Month: November 2021

The Department of Health has initiated an urgent investigation into possible food poisoning in Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Gauteng Provinces, following the deaths of children who allegedly consumed noodles.

The Department held an exigent meeting on Thursday, (18 November) with the Environmental Health Practitioners from the three affected provinces and municipalities to receive preliminary investigation reports into the children`s deaths in order to obtain more information, including the food brand name, supplier or
manufacturer, stores where the food was purchased.

Read the full statement below:

Photo: Unsplash

“It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket,” de Villiers wrote in a Facebook post.

“Ever since the backyard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly. That’s the reality I must accept – and, even if it may seem sudden, that is why I am making this announcement today. I’ve had my time.”

“Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful.”

“I would like to thank every teammate, every opponent, every coach, every physio and every staff member who has travelled the same path, and I am humbled by the support I have received in South Africa, in India, wherever I have played.”

“Last, I am aware that nothing would have been possible without the sacrifices made by my family – my parents, my brothers, my wife Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first.”

Click here to read more.

Photo: Facebook / AB de Villiers

South Africa now has 328 771 children who are vaccinated after 8 310 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours.

According to the Department of Health, of the 125 868 jabs that were distributed on Thursday, 117 558 were given to adults. 

The data shows that there are now 24 471 210 total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in South Africa, while 13 758 743 adults are fully jabbed.

Read more below:

#COVID19 UPDATE: A total of 34,529 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, with 585 new cases, which represents a 1.7% positivity rate. A further 40 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89, 555 to date. See more here: https://t.co/lWYPak80Z7 pic.twitter.com/xQa6kBVCf7

— NICD (@nicd_sa) November 18, 2021

Photo: Unsplash

The South African COVID-19 Modelling Consortium (SACMC) says South Africa is likely to experience lower death and hospitalisation rates in the fourth wave due to vaccination coverage.

“Increases in cases will still lead to increases in admissions, but as demonstrated in the modelled scenarios, sizeable waves of cases may occur with a relatively low level of admissions,” the consortium said on Wednesday.

Click here to read more.

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Eskom suspended Stage 2 loadshedding from 21:00 on Thursday; whereafter Stage 1 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 to 21:00 on Friday.

Loadshedding is expected to end on Friday and not be implemented throughout the weekend.

Read more below:

#PowerAlert1

Eskom to suspend Stage 2 loadshedding from 21:00 on Thursday; thereafter Stage 1 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 to 21:00 on Friday@News24 @Newzroom405 @SABCNews @eNCA @SundayTimesZA @SowetanLIVE @IOL pic.twitter.com/jKxf6lromC

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) November 18, 2021

Photo: Shutterstock

Entrepreneurs have been urged to use WhatsApp for Business as a tool to grow their small businesses and communicate directly with their customers.

Experts from Digify Africa and the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) hosted a masterclass on Wednesday to equip small business and media entrepreneurs with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.

The learning outcomes from the masterclass included how to create a catalogue to showcase products and services; ways to integrate WhatsApp into ads and how to craft a messaging strategy and tools to automate, sort and quickly respond to messages.

Digital Marketing Strategist, Blessing Letsoara, addressed small business owners and media entrepreneurs on how they can use WhatsApp for Business to their advantage and grow their businesses and customer base while at it.

Click here to read more.

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Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says South Africa will have to, amongst other things; add “a few more thousand megawatts” of electricity into the system before load shedding can be dealt with.

He was appearing before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises on Wednesday just hours after Eskom announced that Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented until Saturday morning.

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Photo: Unsplash