SHORTAGE OF SURGEONS COULD LOSE MEN THEIR LEGS

Tuesday 9th February
                                        2021, 0145

Real News. Scrolla.Africa

SHORTAGE OF SURGEONS COULD LOSE
MEN THEIR LEGS
Kamogelo Muvhenzhe

                They are all lying in the same ward with broken
                legs - and they are all worried that the system
                has forgotten about them.

The six men were involved in accidents during December and
January and they are lying in Ward B4 of the Helen Franz
hospital in Bochum, Limpopo.

They are waiting to be transferred to the Pietersburg Provincial
hospital in Polokwane for operations by orthopedic surgeons.

But the Department of Health in the province says there is a
shortage of surgeons and they don’t know when the patients
will get dates for their operations.

Now they fear they might lose their legs and become disabled if
they don’t get the operations.

The men spoke to Scrolla.Africa on condition of anonymity.
They say they fear victimisation and that they survive on
painkillers so can't take any risks.

One of the patients, from Indermark outside Bochum, said he
was admitted at the hospital after being involved in a car
accident which broke both his legs.

“I was told that I will go for an operation in Polokwane three
days after my admission but I have been told there are no
surgeons available,” he said.

“I’m scared I'll end up losing both my legs because they are not
looking good.”

Another patient who broke his leg when he fell at a funeral said
he is scared of losing his job.

“These people don’t seem to care. All we do is lie here and
chat. It is worse now that we don’t get visitors,” he said.

Spokesman for the Department of Health in Limpopo, Neil
Shikwambana said they have a shortage of orthopedic surgeons
because all patients across the province are referred to the
Pietersburg hospital for operations.

“The patients will be operated on as soon as a surgeon
becomes available," said Shikwambana.

Picture source: CapricornFM

Juju’s tea party with Msholozi fails to
impress the locals
Lungani Zungu

If Julius Malema's plan was to win the hearts of the rural
residents when he visited Jacob Zuma at his Nkandla
homestead on Friday, it didn’t work.

Even S’thandiwe Hlongwane, Zuma’s neighbour who received a
house from the EFF ahead of the 2014 elections was unswayed.

“I will forever be grateful for their wonderful gesture. If it
weren't for them I’d still be living in a mud house. I thank them
for building a house for me but I will not vote for them,” she
told Scrolla.Africa.

Hlongwane accused Malema of ridiculing former president
Zuma during his time in office.

Hlongwane, a card-carrying member of the ANC, said: “The way
the EFF conducted itself in Parliament pushed me away.”

She said insults hurled by MPs stained the country’s Parliament.

Asked about the tea meeting, Hlongwane said, “I hope that
something positive came out of that meeting because the
animosity between them threatened political stability in the
country.”

Nkandla resident Thami Sibisi said: “There’s nothing that
Malema can do that will make us vote for the EFF. By drinking
tea with Zuma he is trying to make rural residents forgive him
for what he did to the old man. He must count me out.”

Nkandla rural residents had stuck with the IFP and snubbed
political parties like the EFF and ANC in polls.

Zuma failed to convince them to vote for the ANC even during
his time as president of the ruling party and the country.

The EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo refused to comment.

Mkhize pivots to J&J vaccine rollout
Arthur Greene

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on
Sunday that South Africa has halted its rollout of
the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine after a study
showed a 10% efficacy rating against the new variant of Covid-
19.

The trial, involving some 2,000 people, found that the vaccine
offered "minimal protection" against mild and moderate cases.

However, experts believe that despite the low efficacy rate, the
vaccine will still be effective at preventing severe illness.

Mkhize also stated that the variant accounts for 90% of new
Covid cases in South Africa.

It was only a week ago that the country had received the 1-
million doses of the Astrazeneca jab and this week it was ready
to begin vaccinations.

The health minister stressed that the doses were being held -
not binned - until the government knew how best to proceed
with the AstraZeneca vaccine in light of the findings.

In the meantime, the government will distribute vaccines
produced by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer as planned in
the coming weeks.

Business Day reported on Monday evening that the
government is in advanced talks with US pharmaceutical giant
J&J to securel 20-million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, in
addition to the 9-million the country has already purchased.

The J&J jab has been shown to have a significantly higher
efficacy rate in South Africa than the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The country’s health care workers, who were meant to receive
their first dose of the AstraZeneca jab this month, will receive a
jab of the J&J vaccine instead.

