3 April 2020
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Cele vs Covid
Photos: Joe Dreyer
Photo: Joe Dreyer
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Personeel | Personnel Redakteur / Editor Joe Dreyer 072 930 1462 joe@bulletin.us.com Joernaliste / Journalists Roelof de Jonge 078 672 7306 roelof@bulletin.us.com Ontwerp / Design Tessa Thompson 079 653 6317 tessa@bulletin.us.com Deborah Varrie debz@bulletin.us.com
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Mystery roadblock ‘appears’ on R71
Verspreiding | Distribution Tzaneen • Haenertsburg • Modjadjiskloof • Mooketsi • Letsitele Gravelotte • Ofcolaco • Lenyenye Nkowankowa • Phalaborwa
An officer places bright coloured traffic cones in the middle of the R71 road surface to channel vehicles into the roadblock. FAR NORTH MEDIA
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■ Joe Dreyer In an impressive feat of organization and teamwork, members of SAPS Tzaneen in cooperation with the provincial traffic department and members of the SA Army reserve force, erected a massive roadblock on the R71 just outside Tzaneen. The roadblock was designed to stop and search vehicles entering and exiting town and inspect passenger occupancy, permits and the like. It was erected in record time near the Riverside turnoff on Friday morning. Traffic cones were set out to direct incoming and outgoing traffic, tents were erected, and the road’s shoulder was nearly completely hidden by traffic and police vehicles as uniformed members took up position. A local private security company was also commissioned to assist. Members of the public were amazed at the sudden appearance of this roadblock on the eighth day of the national lock down. The seven days prior to the announcement of the visit by police minister Bheki Cele saw apparently very little happening at this specific section of the R71 barring of course two or three traffic officers conducting random stop and searches for a few hours each morning. Readers of Bulletin and followers of the Daily Drive show with Joe commented on the matter with the majority expressing their disappointment. “This is all for show because they knew that the minister was coming and so they had to pull up their socks,” said one commentator over social media. “Wait until this afternoon when he has left and have a look if that impressive roadblock is still there. It won’t be, it’s all for the cameras,” said another. Following Minister Cele’s departure from Tzaneen later that afternoon, Bulletin took another drive to the roadblock and found to our dismay that the fears of our readers were not in vain. Of the many official vehicles and uniformed officers we saw earlier that morning, was left one police vehicle, one security vehicle and a solitary Limpopo Traffic vehicle. The bright coloured signs and traffic cones were nowhere to be seen and there was not a single army member anywhere in sight. Could this really all have been “just for show” to impress the minister on his visit? Or could there be another, less imperceptive, explanation? We will be sending our inquiries to the relevant authorities and report back on the matter in next week’s edition. If you missed the video, have a look on our Facebook page under the live streaming gallery. Share your opinion on the matter with the rest of the community and if you have not yet, please like and follow us, to ensure that you stay updated without having to leave the safety of your home. Also head over to Instagram and follow us @ Bulletintzn.
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A traffic officer rests against the bonnet of his official vehicle in anticipation of his duties.
The shoulder of the R71 near the Riverside turnoff was lined with traffic and police vehicles on Friday morning
Police Minister Bheki Cele at the SAPS Tzaneen Cluster Command Centre.
Stand van Damme Dam Levels
Foto deur: Willie & Mariette Source: www.dwa.gov.za Information updated: 03/04/2020
Tzaneen 19.7%
Ebenezer 22.4%
Merensky 101.2%
Dap Naude 104.3%
Middel Letaba 4.5%
Blyde Rivier Poort 100.7%
Klaserie 100.4%
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Tel: 015 307 3703 11 Rencole Building, Loop Street, Tzaneen
Tours 29.9%
Vergelegen 101.3%
Ohrigstad 12.5%
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3 April 2020
Minister Cele passes through Tzaneen ■
Joe Dreyer
Police Minister, Bheki Cele, arrived an hour and twenty minutes late for his appointment with the people of Tzaneen. It is said that he was originally meant to fly into town and would be collected from the Letaba airfield, but this changed last minute and he was driven by protective convoy to the Tzaneen SAPS Cluster Command Centre in Peace Street. Upon arrival he was ushered into the command centre for a briefing and members of the media with bated breath outside in the parking lot for him to address us. He did not however speak to us at the command centre but was ushered away to the Crossings Centre in downtown Tzaneen. At the Crossings Centre, he first entered the Shoprite store where he spoke to the management and inquired about their safety procedures regarding the amount of people in the store, the social distancing and the disinfecting of the trolleys and baskets. Shockingly however, the Minister was dancing with the staff and engaging in the now famous “elbow greeting” with passers-by as he and the massive entourage of personal protection made their way towards the taxi rank on the opposite side of the building. Once outside in the parking he randomly pointed at bystanders waiting to enter the store and asked them very jestingly, “where is your line” as he pointed to the social distancing markers placed on the pavement by the store management. Not moments after he exited the shopping centre, did a huge crowd form around him. Soon there were hundreds of civilians which included shoppers, taxi operators and general bystanders surrounding the minister with their phones out recording his visit. Cele seemed to relish every moment of the attention. At the taxi rank he grabbed a microphone and addressed the bystanders. Initially he politely requested that veryone stop bunching and step back, but this soon faded as the crowd grew larger and the adoration flooded in. He was visibly in his element and not at all concerned about the fact that his mask was slipping off his face, or that the hundreds of people in the crowd were standing atop one another in order to catch a glimpse of the Fedora-ranger in action. “It looks like management inside the shop here at Checkers (never mind that he was not at Checkers, but had just exited Shoprite) the people understand this theory of 50 people inside the store at any one time. We are achieving this thing of social distancing,” he said. “Things will now start stabilizing. This week has been a very special week with everyone collecting their
