By Jackie Cameron
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on special leave for violating lockdown regulations and ordered her to apologise to SA. This follows the revelation on social media that the Minister had recently visited the home of a friend, who hosted a lunch, contrary to the lockdown regulations, says the government communication’s agency. The Presidency said Ndabeni-Abrahams has been placed on special leave for two months – one month of which will be unpaid. “The President summoned the Minister on Tuesday, 7 April 2020. The President expressed his disapproval of the Minister’s actions, which undermine the requirement that all citizens stay at home and save South Africa from the spread of Coronavirus,” said the president’s office. “The President accepted the Minister’s apology for the violation but was unmoved by the mitigating factors she tendered. President Ramaphosa has placed the Minister on special leave for two months, during which Minister in The Presidency Jackson Mthembu will act in Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams’ position,” the Presidency said in a statement. The President has also reprimanded Ndabeni-Abrahams and directed her to deliver a public apology to the nation.
- A Netcare hospital in KwaZulu-Natal has been identified as a Covid-19 hotspot, with Netcare Group CEO, Dr Richard Friedland, confirming on Wednesday that 47 staff at St Augustine’s Hospital had tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday, Friedland clarified that 47 staff at St Augustine’s Hospital had tested positive for Covid-19. “Of the staff and doctors tested, we confirm that 47 people who are connected with our hospital have tested positive for Covid-19… 33 are in self-isolation and a further 14 are being accommodated by Netcare to ensure that they are able to safely self-quarantine,” said Friedland.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thanked well-wishers for their support as Downing Street said he was “stable and responding to treatment” as he headed towards a fourth night in hospital while being treated for coronavirus. It came as the UK recorded its worst daily spike in virus deaths  since the outbreak began, says the Daily Express. As of late Wednesday, some 936 further deaths of Covid-19 patients have been confirmed, in a tally of figures released by England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland individually. “Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan admitted the capital was ‘nowhere near’ being able to lift lockdown restrictions,” said the newspaper. “He said he was in regular contact with public health experts, who have reiterated warnings that ‘the worst part of the virus is still probably a week-and-a-half away.'” Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation regional director for Europe, was quoted as urging countries to stay on top of the virus spread, adding: “Now is not the time to relax measures. It is the time to double or triple collective efforts.”
- South Africa’s property owners will provide relief to retail tenants hardest hit by a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. The initiative, which focuses on small-, medium- and micro-sized enterprises, will be rolled out by landlords nationally, reports Reuters. The South African Real Estate Investment Trusts Association said earlier this week that the initiative aims to preserve jobs for retailers, their suppliers and service providers, the group said. To qualify for relief, retail tenants will need to agree not to dismiss staff, says Reuters. “All tenants whose accounts were in good standing at the end of February will be assured that there won’t be any evictions for the next two months, while retailers prevented from trading in compliance with the lockdown will be offered some form of assistance from landlords.”
- Nedbank Group on Wednesday reaffirmed its 2019 dividend, but said it was weighing future dividend payments after South Africa’s central bank urged lenders to preserve cash during the coronavirus crisis.
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