Picture source: @WebMD

Superstar poet Amanda Gorman stuns
34 million at Super Bowl
Arthur Greene

Amanda Gorman is well on her way to
becoming the 21st century’s first superstar poet.

As she did at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January,
Gorman, 22, stole the show before the Buccaneers overcame
the Chiefs in Sunday night’s Super Bowl, the biggest game in
American Football.

Amanda Gorman became the first ever poet to perform at the
event.

Her pre-recorded performance was televised to over 34 million
viewers. The cinematic recording opens with a closeup of
Gorman with a black background and wearing a beautiful sky
blue coat with crystal trimmings.

Her poem focuses not on the game or its superstars, but is
dedicated to the game’s three honorary captains.

These are three members of the community who, as Gorman
announces, “Have taken the lead / Exceeded all expectations
and limitations / Uplifting their communities and neighbours as
leaders, healers and educators.”

The first is James Martin, a veteran of the Marine Corps.

The second, Trimaine Davis, is a Los Angeles educator who
“works non-stop providing his community with laptops,
hotspots and tech workshops so his students have all the tools
they need to succeed.”

The third captain is Suzie Dorner, a Covid-19 nurse manager at
the Intensive Care Unit of the Tampa General hospital.

“She lost her grandmothers to the pandemic / And fights to
save other lives in the ICU battlezone.”

The film of Gorman’s performance is cut with clips of all three
captains, and these are accompanied by growing orchestral
music to complete this remarkable moment.

Video source: @NFL

Image source: @BostonDotCom

Ex ANC MP, under fire for ignoring
corruption, admits receiving R500,000
from Bosasa
Lungani Zungu

            Former ANC MP Vincent Smith came under fire
            at the state capture commission on Monday over
            the lack of oversight in the relationship between
the government and the tainted Bosasa company.

Smith was grilled for his role as the former chairperson of the
portfolio committee on correctional services from 2009 to
2014.

This was at the same time the government continued doing
business with Bosasa, despite a Special Investigative Unit's (SIU)
report which found a string of irregularities and corruption
against the company.

Smith, who had been an MP from 1999 resigned last year after
former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi told the commission that he
received more than R500,000 from Bosasa.

Smith admitted receiving the money but said it was for his
daughter’s tuition fees.

A visibly frustrated Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who
chairs the commission, questioned Smith why his committee
did not intervene and stop the government from doing business
with Bosasa, now-called African Global Operations.

Bosasa supplied food to prisons.

“Your committee gets given a report about horrific things, and
you don’t say that these things cannot be allowed to continue,”
said Zondo.

He said he had difficulty understanding why the committee did
not stop the government from doing business with Bosasa.

In his defence, Smith said, “When it comes to work that is done
by the executive or government or department, ours as
Parliament as I understand it is the power to persuade. We
didn't have the power to macro-manage or the power to
dictate.”

Zondo asked Smith if he thought that his committee fell short in
rooting out corruption.

Smith responded, “There could be much more improvement
from where I’m sitting, chair.”

“I don’t think that the committee was docile during my period. I
do believe that during my period the committee was very
robust," said Smith.

Zondo pressed on, “Parliament should do something than to
throw their hands up and say ‘we can’t do anything.’”

He stressed that parliamentary portfolio committees should do
more to hold those in government accountable.

Smith concluded his testimony on Monday.

Picture source: @sanosanele

Sinkhole and collapsed bridge cause
havoc in Mbombela
Dalphine Tagwireyi

Cyclone Eloise has caused havoc in many parts of the country -
and Mbombela in Mpumalanga has not escaped the
punishment.

Residents from Tekwane South and eNtokozweni say they
called on the City of Mbombela to repair a sinkhole in the
D2296 because they feared the bridge would collapse.

Now the collapse of the bridge has caused major disruptions
and traders from Mozambique are virtually isolated from their
South Africa customers.

The provincial Department of Community Safety has advised
motorists to avoid using the route.

Ermani Ricardo from Inhambane, Mozambique told
Scrolla.Africa he is stuck in South Africa because he doesn’t
have money to reroute to get back to his country.

“I deliver orders for my clients in South Africa every week but I
could lose a lot of customers if I increased my prices if I had to
take longer routes,” he said.

“This would cut my turnover and my business will come to a
standstill.”

Residents near dams have been the worst affected, as the
torrential rains have led to the overflow of dams.

Eight people are feared dead and five are reported missing.

