Bedfordview Edition
A FRESH APPROACH TO LOCAL NEWS 11 - 18 January 2022
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Motshekga’s DBE Facing Court For Not Publishing Results The Department of Basic Education is now facing a legal challenge over its decision not to publish the latest matric results on public platforms such as newspapers. Last week, the department wrote a letter to media houses informing them that the move was in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), which came into effect in July last year. Three different organisations, including Afriforum, have approached the courts to reverse the decision which will undoubtedly have a considerable impact financially on media houses. Each year, hundreds of pages containing the results are printed and distributed in different newspapers and published online. The format of the results was changed in recent years to exclude the names of matriculants – only their exam numbers were listed to protect their privacy. In the letter to media houses, the department said that students would have to obtain their statement of results from their schools directly to protect their personal
information. Law experts however have already disputed the department’s interpretation of the Protection of Personal Information Act, explaining that
while we have the right to privacy in terms of the Constitution, this does not prohibit the publication of personal information.
Huge Tonga Volcanic Eruption Felt Around The World The massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga was so powerful it was recorded around the world and triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States, scientists said Sunday. Dramatic satellite images showed the long, rumbling eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano spew smoke and ash in the air, with a thunderous roar heard 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away in Alaska. The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday’s eruption as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth. But the full extent of the damage in Tonga was unclear Sunday with communication lines down. A 1.2 metre (four-foot) wave swept ashore in the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa with locals reporting they had fled to higher ground, leaving behind flooded houses, some with structural damage, and with small stones and ash falling from the sky. New Zealand scientist Marco Brenna, a senior lecturer at Otago University’s School of
Geology, described the impact of the eruption as “relatively mild” but said another eruption with a much bigger impact could not be ruled out. Waves of around 1.2 metres hit along Japan’s Pacific coast with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning waves as high as three metres were possible. In New Zealand, more than 2,300 kilometres from Tonga, 120 people were evacuated from northern coastal areas and several boats destroyed when a huge wave crashed into a marina. Australia’s popular Bondi Beach in Sydney was briefly evacuated as a precaution while in California, coastal streets in Santa Cruz were awash and closed to traffic. The National Weather Service Alaska reported the Alaska Volcano Observatory had recorded the eruption in Anchorage and Fairbanks “6,000 miles from the volcano.” The Fife weather station in Scotland tweeted it was “just incredible to think of the power that can send a shockwave around the world” after the eruptions produced a jump in its air pressure
graph.Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai, which lies about 65 kilometres north of Nuku’alofa, has a history of volatility.In recent years, it breached sea level during a 2009 eruption while in 2015 it spewed so many large rocks and ash into the air that when they settled a new island had formed two kilometres long by one kilometre wide and 100 metres high.
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CSI South Africa – New DNA Law President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the initiation of parts of the new Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act, which will give the country’s law enforcement additional, much-needed tools around DNA collection and usage in investigating, capturing, and prosecuting criminals. From the 31st January 2022, a suspect arrested and charged with a schedule 8 offence will be required to provide a DNA sample which will be uploaded onto the National Forensics DNA database. Schedule 8 offences include the country’s most serious and deadly violent crimes – including murder and rape. The civil society organisation, Action Society, has welcomed the promulgation by Ramaphosa, which it says will assist in addressing cold cases, and should see a significant increase in successful prosecutions. “DNA remains the most effective crime-fighting tool. The sampling of schedule 8 arrestees will make a huge impact in solving cold cases, identifying repeat offenders and assisting in successful prosecutions of rapists and murderers,” said elanie van der walt, spokesperson for action society. Collecting a DNA sample of a suspected perpetrator even before a court date is set will massively increase the possibility of a successful prosecution rate and assist law enforcement in clamping down on perpetrators, the group said. These DNA samples will populate the National Forensics DNA Database (NFDD) which will enable law enforcement to link perpetrators to cold cases, identify repeat offenders, and get more perpetrators prosecuted and of the streets of South Africa. In 2021, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lomola, confirmed that 96,875 schedule 8 (violent crime) offenders have been released on parole since 2016 without submitting a DNA sample. “Although dna sampling of schedule 8 arrestees is now compulsory, it is important that this legislation be acted on immediately and not just seen as another piece of paper. “The south african police service (saps) will have to ensure that their stations are equipped with the necessary consumables to do the sampling and police members must urgently receive training in order for this legislation to have a positive impact in the fight against violent crime, especially gender-based violence and femicide (gbvf), in our country,” said van der walt.
