Last Saturday night August 15th, our President announced the following, with regards to taverns, bars, and alcohol sales:
– Alcohol may be sold for consumption in licensed premises. – All gatherings are limited to a maximum of 50 people. – A curfew remains in place from 10 pm to 4 am.
Why list these specific points?
Because they all relate to Zebra Lounge and our reopening!
Yes, you heard right, we are back and better than ever.
Before lockdown, we had a few events planned and was ready for entertaining you guys non-stop, which we, unfortunately, had to cancel.
Those events included a wine tasting, quiz nights and three live shows. For those of you who have visited Zebra Lounge, you will know our lounge is quaint and small – our venue does not take more than 80 people.
Elmarie van Huyssteen and Althea Rossouw enjoying some mum and daughter time with a signature Zebra Lounge cocktail
We can easily host intimate, small shows and you can finally come out for a fun, safe night knowing there are not too many people surrounding you.
With that being said, our plan is to ease into this new normal of ours and start slow and small. We are planning to restart our events very soon, possibly with a live show to hit off the new normal and the new Zebra’s.
Naturally, once our events start happening again they will be finished by 9:30 pm in order to adhere to the curfew and get you all home in time.
In the meantime, Zebra Lounge is open to the public from 10 am for all you coffeeholic and work addicts to come and take advantage of our premises; we’ve got fantastic coffee, cappuccinos, café latte’s and teas.
Do not forget Zebra Lounge is a quiet place to work with FREE WIFI!
A satisfied customer enjoying the free WI-FI at Zebra Lounge whilst enjoying a cold one
If coffee is not your thing, come and finally get drinks served to you and not by you at your house. We have got lovely cocktail specials and affordable cold beer!
Bring the girls for a girl’s night accompanied by beautiful blues music in the background or get the lads together for a cold one, whilst listening to some good indie-rock.
We have got what you want…tasty drinks, chill lounge vibes and good music!
The Acting Municipal Manager of Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM), Mr Ephraim Thabethe convened the sitting of the Council of GSDM on the 14th of August 2020 and presided over the election of the new Speaker of Council, Cllr Busisiwe Sekhonde.
The election of Cllr Sekhonde follows a vacancy created by the passing of late Cllr Mangaliso Joshua Nkosi in July 2020.
In her acceptance speech as the new elected Speaker of Council, Cllr Sekhonde appreciated the confidence and responsibility bestowed upon her to provide political and administrative leadership to Council.
“These are the big shoes left by the late Cllr Joshua Nkosi but I trust that we will continue working together and that we will remain as united as we have been,” said Cllr Sekhonde.
MMC for Special Projects, Youth and Rural Development Councillor Busi Sikhonde
Council congratulated the Speaker in her new role.
Prior to the new role, Cllr Sekhonde served as a Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for Community and Social Services.
The election of the new Speaker was conducted virtually. It was conducted in line with Section 36, 37 and 39 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 1998 (Act 117 of 1998).
Sasol delivered a satisfactory set of business results for the first half of the year, driven by oil prices averaging US $62,62/bbl. and a solid production performance. During the second half of the year our earnings was severely impacted by the sudden collapse in oil prices and the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The combined effects of unprecedented low oil prices, destruction of demand for products and impairments of R 111,6 billion resulted in a loss of R 91,3 billion for the year compared to earnings of R 6,1 billion in the prior year.
Within a volatile and uncertain macroeconomic environment, our foundation businesses still delivered resilient results with a strong volume, cash fixed cost and working capital performance.
The 18% decrease in the rand per barrel price of Brent crude oil coupled with much softer global chemical and refining margins negatively impacted our realised gross margins especially during the second half of the year.
The LCCP delivered an improved earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) performance in the second half of the year of approximately R 100 million (US $8 million), despite a very challenging macroeconomic environment.
This compares to a loss before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (LBITDA) of R 1,1 billion
(US $70 million) recorded in the first half of the year.
Earnings were further impacted by R 3,9 billion in additional depreciation charges and approximately R 6,0 billion in finance charges for the year as the LCCP units reached beneficial operation.
Our Energy business’s gross margin percentage decreased from 43% in the prior year to 38% due to the significant impacts of supply and demand shocks that led to lower crude oil prices and product differentials.
We expect that oil prices will remain low for the next 12 to 18 months as the impact of COVID-19 becomes better understood. Oil markets also continued to remain exposed to shifts in geopolitical risks as well as supply and demand movements.
Despite experiencing softer commodity chemical prices across most of our sales regions due
to weaker global demand and increased global capacity, our Base Chemicals and performance Chemicals businesses, including LCCP, reported increased sales volumes of 19% and 8% respectively and maintained robust results on certain products, ensuring a level of resilience in our cash flows.
