A devastating fire broke out at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg on Friday
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), Previously known as Johannesburg General Hospital has been closed down for a week following a devastating fire that had 60 firefighters battling to bring it under control.
The fire started Friday morning and had been doused by the afternoon but then it reignited in the evening and continued burning overnight.
A fire has left parts of Charlotte Maxeke hospital in Johannesburg damaged. Scores of patients had to be moved to other facilities. eNCA’s Manqoba Mchunu has more details. #DStv403 #eNCA 17 April 2021 Copyright eNCA
The fire has caused extensive damage to the hospital, which has more than 1,000 beds and serves Johannesburg, a city of 6 million people, and the surrounding Gauteng province. It is one of the biggest public hospitals in the country.
Premier of Gauteng, David Makhuru announced that the hospital in Johannesburg will be temporarily shut down for seven days to assess the situation. Services at the hospital have been suspended and no patients will be allowed into the hospital.
Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg has been shut down for seven days. This after a fire broke out on 16 April 2021 that kept emergency services on their toes for almost 24 hours. Gauteng Premier David Makhura made the announcement while on an insight inspection on 17 April 2021. #FireAtCharlotteMaxeke #CharlotteMaxekeHospital #DavidMakhura #Gauteng Copyright Eyewitness News
The Gauteng Dept of Health said in an official statement that “Firefighters are currently working to bring under control the fire that broke out late Friday morning around 11h20. Details on the cause of the fire are still unknown, the relevant authorities will immediately commence with investigations once the fire has been extinguished.”
There are calls tonight for a thorough investigation into the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital fire. The fire destroyed personal protective equipment, and hundreds of patients have been evacuated due to concerns about safety at the facility. The hospital is also home to the National Health Laboratory Services lab which handles tests for HIV, cancer and COVID-19 #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403
The primary focus at this stage is to save lives and ensure a total evacuation of all the remaining 270 patients to other facilities. The evacuation of patients is a safety precaution due to concern about smoke contamination.
As of Saturday, 17 April at 07,15 AM over 415 patients were evacuated from the CMJAH to various facilities across the province.
“CMJAH has been diverting incoming patients to other facilities since Friday at noon and is not taking any new patients,” said Kwara Kekana, Spokesperson: Gauteng MEC for Health, “We are appealing to walk-in patients to seek medical services at other facilities closest to them.”
13 of the patients who were transferred were positive for Covid-19 with two patients in the ICU.
Ambulances evacuating patients
The Bulletin spoke to Shayne van den Heever from Langamed Services South regarding the impact that this closure would have on patients in Mpumalanga.
“With the restricted amount of specialist care in the Mpumalanga province, many patients who are taken to smaller hospitals e.g. Evander, Bethal etc. need to be referred to a larger facility for specialist care,” said Shayne.
“These hospitals in Mpumalanga are Witbank General, Rob Ferrera and Ermelo General however if these hospitals are full or the specialists need further assistance, then the patients get transferred to Gauteng, usually Charlet Macheke, Steve Biko or Baragwanath hospitals.”
“With Charlet Macheke now closed, Gauteng will have a general shortage of beds, which in turn will prevent beds being opened for patients from other provinces, Gauteng Dept of Health is mandated to the Gauteng population first and only thereafter to the other provinces,” continued Shayne, “This means that patients that need care that is not available in Mpumalanga will possibly now need to wait even longer before being admitted into one of these specialist hospitals.”
Scenes from the fire.Fire engines and response vehicles at the scene
Wat wil Jesus vir ons sê met verskynings wat Hy gemaak het na die opstanding… ons kyk na Paulus se belewenis van Jesus en Jesus se uitsprake oor verhouding.
MPUMALANGA – A 40-year-old Mkhuhlu Court Interpreter has been arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team on Friday in Mpumalanga for alleged Corruption.
It is alleged that between January and March 2021 the suspect approached an accused who was released on bail for two domestic violence-related cases where he had allegedly violated a protection order. The official then demanded money claiming that he will ensure that the cases were withdrawn. The victim paid the money as demanded but the case was not withdrawn.