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11 - 18 January 2022
Prisoners Escaped After Police Truck Was Ambushed By Gunmen In Gauteng
PRISONERS ESCAPED IN GAUTENG South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the six suspects were en route to the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court on Friday when they escaped from custody. “According to reports, the police truck transporting the
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prisoners was ambushed by three armed men driving a silver audi vehicle at the corner of barry marais and rondebult streets,” said muridili. Five of the six escapees were expected to appear before the court on charges of business robbery, attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm, said the police spokesperson. The sixth suspect was due to make his first appearance for a shoplifting case. Five of the escapees are Zimbabwean – Nkululeko Nkomo, Thulani Dube, Augustine Moyo, Mbongiseni Mkandla – while Robert Hlatshwayo is South African.
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Suspect Shot After Breaking Into SABC Offices
A suspect was shot and wounded by security guards after breaking into the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) Bloemfontein offices in the early hours of Sunday morning, 16 January. The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Bloemfontein is investigating a case of business burglary, trespassing, malicious damage to property and intimidation after a 27-year-old man was arrested in the SABC building on Sunday. Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said a security guard noticed an intruder inside the building at approximately 4:30. “It Is Further Alleged That The Suspect Attacked The Security Officials And One Official Managed To Pull Out His Official Firearm And Shot The Suspect,” Said Mbambo. Members of the Parkweg police station and EMS rushed to the scene and the wounded suspect was taken to hospital for medical treatment. He is currently under police guard and is expected to appear in court imminently. “A separate case of attempted murder will be investigated by Parkweg detectives,” said Mbambo. According to SABC News, several suspicious packages were seized from the suspect upon his arrest, which involved the police’s bomb squad. Free State Hawks spokesperson Christopher Singo told the broadcaster that nothing had been stolen from the SABC offices. However, according to the SABC, the suspect had allegedly interfered with the broadcast satellites. The suspect also left several threatening messages on the building’s walls, written with what appears to be a black permanent marker. The messages read as follows, according to photographs taken by a SABC journalist: “NEXT TIME IT WILL BE A BOOM!!” Filters ,pumps, “SAKINA ALWAYS LOVE YOU. WE BELONG timers, Monthly TOGETHER.” pool service “BLAZE TO CHING CHING. ANBC $?” The investigations into the matter are ongoing. Wynand : 082 391 7518
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The police in Gauteng have launched a manhunt after six inmates escaped custody on Friday, 14 January. The prisoners escaped from the vehicle transporting them to court when it was ambushed before it reached its destination.
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11 - 18 January 2022
WHO approves two new Covid-19 treatments
The news comes as Omicron cases fill hospitals around the world with the WHO predicting half of Europe will be infected by March. In their recommendation in British medical Journal the BMJ, WHO experts said arthritis drug baricitinib used with corticosteroids to treat severe or critical Covid patients led to better survival rates and reduced need for ventilators.
Experts also recommended synthetic antibody treatment Sotrovimab for people with non-serious Covid at the highest risk of hospitalisation, such as the elderly, people with immunodeficiencies, or chronic diseases such as diabetes. Sotrovimab’s benefits for people not at risk of hospitalisation were deemed insignificant and the WHO said its effectiveness against new variants like Omicron was “still uncertain”.
Only three other treatments for Covid-19 have received WHO approval, starting with corticosteroids for severely ill patients in September 2020. Corticosteroids are inexpensive and widely available and fight inflammation that commonly accompanies severe cases. Arthritis drugs tocilizumab and sarilumab, which the WHO endorsed in July, are IL-6 inhibitors that suppress a dangerous overreaction of the immune system to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Baricitinib is in a different class of drugs known as Janus kinase inhibitors, but it falls under the same guidelines as the IL-6 inhibitors. “When both are available, choose one based on issues including cost and clinician experience,” the guidelines say. Synthetic antibody treatment Regeneron was approved by the WHO in September and the guidelines say Sotrovimab can be used for the same type of patients. The WHO’s Covid treatment recommendations are updated regularly based on new data from clinical trials.
