Johannesburg
South Africa’s mass testing hits limits as virus spreads
With an expert flick of the wrist, South African nurse Bhelekazi Mdlalose collected throat swabs from young men lining up for coronavirus testing at a run-down hostel in downtown Johannesburg. Health workers were sent to the overcrowded block of single-room flats — mainly occupied by men from rural areas doing odd jobs in the city — as part of a mass community screening and testing (CST) campaign launched by the government last month. Mdlalose, who is employed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), left her family and usual job in the northwestern town of Rustenberg in March to support community work in Johannesburg. Aged 51, she trains government health workers to handle suspected coronavirus patients correctly, checking in on CST teams deployed to townships, offices and shopping malls. “We id...
Lesotho records first coronavirus case
Lesotho recorded its first case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, becoming the last country in southern and East Africa to be afflicted by the virus. The ministry said it had conducted 81 tests for COVID-19 from travellers from South Africa and Saudi Arabia, of which one was positive. The remote, high-altitude kingdom, nestled in a South African mountain range, had previously been spared the coronavirus, although its bigger, more industrialised neighbour has recorded more than 10,000 cases. The disease has struck at a time of political uncertainty in Lesotho, with embattled Prime Minister Thomas Thabane due to step down by the end of next week after his coalition collapsed in parliament. His exit would clear the way for a solution to a political crisis that erupted late l...
South African Airways to continue honouring flight obligations
South African Airways has announced that it will continue to honour its flight obligations to cargo and evacuation flight customers all through this month. This is despite the clash in the expectations of the way forward for the ailing airlines which is already under business rescue. In a statement, the airline says while the disputes are being ironed out ,evacuee passenger and cargo flights will continue all through May on a charter basis. A meeting between public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan and the business rescue practitioners are meeting today to chart the way forward. Earlier it was announced that May 8 (today) will be the last day of operations for the airline. South Africa Airways which was last run profitably in 2011, has been under business rescue since early this year aft...
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