South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Thursday 12 March

Never miss a beat when it comes to the latest news in South Africa – check out the headlines making waves across the country on Thursday 12 March 2020.

As coronavirus cases in the country begin to swell, both local and national government’s redouble efforts to equip hospitals with the resources to mitigate further transmission. Meanwhile, Eskom continues to enforce a harsh Stage 4 load shedding schedule due to a growing number of ‘unplanned breakdowns’. In sports news, the Proteas face their first ODI encounter against India in Dharamsala.

Today’s latest news in South Africa, Thursday 12 March

Coronavirus count at 13 with one critical in Gauteng

The deadly coronavirus continues to spread throughout South Africa, with infections now confirmed in three provinces; KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Cape Town.

On Wednesday afternoon, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed six new cases of the COVID-19 virus, which has spread throughout the world in the last three months, causing widespread panic and resulting in more than 4 000 fatalities.  

The latest confirmation, in the Western Cape, concerns a 36-year-old man who arrived back in Cape Town on Monday 9 March after travelling to Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Turkey.

Addressing the media outside Tygerberg Hospital, which houses one of the province’s primary isolation wards geared to treat those infected with the coronavirus, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde called for calm. Winde confirmed that the patient infected with the coronavirus was not quarantined at Tygerberg Hospital but had instead been allowed to self-isolate at home.

Meanwhile, in a coronavirus patient in Gauteng remains in a critical condition after being admitted to an undisclosed hospital. Gauteng health department spokesperson Kwara Kekana confirmed the patient’s dire condition on Wednesday.

Eskom’s load shedding – Stage 4 continues ‘until further notice’

It’s unlikely that South Africans will be afforded a reprieve from Eskom’s dire load shedding schedule which, for the past two days, as hovered at Stage 4 as the utility struggles to conduct urgent power plant repairs at Koeberg.

In addition to the ‘turbine failure’ which heightened the already-disruptive load shedding schedule from Stage 2 to Stage 4 earlier this week, other ‘unplanned breakdowns’ have further embattled Eskom’s ability to meet the country’s power needs.

Although Eskom announced that the Koeberg unit which had tripped “was being fixed”, the utility added that load shedding, at various stages, would likely continue well into the weekend.

Eskom’s load shedding nightmare – a direct result of poor maintenance and mismanagement – is expected to cost the South African economy approximately R180 billion over the next 18 months.

EFF stand by Public Protector Mkhwebane

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have vowed to continue supporting Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in her fight against ‘white monopoly capital corruption’. This latest endorsement follows in the wake of a damning judicial defeat for Mkhwebane, whose report on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign funding was trashed by the North Gauteng High Court.

Not only did the court clear Ramaphosa of ‘misleading’ Parliament, the judge labelled Mkhwebane’s findings as factually incorrect and her investigative methods unlawful.

The EFF, however, have refused to give up on Mkhwebane, with leading figures of the party lashing out at the judgement, Ramaphosa, the media and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni.

Party leader Julius Malema, along with other senior members Floyd Shivambu and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, hit back at Mboweni after the finance minister said that Mkhwebane should “fall on her sword”.

The EFF has vowed to support Mkhwebane before the Constitutional Court.

Cele condemns murder of IPID investigator

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, has condemned the murder of a senior investigator attached to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

In a statement, police said Mandla Mahlangu, 47, was fatally shot during a robbery at his house in Jakkalsdans, Cullinan, in Pretoria, early on Tuesday.

“At approximately 3:30 this morning [Tuesday] a group of men arrived at the plot and held 47-year-old Mr Mandla Mahlangu and a worker at gunpoint. The suspects shot Mr Mahlangu and fled taking with them Mr Mahlangu’s White Nissan Hardbody NP300 bakkie, Registration JD23XFGP and some household items,” Police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said.

The Gauteng Provincial Investigation Unit is investigating robbery as a possible motive in the incident in which five suspects were allegedly involved. (Source: SAnews)

De Kock banks on Du Plessis’ experience ahead of India series

The Proteas return to action today for the first time since completing a home series whitewash over Australia, this time with former skipper Faf du Plessis in the mix.

The 36-year-old was rested throughout the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against the men from Down Under, and returns ahead of another series against India, beginning in Dharamsala.

Quinton de Kock will continue to skipper the side, as they seek to build on the emphatic result, and the wicketkeeper-batsman is excited to have the experienced head back in the fold.

Latest weather forecast, Thursday 12 March

Take a look at weather forecasts for all nine provinces here.

Live traffic updates for Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban

Stay one step ahead of the traffic by viewing our live traffic updates here.

Horoscope today

Free daily horoscope, celeb gossip and lucky numbers for Thursday 12 March.