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9 - 16 April 2020

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Inner City Gazette

Initiative to decongest informal settlements

McIntosh Polela

Johannesburg - A housing initiative is under way to reduce the number of people living in congested informal settlements, in a bid to control the Covid-19 pandemic. Department of Human Settlements spokesperson McIntosh Polela said a team of senior officials is planning to move some residents to ease population density in some areas; in the plan currently in consultation phase. There are 29 informal settlements

which have been identified for the project, including in four metros in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. “Some residents might resist the move, but consultation with the communities is key to the success of this initiative. We are trying to convince them that it is in their interest to relocate. Historically, residents have resisted moving, hence the need for consultation, and moving them not

far from where they live. We shall move them not far from their current places of residence,” Polela said. He said the move will last longer than the current national lockdown, and government will start by providing temporary accommodation. “The plan is to ease congestion, for the long term, and even permanently. For any emergency, it will make it easier to access settlements once congestion has been eased. The

department is working with municipalities to co-ordinate the move, and avoid duplication,” Polela said. He pointed out that municipalities are welcome to have their own plans. “But they need to have the budget and inform government, so we do not cater for communities already catered for. National government is overseeing the process, working with civil society organisations and municipalities,” Polela said.

Inner-city Gazette

News

9 - 16 April 2020

Covid-19 scammers Iconic malls contribute to education, on the loose as schools close amidst pandemic As South Africa finds itself in an unchartered pandemic, amidst the uncertainty and fear, hope and humanity must still come together to tackle some of the challenges currently being experienced. With schools forced to close, there are valid concerns around what this means for the schooling year and setbacks in curriculum, not to mention, many parents who will be working from home with limited time to home school. In line with this, Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Liberty Midlands Mall, Liberty Promenade Shopping Centre and Botshabelo Mall, have made available, at no charge, their SnapStudy education initiative to learners by providing access to complimentary online high school courses to assist scholars, both in private as well as government schools. SnapStudy was designed to offer shoppers, based on their loyalty and spend within the abovementioned malls, the opportunity to study online Boston Connect courses. Boston Group, through its Ivy Schools, finds itself in the ideal position to step in and assist in the months ahead with its distance learning capabilities and array of multimedia resources, ready to engage learners and create a space for interactivity, creativity and knowledge construction. And with the funding and sponsorship

‘If well-known, trusted suppliers are out of stock, it is unlikely that an unknown website will have those items, especially when even government orders are being delayed’ Tech Reporter

A woman in front of her computer

of learners from respective malls, and curricula and home-schooling expertise from the Boston Group – they are making it a reality for high school students whose schooling has been interrupted, and who do not have access to either home schooling or digital e-learning through their schools. How does it work? Interested learners need to apply by sending a WhatsApp to (011) 551 9019 (this is a WhatsApp hotline) and provide their cell phone number or email address, as well notify SnapStudy as to their nearest mall (from the list provided above). Once the submission has been processed, learners will be notified for their complimentary online tutorials. Learners will then need to visit

SnapStudy at www.snapstudy. co.za to register for the courses they are interested in. All high school courses available will include course lectures, which can be done in their own time, as well as regular assessments and report back to parents. “The President, during his announcement, asked corporate South Africa to contribute as much as possible during what will be a very difficult time for everyone, especially those that are impoverished,” stated the participating malls. “We believe that by assisting school students, through Snap Study, we can create some positive educational outcomes, and help others stand in solidarity, during such an unprecedented time.”

nline scammers have created more than 35 500 unique websites related to Covid-19 in the last month, according to research by Atlas VPN. In this they tried to swindle money via phishing scams or selling masks, hand-sanitisers and even virus testing kits. The report also shows that at least 2 000 websites related to Covid-19 are created daily, with half of them being scams. Amazon and Shopify are taking matters into their own hands by removing misleading listings or shutting down suspicious e-shop sites. Atlas VPN chief operating officer Rachel Welch says due to the short supply, most trusted vendors are unable to provide medical equipment to customers. “People are panicking, which pushes them towards making irrational decisions. This way, they end up paying money to scammers. If well-known, trusted suppliers are out of stock, it is unlikely that an unknown website will have those items, especially when even gov-