grants and we hope that next week and going forward it will be much better.” When asked about the water crisis in the villages and deep rural areas where people still had to move between the areas in order to fetch their daily supply of water, Cele said that water is a challenge everywhere. “If you care to follow the news you would have seen that extraordinary measures have been implemented to assist people with water. The extra tanks and water tankers will improve the situation, because you need to wash your hands, but if water is not there it is not going to help.” It appears by all accounts that government were caught with their pants down. On the issue of supplying protective gear such as face masks to the taxi operators who are expected to hand these masks out to their passengers, Cele said that there is currently a supply problem. “The efforts by government who have committed to bring the masks and sanitizers to the taxi ranks have been met. They have told me that they have sanitiser but they are going to have to move fast in order to get the protective gear to hand out to the taxi drivers. The problem is that everybody is chasing and buying the masks and we hope that soon we will find a solution this shortage as well.” Shockingly, when Cele was asked how government intends to control the masses of people who still flood into the centres and do not seem to take the pandemic or the lock down seriously, he answered by quoting Adolf Hitler. “Maybe if I can quote a man I don’t want to quote, Hitler, who said that if you keep telling people the very same message every day, they will eventually come to understand it. It is up to government and the leadership to keep reminding people every day of how serious this pandemic is. We will have to make sure that they understand at the end of the day.”
The men in hats. Lennit Max, special advisor to Cele accompanied the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele through the Tzaneen Crossings Centre on Friday.
Surrounded by a crowd of easily a hundred people as he entereed the taxi rank
One of the heavily armed Public Order Police officers
In his element. Minister Cele surrounded by the media.
Cele speaks to a taxi driver in his vehicle as he hands him sanitizer
Amid all the bystanderswho gathered in numbers to see their police minister, Bheki Cele wears no mask
Cele holds the mic up to a taxi driver who has some questions. Note his mask
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Cele visit sparks rank clean-up
EXCLUSIVE
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Choose wisely South Africa. A gogo waits in line at the taxi rank in Tzaneen beside a vacant chair. Photos: Joe Dreyer
■
Joe Dreyer
While broadcasting the ‘Daily Drive with Joe’ show, Bulletin editor Joe Dreyer stumbled across a group of Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) executive committee members standing in the parking lot of the taxi rank behind Tzaneng Mall. The taxi rank is situated within the independent state of Claude Wheatley and has been at the centre of much controversy regarding the absolute disregard of the municipal bylaws and national traffic regulations by the taxi operators as well as the all-encompassing absence of GTM Traffic officers in that same area. The GTM mayor, Maripe Mangena as well as the GTM Speaker, Dikeledi Mmetle were standing in a group along with their spokesperson, Neville Ndlala. They seemed surprised when they saw the media. “We are here to disinfect the taxi rank structures,” explained Ndlala when asked what they were doing at the rank. “The structures belong to the municipality and so we will focus only on surfaces that could be touched by human traffic. We will not be disinfecting the taxis themselves as it is expected of each operator to disinfect their own vehicles.” Three GTM employees were dressed in hazmat suits with great big canisters of industrial disinfectant on their backs. A spray nozzle hung like a rifle at their sides. The mayor and speaker were joined by the manager for environmental affairs, Maggie Matsemela, exco member for planning and development, Sannie Tiva, exco member for the department of health at the GTM, Lettie Hlangwane and councillor Margeret Letsoalo of the GTM. Before the disinfecting could kick off, Mayor Mangena first explained to the taxi operators what they were going to do and according to tradition, received permission to continue. We found it a strange coincidence that the media was not informed of this operation, and that permission not only needed to be obtained from the taxi operators, but that this process was not completed a few days before the operation commenced. Could this mean that the visit to the taxi rank was in fact an impromptu decision considering the visit by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele a few hours later on that same day? To view the video interview and live coverage of this operation, check out the video gallery on our Facebook page. Like and subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow us on Instagram @Buletintzn for more content and up to the minute news as it breaks.
GTM Speaker, Dikeledi Mmetle addresses onlookers at the taxi rank.
The spray squad was disinfecting the GTM’s structures at the taxi rank at Tzaneng mall amid the worried vigil of the taxi operators.
GTM Mayor Maripe Mangena briefs his team.
