South Africa: What's Happening In South African News - May 19, 2022

South African currency, Covid-19 vaccines, Whatsapp (file photo).
19 May 2022

Cape Town —  

Ouch! Home loan Repayments May Double Today

South African homeowners have been bracing for a 0.25% hike in the interest rate, but the chances are high that today's repo rate hike could actually be 0.5%. This will mean that the  prime lending rate will climb to 8.25%, and not 8% as homeowners may have been budgeting for. Consumers are being warned that interest rates on other debts will also increase and should be budgeted for.

No, Covid-19 Fifth Wave May Not Have Come and Gone 

A slight drop in new Covid-19 cases may indicate that the peak of the fifth wave of the pandemic in South Africa has been reached. However according to reports, the health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said that both the  National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) have not advised that the country has entered a new wave. He added that the new wave was not officially declared.

Ever Wanted to Exit Whatsapp Groups Without a Fuss?

Meta (formerly Facebook), owners of Whatsapp, is working on a a new feature that may allow users to silently exit groups without group members noticing, except for the group administrator. Currently, when users exit a group, WhatsApp normally adds a system message in the chat to inform all participants that the group has been exited. Let's see how soon this will up, so that users can do the running!

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