It is further alleged that the interpreter continued soliciting money from the victim on different occasions stating that he needed to pay for the Prosecutor’s personal needs in order for the case docket to be destroyed permanently. The victim kept on acceding to the demands but to his surprise, the case kept being postponed.
The victim alerted the Hawks of his predicament and the resultant Investigation lead to the interpreter’s arrest after a warrant was granted.
On Friday morning before the official was arrested a second victim came to court to report that the same official demanded money from her in order to have her case withdrawn which never happened despite the payment.
The Mpumalanga Hawks is appealing to all victims who paid the money to the suspect in similar circumstances to come forward. They are urged to contact the investigating officer in this case: Captain Luzile Ndlovu on 071 481 2819
Naturally, with everything that is going on in the news with Harry and Meghan Markle we had to jump in on the band wagon and look at some of the most extravagant royal engagement rings throughout history. Starting with the most loved, Diana.
Princess Diana had the opportunity to choose between a few engagement rings from a selection presented to her by Garrard Jewelers when Prince Charles proposed. And of course a lady with her grace and style chose an 18-carat oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
Meghan Markle received a stunning two diamonds engagement ring from Prince Harry. The engagement ring is designed by Cleave and Company, which Prince Harry designed himself.
Prince Edward surprised Sarah Ferguson with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind ruby engagement ring from Garrard Jewelers. A small tale about this royal engagement ring is that he chose the colour because it matched her hair. So sweet!
Did you have to do a double take? Yes, Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring looks awfully familiar to Sarah Fergusson’s, because it was designed to resemble her mother’s royal engagement ring. Princess Eugenie announced her engagement to longtime love Jack Brooksbank in January 2018 and showed off her lovely pink sapphire royal engagement ring in their official engagement portrait. Princess Eugenie’s pink sapphire stone is also surrounded by diamonds and it is the same cut and colour as the ring her mother received from her father Prince Andrew.
The loveliest of emerald-cut engagement rings. Princess Grace Kelly received two engagement rings from Prince Ranier III of Monaco. The first royal engagement ring that she received was a Cartier eternity band of rubies and diamonds and the second was a 10.5-carat emerald-cut Cartier diamond ring flanked by two baguettes (which is pictured above).
This Post was first published on https://ralphjacobs.co.za/royal-engagement-rings-throughout-history/
Govan Mbeki Municipality started with the Integrated Development Program (IDP) consultation process.
The Integrated Development Program (IDP) consultation process is a very important process.
Members of the public should ensure that they attend these meetings and voice their opinions on this important part of the municipal planning process.
Portions of the draft budget will also be discussed at these meetings.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality Facebook page wrote the following:
Govan Mbeki Municipality started its 2021/22 Budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) public consultation meetings. The political leadership and municipal officials are visiting various wards around the municipal area to discuss the proposed budget. Communities are allowed to give input before the final budget is tabled at a Full Council meeting at the end of May.
Full planned schedule for the consultation process
Integrated Development Planning is an approach to planning that involves the entire municipality and its citizens in finding the best solutions to achieve good long-term development.
An Integrated Development Plan is a super plan for an area that gives an overall framework for development. It aims to co-ordinate the work of local and other spheres of government in a coherent plan to improve the quality of life for all the people living in an area. It should take into account the existing conditions and problems and resources available for development. The plan should look at economic and social development for the area as a whole. It must set a framework for how land should be used, what infrastructure and services are needed and how the environment should be protected
All municipalities have to produce an Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The municipality is responsible for the co-ordination of the IDP and must draw in other stakeholders in the area who can impact on and/or benefit from development in the area.
Once the IDP is drawn up all municipal planning and projects should happen in terms of the IDP. The annual council budget should be based on the IDP. Other government departments working in the area should take the IDP into account when making their own plans.
It should take 6 to 9 months to develop an IDP. During this period service delivery and development continues.
The IDP is reviewed every year and necessary changes can be made.
