Author: The Free Stater

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the immediate suspension of the sale of alcohol to alleviate the pressure placed on hospitals by alcohol-related incidents. He said this was necessary to conserve beds in hospitals for COVID-19 patients. “There is now clear evidence that the resumption of alcohol sales has resulted in substantial pressure being put on hospitals, including emergency and trauma units, from motor vehicle accidents, violence, as well as trauma cases that are alcohol-related,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address tonight. The president has also announced the implementation of a new curfew from 9 pm to 4 am. Only people…

Staff Reporter About 250 workers at Sky Country Meats in Thaba Nchu could be headed to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after they downed tools Friday evening demanding a COVID-19 risk allowance equivalent to 25 percent of their salaries as well as improved health conditions. But in a written response to The Free Stater, the company’s labour agency, Labourstop, said the strike was illegal as the union did not give adequate notice ahead of the industrial action. Among their demands, the workers want to be paid a COVID-19 risk allowance of R1 250 or 25 percent of their…

Staff Reporter Free State health authorities are worried about the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the gold-rich Lejweleputswa district which has recorded at least 100 new cases per day since the beginning of July. The district, which is home to several mining companies, had about 200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on July 1, but six days later, the number had jumped to 617. On July 9, there were 902 cases. Lejeleputswa has a population of about 630 000 people and includes the towns of Welkom, Virginia, Allanridge, Bothaville and Brandfort, among others. Provincial health department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said…

Staff Reporter Pupils at Eunice, Grey and St Andrew’s are among the 28 individuals at schools across the Free State who were confirmed this week to have contracted COVID-19, The Free Stater has learnt. About 17 learners, nine teachers, an administration clerk and a screener are said to have tested positive for the respiratory disease but the provincial education department remains confident it has the situation under control. Eunice Girls School in Bloemfontein announced Friday morning that a Grade 11 learner tested positive for COVID-19. In a letter to parents, headmistress Zinnette de Wet said the learner had only been to…

Rapper AKA is the latest high-profile personality to test positive for COVID-19. As cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rapidly increase, The Fela In Versace hitmaker issued a statement on Instagram on Friday revealing his results. The rapper said he decided to make his results public to “caution citizens to be more careful”. “AKA pleads for everyone to adhere to social distancing guidelines, to wear masks and to hold stringent hygiene measures by frequently sanitising and washing our hands,” read part of the statement. The statement went on to add that the rapper will be sharing his road to…

Staff Reporter Fidel Castro Building in Bloemfontein has been closed once again after an official from the Office of the Premier tested positive for COVID-19. A statement issued by Setjhaba Maphalla from the Office of the Premier Thursday evening said the building will be closed for decontamination until Monday morning. “The Fidel Castro Building . . . will be closed from 9 July . . . at 7PM, due to another case of COVID-19 which has surfaced,” read part of the statement. “The decontamination and deep cleaning of the building will run from tomorrow, 10 July 2020, and continue throughout…

Staff Reporter A Bloemfontein woman who is recovering from COVID-19 has urged people who test positive for the coronavirus to voluntarily disclose their status to allow for easier contact tracing and minimise the continued spreading of the disease. Thandiwe Jeru, who was interviewed on the Free State provincial government’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon, said while most people choose to keep their COVID-19 status to themselves for fear of stigmatisation, disclosing the results could significantly help save lives. Jeru, who is an assistant director in the provincial Department of Human Settlements responsible for skills development, said people should learn to be…

Staff Reporter National power utility Eskom has served a Free State municipality with a notice to restrict power to the area starting next week as it has fallen behind in settling its overdue account. Should the Masilonyana Local Municipality – which includes the towns of Theunissen, Brandfort, Winburg and Verkeerdevlei – fail to settle the arrears or come up with an acceptable payment plan, the area could experience daily scheduled electricity outages between 6am and 8pm starting July 15. As at June 30, the municipality’s overdue debt to Eskom stood at R74 814 149.35. In a public statement issued Wednesday, Eskom said…

Staff Reporter The Free State provincial police headquarters in Bloemfontein has been closed to allow for decontamination after one official tested positive for the dreaded COVID-19. “Please be informed that Metpol Building at 126 Charlotte Maxeke Street in Bloemfontein housing SAPS Head Office personnel will be temporarily closed for decontamination,” said provincial police spokesperson Sam Makhele in a statement, adding this follows the detection of a positive COVID-19 case. Makhele said all staff housed at the Metpol Building will be working remotely while the building is being decontaminated. “The building will probably be reopened again for services on Monday, 13…

Burial sites around Gauteng have started preparing graves and assessing its capacity, in order to make provisions for any outcome as COVID-19 cases in the province increase sharply. Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku visited the Honingnestkrans cemetery north of Pretoria on Wednesday to assess the state of readiness should the burial site be needed. City of Tshwane operations chief James Murphy told Masuku the Honingnestkrans cemetery has space for 24 000 single graves on the 30 hectare plot of land. Murphy further explained that single graves were currently being marked out and dug up, but that if the need arose,…