Amid a drought, the city had set a 50-litre daily limit and had told citizens “Day Zero” was approaching when people would have to queue at standpipes.

But water-saving efforts in the South African city have seen the day pushed back from April to 27 August.

Seasonal rains should mean that date is now averted, the city said.

The shortages follow three years of low rainfall.

“Thus, provided we continue our current water savings efforts, Day Zero can be avoided completely this year,” the city government said in a statement.

“It is now up to all of us. If we keep on saving, we will not have to queue for water this year.”

‘My wife doesn’t shower any more’

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance which governs both the city and wider Western Cape province, said water consumption had been cut by 60% in two years.

I want to thank the residents of Cape Town, who have responded magnificently. Everyone has played their part to keep the taps open.

Consumption now sits at between 510 and 520 million litres per day – down from almost 1.2 billion litres in February 2015!

The city had resorted to increasingly drastic measures to clamp down on water usage, including “naming and shaming” the 100 addresses using the most water and fining residents who failed to comply with the 50 litre (13 gallon) limit per person.

By comparison, the average UK consumer uses some 150 litres of water per day.

Although the risk that piped water supplies will be shut off this year has receded, politicians and environmentalists warn that the water crisis is there to stay in Cape Town, as year-on-year rainfall levels dwindle.

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Source: BBC

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The government identified the cold meat polony as the source of the listeria poisoning – but advised consumers to avoid all ready-to-eat processed meat.

Customers have descended on the factories that made the polony, to demand a refund.

The outbreak was finally traced after infecting people for more than a year.

It is believed to have originated in an Enterprise Food factory in the northern city of Polokwane. A plant owned by RCL Foods is also under suspicion. Both firms have suspended meat production.

‘It’s in my kids’ lunch’

There have been 948 cases of listeria poisoning reported since January 2017, according to Reuters.

The United Nations says it is believed to be the largest outbreak ever, worldwide.

In some people the disease – known as listeriosis – causes high temperatures, vomiting and diarrhoea. The elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and babies – both in the womb and newborn – are particularly vulnerable.

Some 180 of those infected have died.

Health authorities ordered a recall of polony, prompting supermarkets like Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths to clear it from their shelves, along with bacon, sausages and other processed meat products.

“I already packed my kids’ lunch with this product, so I’m shocked,” said Tshepo Makhura, a 37-year-old call centre agent, who had returned to one store to demand a refund.

“I lost trust with Enterprise. I’ll be scared even if they say this problem is solved. I would rather go back to peanut butter and jam.”

Pregnant women have been advised to steer clear of any processed meat

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi warned people to “avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready to eat”.

He told pregnant women to avoid any processed meat “like the plague”, reported Times Live.

The products are also sold abroad – Zambia has demanded they be recalled there, too.

A shortage of the solution used for testing for the listeria bacteria meant the results of the tests at the Polokwane factory were delayed by two weeks, an official at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases told Times Live.

The listeria bacteria is hard to test for, as it is not homogenously distributed in food. It can also “hide away” in cracks or niches in factories.

Consumers who stored polony products in their fridges were advised to disinfect them with diluted bleach.

What is listeriosis?

• It can be caught from food containing listeria bacteria, or close contact with farm animals

• Cases usually involve unpasteurised milk or dairy products, such as camembert and brie

• Pre-packed foods, including sandwiches and paté, can also contain listeria

• Symptoms include high temperature, flu-like symptoms, vomiting and diarrhoea

• Most people infected display no symptoms, but elderly and very young people are vulnerable

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Source: BBC

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Victor Mlotshwa, 27, was beaten and forced into the coffin by Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen in August 2016.

The pair have yet to be sentenced. They had denied the charges.

The case has caused outrage in South Africa and highlighted racial tensions in farming communities.

Mr Mlotshwa only reported the matter after footage of the assault emerged on YouTube months later.

His attackers threatened to douse him in petrol and burn him alive.

In a court affidavit, Jackson and Oosthuizen said they did not mean to harm Mr Mlotshwa but merely wanted to “teach him a lesson”.

They claimed that Mr Mlotshwa had been trespassing on their land.

As Judge Segopotje Mphahlele read out the guilty verdict in Middelburg Magistrates Court on Friday, supporters of the victim burst into songs of celebration.

“I’m relieved that justice has been served,” Mr Mlotshwa told the BBC.

Judge Mphahlele told the court she was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and that it was clear that the convicted men intended to kill the victim.

The prosecutor has asked the court to revoke their bail for security reasons.

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Source: BBC

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A UN spokesperson declined to confirm receipt of the document, which is signed by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and dated 19 October.

“The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court,” according to the document.

The South African mission to the United Nations was not immediately available to comment on the document.

South Africa’s Justice Minister Michael Masutha is expected to hold a briefing on the matter in Pretoria this morning.

The International Criminal Court, which opened in July 2002 and has 124 member states, is the first legal body with permanent international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Burundi appeared set to become the first state to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the global court, after its parliament voted last week to leave. President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday, but the United Nations has not yet been officially notified.

South Africa said a year ago that it planned to leave the International Criminal Court after its government faced criticism for ignoring a court order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is accused of genocide and war crimes, when he visited the country last year.

Several African countries have expressed concern that the focus of The Hague-based court has been on Africa rather than elsewhere in the world.

“The Republic of South Africa is committed to fight impunity and to bring those who commit atrocities and international crimes to justice and as a founding member of the African Union promotes international human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the African continent,” the document said.

“In complex and multi-faceted peace negotiations and sensitive post-conflict situations, peace and justice must be viewed as complementary and not mutually exclusive,” the South African document said.
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Source: Ewn.com

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