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3 April 2020
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Hindus come to aid of homeless
■ Jeff Jackson Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS) is a Hindu religious and social organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The BAPS Tzaneen temple has volunteered to feed the 45 homeless people currently being housed at Jetty 3 in Aquapark. Over the weekend, the GTM in cooperation with the Mopani District Municipality’s disaster management department setup a temporary shelter for the homeless community of Tzaneen, where they will be housed during the 21-day coronavirus lock down period. This was in line with the government’s ruling that all the homeless people across the country need to be isolated in order to control the spread of the virus. The 45 homeless people are being housed in tents at the popular Jetty 3 fishing and social grounds. The move caused some controversy for a number of reasons. The foremost being that the ward in which the temporary shelter was erected, Ward 14, is a DA-run ward and the ANC-led municipality failed to inform the DA of their plan. This led the opposition to believe that the move was nothing more than a powerplay by the ANC ahead of the coming municipal elections. There was some confusion initially regarding the budget for the shelter as the people hosted there needed shelter, beds and food during their stay. Information Bulletin received, pointed to a contractor from Maruleng appointed to cook three meals
a day for the homeless, but this was later contradicted by new information that two employees of the GTM were appointed to feed the residents of the shelter. All of this allegedly turned out to be speculation. We spoke to the municipal manager for the GTM, Thapelo Matlala, who said that there was no budget from the GTM for the project and that the tents and mattresses along with the bedding was supplied by the Mopani District. “I am running this project on a zero budget hence the call for donations initially. The BAPS Tzaneen temple came to the rescue in a very big way and have pledged daily food donations to these homeless shelter residents for the duration of the lock down. Therefore, if any member of the public is approached for donations for this shelter, they should report it to my office immediately.” A team of five from BAPS members met with representatives of the municipality led by the municipal manager, Thapelo Matlala earlier this week to finalize the logistics of the arrangement. Darshan Brahmbhatt, who is in charge of charity at BAPS Tzaneen said “we saw a post on Facebook that the municipality was helping the homeless, so I came up with the idea to do something from our side to assist in their plight. We will give them three meals a day, breakfast lunch and dinner for the whole month of April. We can build this country together by giving something back to the community.” Matlala in turn expressed gratitude on behalf of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. “Our prayers have been answered,” he said.
Eskom to increase their maintenance ■ Roelof de Jonge Eskom stated on the Wednesday the 1st of April that it managed to double maintenance work as demand drops, to take Koeberg Unit 2 off the grid for a month. With the COVID-19 national lockdown in full effect, Eskom has experienced a significant reduction in demand for electricity. Electricity usage has dropped by between 7 500MW and 9 000MW since the lockdown came into effect last week. This has allowed Eskom to operate without the need to implement load shedding. Furthermore, Eskom are making use of the opportunity of the low demand to carry out important short-term maintenance of its generation infrastructure. Eskom said it have increased planned maintenance to 9 032MW, while unplanned outages or breakdowns have been reduced to 8 572MW. This compares to planned maintenance of 4 256MW and unplanned outages or breakdowns of 12 175MW on the 25th
of March, the last day before the national lockdown. In order to protect the integrity of the system, Eskom has taken some generation units offline. From midnight on Friday the 3rd of April, Eskom added Koeberg Unit 2 to these units, which are all available to return to service at short notice should the need arise. Koeberg Unit 2 is scheduled to return to service by the 30th of April, if not called before then, according to Eskom. As part of protecting the integrity of the power system, Eskom has also issued force majeure notices to the wind independent power producers. These notices serve to alert the wind IPPs of the possibility that Eskom may from time to time curtail their supply to the grid during the national lockdown. Should this remote possibility happen, the IPPs will be afforded one day of relief for every day, or part thereof, of lost production. This will ensure none of the wind IPPs are worse off than before the force majeure.
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Croc claims fisherman (31) ■ Jeff Jackson
A group of friends looked on in horror as one of their mates was dragged into the Levubu River by a crocodile during fishing trip earlier this week. It is alleged that the deceased, Nephawe Rabelani from Tswinga village outside Thohoyandou, was fishing together with a group of people when he was allegedly seen being grabbed and dragged into the water by this reptile. “The Police in Thohoyandou have opened a case of inquest after the remains of a 31-year-old fisherman were recovered floating in the crocodile-infested Levubu River on Wednesday, the 1st of April. This after he was allegedly attacked by a Crocodile on Monday, the 30th of March at about 18h00, while fishing in the area,” said SAPS Provincial spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe. The local Police were then notified and responded quickly. Members of the South African Police Service Search and Rescue Unit were also activated and on arrival at the scene, they immediately commenced with a search operation. The operation continued for two days until the remains were recovered. It is not sure why the group were out fishing during a national lock down which prohibits leaving the house for leisurely activities with your friends, but police investigations are continuing.