The Safety Security and Liaison Department called on motorists
to be vigilant as several roads and bridges have been badly
damaged and traffic has been heavily congested due to the
closure of main roads.

Picture source: Twitter

Dlala Thukzin’s Magic Handz
Sizwe Sibiya

“Dlala Thukzin” is more than just an artist’s stage
name - he is the person behind many Gqom hit
songs with artists like Mampintsha, DJ Tira, and
Babes Wodumo.

His name has turned it into a catchphrase in most clubs in the
country. When people hear his offerings they know he is about
to drive the crowd wild with his Djing skills.

Thukzin’s full name is Thuthuka Zindlovu and he is from
Lamontville south of Durban.

One of his latest offerings is the trending release Nika Nika in
which he plays with Iso and CavaTheKwaal.

More than four years into the commercial scene, he still
receives the same reaction he received with one of his first hits
‘Nab Laba’ with Dladla Mshinqisi and Zulu Mkhathini.

“Magic Handz” as he prefers to be called instead of just a
‘Gqom producer’ started DJing with his uncle at the age of 12

around Durban. And from there he has grown into becoming
the artist that everybody knows and appreciates.

He is determined to leave a lasting legacy. Traces of his skill are
seen in one of the biggest Gqom albums in the country by the
genre’s queen, Babes Wodumo, who also hails from
Lamontville – titled Gqom Queen Volume 1 in 2016.

His album Permanent Music is here to stay with its single Nika
Nika at over 700,000 views on YouTube.
Audio Source: YouTube

Loved and Lost: Bonginkosi Radebe
(1949 - 2021)

A peacemaker between warring factions
Lungani Zungu

As a boy, Bonginkosi Radebe always broke up the fights
between his peers.

Later, as a grown man, he went into politics, serving as peace
broker in the deadly clashes between the IFP and the ANC in
the 1980s and 1990s.

The 71 year old died on Saturday after a short illness.

Bheki Ngcobo, Radebe's childhood neighbour in Mpumalanga
township, near Hammarsdale said without Radebe’s
intervention many people would have died in their township.

“He did what he did as we were growing up. He would always
separate the people who were fighting,” he said.

“Radebe was a brave person. He crisscrossed the province and
intervened in political clashes when it was dangerous to call on
the warring factions to stop the killings.”

For his peacekeeping efforts, the University of Natal awarded
Radebe with an honorary doctorate.

Because of his experience in bringing peace to Mpumalanga
townships, Radebe was part of the government delegation in
2006, that assisted a United Nations Mission of Iraqi
parliamentarians involved in bringing peace to that war-torn
country.

ANC chairperson in KZN, Sihle Zikalala, said: “His name became
synonymous with peace and leadership.”

Former IFP leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said: “I am left
in despair. Without his voice of reason coaxing his comrades to
the path of reconciliation will this journey ever be completed?”

In his political career spanning over four decades, Radebe also
served as MEC for Social Development, Agriculture and
Environmental Affairs, MEC for Agriculture, and Deputy Speaker
of the KZN legislature.

The 100 runs Faf and Quinton didn’t
score
Lucky Mdluli

Alas, the age of miracles are indeed over. It was always going to
be a miraculous achievement if South Africa was going to
               snatch victory from a rampant Pakistani side in
               the second test at Rawalpindi - but it depended
               on every batsman coming to the party.

The overnight scorecard reflected the positive attitude of the
South African batsmen. Even Elgar’s 17 off 24 balls showed
intent. Markram scored a noble 108 when it mattered.

Temba Bavuma, that giant among men, can always be counted
on to purse his lips, jut out his chin, and come out fighting,
whether he puts up a big score or not. This time, he did his
share, putting his back into it and scoring 61 runs.

Then came Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock.

The faithful, knowing that these two talented batters can score
runs, were hoping that, just this once, they would produce a
100 runs or more between them.

Well, Faf came out, scored a four and a single, before Hasan Ali
trapped him lbw in front of the sticks. De Kock made the long
walk out to the pitch, got bowled first ball, then made the long
walk back to the change room – no shower required.

A century ago, John Clayton wrote a very short letter to a
hopeful playwright. It read: “Dear sir, I have read your play. Oh,
my dear, sir.”

A letter to Quinton de Kock about leadership could read: “Dear
sir, the people have watched your performance as captain. Oh,
my dear, sir.”

Picture source: @OfficialCSA

Netball is back!
Timmy T Maranda

The President of Netball South Africa Cecilia
Molokwane has announced the resumption of all
planned netball activities in South Africa.