The IDP has a lifespan of 5 years that is linked directly to the term of office for local councillors. After every local government elections, the new council has to decide on the future of the IDP. The council can adopt the existing IDP or develop a new IDP that takes into consideration existing plans.
The executive committee or executive mayors of the municipality have to manage the IDP. They may assign this responsibility to the municipal manager.
In most municipalities, an IDP co-ordinator is appointed to oversee the process. The IDP co-ordinator reports directly to the municipal manager and the executive committee or the executive mayor.
The IDP has to be drawn up in consultation with forums and stakeholders. The final IDP document has to be approved by the council.
POLICE IN MPUMALANGA REPORT THAT NO ONE DIED DURING AN ANC BRANCH GENERAL MEETING
It would appear that the ANC branch general meetings have a tendency to break out in violence. This is normally the result of disputes regarding names of card-carrying members according to Newzroom Afrika’s Ziyanda Ngcobo. “There are also Bogus secretaries and leaders of this Mpumalanga province.”
ANC’s Deputy Secretary-General, Jessie Duarte and NEC member Nomvula Mokonyane was in Mpumalanga today to resolve a dispute related to branches. It would appear that there are two factions again within the branches and violence erupted during the Branch General Meeting in Malelane.
In a press statement released today the Police management in the province stated categorically that no one died during the ANC Branch General Meeting (BGM), which took place on Sunday, 11 April 2021, at a Community Hall in Jeppe’s Reef, near Malelane. Five people, however, did sustain serious injuries and were rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
Information at police disposal indicates that a scuffle broke out amongst the people at the said hall and police were then notified about it. Upon arrival at the scene, they (police) were informed that the matter will be dealt with by the meeting attendees themselves however, the four police members who were dispatched to diffuse the tension, remained on site to monitor the situation from outside though. It is said that moments later, another fight broke out which prompted the police members to immediately summon for backup.
Of the five who sustained injuries, two were later discharged meanwhile three are still at the hospital fighting for their lives. A case of malicious damage to property is also being investigated after a car was reportedly torched during the incident.
No arrests have been made as yet however the investigation is underway.
There were also allegations that police were notified through a letter about the meeting, however police do not have any record or knowledge of such a letter. Usually, when a correspondence is made or submitted to police, a return of service normally has to be done where the recipient signs for it and indicates the date in which such correspondence was received.
Police management in the province urge organisers of such meetings, where it is anticipated that the situation might be volatile, to inform the police on time, so that necessary deployment of relevant enforcement can be facilitated.
Emerald cut diamonds or Moissanites have a square face and stepped facets. It is these crisp edges and the bold rectangular shape that makes this a stunning choice for an engagement ring.
Sadly, some of these characteristics the stone has tends to make the stone a little bit less brilliant, however it does allow the stone to show off great depth and drama as the light and dark parts of the facets play off each other. If you are an undecisive bride-to-be, the benefit of the emerald cut engagement rings is that it works well with any type of metal, including gold, platinum, or silver.
It all started with the Sumerians – some of the earliest records of people wearing emerald rings on their left ring fingers were from them. They believed that emeralds had an anti-inflammatory effect, especially on the eyes. Over time and all over the world, emerald engagement rings have been popular.
What are Emerald Cut Engagement Rings?
The emerald cut basically refers to a rectangle-style stone. A unique aspect to this stone is that it is long and flat. This style gemstone usually has layered corners and long facets. A fun fact is that these gemstones are called the hall of mirrors, because of the way that they are cut, they often create illusions of light. This remains a very unique gemstone to have as an engagement ring, and even though they have grown in popularity it’s not every day you see someone wearing an emerald cut, which makes it an even more enchanting choice.
Different Emerald Cut Styles
If you have decided that emerald cut is the way for you and there’s no other way, then it is time for you to start picking a style. Emerald styles can include many options such as vintage, classic, and unique.
