South Africa Confirms Sixth Cholera Case
South Africa has registered one more laboratory-confirmed case of cholera, bringing the total to six, reports eNCA. The Department of Health says the latest patient is a 19-year-old woman residing in Emandleni informal settlement in Benoni in the Ekurhuleni District in Gauteng. She was one of two people who exhibited signs and symptoms of cholera and were referred to the hospital for testing. Her test results came back positive and she was given treatment, and recovering well, the department added. Health officials will intensify contact tracing and health education in the affected areas. According to the department, there was no need for the public to panic. It is, however, concerned about the rising number of cholera cases. In February, the country reported its first death linked to cholera in the latest outbreak. Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting, and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours if untreated.
De Ruyter Briefed Highest-Ranking Police Official on Eskom Corruption - News24
Former Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter personally briefed the highest-ranking police officer in the country - national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola - on allegations of corruption at Eskom and the alleged involvement of two senior ANC government officials, News24 reports. In an exclusive article, the news website says it understands that the briefing included information around four syndicates operating in Mpumalanga, where most of Eskom's coal-fired power stations are located. Earlier, De Ruyter said in an explosive interview with e.TV journalist Annika Larsen that there was rampant corruption at the power utility. President Cyril Ramaphosa then called on De Ruyter to report the matter to the police. The ANC threatened to lay charges against De Ruyter if he failed to report the matter to the police within seven days.
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Climate Change Behind the 2021 Table Mountain Fire - Study
Climate change played a major role in the weather conditions that contributed to the wildfire that raged through Cape Town's Table Mountain area in April 2021, according to a new study. According to Mail & Guardian, researchers found that climate models suggested that extreme fire weather associated with Cape Town wildfires "has become 90% more likely in a warmer world". The study described how in April 2021, a devastating wildfire tore through the Table Mountain area. Following a human-induced ignition on the morning of April 18, worsening weather conditions led to increased fire spread that lasted until the afternoon of April 20 when the fire was eventually extinguished. The researchers said the results of their analysis complement existing efforts to attribute hydro-climatological extremes around Cape Town, including droughts, and add to the growing set of attribution studies on wildfires and extreme fire weather in different parts of the world.