Emirates Airlines Delays Restart Of SA Flights The airline has frustrated a number of passengers who are unable to fly to Dubai or other global destinations via the airline’s hub in Dubai, with another extension to its suspension of flights on South African routes. Emirates Airlines suspended its flights to South Africa and a number of southern African countries in November last year, as a result of the discovery of the Omicron variant in the region. LENGTHY SA FLIGHT BAN The initial flight ban came into effect due to Omicron-related restrictions issued by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates suspended all its flights to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town but later decided that it would resume passenger services into Johannesburg. Current UAE restrictions do not allow airlines to carry passengers into Dubai, so Emirates Airlines operates cargo-only flights from
Johannesburg to Dubai. Emirates’ flights from Durban and Cape Town to Dubai have not operated since late November. It was hoped that the airline would restart its SA routes on 16 January, without any further extensions to the flight ban as a number of countries have lifted their flight and entry bans on South Africa in recent weeks. On 15 January Emirates Airlines announced that its flight suspension on South Africa will continue, with no specified date for
recommencement of services. The airline recently restarted flights to various other countries in Africa, signalling that there has been some easing of restrictions by UAE authorities. Travelnews reports that Emirates’ suspension of passenger services from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban has been extended to 20 January. Emirates will announce a date for the resumption of services as soon as it has the required government approvals.
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Deadly Start to School Year As Grade 10 Shoots Pupil and then Himself
A Grade 10 pupil has shot and killed another pupil before taking his own life, said officials in Gauteng on Thursday. The tragic shooting took place on Wednesday, the first day of the 2022 academic year. The deceased pupils were both in Grade 10 at Lesiba Secondary School in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg. Reportedly the two pupils had an argument during school hours. Their quarrel led to one of the pupils shooting and killing the other outside the school premises. The shooter allegedly then turned the gun on himself. Steve Mabona, the spokesperson for the Gauteng education department, said psycho-social unit officials had been sent to counsel those affected by the fatal incident. “It is tragic to lose pupils at the hands of violence as the academic year begins. We wish to send our sincere condolences to the families of those pupils. We also urge our pupils to always refrain from any form of violent behaviour,” MEC Panyaza Lesufi said. Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said they were investigating a murder case. According to Sello, the circumstances that led to the shooting is unclear at this stage. In another case, a general assistant from Kwa-Phalo Primary School in Soweto was shot and killed on Thursday morning. The 49-year-old was shot at his workplace and declared dead on the scene. “Our psycho-social unit has been dispatched to provide necessary trauma support and counselling to those affected by this incident,” Lesufi said. “It is unfortunate to learn of such a tragic incident involving one of our dedicated general assistants. As the department, we send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and we plea with police authorities to ensure that justice is served in this case.”
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11 - 18 January 2022
Hank McGregor And Matt Millward Win SA K2 River Marathon
The big field that took part in the race used the days paddling and portaging as key training for the MyLife Dusi in a months’ time, with the elites banking key seeding points for the big race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, and the new MyLife Dusi Series.
