Fake and fraudulent: Cross-border bus passengers can buy forged COVID-19 test results
“In a matter of minutes, Daily Maverick was able to secure two fake COVID-19 test results from two bus companies for a total of R700.”
Western Cape officials warn of COVID-19 risk as holidays loom
Latest Developments South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by Alexander Zaghloul“There have been small spikes of COVID-19 in towns in the Western Cape, says the province’s health team, which issued a stern warning on Thursday.”
Inequality warning: The pandemic’s impact on education
Analysis and Opinion Botswana / Burkina Faso / Eswatini / Malawi / Namibia / South Africa / Zimbabwe Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Access to education has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments across southern Africa closed down educational institutions for the greater part of 2020. At the beginning of 2021, we are beginning to see some of the costs.”
COVID-19: Grim start to year for once bustling Gatesville market (South Africa)
Analysis and Opinion South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Gatesville traders battle to contend with rising stock costs and contracting customer bases.”
Western Cape gets ready to distribute COVID-19 vaccines
Latest Developments South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“On 15 February, the first COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be delivered to healthcare workers in the Western Cape. At the same time, the province’s health officials have urged residents to maintain all COVID-19 hygiene protocols.”
Cyril Ramaphosa: “To fight COVID-19, we need a dose of honesty and trust”
Analysis and Opinion South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“All of us need to be part of the national effort to educate the population about the vaccine and not allow the spread of rumours, fear and mistrust. False information and fake news put lives at risk.”
COVID-19: Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo’s death ‘a wake-up call’ for Zimbabwe
Latest Developments Zimbabwe Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday as the country battles to contain a spike in cases. Moyo, known for announcing the military intervention in 2017 that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule, dies in a Harare clinic after contracting the virus that has killed hundreds of people in Zimbabwe.”
Record number of South Africans died in first week of 2021
Latest Developments South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“South Africa had a record 10,907 excess deaths from natural causes in the week of 30 December to 5 January… By comparison, in the worst years of the AIDS epidemic (in the 2000s), there were at most about 6,000 excess deaths due to the disease each week.”
Vaccines for South Africa. Now.
Analysis and Opinion South Africa Daily Maverick Op-ed by John Schellhase“Astonishingly, even now, in the full knowledge of what we face and with dozens of countries worldwide, including African nations, embarking on mass vaccination programmes against COVID-19, it is distressing to hear senior officials increasingly talking down the prospects for the availability and usefulness of COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa.”
South Africa: Health workers demand vaccine rollout
Analysis and Opinion South Africa Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“The petition calls on the health department to start by vaccinating frontline health workers, followed by those most at risk including elderly people and people with comorbidities.”
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