Emerald solitaire engagement rings are definitely at the top of the list of most popular emerald rings. Because of its simplicity, with classic single emeralds on white gold or platinum band allows for the classic beauty of the emerald to shine through all the other elements. If you are a sparkling loving girl, then adding accent diamonds to an emerald solitaire ring will surely add some extra sparkle to that classic appearance.
This Post was first published on https://ralphjacobs.co.za/everything-emerald-cut-engagement-rings/
Nkanyiso Mashiteng from Hoërskool Secunda was crowned SA Champion.
Nkanyiso Mashiteng won the 400m for boys under 16 at the South African Championships in Paarl.
His couch, Mike van der Walt, said “I am very proud of Nkanyiso,”
Mike van der Walt and Nkanyiso Mashiteng
The winning time was 50.63 seconds for the 400m. Nkanyiso ran the outside lane and never really knew where his opponents were and could only see them as they entered the final straight but by then he was ahead and kept on pushing.
Piet Marais or “Oom Piet” as we all knew him passed away on Wednesday 7 April.
Oom Piet struggled with stomach problems and eventually he lost the fight against stomach cancer.
The Bulletin had several encounters with Piet Marais. The first time was when he had trouble with his wheelchair.
We brought the story to you of how Gert Pienaar of We Move You, surprised Piet with a new wheelchair. “Look at how I am shaking now,” is all that Piet could say
Later we covered it when he received his new prosthetic leg. He was so scared.
Hannelie de Jager, part of the Bulletin family, introduced us to oom Piet. He was well known in Evander.
She wrote this about him: ”Oom Piet claimed once that he owns a great deal of participation in The Bulletin Newspaper. I laughed and asked why he would claim such a statement? He abruptly responded by saying “Cause you’re my family”… That was it. He owned us. And we have gladly adhered to this adoption. And that is exactly how everyone at the Bulletin respected and love oom Piet.
Whenever he would call (on the most inconvenient times sometimes) we would respond to the urgency of the hunker for Coke and Marshmallows or just a chat on how we are and when is our next visit. When it was the still printed edition, oom Piet would take it upon himself to personally distribute copies. He did it with great pride.
Oom Piet the Bulletin salutes you for your ever grateful humble attitude towards life. You knew life in a different way. You taught me to live in A moment… We gonna miss our visits under the tree… But when we pass there, we will still hear you whistling and we will know that all is still well. You’re safe at home.”
For those that met oom Piet, He left a lasting impression on all. He struggled with the wheelchair but never complained. We saw him once filling bags of stone for building while sitting flat on the ground.
He could teach us all something about being humble.
Oom Piet, where you are now there are no prosthetic legs or wheelchairs. We will meet again.
Here are two articles that we placed regarding Oom Piet:
The first one was placed in Afrikaans.
Oom Piet oorstelp van vreugde
“Kyk hoe bewe ek nou” is al wat Pieter Marais uitkry terwyl hy sy hande uithou. Gert Pienaar, eienaar van We Move You, was besig om ‘n splinternuwe rolstoel uit sy afleweringsvoertuig te gaan haal.
Ná die rolstoel deeglik ondersoek is en met ‘n kennersoog bekyk is, het Pieter (Oom Piet) sy sit in die rolstoel geneem. “Ek kry sommer hoendervleis, kyk net hier” sê hy terwyl hy na sy been wys. Kort-kort praat hy van sy hoendervleis en lag dan lekker. Gert sit op sy knieë by Oom Piet terwyl hulle bespreek wat kan verander word of aangepas word om by Oom Piet te pas.
Skielik sit Oom Piet regop en vra vir Gert “kan ek jou ‘n druk gee?” Hy was oorstelp met vreugde. ‘n Oomblik volg waar alle gebrekke, bekommernisse of ontberings vergete is. Oom Piet borrel en Gert Glimlag tevrede van oor tot oor. Mense gee nog om vir mekaar!
Die Bulletin het betrokke geraak toe hulle ‘n storie gehoor het van ‘n man in ‘n rolstoel wat raakgery was. ‘n Besoek aan Oom Piet het aan die lig gebring dat net die rolstoel beskadig was.