Total cash fixed costs for the first half of the year were trending above 10% compared to the prior period, however, in the second half, we significantly improved our total cash fixed cost performance resulting in the full year cost remaining flat when compared to the prior year.
This was largely attributable to the implementation of our comprehensive response plan focusing on cash fixed cost reduction and enhanced cash flow.
As a result, our key metrics were impacted as follows:
Working capital managed to optimal levels achieving an additional benefit of R 9,2 billion relative to our internal plans. This resulted in a historical low working capital ratio of 12,5% compared to 14,8% for the prior year. Investment in working capital decreased by R 5,8 billion during the year.
Capital expenditure optimised by approximately R 6,0 billion by deferring certain expenditure without compromising on safety and the reliability of our operations.
Loss before interest and tax (LBIT) of R 111,0 billion compared to earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of R 9,7 billion in the prior year.
Adjusted EBITDA (1) declined by 27% from R 4 7,6 billion in the prior year to R 35,0 billion.
Basic earnings per share (EPS) decreased to a R 147,45 loss per share compared to earnings per share of R 6,97 in the prior year.
Headline earnings per share (HEPS) decreased by more than 100% to a R 11,79 loss per share compared to the prior year and
Core headline earnings per share (2) (CHEPS) decreased by 61% to R 14,79 compared to the prior year.
Key metrics
2020
2019
Change %
(LBIT)/EBIT (R million)
(111 030)
9 697
(more than 100)
Adjusted EBITDA 1 (R million)
34 976
47 637
(27)
Headline (loss)/earnings (R million)
(7 285)
18 941
(more than 100)
Basic (loss)/earnings per share (Rand)
(147,45)
6,97
(more than 100)
Headline (loss)/earnings per share (Rand)
(11,79)
30,72
(more than 100)
Core headline earnings per share (2) (Rand)
14,79
37,65
(61)
Dividend per share (Rand)
– Interim (Rand)
0,0
5,90
(100)
– Final (Rand)
0,0
0,0
0
Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adjusting EBIT for depreciation and amortisation, share-based payments, remeasurement items, movement in environmental provisions due to discount rate changes, unrealised net losses/(gains) on all derivatives and edging activities and unrealised translation losses arising on the translation of monetary assets and liabilities into functional currency. We believe Adjusted EBITDA and Core HEPS as noted below, are useful measures of the Group’s underlying cash flow performance. However, this is not a defined term under IFRS and may not be comparable with similarly titled measures reported by other companies. (Adjusted EBITDA constitutes pro forma financial information in terms of the JSE Limited Listings Requirements and should be read in conjunction with the basis of preparation and pro forma financial information as set out in the full set of audited summarised financial statements.)
Core HEPS is calculated by adjusting headline earnings per share with certain once-off items (provision for tax litigation matters and LCCP cash fixed cost with limited corresponding gross margin), year-end close adjustments and depreciation and amortisation of capital projects (exceeding R 4 billion) which have reached beneficial operation and are still ramping up and share-based payments on implementation of B-BBEE transactions. Year-end close adjustments include unrealised net losses/(gains) on all derivatives and hedging activities and unrealised translation losses arising on the translation of monetary assets and liabilities into functional currency in order to remove volatility from earnings from year to year. (Core HEPS constitutes pro forma financial information in terms of the JSE Limited Listings Requirements and should be read in conjunction with the basis of preparation and pro forma financial information as set out in the full set of audited summarised financial statements.)
Net asset value
2020
2019
Change %
Total assets (R million
479 162
469 968
2
Total liabilities (R million)
319 914
244 173
31
Total equity (R million)
159 248
225 795
(29)
Turnover (R million)
(LBIT)/EBIT (R million)
2019
2020
2020
2019
20 876
19 891
Mining
2 756
4 701
5 184
5 204
Exploration and Production
1 197
(889)
International
83 803
67 901
Energy
(6 678)
16 566
48 813
52 683
Base Chemicals
(70 804)
(1 431)
68 296
69 197
Performance Chemicals
(24 455)
(7 040)
78
30
Group Functions
(13 046)
(2 210)
227 050
214 906
Group performance
(111 030)
9 697
(23 474)
(24 539)
Intersegmental turnover
203 576
190 367
External turnover
Balance sheet management
Cash generated by operating activities decreased by 18% to R 42,4 billion compared to the prior year. This was largely due to the softer macroeconomic environment during the first six months of the year which was further impacted by the severe economic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic and lower oil prices during the second half of the year, coupled with the LCCP still being in a ramp-up phase.
The decrease was partially negated by another strong working capital and cost performance from the foundation business. Investment in working capital decreased by R 5,8 billion during the year due to focused management actions, resulting in a working capital ratio of 12,5%.