Atlas VPN COO Rachel Welch

ernment orders are being delayed,” Welch says. Meanwhile, Interpol announced receiving reports of losses as high as US$100 000 per case. During March, the agency blocked 18 bank accounts and froze over US$730 000 in fraudulent transactions. Authorities in the UK also report significant cash losses among its citizens. Police identified 106 cases of fraud where coronavirus was mentioned, with victim losses totalling over US$1,2-million. Key findings in the report include: to this day, scammers have already created over 35 500 websites, selling hand sanitiser, face masks, and other coronavirus-related items; there has been a 1 900% increase in coronavirus-related website scams from February to March; Amazon blocked or removed over 1-million coronavirus-related products; during March, Interpol announced blocking 18 bank accounts and freezing over US$730 000 in fraudulent transactions; and also that the coronavirus outbreak is transforming people’s shopping habits, making them choose online shopping options more frequently.

9 - 16 April 2020

Inner-city Gazette

News

Telkom in track and trace drive for Covid-19

‘The track and trace system collates multiple data sources such as GIS to track an infected person’s exposure and who they may have unknowingly exposed the virus to’ Johannesburg - A Telkom team has been working with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop a track and trace solution to identify people who may have contracted Covid-19. The track and trace system is in line with global best practice promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and also takes account of South Africa’s unique

circumstances which include high income inequality, poverty and overcrowding. Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko said they are deeply concerned with what spread of this pandemic may mean for ordinary South Africans, and overstretched health sector. “We are privileged to be able to contribute to this solution, which we believe will help to contain the spread of new infections,” he said. He added that the track and trace

system collates multiple data sources such as GIS to track an infected person’s exposure and who they may have unknowingly exposed the virus to. “This reduces the current reliance on the patient’s own recollections of who they may have exposed unknowingly and enables the CSIR to contact people who were in the same proximity as the patient.” In some communities the Health Department will use trackers to trace primary contacts and ensure

testing for secondary contacts. The system will integrate the information collected by the trackers. Telkom has partnered with Samsung to distribute 1 500 handsets to trackers across the country. Samsung Africa CEO Sung Yoon said this is a generation-defining moment. “This is a challenge unlike any other. However, our belief remains steadfast and strong. Working together we will certainly rise to this challenge,” Yoon added.

Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko

Health workers in door-to-door Covid-19 testing ‘This thing is like HIV because when HIV started here we didn’t take it seriously until we saw people’

A man gets tested for corona infection in Yeoville

Yeoville - Health workers recently engaged in door-to-door Covid-19 testing in Yeoville. The workers set up a testing station at the front porch of a block of flats, armed with screening questionnaires and testing kits. Health worker Xola Dlomo said they were asking residents to mobilise fellow flat dwellers to come for screening and tests. “They have been coming for screening and

they are even open to testing if they have symptoms,” Dlomo said. Team leader Kegorapetse Ndingandinga said: “The health of our people is our first consideration.” After his sample was taken, resident Michael Moshone said: “It is a little uncomfortable, but you’ve got to be strong because you want to know exactly what is going on with you. This thing is like HIV because when HIV started here we

didn’t take it seriously until we saw people dying.” Before the rollout of mass screening and testing, more than 47 500 tests had been performed, 6 000 of them at public health centres. The country is embarking in a widespread testing and quarantine campaign involving about 10 000 field workers, who get into homes in villages, towns and cities to screen for Covid-19 symptoms.

