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10 - 24 June 2021

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Inner City Gazette

Africa not ready for third Covid-19 wave

WHO director Dr Matshidiso Moeti

Johannesburg - With vaccine deliveries at a near-standstill and lacking key resources in frontline care, Africa is poorly prepared for the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN has warned. World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti said many hospitals are still far from ready to cope with a huge rise in critically ill patients. “The threat of a third wave in Africa is real and rising,” she said. Africa has registered over 4.8 million Covid-19 cases and 130 000 deaths, according to the WHO, a figure representing 2.9% of global cases and 3.7% of deaths.

In a survey last month, the agency found that health facilities and personnel that are crucial for critically ill Covid-19 patients are grossly inadequate in many African countries. Of 23 countries surveyed, it found that most had less than one intensive care unit (ICU) bed per 100 000 population, and only one-third had mechanical ventilators. By comparison, rich countries such as Germany and the United States have more than 25 ICU beds per 100 000 people. “Treatment is the last line of defence against this virus, and we cannot let it be breached,” Moeti stressed. She called for better equipment for hospital and medical staff.

In recent weeks, the continent has seen a rise in infections. The WHO warned that the pandemic is trending upwards in 14 countries. “In the past week eight countries witnessed an abrupt rise of over 30% in cases,” it said. South Africa, officially the most affected country on the continent, has tightened health restrictions and by last week had more than 1.6 million cases and 56 439 deaths. In Uganda, cases jumped 131% in one week with outbreaks in schools and an increase among health workers. Angola and Namibia are also seeing resurgence. In its weekly bulletin last Thursday the WHO said it had detected an

exponential rise of cases in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Simultaneously, the continent is facing shortage of vaccines, with deliveries almost marking time, according to WHO. The WHO hopes for new deliveries in the coming months through the international Covax scheme, including a pledge of 80 million doses from the United States. Only two percent of Africans to date have received at least one vaccine jab, while 24% of the world’s population is now vaccinated. Of six countries that have not begun vaccinations, four are in Africa; Tanzania, Burundi, Chad and Eritrea.

Inner-city Gazette

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Graduating? Make While Covid-19 may have diminished students’ time on the stage and educators’ time at the podium, it certainly has not diminished the efforts that students went to, in order to achieve their goals. 25 May 2021 is the day of graduation of hundreds of students – the Boston City Campus class of 2020. This graduation brings to mind all the memes and motivations that went viral during the Lockdown. Success in the face of adversity, facing the fourth industrial revolution with online learning, perseverance pays off, these amongst the many memes designed as motivators to get us back on the road to achieving education and other goals. The 2020 students overcame even more obstacles than most students would have, dealing with lockdown and other challenges as well as their studies. We are reminded of another viral hashtag, so apt at a ‘covid’ graduation: #TogetherWeShallOvercome. The huge growth in social media pages that include The Good Things Guy, MoveOneMillion and WeAreStaying showed us that these challenges are better surpassed when they are not faced alone. We all need motivators, partners and people who people who quite simply believe in us – and say so! We know that graduations that took place in 2020 and those that take place in 2021 may not be the graduation of dreams, but at we believe that all university students showed so much courage. With perseverance they have shown that they can and will rise to the occasion. So we encourage all graduates out there, whether of a university, a college, school or a workplace skills programme –to go out and make your day memorable! Do not let this occasion pass by unmarked – it is a special and honourable day. To give an idea of what can be done, some Boston Campuses will hire grad gowns and a photographer so that grads will still get their official Graduation photo

your mark!

10 - 24 June 2021

Social media messages that can get you jailed They include those which incite or threaten persons with violence or damage to property Tech Correspondent

for posterity. Grads can get together and do this in a group – share the cost of the photographer and gown hiring, and mark the occasion with this formality. That amongst the virtual graduation that will take place, blogs, and shared images, and more. Did Covid19 make you feel despondent? You are not alone. But if you

are graduating we say to you: Take the time and effort to be with friends and family in a safe and social distancing manner. Take your grad pics, and share them with pride. The resilience graduates displayed to get to their goals is aweinspiring. Go out there and make things happen! #Classof2020