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Granny’s Grumbles -ANYTHING YOU CAN DO
When I was a chubby and freckled teenager I had the quaint idea that I should be as good if not better than the boys at anything they did. It took me years to realise that the last thing on earth a man wants is a woman who can beat him at anything. When I was twelve my parents had a very good friend who was a dirt-track motorbike champion. There were monthly meetings at the local dirt track and we spent the day watching all our heroes in action. Our friend was killed whilst racing overseas so our monthly picnics at the dirt track ceased and some time
later the club folded. Years later an advertisement in the local paper indicated that the dirt track monthly meetings were about to start again and this time there would be micro midget cars also involved. Anybody (male or female) who was interested could join and be part of the fun so I contacted the said number and before you could say “Mac the Knife” I was the secretary and taking the minutes of the monthly meetings and attending all the the race meetings. After a couple of months somebody came up with the idea of there being a midget car ladies race – this was assuming that the men had no objection to letting the ladies use their cars. I managed to find a male who was willing to let me use his car and did pretty well against the other ladies. Since the young man who was allowing me to use his car was rather nice and I was becoming a little arrogant about my expertise behind the steering wheel after a few months I ventured to suggest that some of the ladies could very likely feature rather well against the men, myself included. “Let’s see what we can arrange” said he. The next meeting he told me his plan. I would take his place in the third race. I would be driving his car with his helmet, goggles and leather jacket. His younger brother would push start me and he himself would be well out of sight. What a good idea – or so I thought! I should mention at this stage that Ivan (for that was his name) shared the top rankings with a man called Joe. There was rather obvious bad blood between them so I had the idea that if I could at least keep up with Joe I would impress Ivan. The race started – it was fairly obvious that Joe’s car was faster than mine but when we were halfway into the second lap he slowed down to take a rather awkward corner on the inside. My perfect opportunity, or so I thought. As I tried to overtake him on the outside his car slithered (?) into mine which overturned onto its side and I skidded for at least ten metres since I was hit by another car from the rear. Now I had always been of the impression that real leather jackets were indestructible. Alas I was wrong. Two race marshals who rushed to my aid and unstrapped me saw there was fairly large amount of flesh hanging from my arm. They obviously thought I was Ivan – the one said “You’re a bloody idiot – he always does that to anyone who tries to overtake on the outside as you of all people should know”. I said nothing – I think I was in shock because I had never skidded sideways along a dirt track previously. When we reached the
medical aid tent somebody removed my helmet and jacket and it became fairly obvious that I was not Ivan For once in my life I was extremely glad I was a female. The change in my treatment was immediate – gently laid on a bed and two medics tending my wounds. No more being dragged along by my armpits and told what a fool I was. An hour later my left arm was bound up fairly solidly and one of my friends said she would drive me home. Notwithstanding the fact that I was eighteen years of age and had been working for two and a half years I still lived at home. In those days if you lived under your parents’ roof they had total jurisdiction over you and they let you know it. My mother let me have it the moment I entered the house and finished off by reminding me that I was to be the chief bridesmaid at my best friend’s wedding the following Saturday. My best fiend was having one of the biggest weddings seen in our area –I could well imagine how she would feel if I was wearing an enormous bandage that stretched most of the way up my arm. I had not been looking forward to the affair anyway as I was expected to wear a frothy pink dress that made me look like a pregnant fairy. No – my friend was not amused but fortunately the nurse who was dressing the wound daily said I should relax – she was sure that by Friday the bandage could be removed and something to dry up the wound would be fine. Gentian violet was a favourite for drying up wounds and she was applying it liberally to my arm on the Friday when I reminded her that I was actually a bridesmaid the following day. Not a problem – a nice thin bandage to cover the purple and a tiny gold safety pin to hold it together – nobody would see anything. The big day arrived – everything was going well until the bride and groom took to the floor to dance – the best man (who I had never met before) indicated that we should also take the floor. He had just arrived from Cape Town where evidently the latest rock ‘n roll moves were streets ahead of Rhodesia. He meant to teach me an entirely new routine which was fine until the bandage became loose and fell about me showing a bright purple arm. To cut a long story short – we found a secluded corner where a hasty repair job was put in place as there were more photos to be taken. The bandage was put on so tightly that it never again came loose and the rest of the wedding reception went off without a hitch. I never again mentioned women racing against men!