Inner-city Gazette

News

WHO views economic impact of lockdowns

City evicts building invaders Doornfontein - The City of Joburg has evicted 23 people who were illegally occupying its property in Van Beeck Street, New Doornfontein. In a statement Mayor Geoff Makhubo said the eviction was a result of the city observing an increase in the number of incidents of lawlessness in certain areas of the city, where criminal syndicates are using the national lockdown to take over unoccupied buildings, and invade open spaces and land. “We have directed the JMPD, Group Forensics and Investigative Services to protect the assets of the city and private citizens for the greater interests of all citizens including the poor and homeless. Increased security personnel will be deployed to guard city properties and to prevent any further incidents of illegality,” he said. He added that the city, working together with the provincial department of social development, has made provision for the homeless by accommodating them in various recreational centres across the city. “Therefore, we will not tolerate unlawful invasions under the false pretence or narrative that people are homeless. An investigation to track down these criminal syndicates is currently under way.” Makhubo said they are concerned with that people are using the lockdown period to take advantage of the law, by illegally occupying city buildings. “The City is committed to ensuring that those who are affected by the evictions be accommodated during this period at identified centres that the city has identified to accommodate the homeless, as per the national lockdown regulations on eviction. I urge everyone to work together with the city and adhere to the laws governing this country, and not act in an unlawful manner that may result in evictions and arrests” he added.

9 - 16 April 2020

WHO director for Africa Dr Matshediso Moeti

Johannesburg - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that lockdowns that are being imposed in many African countries would help to slow down the spread of the coronavirus; but they have to take into account the limitations of communal living and the impact on informal traders. WHO regional director for Africa Dr Matshediso Moeti said the economic impact of lockdowns

was a great concern, and required governments to put mitigation measures in place. “Lockdowns must be done in the context of every country. Physical distancing is a very important component of controlling this virus, and where it is being applied in Africa, there needs to be very careful, thoughtful analysis and mitigation measures to ensure these measures are feasible for the people, so that people

who are vulnerable do not suffer unduly,” she added. Moeti said the other area of concern is the economic impact on informal traders. “Some of the people are working as market stall holders and need to earn some money every day to be able to put food on the table, these are some of the concerns.” She added that it is important to keep borders open for trade, food and humanitarian assistance.

Wits engineers make Covid-19

face shields

The institution’s Faculty of Engineering also hopes to make respirators and other medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic

A volunteer wears one of the face shields

Braamfontein - Some Wits University engineers have created face shields for health practitioners dealing with Covid-19 patients. The team is made of Guy Richards, Letlotlo Phohole, Moses Mogotlane, Palesa Riba and Randall Paton. Phohole says Netcare will provide the actual shield and clips to put it together. “We were not happy with the limitation, and wanted to use what is available, cheap to make and light-weight. We wanted to produce a complete product, and also anticipated long printing times with a 3D printer and possible filament shortages given the national drive for face shields and masks. We hope to make between 300 and 500 masks a day,” Phohole said. Paton said they have developed a system that lets them feed the rolled plastic directly

into the cutting bed, and draw more through when done. “We ensure that after production the shields are washed and dried to remove any potentially harmful residue from the laser cutting. This is done in a production line fashion and is now the tightest bottleneck in the project, as we have only one working laser cutter,” Paton said. Paton added that they have given 120 masks to the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, and 20 to the Wits Protection Services staff. “Two hundred will be sent to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital and 100 to Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.” The institution’s Faculty of Engineering also hopes to make respirators and other medical equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic; having raised over R100 000 for the initiative from 68 donors.

Health MEC Bandile Masuku

Dept seeks donations to fight pandemic Johannesburg - The Gauteng Health department has called for donations of personal protective equipment and ventilators to curb the corona virus menace. In a statement the department said it is calling for donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators. “The fight against Covid-19 requires a joint effort by all sectors of society. This includes the increasing of the resource capacity of the Gauteng health system across the board with regards to its Covid-19 response,” the department said. Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku said the province aims to get equipment that will last at least for up to six months. Gauteng has three hospitals that are designated for Covid-19; which are Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Tembisa Tertiary Hospital. Those wishing to donate to the cause may send an email to: covid19.donations@gauteng. gov.za or call 072 633 0515.