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed the Cyber-crimes Bill into law, bringing the country’s cyber-security laws in line with the rest of the world. Director and head of Data Privacy Practice at Werksmans Attorneys, Ahmore Burger-Smidt says the law criminalises, among others, disclosure of data messages which are harmful. Examples of such messages include those which incite violence or damage to property; those which threaten persons with violence or damage to property; and those containing intimate images sent without the subject’s consent. Other offences include cyber fraud, forgery, extortion and theft of incorporeal property, said BurgerSmidt. “The unlawful and intentional access of computer system or computer data storage medium is also considered an offence along with the unlawful interception of, or interference with data. This creates a broad ambit for the application of the Cyber-crimes Act which defines ‘data’ as electronic representations of information in any form,” Burger-Smidt said. A person who is convicted of an offence under the Cyber-crimes Act is liable to a fine or imprisonment of up to 15 years, or both a fine and imprisonment. Burger-Smidt said the Cyber-crimes Act will be of particular importance to electronic communications service providers and financial institutes, as it imposes obligations upon them to assist in the investigation of cybercrime. This includes furnishing a court with particulars which may involve the handing over of data or even hardware on application. “There is also a reporting duty on electronic communications service

Director Ahmore Burger-Smidt

providers and financial institutions to report, without undue delay and where feasible, cyber offences within 72 hours of becoming aware of them. Failure to do so may lead to the imposition of a fine not exceeding R50 000,” she said. Burger-Smidt said the act will also have an impact on businesses, especially considering its overlap with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), among other regulatory codes and legislation. Popia, which deals with personal information, aims to give effect to the right to privacy by protecting persons against unlawful processing of personal information. “One of the conditions for lawful processing in terms of Popia prescribes that confidentiality of personal information must be secured by a person in control of that information. This is prescribed by Popia to prevent loss, damage or unauthorised access to, or destruction of personal information,” she said. Burger-Smidt said Popia also creates a reporting duty on persons responsible for processing personal information, whereby they must report any data breach to the Information Regulator within a reasonable period. “In light of this, companies should be cognisant of their practices, especially in dealing with data,” she said.

10 - 24 June 2021

CIT guard shoots shop security guard Johannesburg - On Monday police arrested a 36-year-old male for attempted murder at Choppies Supermarket at corner King George and De Villiers streets in the CBD. Police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said it is alleged that the suspect shot a 34-year-old security guard inside the shop, and the victim was taken to hospital by ambulance. “The victim was in uniform working as a security guard standing at the entrance of the shop. The suspect came with his crew to collect money; he was armed with a rifle and stood some metres away from them. He fired one shot and hit the victim. The security guard alleged that the victim and his colleague who were sanitizing people at the entrance of the shop looked suspicious, and he suspected they intended to rob them. The firearm was confiscated and taken to ballistic testing, while investigation is underway,” Mbele said.

Inner-city Gazette

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City to launch international transport hub Johannesburg - The City of Joburg has announced that the 50 000 m² Johannesburg International Transport Interchange (JITI) is on completion, and would launch at the end of this month. In a statement the City said the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), on behalf of the City’s Transport Department, has undertaken construction of the JITI. “The high-technology, advanced transport and shopping hub aligns with the JDA’s emphasis on creating resilient, sustainable and liveable urban areas in identified transit nodes and corridors. The JITI will be commuter-friendly and the largest public transport facility for long-distance travellers in Africa,” the City’s statement said. It added that the state-of-the-art JITI will be one of the critical projects which will ensure that efficient mass public transport networks and connections, transit-oriented multiuse precincts, together with strategic land-use planning and zoning regimes are realised to connect people to opportunities to live, work and play in the city. The City’s Transport MMC Nonhlanhla Makhuba said: “Transport

is the backbone of Johannesburg’s economy and plays a significant role in connecting residents to education, business and work opportunities. The JITI facility will see approximately 1 500 travellers a day arrive or depart to destinations in the Southern African Development Community regions.” She added that the hub has easy access to transport routes like the Nelson Mandela Bridge and the M2 freeway, and has amenities to make departure and arrival easier for longdistance travellers. “To reduce waiting times for longdistance travellers, the facility’s 50 000 m² floor area includes a bus terminal for cross-border buses, as well as holding space for 800 taxis, ranking space for 158 taxis and 20 buses. Disabled commuters’ ease of access is also catered for, and there will be clear electronic signage indicating arrival and departure times,” Makhuba said. The facility, located at the corner of Gwigwi Mrwebi and Simmonds streets in the CBD, also has CCTV cameras, good lighting and wide corridors to ensure that the JITI facility is safe and attractive; and security will be managed from a con-

incorporated. The facility will also create economic opportunities, and provide social amenities for innercity users and residents, with 3 300 m² devoted to retail, including large outlets, banks, ticketing offices, food courts and informal traders.