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3 April 2020
Agri SA part of COVID-19 task team
Agriculture Census released
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ences concerning food production is being discussed. Organised agriculture has The Minister then refers a critical role to ensure susthese problems to the Natained food production tional COVID-19 Operational amidst the COVID-19 panand Intelligence Task Team demic. Organised agriculture (NATJOINTS). The amended such as Agri SA, AgBIZ and regulations in terms of secTAUSA currently serves on the tion27(2) of the Disaster ManDepartment of Agriculture’s agement Act, 2002, which deCOVID-19 task team. clares food production as an This pandemic caused largeessential service, was further scale disruption within the adjusted. South African society. The govThe harvesting and storage Christo van der Rheede ernment has introduced comof all farm products (like wine, prehensive lockdown measures to confine the tobacco, corn) are now included in the definition movement of people to a minimum in the hope of food as an essential product. The agricultural that it will curb further spreading of the virus. sector has a massive responsibility to apply all In countries such as China, Italy, the USA, and precautionary measures necessary to prevent the others, large numbers of people have been in- further spreading of this deadly virus. Like making fected, with the death toll in those countries hav- sure that all workers wear masks and gloves. ing increased dramatically. “Comply strictly with social-distancing rules. MonIn South Africa, the number of cases increas- itor your workers and act promptly when someone es daily. This is a cause for serious concern. As a shows any symptoms of having contracted the vicountry, however, we cannot ignore the impli- rus. The politics around food production must be cations of this virus and we must comply strictly well managed. The last thing we need now is allewith the lockdown measures. gations that agriculture is responsible for spreading Essential goods such as all food, cleaning and the virus”, said Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA’s hygiene products, medical and hospital supplies, Deputy Executive Director. fuel and necessities such as airtime, water and He said movement from point A to point B must electricity, are excluded. be confined to a minimum because this is how This also includes a comprehensive range of ser- the virus spreads. vices that are essential to ensure that all the nec“Where there is movement, stringent measures essary products are made available to the market. must be taken, with the necessary documentaConcerning agriculture, it includes services and tion always available should members of the poproducts on the input side of food production lice or defence force request to see it” said van and the production of food as such, as well as the der Rheede. storage, processing, packaging, distribution and He said permits must also be issued to all peosale of food products. ple who deliver food or render or other essential However, agriculture has an enormous respon- services in this regard. Unfortunately, all sectors sibility to ensure that the necessary precaution- will be severely affected, while the agricultural ary measures are in place for all processes relat- industry remains in a privileged position, according to the provision of food to prevent further ing to van der Rheede. spreading of the virus. “We have a major responsibility, however, to In Agri SA’s daily interaction with the Depart- manage this privilege smartly and with great ment and Ministry of Agriculture, all the existing circumspection and not to abuse it”, he conand potential problems that the sector experi- cluded. Roelof de Jonge
Roelof de Jonge
Agri SA welcomes the release of results for the latest Census of Commercial Agriculture (CoCA). “We realise that good decision-making on the spectrum of matters that affect agriculture should be based on accurate and reliable information”, said Dr Requier Wait, Agri SA Head of Economics and Trade Centre of Excellence. This includes aspects such as infrastructure, services, housing, finance and employment. CoCA 2017 is therefore very important for both farmers and the agricultural industry. In the current context of COVID-19, this is even more so. The preliminary results of the 2017 agricultural census confirm the important role that this sector plays within the South African economy and its society. It provides a concise overview of trends in respect of agriculture’s role as food and fibre provider and the structural changes that can be observed amid changes in the local policy environment as well as in the global market. It is important to bear in mind that this census is incomplete in that it does not cover the entire agricultural spectrum. For example, it does not include information on former homelands, subsistence farming and beneficiaries of land reform, according to Wait. “These results only cover commercial agriculture’s core 40 122 farming units. For this reason, it remains difficult to conduct a full valuation of contributions and trends in respect of resources excluded from the census and which change hands in the transformation process”, said Wait. Some of the key findings highlighted by Stats SA include: • The largest proportion of farms was in the farming of animals (13 639 farms or 33,9% of the total), followed by mixed
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farming (12 458 or 31,1%) and growing of cereals and other crops (8 559 or 21,3%) • The province with the highest number of farms in 2017 was Free State (7 951 farms or 19,8% of the national total), followed by Western Cape (6 937 or 17,3%), North West (4 920 or 12,3%) and Northern Cape (4 829 or 12,0%) • Comparing 2007 and 2017, the largest gain in percentage share of income was in horticulture (+2,4 percentage points, from 17,4% in 2007 to 19,8% in 2017). Over the same period, the largest loss in percentage share was in mixed farming (4,1 percentage points, from 32,7% to 28,6%) • The provinces with the largest gains in the share of national income between 2007 and 2017 were Limpopo (+2,0 percentage points, from 7,4% to 9,4%), Gauteng (+1,9 percentage points, from 7,8% to 9,7%) and Eastern Cape (+1,5 percentage points, from 6,6% to 8,1%). The Western Cape lost the biggest percentage share (-2,4 percentage points, from 21,7% to 19,3%) • The total number of persons employed in commercial agriculture as on 30 June 2018 was 757 628, down from 769 594 on 28 February 2007 (1,6%) • In terms of employment, the major commercial agriculture activity in 2017 was horticulture (268 740 employees or 35,5% of the total), followed by mixed farming (185 863 or 24,5%) and farming of animals (162 116 or 21,4%). Agri SA has familiarised itself with Stats SA’s confidential treatment of respondent’s information and has given its full support by encouraging its affiliates and commercial farmers to submit their forms as fully and timeously as possible. Agri SA wishes to thank its members for their participation to ensure a usable result that can support good decision-making. “We also wish to thank Stats SA for their hard work and dedication to make the census a success”, Wait concluded.
