Cape Town —  

Temporary Classrooms For Flood-Stricken KwaZulu-Natal

The devastating floods in KwaZulu Natal province has seen over 435 people lose their lives with scores still missing. The disruption to schooling has been worsened, with over 72 schools inaccessible to learners. The Department of Basic Education has said it is sending 98 mobile classrooms to the region to ensure that teaching and learning continue. According to reports, teachers and learners have also been offered counselling.

Alarm Sounds for Possible Covid-19 Fifth Wave

The Department of Health reports that just under half of adults (49.14%) have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. A rise in positive Covid-19 cases, could see South Africa experience a fifth wave in the winter months.

Epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, in his newsletter, said that if the next variant is going to displace Omicron, it will likely become the fourth global variant. There has also been a steady increase in cases of influenza across the country. High risk groups - people 65 and older, healthcare workers, pregnant women and those with comorbidities, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes, are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against influenza before the winter sets in.

State Owes Municipalities Over R837 Million in Rates and Services

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia De Lille has confirmed that the State owes municipalities a staggering R837 million, just for the first two months of 2022.  According to IOL, the minister also confirmed that the department did not pay annual property rates in advance but paid them monthly. "While municipalities may be reflecting the annual property rates as due and payable, and invariably overdue, there are few instances where invoices are not paid within 30 days," De Lille said.