Transport MMC Nonhlanhla Makhuba

trol room equipped with a building management system. Only vehicles that have the correct operating licences and fitness certificates will be allowed to operate in the facility. Advanced access control, which will feature dual-authentication, including licence plate recognition, will ensure that vehicles operate safely. Green building designs, including solar power, have also been

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Inner-city Gazette

10 - 24 June 2021

UJ honours justice and rights activists Among those awarded with the honorary doctorates is anti-apartheid activist and last surviving leader of the Women’s March on 9 August 1956, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn; champion of economic freedom for women Gloria Serobe, as well as entrepreneur and pioneer property developer in previously disadvantaged areas Mike Nkuna.

Professor Tshilidzi Marwala

Johannesburg - Five honorary doctorate recipients and about 13 000 graduates have received their qualifications virtually during the University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s virtual graduation celebrations. Those included anti-apartheid ac-

tivist Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, who was among the five people conferred with honorary doctorates. The virtual celebrations take the form of pre-recorded videos in which the UJ chancellor Professor Njabulo Ndebele and vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala congratulate those who fulfilled requirements of their qualifications, whose names appear in the respective graduation programmes. More than 10 000 undergraduate diplomas or degrees and almost 3 000 postgraduate degrees, including more than 500 master’s and 100

doctoral degrees, were awarded. Students can also arrange to collect the certificates from campus, using a booking system on the graduation page of the UJ website. Once the booking is confirmed, graduates will be able to collect a certificate, and have the option of hiring a graduation gown, and taking photographs with two guests. Among those awarded with the honorary doctorates is anti-apartheid activist and last surviving leader of the Women’s March on 9 August 1956, Sophia WilliamsDe Bruyn; champion of economic freedom for women Gloria Serobe, as well as entrepreneur and pioneer property developer in previously disadvantaged areas Mike Nkuna. Professor Marwala noted that due to Covid -19 restrictions, the university had to postpone its in-person graduations, which would have comprised more than 60 graduation ceremonies. “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed almost every facet of our lives, not least the way universities operate. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) thought leader in Africa, UJ had to be fast in adapt-

ing and demonstrating its agility in the 4IR space. Our students are at the centre of 4IR through innovative learning. In its quest for 4IR the university enhanced its blended learning and gave students access to online teaching and learning platforms,” he said. UJ registrar Professor Kinta Burger said due to Covid -19 restrictions on public gatherings, the University had to shift to virtual graduation ceremonies. “This was in recognition that a graduation ceremony is such a momentous occasion in a student’s life. We hope that through these virtual ceremonies our graduates, their families and friends can experience some elements of a graduation ceremony,” Burger said. On the honorary doctorates Burger said: “The university acknowledges the five influential individuals who made sterling contributions to humanity in the socio-economic and political fields of our country, on the African continent and the world at large. This vision and purpose make the conferral and acceptance of an honorary doctorate a noteworthy gesture of mutual respect.”

Organisations want anti-

smoking laws passed

Sharon Nyatsanza

Johannesburg - Anti-smoking organisations have called for the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill to be concluded as soon as possible. The Department of Health’s Lynn Moeng said they are working on the draft law and moving as fast as they can. “We are finalising the process, and before it gets to Cabinet, it needs to be approved by a few technical committees. We are in the process to submit to the various committees,” Moeng said. The National Council Against Smoking’s Sharon Nyatsanza said: “The bill is not a mere box-ticking exercise, it actually saves lives, it serves our health and it is needed to help smokers quit,” she said. The South African Medical Association’s Angelique Coetzee supports most of the proposed measures in the bill, such as 100% smoke-free spaces, plain packaging and regulated tobacco advertising. “We urge government to speedily finalise and implement the bill. Damage to society is worsening during this legislative hiatus,” she said.

CBD gunmen arrested Johannesburg - Police in conjunction with railway police arrested two suspects for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition on Saturday. Police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said police on routine crime prevention noticed a suspicious man at Wanderers Taxi rank changing his direction when he saw the officers. “They cornered him and recovered an

unlicensed firearm with no serial number. Other members at the Park Station bus terminals noticed a suspicious man who was carrying a black sports bag. They searched him and recovered an unlicensed firearm and live ammunition. Both suspects failed to produce licences to possess firearms. The firearms will be sent for ballistic testing to ascertain if they were used in committing other serious crimes,” Mbele said.