9 - 16 April 2020

Inner-city Gazette

News

Muslim community gives out relief aid Johannesburg - Since the lockdown began the Muslim community has distributed over R7 million worth of relief aid across the country. Project spokesperson Shanaaz Ebrahim-Gire said the South African Muslims Covid-19 response task team is co-ordinating with government and other stakeholders to ensure the needs of vulnerable families are met.

Ebrahim-Gire said the organisation, in partnership with the Gauteng government, has handed out food hampers and blankets, hygiene hampers, sanitisers, and face masks. “In Johannesburg 500 people received food hampers and blankets that were distributed to the homeless in the Mayfair area. Islamic Relief South Africa expended 685 one-month food hampers, hygiene

packs, and household packs. The Al Imdaad Foundation distributed food hampers, blankets, hygiene packs, and toothbrushes to the homeless and vulnerable groups in Lenasia South, Windsor, Eikenhoff, Grosvenor, and Eldorado Park,” Ebrahim-Gire said. She added that more donations have been distributed in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.

Project spokesperson Shanaaz Ebrahim-Gire

MES CEO Leona Pienaar

NPO creates space for self-isolation Jeppestown - In its quest to assist displaced community members in the inner-city, community the Mould Empower Serve (MES) community organisation has opened a facility for those who need to be self-isolated. In a statement the NPO said it is in partnership with the City of Joburg Social Development department, opened the Impilo facility in Jeppestown, which is formerly a HIV/Aids hospice, as an additional location to accommodate a new intake of displaced women and other people. MES has also collaborated with the National Department of Social Development across the country to take in more people at all their shelters during the national lockdown. Since the national lockdown, the organisation has kept its shelter operations and food distribution points open to help the high number of vulnerable people who come to their doorstep for assistance, the statement said. The organisation’s CEO Leona Pienaar said there is over 100 000 homeless people in Johannesburg; who are often subject to many communicable or pre-existing illnesses, and yet have no place to self-isolate. “There has been significant progress since our initial appeal to the public for donations and we are thankful for the support. So far we have been able to distribute over 100 food parcels to vulnerable families in our care. We waived fees for crèche parents for April to over 300 families, keep our shelters open, clean and safe, and offered two healthy meals per day to those residing in our shelters during this period, and we are extremely grateful for the support,” Pienaar said. She added that both their shelters in Joburg and the one in Kempton Park operate at full capacity.

Joburg residents observe social distancing as the queue to get into a shop.

Move to upgrade African health systems Johannesburg - Considering weak health systems in Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is taking stock of how many ICU facilities and ventilators each African country has, to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. WHO medical officer Dr Zabu-

lon Yoti said sub-Saharan African countries are being assessed to determine their capacity to take care of critical Covid-19 cases. “The health systems in Africa are already weak, with a minimum supply of these ICU facilities and ventilators. A small percentage of people

from the data available, about two percent, may need ventilators and 15% may need to be placed on ICU. The ideal position would be to slow down the rate of deaths. We have noticed that deaths occur not only in the elderly but also among those less than 40 as well,” Yoti said

African concerns include countries that do not have testing capability, but the global health organisation said the low numbers of confirmed cases should not be cause for concern, and may also not mean that there are large numbers of undetected cases around the continent.

Inner-city Gazette

9 - 16 April 2020

Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

UJ Arts & Culture launches online play writing lab Lakin Morgan-Baatjies

niversity of Johannesburg’s UJ Arts & Culture invites aspirant and established playwrights to apply for participation in its online playwriting laboratory. The UJ Playwriting Lab is designed to support the development of new creative content. Over the past few years, numerous new works were developed in collaboration, in partnership or residence at UJ Arts & Culture. Among those, are Induku, Dear Mr Government, Please may I have a meeting with you, even though I am six years old? and Pink Money. The aim of this six-month programme is for participants to complete the script for a 60-90 minute one-act play. UJ Arts & Culture will select up to four works for staged readings in 2021, where some of the works might be selected for a full-scale production. Head of UJ Arts & Culture Pieter Jacobs says: “Most playwrights I know don’t follow a step-by-step process or ‘recipe’ to write a play. Most of the time it involves a smorgasbord of methods, techniques and tricks. The UJ Playwriting Lab strives to create a learning-by-doing environment through online master classes, forum discussions and on-going critical feedback over a writing-intensive period. While writing, generally, is a solitary endeavour we hope that this

