investigate complaints against Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, despite the matter being more than two years old.

Day two of Gordhan and Mkhwebane’s legal battle took place on Friday virtually before judges Selby Baqwa, Leonie Windell and Annali Basson of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

Gordhan is seeking to review a report by Mkhwebane which found he was complicit in the establishment of an allegedly unlawful investigation unit within Sars and that he misled parliament when he said he did not meet with members of the Gupta family.

DJ Black Coffee takes jab at woman’s albino child

DJ Black Coffee.

DJ Black Coffee in trending on social media today, and it’s for all the wrong reasons.

The internationally revered DJ, who currently living his best life jetting around the Greek isles, but it’s not all sunshine and parties for him.

He took to social media this to show he’s about had enough with social media followers sticking their noses into his personal life.

After instigating a conversation about who was currently minding which celebrity’s business, he attacked a woman for asking about his ex, Mbali.

“Let’s play Twister, who’s trending today, who’s falling, who are we trolling, who’s marriage are we having opinions on, who’s trash who’s not, who are we cancelling, like God who are we judging, whose relationship is falling apart while ours is perfect, who’s not perfect. Let’s all laugh at him,” he wrote on Twitter.

10 alternative dating apps to Tinder for those looking for love

Picture: iStock

After years of disastrous Tinder or Match dates, are you about to give up? That would be a mistake! There’s a whole world of exclusive, specific, specialised apps and websites to try. Whether they’re run by lovers of specific activities or topics or to respond to particular gaps in the market, they allow people with similar interests to meet each other. Why not?

For international matches

Many of the big dating apps focus on matching people in the same areas via geolocation. If you’d rather meet people on the other side of the globe, Iloveyouraccent.com may be of interest. The site boasts more than 50,000 people worldwide.

For the LGBTQIA+ community and allies

Taimi, an app launched in 2017, has an intimate, intuitive interface. Its users can chat and make videocalls to find friends or relationships. With more than 7 million users, of which 85% belong to the community, the app has fulfilled a need.

For those who are older

SilverSingles is dedicated to those over 50. It’s successful worldwide with over 800,000 users a month. There are many other sites focused on seniors as well.

Enough time left to save 2020 rugby season, says Bok legend Naas Botha

Former Springbok star Naas Botha. Picture: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images

There is every reason to believe the 2020 season can be salvaged, according to Springbok icon Naas Botha, following the announcement this week that rugby could return to play.

With government confirming a return to action had been gazetted, provided sufficient health and safety measures were in place, SA Rugby was expected to announce a fixtures list for a local Super Rugby competition and a Currie Cup tournament in the next few days.

And while some sacrifices would have to be made in order to complete two domestic campaigns before the end of the year, with SA Rugby aiming to resume elite action in mid-September, Botha believed there was sufficient time to get the sport back on track.

PSL 2020/21 season to kick off on October 9

Dr Irvin Khoza. Pic: BackpagePix

The Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza confirmed at a press conference on Friday that the 2020/21 PSL season will kick off on October 9.

The 2019/20 campaign is set to be played to a conclusion from Saturday, with the Nedbank Cup semifinals at Orlando Stadium. The season will finish on September 8 which will then give teams one month to prepare for the new campaign.

Khoza added that the PSL transfer window will open on September 22 and conclude on October 17, while the second window would open in February 1 and close on March 1.

Kia’s new Sonet finally written in full

After a prolonged teaser campaign that started shortly after the concept’s debut at the Delhi Auto Expo in February, Kia has now officially revealed the eagerly awaited Sonet SUV.

The sister model to the Hyundai Venue, the Sonet serves as the South Korean marque’s smallest and new entry-level offering below the Seltos with the final design, as indicated by the series of teaser sketches, being little watered down for the concept.

Set to be build alongside the Seltos at the Anantapur Plant in the state of Andra Pradesh, the Sonet, which is aimed at generation Z buyers and millennials according to its President and CEO, Ho Sung Song, incorporates Kia’s latest Tiger Nose grille derived from the Sorento and K5, while the LED headlights resembles those of the latter with the knurled finish of the grille said to have been inspired by the design of India’s stepwells.

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