South Africa: Today’s latest news and headlines, Thursday 24 December

On the eve of Christmas on Thursday 24 December, look at the stories that are making headlines. We bring you the latest news, from Bheki Cele’s warning to pub owners to the UK banning travellers from South Africa.

Meanwhile, the British Government has confirmed that two people in the UK have tested positive for the so called ‘South Africa variant’ of COVID-19. 

TODAY’S LATEST NEWS IN SOUTH AFRICA, Thursday 24 December  

UK impose travel bans, mandatory quarantine on visitors to SA

The United Kingdom (UK) has insisted that anybody who has re-entered the country having been in South Africa in the past two weeks must immediately quarantine along with any close contacts who have been in the country. 

The announcement made by by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday 23 December follow the emergence of a mutated variant of COVID-19 in South Africa similar to the variant currently wreaking havoc on large parts of the UK. As a result of concern over the rapidly spreading variant of coronavirus – which has forced the UK to once again implement hard lockdowns in many parts of the country – they have also instituted immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa.

WHAT IS THE SA VARIANT OF COVID-19?

The British Government has confirmed that two people in the UK have tested positive for the so-called ‘South Africa variant’ of COVID-19. It’s the second new mutation to have been discovered in Blighty within the past few days, and serious travel restrictions have now been imposed on Mzansi.

Matt Hancock, the UK Health Secretary, revealed on Wednesday that anyone returning from South Africa would have to quarantine themselves for the next two weeks.

The Cabinet member also claimed that this particular 501Y strain was ‘more transmissible’ than the variant initially found in the UK – but he’s now facing something of a backlash.

WHAT MBUYISENI NDLOZI SAID ABOUT NELSON MANDELA

Ouch. If this were a football game, one could say that Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has just gone in with a two-footed tackle. The EFF Commissar has sparked a fierce debate online, after arguing that Nelson Mandela ‘wasted’ his 27 years behind bars.

Ndlozi’s divisive take pulls at a rather problematic thread. Revered by many, Nelson Mandela has left a legacy that very few people in existence could even hold a candle to. However, more than a quarter of a century after he was elected to power, many South Africans are yet to feel the benefits of democracy – and sometimes, Madiba gets the blame.

The EFF representative argues that the former president ‘sold out’ when he agreed a deal with the apartheid government. He accuses Madiba of failing to understand racism, suggesting that the memory of man does nothing to confront ‘white supremacy’. Ndlozi, who denounced the Springboks’ World Cup triumph last year, is no stranger to controversy.

But this could be his most contentious take yet…

“I think the truly wasted years are the 27 years that resulted in an empty reconciliation deal. In Mandela’s memory, blacks are silenced in the false hope to appeal to the morality of whites! It will be 27 years next, that morality is nowhere! What exactly do we gain by remembering Mandela? In what way does it help us confront white supremacy?”

“How does it help black people earn respect & dignity in the eyes of whites in farms? Why cling to a memory that renders blacks into docility in the face of white supremacy?”

“Mandela once said he fought against black domination… this was at the height of apartheid. Where in the world have black people dominated as ‘blacks’? For by definition, to be ‘black’ meant to be under white subjugation. The man never understood the racism problem… shame!”

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

RAMAPHOSA SETS ALARM BELLS RINGING FOR INTEGRITY COMMISSION

The ANC Integrity Commission has previously been accused of being ‘toothless’ – but Chairperson George Mashamba showed his teeth on Wednesday, by delivering a stinging rebuke against Cyril Ramapahosa. According to the Commission, they were left ‘concerned’ by Ramaphosa’s reluctance to answer questions about the CR17 campaign.

Since taking office in 2018, the president has been blighted by accusations that he illicitly raised funds during his bid for ANC leadership. He’s even been accused of ‘vote buying’ during the Nasrec Conference. The allegations are very serious, and according to Mashamba, it has taken Ramaphosa 18 months to finally appear before the panel.

BHEKI CELE ENCOURAGES ‘LETHAL FORCE’

Bheki Cele has had an eventful month. Fresh from getting into arguments on the beaches of Cape Town, the police minister has now changed course – and he’s encouraging police officers to use ‘lethal force’ when dealing with hardened criminals. It’s probably not the cheeriest of Christmas messages…

Minister Cele is currently on a whistle-stop tour across South Africa, as part of the ‘Safer Festive Season’ initiative. In the past 48 hours, he has visited Kimberley and Port Elizabeth – taking the opportunity to dole out some bizarre advice…

“Do not smile when a criminal pulls a gun because that gun is not going to produce a picture. There is no selfie from a firearm. You must use lethal force. When criminals engage you and the dust settles and we pick up the pieces, it cannot be you. It must be criminals. They must learn to think a hundred times before they attack the police.”

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