Some of the participants during the launch of ArtsTrack 8

ArtsTrack No 8 now available from BASA Sne Mdiya

ommissioned by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) and conducted by BMi, ArtsTrack monitors arts sponsorship, consumer engagement, as well as perceptions of the arts and its sponsors; the 2019 iteration of the report evaluates the popularity of music, arts and cultural events, including analysing audience sizes, genres, and other key demographics. BASA Head of Research Mad-

eleine Selmer-Olsen says research is core to BASA’s work and that ArtsTrack is a key property in this regard. “It is a powerful tool to make the most of the shared value that partnering with the arts can bring. It also provides valuable insights for arts sponsors as well as for the sector,” she says. BASA Head of Marketing Savannah Feeke says for nearly two decades, this research has been a key and exclusive resource for BASA

members only. “However, we are pleased to be working on an abbreviated version as a free resource to guide everyone in the sector with regard to mapping a way forward in the wake of Covid-19 cancellations and closures,” she adds. ArtsTrack No 8 Abbreviated will be available for download from www. basa.co.za from 17 April 2020. In the meantime, ArtsTrack 7, 6 and 5 are available to download for free from https://www.basa.co.za/ home-page/research/artstrack/

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By Prophet Philip Banda

UJ Arts & Culture Head Pieter Jacobs

programme will make the journey a little less lonely,” he adds. The programme will be presented in English but participants may also write scripts in SeTswana, South and North Sotho (SeSotho and SePedi) and Afrikaans. The playwriting programme will be facilitated by Jacobs and playwright Omphile Molusi; award-winning director Jade Bowers and an independent director and facilitator Tshego Khutsoane will join the programme as writing advisors. Master classes on a range of topics will be presented by writing advisors and other writers, including Mike van Graan, Napo Masheane, Ismail Mahomed and Amy Jephta. Applicants should submit one monologue of not more than 400 words; and a dialogue, not more than 600 words. The online form should be completed and submitted by 18 April 2020. For more visit www.uj.ac.za/arts.

Soccer players’ salaries to continue getting paid The PSL may only consider resuming the games after the end of the lockdown on April 16; while the end of the Absa Premiership has been moved from 9 May 9 to 30 Sports Reporter

espite indefinite suspension of matches, Premier Soccer League (PSL) players will continue getting their salaries paid. PSL acting CEO Mato Madlala said the football clubs will continue receiving their grants, which enables them to pay salaries, though most of their players are unable to do their work during the lockdown. “The clubs receive the grant every month from the PSL through-

out the year, and will continue doing so. Even if the season runs until June it will not be a problem,” Madlala said. Most of the clubs depend on the R2.5 million PSL monthly grants to cover wages and other expenses. It is not clear when the PSL matches will resume, as the country tries to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The PSL may only consider resuming the games after the end of the lockdown on April 16; while

the end of the Absa Premiership has been moved from 9 May 9 to 30 June. GladAfrica Championship clubs also get financial support from the PSL, which is R500 000 per month. Club bosses in the lower league have confirmed that their players would also continue receiving their salaries during the lockdown period. The clubs have also announced that they have created fitness programmes for their players to

Acting PSL CEO Manto Madlala

follow while at home and keep fit during the lockdown. In other parts of the world, especially in Europe, soccer clubs have asked their players to accept salary reductions for the next few months, because of the negative economic impact of the suspension of their league matches.