Massive responsibility to ensure food supply ■
Roelof de Jonge
Agri SA calls for understanding and considerate conduct in agricultural value chains during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The agricultural sector recognises it has a massive responsibility to ensure food security during the lockdown period, but also in the trying economic times ahead. “In our endeavours, we have to acknowledge the interdependency of the agricultural value chain segments and the reciprocal effect that each has on the other. In our journey to stay economically sustainable as a sector, we should also be mindful of producers as price takers who are currently ab-
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sorbing a significant increase in inputs costs” said Jolanda Andrag, Agri SA Commodity Chamber Head. Agri SA takes note of the Milk Producer Organisation’s (MPO) press release on price reductions in parts of the dairy industry. “In the current uncertainty, when prices are reduced significantly on the supply side of the market without any notable changes on the demand side, it creates unnecessary frustration and additional economic strain on producers. It remains imperative to keep farmers in business to ensure the viability of the whole food system,” said Omri van Zyl, Agri SA Executive Director.
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3 April 2020
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New Corolla launched amidst Corona bug ■ Roelof de Jonge The COVID-19 virus could not have come at a worst time for Toyota South Africa and its dealerships. As the all-new Corolla was released on Wednesday the 25th of March, the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lock down period in the same week. So, while we can share all about the new Corolla with you, current owners and new prospective owners will have to wait until the 21day lock down period has gone, hoping it has significantly improved the spread of the virus. You are welcome to share you Corolla memories and photos on our Bulletin Facebook timeline, we would like to hear from you. The world’s best-selling automotive nameplate is quite some accolade and no mean feat either to maintain for years on end. The Corolla, Toyota’s compact family car, was first launched in 1966 and has captured the global automotive market to become a household name the world over. The Corolla evokes memories from childhood to adult life for many whose parents, family, friends and then later themselves have owned. This author can recall several memories and experiences about the legendary Corolla. It is exciting to note aggressive appeal of the all-new Corolla, never mind the abundance of modern age technology incorporated into the latest generation. Since its beginning as quite a modest but effective, reliable and fuel-efficient car, the Corolla has since transformed into a luxurious car, which in today’s terms is certainly very good value for money. Now in its 12th-generation, the new Corolla combines Toyota’s exciting new design direction, together with the tried-and-tested virtues of the Corolla brand. This new approach has certainly been paying dividends for Toyota and the new Corolla is certainly no exception. The new Corolla sedan features the same front-end treatment as the Corolla Hatch (with minor variation). Eight exterior colours are on offer, six of them being new namely Celestite Grey, Crimson Red, Moonlight Ocean, Scarlet and Dark Blue metallic. Pearl White, Glacier White and Satin Silver will remain the neutral tones on offer. The new Corolla sedan adopts the same interior design as its hatch sibling, featuring an elegantly simple design, reduced upper-panel height, softtouch finishes and brushed metal accent strips. In sedan execution, blue contrast stitching adds an air of sportiness and harmonises with blue illumination for the switchgear and instrument panel. A revised front seat design with elegant ribbed pattern and bucket-like profile lends a premium feel to the cabin. A new-age synthesized fabric called RezatecTM is used, offering the comfort of fabric with the premium feel of leather. The top of the range XR model offers a choice of sporty blue or classic grey accent trim colours. There are two engines options for the new Corolla. The 1.8-litre power unit is carried over from the previous generation which delivers 103kW of power and 171Nm of torque. This unit is mated to a seven-speed Shiftmatic CVT automatic transmission with seven pre-programmed steps. Next up is the new 2.0-litre ‘Dynamic Force’ TNGA engine (first used in the new RAV4) which ups the ante to 125kW and 200Nm, although
Now in its 12th-generation, the new Corolla combines Toyota’s exciting new design direction.
strong emphasis is placed on fuel efficiency. Two gearbox options are offered, a six-speed manual or 10-speed Shiftmatic CVT transmission. Fuel consumption for the 1.8-litre is 6.2l per 100km and for the 2.0-litre manual 6.5l per 100km. A figure of 6.0l per 100km is consumed by the 2.0-litre CVT at. Two grade options are offered namely XS and XR. The XR model is the flagship with the new 2.0-litre Dynamic Force engine with a choice of six-speed manual or 10-speed Shiftmatic CVT. The 1.8 XS serves as the entry point to the range. The XS rolls on 16-inch alloy wheels shod with 205-55-R16 tyres. The XR models sports stylish turbine-shaped 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with 225-40-R18 tyres. The new Corolla sedan delivers on both the tech and convenience
This is the first-generation Toyota Corolla from 1966.
In 1984 Toyota added a hatch variant to the Corolla model series.
The Corolla from 2014.
fronts, with the inclusion of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and touchscreen interface. Climate control with Eco mode, a reverse camera, power seat adjustment, one-touch functionality for the electric windows, keyless entry, tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, steering switches and cruise control all feature on the spec’ list. The XR models feature an auto-dimming rear view mirror. Two levels of Multi-information Display (MID) systems are utilised. The XS grade uses a 4.2-inch display with the XR variants making use of a large 7-inch MID system with digital speedometer. Model Line-up and Pricing Corolla 1.8 XS CVT – R372 700 Corolla 2.0 XR 6MT – R412 300 Corolla 2.0 XR CVT – R425 200. Warranty and Service All Corolla models include a six-year or 90 000km service plan with service intervals recommended at every 15 000km or 12-months. A three-year or 100 000km warranty is also included.
The Corolla from 1980. Surely there are still some running as strong as ever.