10 - 24 June 2021

Inner-city Gazette

News

Leaseholders urged to update roll Gontse Hlophe

ong-term leaseholders in Johannesburg have been requested to update the General Valuation Roll by providing accurate property information to the municipality. The Property Branch issued the call in line with Section 42 of the Municipal Property Rates Act (MPRA), which aims to reinforce relationships with the City’s property clientele. The information will assist to understand how many residential or business properties have long-term leases within its cadastral. The General Valuation Roll assigns value to properties in a municipality, in a bid to generate rates on an equitable basis. Development Planning MMC Thapelo Amad said the municipality should ensure that persons liable for payment receive regular and accurate accounts that indicate the basis for calculating the amounts due. “Collection of property information will ensure long-term leaseholders pay rates according to the market

Part of the accident scene after the taxi crashed onto a wall

Pic: ER24

Commuters injured in minibus crash Johannesburg - On Sunday afternoon 12 people were injured, five of them seriously, when a taxi crashed into a wall at corner Hill and Fern roads in Randburg. ER24 spokesperson Ineke van Huyssteen said when paramedics arrived at the scene they found most of the patients outside the taxi. “Three of them were trapped in the front of the taxi and had to be extricated using the Jaws of Life, they sustained serious injuries. Two more

Spike robber shot dead

Johannesburg - Gauteng traffic powere also found to have sustained lice are searching for more assailants serious injuries, and one of them was after a suspected spike trap criminal airlifted to hospital by medical heliwas shot dead in an incident in Tshcopter. Seven patients had sustained wane. injuries ranging from minor to modGauteng traffic police spokespererate,” van Huyssteen said. son Sello Moremane said the driver Circumstances surrounding the inciof a minibus and a passenger were dent were not known to the paramedheld hostage and robbed of three cell ics at the time, but local authorities were also at the accident scene, Admirall Solutions van Huyssteen pointed out.

Rapist gets 1 088 years jail

Johannesburg - The North Gauteng High Court has sentenced serial rapist Sello Abram Maponya, 33, to 1 088 years behind bars. Judge Papi Mosopa, who handed down the sentence last Thursday, had earlier found Maponya guilty of 41 rapes, 40 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and 40 housebreakings. Maponya had raped and robbed 56 women across Pretoria suburbs for five years. The court ordered that the sentence should not run concurrently as the crimes were committed in various townships over a five-year period. Maponya terrorised communities of Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Olievenhoutbosch and Silverton from 2014 until he was arrested in March 2019. National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana said: “Maponya was sentenced to five life terms, and further 988 years for 72 counts of rape, housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Judge Mosopa ordered that Maponya’s name be added in the national register for sexual offenders.”

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value of their properties. This will enable the City to generate revenue for services that benefit the community as a whole, as opposed to individual households,” he said. As required in section 44 of the MPRA, all information provided and received is treated as confidential. Amad said no leaseholder will be treated unfairly during this process. “Objections will be considered by the Municipal Assessor and a Valuation Appeal Board, should a property owner wish to appeal,” he added. Property owners in a registered longterm lease are expected to provide the City with a copy of the contract against the Freehold property, and a copy of any Right in Land registered against the Freehold property owned or vested in the City. For submissions residents may call 011 407 6405 or email valuationenqueries@joburg.org.za. They can also visit the City’s website www.joburg.org.za; and dropoffs will be considered on the first floor, East Wing at 66 Jorissen Street in Braamfontein, Amad said.

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phones and other items after a spike trap on the N1 freeway near the Stormvoel off-ramp. “Special unit members tried to arrest the robbers, who started shooting at officers. The officers returned fire and one robber was killed,” he said. Motorists are warned to be vigilant especially between 6 pm and 4 am.

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Inner-city Gazette

10 - 24 June 2021

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Music festival

postponed

Johannesburg - This month the popular music festival, Fête de la Musique, put out a call for musicians and DJs to apply to perform at the annual event due to happen in Johannesburg on 19 June. After receiving the highest amount of entries in the Fête de la Musique’s history in South Africa, organizers have decided to postpone the event due to the third wave of Covid 19. The Fête de la Musique will happen when it is safer to stage music festivals, keeping its promise of safety while enjoying entertainment. The Fête de la Musique (or World Music Day) is a free music festival that has been taking place each year in France, internationally and in South Africa since 2010. In Johannesburg it has become a great platform for both renowned and upcoming talents to make themselves known. Many local and international artists have taken part in the event throughout the years and contributed to its success. Those include Samthing Soweto, Msaki, Nakhane, Zoe Modiga, Blk Jks, Urban Village, BCUC, Berita, Baenz Oester and the Rainmakers, Bombshelter Beast, and Vaudou Game. Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy, Selen Daver said: “September is the new target for Fête de La Musique. The Fête is now a recognized event of the musical agenda

