‘It is unthinkable’: Two new super-spreader events identified in KZN

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala delivered a glum press conference on Sunday, in which he revealed that two major super-spreader events had been detected in the province. Thousands attended the unauthorised congregations, which are said to have broken the legal limits for gatherings ten-fold.

Where are the new super-spreader events in KZN?

Zikalala, clearly irked by the irresponsible behaviour displayed by these KZN residents, slammed the gatherings as ‘unthinkable’ during a time of crisis. South Africa is battling both a new strain of COVID-19, and the second wave of infections. The Premier went on to release more details about the confirmed super-spreader events.

• A church gathering that took place in Assisi Convent in Ugu District has been flagged
• Meanwhile, a mass protest in Kwasizabantu in Umzinyathi district also set alarm bells ringing
• The super-spreader event in Ugu was sparked by a mass church gathering, which has been linked to six deaths.
• Meanwhile, the demonstration in Kwasizabantu attracted more than 2 000 people – causing at least 48 infections.

Zikalala blasts mass gatherings

‘Rage parties’ hosted a few weeks ago were blamed for an initial spike in provincial cases. And now, the figures for KZN are looking increasingly bleak: Deaths have rocketed in the province, and there’s a clear upwards trend in new infections. Zikalala issued a stern warning to locals, and didn’t attempt to hide his dismay:

“KZN has seen a 4% increase in infections between week 50 and 51. Over the past week, the highest number of cases received was 2 912 on Saturday, while the average number of cases recorded daily was 2 165 cases a day. The actual cummulative number of deaths, which occurred during week 50, was 68 – and for week 51, it was 111.”

“The recent cluster outbreaks in gatherings have proven to be fatal. These events are simply unthinkable. We once again wish to issue a warning to our fellow compatriots that we are now confronted by a dangerous outbreak of Covid-19 in KwaZulu-Natal. We appeal that everyone acts responsibly.”

Sihle Zikalala

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala says thirteen people are dying every day from the coronavirus in the province. He was briefing the media on how the virus is progressing during the festive season. #sabcnews

— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) December 20, 2020