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3 April 2020
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Isuzu extends service interval to essential service vehicles ■ Roelof de Jonge An elderly man was allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment and Port Elizabeth based Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAf ) fully supports the measures which have been implemented by the President Cyril Ramaphosa during the lockdown period to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The company recognises that during this critical period it is important that essential services which are supporting South Africa during this crisis must continue and to this end several vital goods are being transported across the country in Isuzu commercial vehicles every day. Chris Jonck, Isuzu Motors South Africa Executive for Aftersales, Subsidiaries and Joint Ventures, said Isuzu is committed to ensure that these vehicles remain on the road during the lockdown period. “Our aftersales team is on standby and customers can rest assure that their vehicles will get the necessary technical support to minimise the risk of downtime, thus ensuring ongoing supply of essential products and services”, said Jonck In addition, IMSAf will provide a grace period of one month to Isuzu customers, supporting the servicing of vehicles, without affecting their warranties. Customers can also make use of corrosion inspection after lockdown up to Friday, 15 May 2020 regardless of mileage and the age of the vehicle. “We are committed to ensure ongoing service and support to customers who are carrying out essential services during the lockdown period and we are taking into consideration the limitations of getting vehicles serviced during this time,” said Jonck.
Isuzu Motors South Africa are committed to ensure on going service and support to customers who are carrying out essential services during the lockdown period.
Ford to co-produce 50 000 ventilators ■ Roelof de Jonge
Suzuki to sharpen its focus on affordable vehicles ■ Roelof de Jonge Suzuki Auto South Africa committed itself to increasing its focus on affordable mobility in the wake of the economic impact of the coronavirus. The company recently launched South Africa’s new affordability champion in the form of the Suzuki S-Presso and has committed to extending its promotional five-year or 200 000km mechanical warranty beyond the initial launch period. At an entry price of R134 900, the S-Presso is one of the most affordable new vehicles on the market, especially considering that its price includes a two-year service plan, as well as one year’s comprehensive insurance. Suzuki Auto launched its all-new S-Presso urban SUV in mid-March via webcast shortly before lockdown. It hopes to distribute additional stock to dealers once the lockdown has lifted. “We are very excited for customers to see and test-drive the new S-Presso. It has the space and ride height of a compact SUV, it is built on our light and rigid HEARTECT platform and it is South Africa’s new affordability champion. We believe it is exactly what our customers want,” said André Venter, divisional manager of sales and marketing at Suzuki Auto SA. The S-Presso is powered by a 50kW 1-litre engine, which gives it a fuel consumption average of less than five litres per 100km. All models in the range are sold with a standard five-year or 200 000km mechanical warranty, a two-year or 30 000km service plan and one year’s compre-
hensive insurance. “At Suzuki we realise that the purchase price is only part of the solution. That is why we try very hard to contain our vehicles’ running costs by keeping the costs of parts and servicing low, offering one of the longest and most comprehensive mechanical warranties in the industry and including a service plan and roadside assistance at no additional cost,” said Venter. Suzuki has regularly ranked in the top three in various categories of the AA Kinsey Report for the affordability of service and repair parts. It is also the most awarded brand in the entry-level segment of both the Car Top 12 and Cars.co.za Consumer Awards. “Going forward, we will sharpen our focus on a safe and reliable means of transport at an affordable price, knowing that this will become a necessity for many South Africans. We hope that in keeping our prices low and our service and maintenance costs contained that we would help our fellow countrymen keep the wheels rolling during what will be a very tough year,” said Venter. Suzuki Auto sold 1 249 new vehicles in the shortened March sales month, with 1 162 of these units or 93% sold by dealers to private customers. In contrast, the industry average for dealer sales is 83.6%, with the rest made up of fleet and government sales. Suzuki Auto’s sales performance is 8% better than in the same month last year, despite a massive decline of 29.7% in the overall new-vehicle market.
The Ford Motor Company, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, recently announced it will begin producing in Michigan a third-party ventilator with the goal to produce 50 000 of the vitally needed units within 100 days and up to 30 000 a month thereafter as needed. Ford will provide its manufacturing capabilities to quickly scale production, and GE Healthcare will provide its clinical expertise and will license the current ventilator design from Airon Corp., which is a privately held company specializing in high-tech pneumatic life support products. GE Healthcare brought the Airon Corp. design to Ford’s attention as part of the companies’ efforts to scale production of ventilators quickly to help clinicians treat COVID-19 patients. The GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator uses a design that operates on air pressure without the need for electricity, addressing the needs of most COVID-19 patients. Its production can be quickly scaled to help meet growing demand. “The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, who have been working creatively and tirelessly, have found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in meaningful numbers,” said Jim Hackett, Ford’s president and CEO. Just as Ford in the last century moved its manufacturing force seamlessly from auto to tank production during World War II, the Ford team is working with GE Healthcare to use its awesome engineering and manufacturing capabilities to
voluntarily help solve one of the most pressing problems to mankind. Ford will initially send a team to work with Airon to boost production, and by the week of April 20, will start production at Ford’s Rawsonville Components Plant, quickly ramping up to reach full production to help meet the surging demand. The Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator is the second Ford-GE Healthcare ventilator collaboration. Ford and GE Healthcare also announced a separate effort to produce a simplified ventilator design from GE Healthcare. The GE Healthcare and Ford teams have already increased output of the R19 Ventilator. The combined ventilator supply will help address the increasing surge demand for ventilators in the fight against COVID-19, each well suited to meet time, production volume and patient care requirements. GE Heathcare and Ford consulted with medical experts in determining the Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator is well suited for COVID-19 patient care. The design is expected to meet the needs of most COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure or difficulty breathing. The ventilator is designed for quick setup, making it easy for healthcare workers to use, and can be deployed in an emergency room setting, during special procedures or in an intensive care unit, wherever the patient may be located. Ford, along with the companies it is supporting, will provide additional updates as these special projects progress.
