Author: The Free Stater

Staff Reporter The African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) says COVID-19 has exposed the long-term inequalities which characterise the agricultural sector resulting in most smallholder farmers enjoying limited growth. AFASA president Vuyokazi Mahlati says the stop-gap measures taken by the government after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day national lockdown to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus were a clear indication that smallholder farmers, most of whom are black, needed more support to allow them to run sustainable operations and grow. While welcoming state support to the sector in the face of disruptions caused by COVID-19, Mahlati…

Staff Reporter The church conference held at the Divine Restoration Ministries in Bloemfontein earlier this month could have fuelled the rate of internal transmissions in Mangaung, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said. In a daily update on COVID-19 cases released late Friday, the minister said it has been observed that while initial cases reported in South Africa involved people who had travelled overseas, latest indications are that people with no history of foreign travel were now testing positive for the coronavirus, proving an increase in internal transmissions. “There is an increase in the rate of internal transmissions,” said Mkhize in…

Staff Reporter Two well-known politicians have tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with infected persons at a church convention held in Bloemfontein earlier this month. African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) president, the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, and ACDP MP Steve Swart had both tested positive for the coronavirus disease, their party confirmed today. That makes it three high-profile cases so far from the church conference held at the Divine Restoration Ministries from March 9-11 in the Free State capital, with popular televangelist Angus Buchan having announced on Wednesday that he had also tested positive for the deadly novel virus.…

Staff Reporter The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality has assured residents that essential services such as waste removal and electricity supplies will not be affected by the 21-day national lockdown set to start at midnight this Thursday. Spokesperson Qondile Khedama said in a statement the municipality’s Joint Operation Centre has been activated to coordinate and monitor service delivery during the COVID-19 lockdown set to run until April 16. No recreational facilities will however be open to the public and hawkers have been ordered off the streets. “Social and recreational facilities such as halls, parks, libraries and sports facilities are closed for this…

Staff Reporter The Global Reconciliation Church (GRC) in Bloemfontein has issued an urgent notice for its members to come forward for screening and testing for COVID-19 after one of its pastors tested positive. The Bloemanda-based church said in a statement that Apostle Mohau Rammile tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a religious conference at the Divine Restoration Ministries, also in the Free State capital city, earlier this month. Several members of the Divine Restoration Church have tested positive for the deadly virus — which causes acute respiratory complications — after interacting with five international visitors at the convention who…

Staff Reporter The Free State’s COVID-19 tally has almost doubled overnight with 15 new cases confirmed, as more people who attended a church convention in Bloemfontein tested positive for the pneumonia-like respiratory illness that is ravaging the world. The province now has 33 confirmed cases. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who announced the latest figures on Wednesday morning, has called on members of the Divine Restoration Ministries, situated about 10km northeast of the Bloemfontein along Raymond Mahlaba Street, to continue coming forward for testing as they are feared to have contracted the coronavirus from five overseas visitors who are quarantined at…

Staff Reporter Former president Jacob Zuma will have to wait for another day for the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein to hear his challenge to the estimated R10-million personal costs order granted against him in his failed state capture report litigation. The hearing had been set for Thursday this week, but parties to the matter agreed to postpone it indefinitely in the wake of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 which saw South Africa’s tally of positive cases shoot to 709 this Wednesday morning. “All parties agreed to an indefinite postponement of the matter due to the coronavirus,…

Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Health says it has tested about 360 people who attended a conference at the Divine Restoration Ministries church in Bloemfontein about two weeks ago for COVID-19 following concerns they might have contracted the disease after some overseas visitors tested positive. In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said the provincial health department expects to screen and test more people in the coming weeks and that could result in the province recording more cases. “The numbers of screened and tested people will rapidly change from time to time as more people are…

The African saxophone legend Manu Dibango has died in Paris after catching the coronavirus. Dibango, best known for his 1972 hit Soul Makossa, is one of the first global stars to die from COVID-19. The 86-year-old fused jazz and funk music with traditional sounds from his home country, Cameroon. He collaborated with numerous artists over a long career, including US pianist Herbie Hancock and Nigeria’s Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. The Cameroonian musician filed a lawsuit in 2009 saying Michael Jackson had stolen a hook from his song, Soul Makossa, for two tracks on the world’s best-selling album, Thriller. Jackson settled…

Staff Reporter The government is working on a special fund to support companies that may fall into distress because of COVID-19. President Cyril Ramaphosa said consultations with different stakeholders were underway to find ways of assisting not just businesses but also individuals that will be affected by the effects of the coronavirus to the economy. “We are going to support people whose livelihoods will be affected,” Ramaphosa said in a televised national address in which he announced a 21-day lockdown starting Thursday. He said through the proposal employees will receive wage payments through the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme, which will…