Oom Piet vertel dat hy soos gewoonlik sy stoel agter toe stuur terwyl hy die verkeer dan kan sien aankom. Hy het net een been en sy een arm maak nie reguit nie. Dit maak dit dan makliker om sy stoel te kan beweeg. Terwyl hy dan so beweeg het, het ‘n voertuig te na aan hom beweeg. Hy het so groot geskrik dat hy, volgens hom, “ ‘n Olimpiese sprong uitgevoer het” om weg te kom. Dit is toe dat die stoel beskadig is.
Die Bulletin het toe die eienaar van die voertuig, Gert Pienaar, geskakel en dit was baie duidelik dat hy nie van die voorval bewus was nie. Een van Gert se werkers het die voertuig bestuur. Gert het dadelik voorgestel om die stoel te vervang. Ná ‘n paar logistieke reëlings getref is, het Die Bulletin Gert ontmoet en na Oom Piet geneem.
Graag wil Die Bulletin vir Gert bedank vir die stoel wat hy aangekoop en aan Oom Piet geskenk het. Hy het ook een van sy werknemers gestuur om die ou stoel te herstel sodat dit gebruik kan word indien nodig.
Pieter Marais, A true inspiration
Pieter Marais or rather “Oom Piet” as he is fondly known by all has been without a leg for a number of years. Evander residents will know Oom Piet as the friendly guy in the wheelchair that is often moving about in the streets.
Oom Piet moves backwards in his chair as his left arm cant really propel the wheelchair as it should. Oom Piet had an accident when he was working for a security firm and he fell into a big hole. He received very little help if none at all from the security firm that employed him at that stage. They stopped paying his salary and one day just casually informed him that he wasn’t working for them and hadn’t been working for them for a very long time.
The Bulletin has vowed to pursue the matter. He also did not receive any workman’s compensation for the loss of his leg.
The impact that this has made on his life was tremendous but still Oom Piet chose to make the best of it. He stayed in a small home build dwelling near Evander club for a while until the premises were sold. He built that dwelling with his own hands. Oom Piet had to supplement his income by selling sand and stone and anything else that he could lay his hands on. He would sit flat on the ground while filling the heavy bags for customers.
The one thing that Oom Piet always wanted is to walk again. This yearning is now a reality. Oom Piet received a leg!
The Bulletin received a call in January from a Doctor that said she lost Oom Piet’s number but kept the Bulletin’s article (Dated 22 September 2017, Oom Piet oorstelp van vreugde) on file and thought that the Bulletin might still have contact with Oom Piet. The Workmens Compensation Commissioner approved a leg for him. Wheels were set in motion and Oom Piet was told to dress up, the Bulletin wanted to surprise him with a nice lunch at one of the local restaurants.
His surprise turned to tears of joy as they entered the Medforum building and he saw Hannelie de Jager and Elmarie van Huyssteen waiting for him.
In his true fashion he made a lot of noise as he entered Pieter Botha’s practice. He was shaking like a leave in anticipation. “Look at my hands” said Oom Piet, “I can’t hold them still.”
The first two meetings were used to measure the part of the leg that was left and to make a mould of the stump.
Then came the big day, Oom Piet had to fit the leg and walk his first steps in a number of years. On the way there he asked, “Can’t we rather leave it?” Oom Piet was scared! It was D-day. Once the leg was fitted the big moment came. “Stand on your own,” said Pieter, “leave your crutches’” Oom Piet responded with “I’m scared!”
The effort to walk was strenuous and scary. Oom Piet persevered and gave the first steps. Everybody was crying. It took Oom Piet a long time to build up courage enough to leave the crutches but he finally did it for a few steps.
Oom Piet was sent home with the leg to practice and will receive the final leg in a few weeks’ time. The road ahead is still full of obstacles as Oom Piet would need therapy for the leg and enough practice.
One thing is for certain. Oom Piet will continue to be seen in Evander. He will continue to prove to people that a disability does not necessarily mean the end of the road and as he says it “YOU must make the best of it!”