GE Heathcare and Ford consulted with medical experts in determining the Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator is well suited for COVID-19 patient care.
Sport 3 April 2020
Main office 015 307 4065 Tzaneen 082 852 6824 Hoedspruit/Phalaborwa 066 303 7215 tzaneen@pestcontrolspecialists.co.za
Letaba troef teenstanders ■
Sam Mokumo
Roelof de Jonge
Rugbyspanne en verdedigende kampioene van Letaba Rugbyklub het gedurende Maart op Louis Trichardt aan ‘n rugbybyeenkoms deelgeneem ter voorbereiding vir die opkomende Boet Fick amateurliga kampioenskap, min wetende dat dit vir ‘n wyle hul laaste deelname sou wees. Die COVID-19 virus het sportbyeenkomste wêreldwyd tot stillstand gedwing en sport is soos ‘n droë rivierloop, met geen water in sig nie. Ons sal ons lesers op hoogte hou wat die alternatiewe planne van die Limpopo Blou Bulle Rugby Unie is vir die toekoms van rugby hierdie jaar weens hierdie COVID-19 uitbraak. Letaba Rugbyklub se eerste en tweede spanne het Saterdag die 14de Maart aan Louis Trichardt Rugbyklub se jaarlikse Conway Rugbydag deelgeneem waar hulle met aanskoulike spel klinkende oorwinnings behaal het.
Die eerste span van Letaba het teen Messina opgedraf. Van die meet af het Letaba se 15-tal gewys hulle is in ‘n luim om aanvallende hardloop te speel. Die voor- en agterspelers het soos ‘n goed geoliede masjien saam gewerk. Dit was veral Letaba se agterlyn wat gate in Messina se verdediging uitgebuit het om met twee skitter drieë vorendag te kom. Beide drieë wat deur briljante agterlynbewegings in die eerste helfde van stapel gestuur was het Messina op die agtervoet geplaas. Letaba se twee drieë agter die pale was beide deur die vinnige dog glibberige linkervleuel, Dylan Herrendoerfer, gedruk en is beide deur die stelskopper, Gideon Labuschagne verdoel. Teen rustyd het Letaba ‘n voorsprong van 14-0 geniet. In die tweede helfde het Letaba ietwat stadiger die punte op die telbord gesit, maar het gou weer koers gekry met Letaba se pak voorspelers wat ‘n skoonbal kon bewerkstellig na die agterlyn toe. Dit het agterlynspeler Rasenge Kubayi die geleentheid gebied om sy krag en vaart in te span om deur Messina se verdedigingslinie te breek vir Letaba se derde drie in dié wedstryd. Zian van den Heever het weereens deur ‘n goeie agterlynbeweging sy span se vierde drie gaan druk wat ook verdoel was. Letaba het uiteindelik toe die eindfluit skril blaas die wedstryd met 26-0 gewen. Herrendoerfer met sy twee drieë was as die Man van die Wedstryd aangewys. Letaba se tweede span het teen die 15-tal van Polok-
wane se Noordelikes Rugbyklub te staan gekom. Letaba het van die afskop die pap dik aangemaak en binne minute van die eerste helfde vanaf ‘n lynstaan ‘n dryfmaalbeweging bewerkstellig om die eerste drie te druk. Die drie was deur Rudi Grobler gedruk. Dit het gou duidelik geword dat Noordelikes geen antwoord op Letaba se aanvallende spel het nie, met die Tzaneense span wat nog twee keer agter die doellyn gaan kuier het. Henke Niemandt en Gideon Modiba het hierdie twee drieë gedruk. Al drie drieë was verdoel en teen rustyd het Letaba ‘n gemaklike voorsprong van 21-7 geniet. Niemandt het sommer vrooeg na die afskop in die tweede helfde sy tweede drie vir Letaba gaan druk. Modiba het ook sy tweede drie gaan druk kort daarna wat met gladde hanteerwerk deur Letaba se agterlyn bewerkstellig was. Beide hierdie drieë in was ook verdoel. Letaba het Noordelikes ‘n rugbyles geleer om gemaklik met 40-19 te wen. Letaba se Sam Mokumo was as die Man van die Wedstryd aangewys.
Dylan Herrendoerfer
