Head of Ezintsha at Wits University, Professor Francois Venter, says testing for Covid-19 is waste of time, money, and hospital resources.

What is more profitable than cocaine, heroin, marijuana or guns? Illegally trafficked cigarettes. For decades reputable tobacco companies have been complicit in cigarette smuggling. In a gripping Daily Maverick webinar, former SARS lawyer Telita Snyckers and Scorpio journalist Pauli van Wyk discussed the spies, lies and mega-profits of dirty tobacco.

Dr Harry Moultrie of SACMC’s article regarding its Epi Model for Covid was well received, suggesting a near-term release of their model’s assumptions and code, as we and others have been requesting for some time.

New payroll data shows almost 21% fewer salary payments were made in South Africa in June, compared to the same month last year.

The Johannesburg suburb of Linden always offered residents and patrons a friendly welcome with its cozy restaurants, pavement cafes and boutiques.

In an interview on Wednesday, the deputy minister of tourism, Fish Mahlalela, said that foreign tourists may be allowed to travel to South Africa by the start of next year.

The extent of the criminal looting of funds meant for various COVID-19 relief programmes has been revealed by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Signed up by Cyril Ramaphosa to probe various accusations of corruption during the pandemic, their first lines of inquiry expose how deep the rot has set in.

A new wave of carbon-offsetting platforms invites consumers to remove emissions instantly and permanently. Could travellers be the key to their success?

South Africa’s epidemiological models have proven to be wildly inaccurate. A new commentary by international modellers explains why Covid-19 models are a poor basis for decision-making, while South Africa’s own modellers try, but fail, to explain themselves.

‘Government keeps saying scientists are the ones making these decisions and that is part of our frustration’ – Prof Francois Venter

Scientists have been wondering why SA’s case fatality rates for Covid-19 are lower than those of its global counterparts, but now a major question is being asked: are our mortality statistics even accurate?

Covid-19 has brought ever-increasing evidence that the leadership South Africa needs to extricate us from the current massive crisis is not present – and not available. The deadly combination of corruption and incompetence is anything but diminished in the post-Zuma years, and no political force, whether inside or outside the ANC, looks capable of stopping it. This increases the pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa to change course, and drop his reliance on consensus.

This totally indefensible government seems determined to destroy livelihoods with absurd regulations that makes absolutely no sense.

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Best Life logoHalf of CDC Coronavirus Test Kits Are Inaccurate, Study Finds

Coronavirus testing has been a hot-button issue since the beginning of the pandemic. First, there weren’t enough coronavirus tests to go around. Now, a new issue has emerged—just how accurate the tests people are getting actually are.

Wine farmers say the current ban on liquor sales is placing thousands of jobs in jeopardy, while there was no real prospect of alcohol abuse by patrons of wine farms, restaurants and hotels overburdening the health system.

It looks like this particular deal wasn’t ‘masked’ very well. President Ramaphosa and his spokesperson are yet to respond to these corruption allegations.

Breaking the institutions was the first step. The second step was to hijack the concepts of legality to pull the wool over citizens’ eyes.

The SIU is waiting on President Ramaphosa to sign a national proclamation which will allow investigators to consolidate all allegations of corruption.

South Africa’s liquor industry lost R20 billion in sales in the first nine weeks of the national lockdown, according to data analytics company Nielsen.