The Arts

acting master-classes Lusanda Zokufa

Musician Zoe Modiga

in Johannesburg and it is here to stay. The 334 applications received in one week is a strong sign of this. The quality of entrants has been very strong and we look forward to announcing the 14 who have been chosen to perform at Fête de la Musique 2021.” On 21 June, World Music Day, tune in on Fête de la Musique social media for the announcement of the 2021 shortlisted artists and the release of the full line-up. The Fête de la Musique Joburg is brought by the French Institute of South Africa and the Alliance Française of Johannesburg, in partnership with Bassline Live and Newtown Junction; supported by Total South Africa. For more information on the festival visit www.fetedelamusiquejhb. co.za; Twitter and Instagram.

Acclaimed actor Warren Masemola is partnering with esteemed writer and director Monageng Motshabi to offer a series of master classes in acting. This opportunity for actors is hosted by the Market Theatre Laboratory, where both Masemola and Motshabi originally trained. The classes take place over four sessions from 5 to 8 July 2021; aimed at professional actors working in the theatre, TV and film who seek to reinvigorate themselves, recharge and sharpen their tools. A maximum of 16 participants will be selected, to ensure that the engagement is in-depth and individually tailored. Masemola is a multiple award nominee and four-time South African Film and Television Award winner, two-time DSTV MVCA winner, and two-time Naledi nominee. He is best known for his roles in blockbuster movies like iNumber Number, Eye in the Sky and Vaya, for which he was nominated for best supporting actor for the Africa Movie Academy Awards 2017. He recently starred in Beyonce’s visual album, Black is King, released in 2020, and has toured nationally and internationally with theatre productions including Mike van Graan’s

When Swallow Cry and Robyn Orlin’s Dressed to Kill. His deep interest in different cultures has made him the kind of performer who challenges his vast range to deliver as an actor. Masemola says: “The biggest question I get from actors and nonactors is, ‘how do you do it?’ Even further, some request for one-onone coaching on acting. I am now urged to give back to the industry; and I felt the need to partner with my personal mentor who inspires how I approach the art. So we collaborated with home, being The Market Theater Lab to bring this series of master classes.” Motshabi is the Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Theatre 2017. Since graduating from the Market Lab in 2002, he has built an impressive reputation as a playwright, director, dramaturg, mentor and educator. Among many others, he wrote Echoes, which won a Naledi Award in 2006, and co-wrote and co-directed Book of Rebellations, which was nominated for three Naledi Awards and two Fleur du Cap Awards. He recently wrote On Noah’s Bloodstained Rainbow we Dance, which was adapted to a short film by Label Noir, Literary Colloquium of Berlin (LCB) and the Gorky Theatre (Ber-

Acclaimed actor Warren Masemola

lin). For TV Motshabi has written for Zone 14 Season II, Umlilo Season IV, 90 Plein Street V and Ngempela II. “I hope with these master classes one can contribute to a culture and place where the pursuit of mastery, of self and the principles that elevate one’s artistic output, is a central goal; a place where each is in competition with none but themselves,” Motshabi says. To apply submit a one page CV to courses@marketlab.co.za; and the applications will be evaluated on a first come, first serve basis.

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PSL players bag top awards Sports Reporter

t the 2021 Premier Soccer League (PSL) Awards at the weekend Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile was the biggest winner. The Namibian international who scored 22 goals and was involved in eight assists in 39 games across all competitions, won both the 2020/21 PSL Footballer of the Season and DStv Premiership Player’s Player of the Season awards; beating teammate Themba Zwane and Maritzburg United’s Thabiso Kutumela for the awards. Coach of the Season was won by Benni McCarthy, who joined AmaZulu halfway through the season when they were in 13th place. He helped them end the season in second place, their highest finish in a PSL season; with 50 points, the

most the team accumulated in a season. Some felt the award should have gone to Sundowns co-coaches Manqoba Mngqithi and Rhulani Mokwena who led the team to a fourth consecutive league title, losing only one match in the process. They also oversaw a 22-game unbeaten run for the champions, a new PSL record. The DStv Premiership Young Player of the Season was won by Evidence Makgopa of Baroka FC; Goalkeeper of the Season went to Sundowns’ Denis Onyango; Defender of the Season was won by Njabulo Ngcobo of Swallows FC; Midfielder of the Season, Themba Zwane of Sundowns; Goal of the Season, Teboho Mokoena of SuperSport United; and Top Goalscorer went to SuperSport United’s Bradley Grobler, who scored 16 goals.

Peter Shalulile displays the trophy during the awards ceremony