Molokwane confirmed that the netball activities will resume
from Monday 8 February.

“The president admits the decision to resume was not an easy
one because we are still amid a pandemic and we need to be
careful,” she said.

“We understand that if rules and regulations are relaxed, we
should give our players, coaches and administration an
opportunity to do what they love the most, which is to play
netball."

The Spar Challenge which was supposed to happen at the
beginning of the year will now be played from 24 to 31 March
and will take place in a biologically safe environment in Cape
Town.

Molokwane encouraged teams that would like to resume
training, to host coaching clinics, courses and any other
activities relating to netball to submit their plans to combat risk
to Netball SA for approval as they are the custodians of netball
in the country.

“We are appealing to those who want to do any other netball
related events to do it through Netball SA."

Picture source : @NetballSA

Downs to face Polokwane City
Menzi Magubane

             Mamelodi Sundowns managed to avoid another
             DStv Premiership team in the Nedbank Cup last
             16 draw that was held on Monday. Downs, who
are the competition's reigning champions, were drawn at home
with the GladAfrica Championship outfit Polokwane City.

The two teams know each other very well having met several
times while City were still playing in the top flight. There was

speculation that Sundowns might be drawn with their nemesis
Orlando Pirates.

Pirates, however, will face tougher opposition in the last 16.
They were drawn at home with DStv Premiership strugglers
Maritzburg United.

There are only three fixtures that saw DStv Premiership teams
drawn together. Black Leopards take on AmaZulu at home and
Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila host Swallows FC.

Other fixtures saw GladAfrica Championship teams being drawn
together.

Dates and venues of the Last 16 matches will be announced by
the Premier Soccer League in due cause. On Monday there was
one last 32 fixture being played.

GladAfrica Championship outfit Cape Town Spurs caused yet
another upset when they eliminated a top fight team. They
beat Baroka FC 5-4 on penalties.

The big upset in this season's competition was on Sunday when
Kaizer Chiefs were stunned and booted out by the First Division
team Richards Bay. Baroka, however, were the first team to

cause such an upset back in the 2010/11 season when they
were still playing in the lower division.

They eliminated Chiefs in the last 16 and on Monday they got a
taste of their own medicine when the Urban Warriors knocked
them out. There was no separating the two clubs in 90 minutes
and extra time. The match ended 1-1 and the penalty shootout
was held to decide the tie. Baroka beat both Swallows and
Kaizer Chiefs during that season.

Here is the full Nedbank Cup Last 16 draw
Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila TM vs Swallows FC, Chippa
United vs Cape Town City, Pretoria Callies vs JDR Stars,
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Polokwane City, TS Sporting vs Richards
Bay, Cape Town All Stars vs Cape Town Spurs, Maritzburg
United vs Orlando Pirates, Black Leopards vs AmaZulu

Picture source: @NedbankCup

Lewandowski brace sinks Pitso’s dream
Menzi Magubane

Two Robert Lewandowski strikes earned Bayern Munich a spot
in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup. The German champions
will now face Mexican champions Tigers UANL in the final on
Thursday at Education City Stadium in Doha, in Qatar.

On Monday night the German defeated Egyptian champions AL
Ahly 2-0 at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium to set a date with the
Mexicans. Lewandowski, who is the reigning World Player of
the year in 2020, scored in both halfs to guide the European
Champions to yet another big final.

The striker became the first-ever Polish player to play and score
in the Club World Cup.

Even though the Germans were favorites to win against Ahly
the Africans gave a good account of themselves. They took the
game to Bayern and Ahly players will hold their heads up high
and say at least they were not humiliated like Barcelona who
lost 8-2 to the same team.

All eyes were on coach Pitso Mosimane who led the Egyptian
giants to yet another Club World Cup appearance. This is the
Red Devils’ sixth appearance in the competition and they were
determined to improve on their best ever result.

In 2006 they ended in third place and they might equal that
statistics if they can beat the Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in the
third and fourth place on Thursday. Before this match
Mosimane, who led Mamelodi Sundowns to the very same
competition in 2016, said he expects his players to enjoy
themselves.

His players did exactly that and a 2-0 defeat should give
Mosimane encouragement when his team resume their
Egyptian title defense. The match against the Brazilians will be
at Education City Stadium at 5pm and will serve as the curtain
raiser for the final that will begin at 8pm.

Picture source: @africasoccerzone