Defending champion Hank McGregor scooped a significant double on a full uMngeni River on Sunday. McGregor won the 26 km Ozzie Gladwin with his new Dusi partner Matt Millward and with it the prized SA K2 River Marathon title. MCGREGOR AND MILLWARD DOMINATE Over the 26 kilometre course from Albert Falls to Thornvale Farm McGregor was the dominant force and tactically steered young Millward to the 2022 title. McGregor and Millward have, in the process, fired a warning shot ahead of the Dusi Canoe Marathon. The title-winning pair held off their main challengers Thulani Mbanjwa and Msawenkosi Mtolo in a well-timed break in the second half of the race, that saw McGregor and Millward win by more than a minute. The result handed McGregor his seventh win at the event with the promising crew of Stewart Little and Bongani Ntinga making up the balance of the podium. “It was our first major outing together.” Said a delighted mcgregor. “We just seemed to click and ran well. “We had one or two things we needed to sort out during the race,” he added. “The pump inlet pulled off the seat when we put in after the portage so we wasted a bit of time there. “We managed to break away midway through the cascades and finished on our own,” said the euro steel star. “Matt ran and paddled really well so we really
enjoyed the paddle,” he added. Mcgregor said he was delighted to be back racing the race after having it cancelled last year. “At least we are conquering the races now not letting covid conquer them like last year,” he said. “Winning the sa k2 title at the biggest one day race in the country is an added bonus.” He said. Women’s race winners jordy peek (front) and christie mackenzie at the albert falls weir during the lighthouse designs ozzie gladwin on sunday. Photo: anthony grote/ gameplan media In the women’s race the new crew of jordy peek and christie mackenzie had their work cut out for them to stave off the strong challenge from the brand new combination of abby solms and bianca haw with the pairing of bridgitte hartley and pippa mcgregor always looming large behind them ready to capitalise on any errors. “From the five women’s boats that got away at the front on the dam we got it down to three boats by the time we got to the flats on the umngeni,” explained peek. “It was a tough race with the element of portaging, rapids and flat water to test the waters,” she said. “It has been awesome paddling with christie,” she added. “We haven’t done much time together in a boat but she was super strong today and i am really enjoying paddling with her at the moment,” said peek. “She has recently recovered from having covid so it is good to know that she is fully over that,” said peek.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS: OZZIE GLADWIN 1 Matthew Millward/Hank McGregor 1:42:45.34 2 Thulani Mbanjwa/Msawenkosi Mtolo 1:43:41.34 3 Stewart Little/Bongani Ntinga 1:45:01.23 4 Siseko Ntondini/Banetse Nkhoesa 1:45:02.60 5 Nqobile Makhanya/Sbonelo Khwela 1:45:18.80 6 Jack Edmonds/ Scott Little 1:47:08.81 7 Sandile Mtolo/Mvelo Ngidi 1:47:40.95 8 Ross Leslie/Hamish Mackenzie 1:48:56.24 9 Jacques Theron/Robert Pike 1:49:08.48 10 Mfanufikile Radebe/Hlelani Radebe 1:49:31.41 WOMEN 1 Jordan Peek/Christie Mackenzie 1:58:16.45 2 Abby Solms/Bianca Haw 1:58:39.43 3 Bridgitte Hartley/Pippa McGregor 2:00:25.32 4 Hilary Bruss/Hayley Nixon 2:01:39.01 5 Saskia Hockly/Valmajean Hockly 2:03:46.94
Novak Djokovic’s Australian Visa CANCELLED, Faces 3-Year Ban Australia’s government cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time on Friday as it sought to deport the tennis superstar after he arrived in the country without a Covid-19 vaccine. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said he acted on “health and good order grounds on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government “is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hawke said in a statement. The cancellation effectively means Djokovic would be barred from a new Australian visa for three years, except under certain circumstances. The visa decision put the Serbian world number one’s dream of a 10th Australian Open title and a record 21st Grand Slam in peril. Djokovic is the tournament’s top seed and had been practising on the Melbourne Park courts a few hours earlier. The megastar flew into Melbourne airport on January 5 claiming a vaccine exemption because of a positive PCR test result on December 16. Border agents rejected his exemption, tore up his visa and placed him in a notorious Melbourne detention centre where he spent four nights. Djokovic’s top-flight legal team dramatically overturned the visa decision because border officials at the airport had failed to give him the agreed time to respond. The visa battle with Djokovic is politically charged in Australia, which has endured nearly two years of some of the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the world. “For sure he has been playing by his own rules,” Tsitsipas said in an interview with Indian broadcaster WION. Nearly everyone in the Australian Open had been vaccinated, Tsitsipas said. But others “chose to follow their own way which kind of makes the majority look like they’re all fools”. As the Omicron variant raced through Australia’s population, Djokovic’s actions came under greater scrutiny. The tennis ace described reports about post-infection outings without a mask in Serbia as “misinformation” in an Instagram post Wednesday. On the day of his claimed positive test in Serbia, he attended a ceremony to honour him with stamps bearing his image. The following day he attended a youth tennis event. He appeared at both apparently without a mask. But he admitted that he also went ahead with an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe on December 18. “On reflection, this was an error of judgement and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment,” Djokovic said.