Every province hit as SA’s confirmed Covid-19 cases move past 400

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in South Africa has risen to 402.

Of the cases, 207 are in Gauteng.

This is according to a statement issued by health minister Zweli Mkhize on Monday afternoon.

The virus has now spread to all nine provinces, he announced.

“Fellow South Africans, as of today, South Africa has 402 confirmed cases of Covid-19,” said Mkhize. “This means there has been an increase of 128 from [Sunday’s] announcement,” he said.

This is a developing story.

Fear and limited handwashing in Gauteng informal settlements

Following all the recommended sanitising practices, social distancing and self-isolation are impossible in informal settlements.Following all the recommended sanitising practices, social distancing and self-isolation are impossible in informal settlements.” />Following all the recommended sanitising practices, social distancing and self-isolation are impossible in informal settlements.
Image: Annie Cebulski via GroundUp
How do you heed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plea to wash your hands often when you live in a community without running water? The short answer is that you don’t.

“We share toilets and communal taps here and people aren’t educated about this virus,” said Samuel Makhubela, a community leader at Kya Sands informal settlement near Randburg.

He said he tries to inform people about what they should do to stop the spread of the virus, but it is not easy.About 5km away, Msawawa informal settlement resident Sugar Baloyi, 47, said government should have provided sanitisers, gloves and masks.

“We try to wash hands and encourage our children to wash their hands, but we can only be hopeful that the virus doesn’t spread to our area. Do you think we can avoid it here?” the unemployed father of three asked.

Baloyi said self-isolating would be very difficult.

“I live with my children and wife. How will I self-isolate in this place?”

Justice Baloyi, 32, said he was scared: “If coronavirus gets here, we are all going to die. The

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alt=”Pearl Thusi is not impressed with US president Donald Trump.” />Pearl Thusi is not impressed with US president Donald Trump.
Image: Instagram/Pearl Pearl Thusi as Queen Sono
Pearl Thusi has lambasted US president Donald Trump for “not doing enough” to stop the spread of coronavirus, saying many South Africans had been infected after visiting his country.

While celebrities across the country debated the SA government’s response to the virus amid calls for a lockdown of the country, Pearl said some of the blame should lie at Trump’s door.

She said the politician could have “flattened the curve ages ago”, but “wasted precious time pretending America would never suffer”.“Now hundreds of people have died! And you think he loves his people over what people think of him?! Are some of you not actually reading?” she said in a series of tweets at the weekend.

Pearl said some politicians had sold their stocks when they saw the pandemic coming, adding that Trump’s “nonchalance might have cost thousands of people around the globe their lives”.

She said this included people in SA.

“Many South Africans contracted corona in the USA. Trump just wants to look good and faultless through it all. No leader is perfect, but his attitude is ludicrous and detrimental.

12 people over age of 71 test positive for Covid-19 as SA infections rise

Of the total confirmed cases across the country so far, most - at 170 - are male.Of the total confirmed cases across the country so far, most – at 170 – are male.
Image: 123RF/Jarun Ontakrai
The elderly and young children are testing positive for the coronavirus as SA’s infection rate climbed to 274 cases on Sunday.

This means there has been an increase of 34 from Saturday’s announcement, said health minister Zweli Mkhize.

Gauteng is the worst affected province with 132 positive tests, followed by the Western Cape with 88.

The Eastern Cape has 2, Free State 9, KwaZulu-Natal 36, Limpopo 1, and Mpumalanga 6.

In the 1-10 year age bracket, there are nine cases, while there are 12 cases for people over the age of 71, and 20 people in the 61-70 age bracket.

The biggest category of positive tests is in the 31-40 age bracket with 69 cases, followed by the 51-60 age bracket, with 63 cases.Of the total confirmed cases across the country so far, most – at 170 – are male, the ministry said.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said of the 274 cases, 208 (76%) have a history of travel from an area where Covid-19 is circulating. The majority of those without international travel history have had recent contact with persons who have travelled internationally.

While the Eastern Cape province has recorded its second case – a 22-year-old male who travelled to Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom – the majority of the new cases were reported in the Western Cape, at 14.

