Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter Operations have resumed at Clover’s Bloemfontein factory which was temporarily closed last week after five employees tested positive for COVID-19. A joint statement issued by the Free State health and the dairy and beverages company indicated that they had completed the contact tracing process and comprehensive testing to ensure they contain any further spreading of the deadly coronavirus. The first employee to test positive lives in Botshabelo and it was also necessary to trace other commuters who may have travelled with him to work as his colleagues. “All 369 Clover employees as well as 12 taxi drivers and…

Staff Reporter Five employees at Clover’s Bloemfontein factory have tested positive for COVID-19, with at least 300 other workers still waiting for their results, the leading dairy producer has confirmed. The company was last week forced to halt operations at the factory, located along Harvey Road in the provincial capital, after one employee had tested positive for the virus. In a statement released this afternoon, Clover announced five of its tested employees have so far received positive results. “Clover confirms that as of today, five employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at its Bloemfontein factory,” company secretary Jacques van Heerden…

Staff Reporter At least 17 of the medical specialists from Cuba who arrived in the country on Monday morning have been allocated to the Free State where they will work alongside their South African counterparts in the fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said this during a televised height-level technical briefing on the work being done by the government around COVID-19. “We have gone out to seek assistance from Cuba and China,” he said. “It’s in this context (that) yesterday we received 217 doctors of various training and professions. They are augmenting our resources.…

Staff Reporter President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced an easing of the national coronavirus lockdown that will see a partial reopening of the economy on May 1, with travel restrictions relaxed and some industries allowed to operate under a risk-adjusted system. South Africa has spent nearly month under a lockdown which severely limited the movement of people and effectively closed the country’s borders and brought the economy to a standstill, leaving many struggling without wages and short of supplies. Addressing the nation on Thursday night – just a few hours after it was announced that South Africa now has 3 953…

Staff Reporter President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a stern warning against officials stealing food aid meant for people struggling to make ends meet as a result of the ongoing national lockdown. He said such conduct was grossly immoral and that perpetrators should be prosecuted. “We are deeply disturbed by reports of unscrupulous people abusing the distribution of food and other assistance for corrupt ends,” Ramaphosa said. “We will not hesitate to ensure that those involved in such activities face the full might of the law.” The president’s warning follows numerous reports of councillors and politicians allegedly diverting some food parcels…

Staff Reporter President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced R500 billion extraordinary budget to address the massive socioeconomic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on South Africa. The rescue package, which equates to 10 percent of the country’s GDP, will prioritise combating COVID-19 and cushioning millions of vulnerable South Africans who are facing hunger and social distress. The national lockdown imposed to help curb the spread of the virus has halted most economic activity, with only essential service workers in sectors like food and healthcare allowed to operate. “The pandemic requires an economic response that is equal to the scale of the disruption…

Staff Reporter The 17-year-old girl from Kutlwanong in Odendaalsrus who allegedly stabbed and killed her 20-year-old lover last weekend after accusing him of cheating on her has been released into the custody of a guardian. The teenager, who is accused of killing Marvin Mafubetsoane, made her first appearance at the Odendaalsrus Magistrates Court on Monday before the case was postponed to June 29. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told journalists that the accused was released into the care of a legal guardian following a preliminary inquiry. He said the postponement was to allow the accused time to find…

Staff Reporter A 17-year-old girl from Kutlwanong in Odendaalsrus has been arrested for allegedly stabbing and killing a 20-year-old man she accused of cheating on her. The incident is said to have happened on Saturday evening in the old gold mining town, about 162km north-east of Bloemfontein. Media reports quote Free State provincial police spokesperson Motantsi Makhele as saying the deceased, who was killed while at his house, was a learner at Riebeckstad High School in Welkom. He said the two were lovers and a quarrel broke out after the girl accused her partner of having an affair. “This led…

Staff Reporter Five police officers from Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State are expected to appear in court soon after they were arrested over the weekend for drinking while enforcing the national lockdown put in place by the government to help fight the spread of COVID-19. A police reservist from the town was also nabbed together with them. Community members are said to have tipped the police on Saturday afternoon that five officers believed to be from Namahadi police station were busy consuming alcohol at a nearby tavern while on duty. The tavern, by law, was supposed to be closed in…

Staff Reporter The Free State has seen 74 patients fully recovering from COVID-19, although the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the province has now risen to 102, according to the latest statistics released this Sunday night. “The department is delighted about the number of patients that are recovering from COVID-19,” provincial health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said in statement. “There is no cure yet for COVID-19, but we have seen 74 patients fully recovering and being released from health facilities to be with their families. “We are monitoring these patients regularly through our health professionals to ensure that they do…