15th January
TIDES
Low – 12:33AM – 0.4m
High – 6:52AM – 1.8m
Low – 12:56PM – 0.6m
High – 6:55PM – 1.6m
LOAD SHEDDING
Today
None on Stage 1
But 23:00 – 01:30 if Stage 2
WEATHER
Cloudy in morning then sunshine
Max 24C
Wind – E 28 km/h
COVID-19 STATISTICS
New Cases – 12267 | Active Cases – 202380
Recoveries – 1 098 441 | Deaths – 37105
Active cases in nearby Kouga region as at 11th January
St Francis – 31 | Oyster Bay – 0 | Humansdorp – 41 | JBay – 101
Full Sarah Baartman Covid Stats as at 13th available at bottom of page
Keep Safe and PLEASE … SAVE WATER
LOCAL NEWS: (Kouga)
Privilege – Sandra Hardie recounts life as it was in the early days of St Francis. A wonderful article for those who lived here way back then and for newcomers to reflect on what a life is really all about.
REGIONAL NEWS: (East Cape, Port Elizabeth & Southern Coast)
Gift of the Givers completes another project in EC – Gift of the Givers continues its support for health facilities in the Eastern Cape, having completed the renovation of a building at the Bhisho Hospital
Homeowner wounded by men looking for booze – Two men kicked down the door of a home in Port Elizabeth in search of liquor, and when none was found, they opened fire.
COVID NEWS:
Daily Covid-19 update: Nearly 17k patients in hospital as SA tops 37k deaths – Since the start of the pandemic on local soil, hospitals have admitted 174,373 patients of which 121,451 were discharged.
Covid-19: The vaccine sums don’t add up – The South African government is adamant that it must vaccinate 67% of the population to achieve herd immunity – roughly 40 million people. Just one problem
Dlamini-Zuma set to file response to vaccine challenge by Wednesday – The two organisations have taken legal action against Dlamini-Zuma and health minister Zweli Mkhizwe to seek clarity on whether the private sector would have access to Covid-19 vaccines.
LOCKDOWN:
Surfing South Africa motivates for relaxing surfig restrictions – The Board of Surfing South Africa has submitted a motivation to the authorities to request that the current regulations preventing surfers from accessing the ocean, be relaxed or amended to enable all surfers to surf legally
SAB goes on an offensive on alcohol sales ban – SAB on Friday cancelled a further R2.5bn of investment following the third ban on alcohol sales in December which has been extended indefinitely.
POLITICS:
There is no way the Ugandan elections can be declared free and fair – yet the AU and SA stay silent – History will judge this South African government and the African Union for their silence in this moment.
South Africa at a crossroads: A liberal perspective on how to break the mould – As the country stands at a political and economic crossroads, an understanding of the post-World War 2 history of liberalism, and of the kinds of alliances that are possible, is essential to understanding the trajectory of liberal opposition to the ANC.
SA & AFRICA NEWS:
As painful as it gets: The great school reopening debate – The decision by the Department of Basic Education to delay the reopening of government schools has been supported, but at the same time harshly criticised.
Petrol at R15 per litre – or R20? – Take your pick from several oil price and exchange rate forecasts.
CORRUPTION WATCH:
SAPS PPE scandal: Clash of top brass amid claims of massive corruption – Top cops investigating suspended Crime Intelligence head are themselves in sights of Hawks and Special Investigations Unit for PPE corruption.
The SAPS deals: Inside the Thoshan Panday indictment – The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is set to mount a massive offensive in the 2010 Fifa World Cup graft case against Umhlanga businessman Thoshan Panday
BUSINESS & MONEY MATTERS:
Evidence that banks sell repossessed houses for cents in the rand – According to an affidavit filed in support of the R60bn class action suit by dispossessed homeowners against major banks.
ENERGY:
More Stage 2 load shedding set for Monday – “We currently have 6,384MW on planned maintenance, while another 13,181MW of capacity is unavailable due to unplanned maintenance, breakdowns and the outage delays mentioned.”
TECHNOLOGY:
WhatsApp delays launch of business feature after privacy backlash – WhatsApp sets a new launch date of 15 May for the business tools and will approach users gradually to review the policy changes.
INTERNATIONAL:
Alexei Navalny: Poisoned Putin critic detained after arriving in Moscow Alexei Navalny has carved out a life of activism between court appearances, house arrest and periods in detention before
Small far-right groups gather at US statehouses ahead of inauguration – Law enforcement and media outnumber members of ‘Boogaloo Bois’ as only a handful of armed men show up to demonstrations
SOCIAL MEDIA:
EARTH, SPACE & THE UNIVERSE:
Branson’s Virgin rocket takes satellites to orbit – Sir Richard Branson’s rocket company Virgin Orbit has succeeded in putting its first satellites in space.
Electric eels work together to zap prey – More than 200 years after the electric eel inspired the design of the first battery, it has been discovered that they can co-ordinate their “zaps”.
THIS & THAT:
How to brew a boozy apple cider that’ll be ready to drink in a day or so – It’s quick and easy to make a batch of sparkling apple cider with this simple recipe – no special equipment needed
Brewing beer at home is easy — and no, you don’t need pineapples – With her wine stocks running low and a ban on buying alcohol in place, our food editor investigates other options
SPORT:
Disarray as 47 Australian Open players affected after positive tests on planes – “Weeks and weeks of practice and hard work going to waste for one person positive to Covid in a 3/4 empty plane. Sorry but this is insane.”
Solskjaer bemoans ’missed opportunity’ as Klopp ponders scoreless streak – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool was a “missed opportunity” after Alisson Becker made two superb saves to deny the Premier League leaders.