The Western Cape’s new cases are:

A 44-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom, Austria and Dubai
33-year-old female with no international travel history
24-year-old female with no international travel history
53-year-old female who travelled to the United Kingdom
A 57-year-old male who travelled to the United Kingdom
30-year-old male who travelled to Italy and Switzerland
28-year-old female who travelled to Italy and Switzerland
62-year-old male who travelled to Switzerland
30-year-old male with no international travel history
71-year-old male who travelled to Portugal
47-year-old female with no international travel history
57-year-old male with no international travel history
54-year-old male who travelled to Italy; and
49-year-old female who travelled to Italy
Gauteng’s cases include a 58-year-old male who travelled to Pakistan and Dubai, a 33-year-old woman who travelled to the UK, a 22-year-old male who travelled to Mauritius and three with no international travel history.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded cases of travellers to Europe and Dubai.

Mpumalanga has a case of a 25-year-old male who travelled to France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Contact tracing of all cases that the patients may have come into contact with is under way, the NICD said.

Ayanda Borotho: I asked God to separate my friends from my enemies

Ayanda Borotho has some words of wisdom on how to deal with betrayal.نتيجة بحث الصور عن Ayanda Borotho
Image: Instagram/ Ayanda Borotho
Actress and author Ayanda Borotho dropped some powerful life lessons on Instagram this week that left many of us in self introspection mode.

Ayanda has won Mzansi’s heart with her book Unbecoming to Become and dropped some new pearls of wisdom when she took to social media to share how she had asked God to separate her friends from her enemies.

“Six months ago I prayed an earnest prayer to God to order my footsteps everywhere I go. I pleaded with him to. Where I’m heading now only genuine and truthful friends are needed. God has shown me flames and he did exactly what I prayed for.

“God gave me the front seat and I saw and heard everything, sometimes it was very hard and other times it was brutal,” she wrote.

Ayanda says the best thing that you can do for yourself in the midst of betrayal is to walk in silence.

“Silence will give you clarity to hear in the spirit. Shaya sengathi awuboni not because you don’t but because the one who walks with you has cleared your path for you.”

She also encouraged people to make sure that only good things should come out of their mouths. Sis reminded people that what is done is the dark will definitely come to light.

“Walk in the light and darkness will never prevail over light. What is done and said in darkness will come to light, as it has for me. Don’t make the mistake of allowing the darkness to consume you and lure you into the same hole”.

We took every precaution, but still got it’: Covid-19 tears family apart

A DA ward councillor and his wife, who have both tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, have not been able to touch their 12-year-old daughter since they arrived back from Europe last Friday.

Their daughter even lives in a separate part of the house.

Peter and Candace Myers were in Switzerland last week for their godson’s wedding and visited Prague and Vienna.

Peter’s brother-in-law fetched the couple from the George airport on Friday with a mask after they passed the fever detection measures at OR Tambo International with flying colours.

But the next morning, both began experiencing fever, chills, aches and headaches.

Myers said they phoned a private laboratory at Life Knysna hospital and were told to come in for testing. But when they arrived, officials said they had been instructed not to do any additional Covid-19 testing.

The couple went to their doctor, who organised a test at Ampath at the hospital.

Orderlies carried out the test while they were sitting in their car. Myers said the taking of a sample from his throat was so invasive it almost made him nauseous.

“Friday night was the worst for me, so far. I coughed very badly,” said Peter, adding that he still had a fever.

Candace wrote on Facebook that she felt better on Friday and no longer had a headache.

“Neither of us can taste or smell. Our appetite isn’t great either but we’re eating to keep our energy levels up,” she wrote.

Peter said they haven’t been able to give their daughter a hug since returning from overseas.

“We’ve only been able to see her. She lives on the other side of the house.”Myers said they were contacted earlier in the week by authorities – including intelligence services – who wanted details of their flight, and were visited by the chief medical officer in the district.

“We tried to use every possible precaution, but we still got the virus. You have no idea where it is or who has it. The only thing you can do is to isolate yourself so you don’t get it, or so that you don’t infect others if you have it.”

They are isolating themselves for 21 days, using medicine that is available over the counter and drinking warm water with lemon, ginger and honey.

A Capetonian businesswoman and mother, Kim Whitaker, also this week said she had tested positive for the virus after a visit to Germany and Austria two weeks ago.

When her flight landed in Cape Town, she did not have a fever at all, Whitaker,