Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter Visits by members of the public to see patients admitted at a Free State regional hospital have been suspended indefinitely after a case of COVID-19 was reported at the health facility. The provincial health department has confirmed as true a social media post stating Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital in Qwaqwa had cancelled visits with immediate effect. “The Facebook post said that Mofumahadi Manapo Mopeli Regional Hospital would like to inform all members of the community that there’s been changes to visiting hours as from today until further notice due to a reported positive COVID-19 case . .…

Staff Reporter Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela has urged people not to discriminate against those who test positive for COVID-19 as this could reverse all efforts to contain the spread of the deadly disease. She said such acts could result in other people not willing to disclose their condition or seeking help as they will be worried about how society would treat them. “We are aware that the coronavirus has triggered social stigma against the people infected and the ones who have been in contact with the virus,” Ntombela as she addressed a meeting attended by Deputy President David Mabuza…

Staff Reporter Deputy President David Mabuza says resuscitating the economy in the face of COVID-19 should not come at the expense human life. But at the same time, Mabuza, who is visiting the Free State to check on its readiness to tackle the spread of the coronavirus under alert Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown, says saving human life should not compromise the economy. “We must do two things . . . we must continue to save lives, but we must also continue to save livelihoods,” the deputy president said when he addressed the provincial leadership at the Central University…

Staff Reporter No school will be allowed to have more than 50 percent of their normal capacity when schools start re-opening in phases next week, Free State Director General Kopung Ralikontsane has said. He said this when he gave a provincial brief to Deputy President David Mabuza who is visiting the province to assess its readiness to tackle the spread of the coronavirus under alert Level 3 of the risk-adjusted approach to easing the nationwide lockdown. “No school shall have more than 50 percent of capacity learners at a given time. Strict adherence to protocols at all times shall be…

Staff Reporter The latest person to die from COVID-19 complications in the Free State is an 86-year-old-woman from Bethulie in the Xhariep district, the provincial health department has confirmed. The woman, who died Wednesday, becoming the second person from the same district to succumb to the disease, is said to be a contact of the first case in the area. Provincial health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi told The Free Stater that the woman did not have any known underlying health challenges. “She is linked as a contact to the index case of Bethulie in Xhariep that died,” Mvambi said. “The 86-year-old…

Staff Reporter Some schools in the Free State may be forced to split classes so that some learners come to school in the morning while others come in the afternoon as class sizes have been reduced in order to ensure social distancing and curb the spread of the coronavirus. Agriculture and Rural Development MEC William Bulwane told The Free Stater by telephone Thursday after visiting three schools in Sasolburg to check on their level of readiness ahead of the phased re-opening on Monday that while the institutions he went to are ready to receive Grade 7 learners, they may be forced to…

Staff Reporter Deputy President David Mabuza is expected to visit the Free State this Friday to assess the province’s readiness to tackle the spread of the coronavirus under alert Level 3 of the risk-adjusted approach to easing the nationwide lockdown. He will visit the provincial Health Command Centre at Bophelo House and Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein. He will also address newly recruited nurses and social workers employed to support the implementation of the provincial coronavirus response plan. A statement issued by the Presidency said the visit to Mangaung is as a result of the decision by the National Coronavirus Command…

Staff Reporter The media briefing scheduled for this morning in Bloemfontein to give an update on the phased in re-opening of schools in the Free State has been postponed to Tuesday. Premier Sisi Ntombela and Education MEC Tate Makgoe were expected to speak at the event that was to be held at Tsoseletso Secondary School. Health MEC Montseng Tsiu and the MEC for Social Development, Mamiki Qabathe, were also to give updates in their areas of work aligned to education. Announcing the postponement, Makgoe posted on his Twitter account that the venue will remain the same. “Please note that due…

Staff Reporter People who test positive for COVID-19 may not be forced into quarantine at state facilities if they are able to isolate on their own, the North Gauteng High Court has ruled. The ruling follows an urgent application brought by AfriForum against regulations put in place under the Disaster Management Act to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Judge JW Louw granted the application in which the Afrikaaner rights group wanted the Pretoria court to declare the regulations that disallowed self-isolation invalid. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), which is led by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and…

Staff Reporter The Free State High Court has sentenced a 37-year-old farmer to a total of 427 years imprisonment after he was convicted on 20 counts of theft and six counts of fraud. The court, which was sitting in Kroonstad, however ruled that some of the sentences will run concurrently, meaning Cornelius Andries Loggenberg will effectively serve 25 years in prison. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement evidence presented in court indicated that Loggenberg ran Kirkdale Farm in Koppies. Some of his farming activities included the maintenance of a herd of dairy cattle. When Loggenberg…