To create flexibility in Sasol’s balance sheet during our peak gearing period, we have successfully engaged with our lenders to waive our covenants as at 30 June 2020 and to lift our covenants from 3,0 times to 4,0 times of Net debt: EBITDA (bank definition) as at 31 December 2020.
This provides additional flexibility, which is subject to conditions, consistent with our capital allocation framework, prioritising debt reduction through commitments to suspend dividend payments and acquisitions while our leverage is above 3,0 times Net debt: EBITDA.
We will also reduce the size of our facilities as debt levels reduce. Our Net debt: EBITDA ratio on 30 June 2020, based on the revolving credit facility and US dollar term loan covenant definition, was 4,3 times. The weaker Rand/US$ dollar exchange rate on 30 June 2020 impacted Net debt: EBITDA by 0,6 times.
During the year we secured incremental US dollar liquidity through a US $1 billion syndicated loan facility for up to 18 months and bilateral facilities (with a combined quantum of US $250 million) with a tenure of two years.
These facilities enhance our US dollar liquidity position during the peak gearing phase as the LCCP ramps up. In the South African market, we have both bank loan facilities and an R 8,0 billion Domestic Medium-Term Note Programme (DMTN) which was established in 2017.
In August 2019, we issued our inaugural paper to the value of R 2,2 billion in the local debt market under this DMTN programme.
As of 30 June 2020, our total debt was R 189,7 billion compared to R 130,9 billion as of 30 June 2019, with approximately R 174,6 billion (US $10,1 billion) denominated in US dollar.
Our balance sheet is highly geared, requiring a reduction in US dollar denominated debt in order to achieve a targeted Net debt: EBITDA of less than 2,0 times and gearing of 30%, which we believe would be sustainable with oil at approximately US$45 per barrel (in real terms).
Through our comprehensive response plan, we have taken immediate steps to reset our capital structure by targeting to generate at least US $6 billion by the end of 2021.
Our gearing increased from 56,3% on 30 June 2019 to 114,5% mainly due to remeasurement items (39%) recognised, a weaker closing Rand/US dollar exchange rate (6%) and the adoption of the IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ accounting standard (4%).
Deleveraging the balance sheet is one of our highest priorities to ensure business sustainability to position us for the future to deliver value to our stakeholders.
Consistent with our long-term commitment to return to an investment grade credit rating, we are engaging with ratings agencies regarding the progress on our comprehensive response plan.
As of 30 June 2020, our liquidity headroom was in excess of US $2,5 billion well above our outlook to maintain liquidity in excess of US $1 billion, with available Rand and US dollar based funds improving as we advance our focused management actions.
We continue to assess our mix of funding instruments to ensure that we have funding from a range of sources and a balanced maturity profile. We have no significant debt maturities before June 2021 when the US $1 billion syndicated loan becomes due.
In accordance with IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’, the recent conditions which underlie the covenant waiver requires an assessment of our debt maturity that resulted in a further US $1 billion being classified to short-term debt on 30 June 2020.
Our net cash on hand position increased from R 15,8 billion as of 30 June 2019 to R 34,1 billion mainly due to proceeds received from the US $1,0 billion syndicated loan as well as draw downs on the revolving credit facility negated by LCCP capital expenditure for the year.
Actual capital expenditure, including accruals, amounted to R 35 billion. This includes R 14 billion (US $0,9 billion) relating to the LCCP and is in line with our internal targets.
In line with our financial risk management framework, we continue to make good progress with hedging our currency and ethane exposure. For further details of our open hedge positions we refer you to our Analyst Book (www.sasol.com).
Shareholders of Sasol (Shareholders) are referred to various cautionary announcements regarding the expanded and accelerated asset disposal programme and the rights issue, the last announcement released on the Stock Exchange News Service on 28 July 2020.
Accordingly, Shareholders are advised to continue exercising caution when dealing in the Company’s securities until full terms announcements on the disposal of the air separation
units, the US Base Chemicals partnering process and the rights issue are published.
Dividend
Dividend payments are an important part in our capital allocation framework. However, given our current financial leverage and the risk of a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, the Board believes that it would be prudent to continue with the suspension of dividends.
This will allow us to continue to protect our liquidity in the short-term and focus on reducing leverage in order to create a firm platform to execute our strategy and drive long-term shareholder returns.
In addition, in accordance with the covenant amendment agreement with lenders, we will not be in a position to declare a dividend for as long as Net debt: EBITDA is above 3,0 times. We expect the balance sheet to regain flexibility following the implementation of our comprehensive response plan.
Update on the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP)
Ongoing focus as we ramp up all units to beneficial operation
At the LCCP, we maintain our focus on safely improving productivity and bringing all the units to beneficial operation. The LCCP continued with its exceptional safety record with a recordable case rate (RCR) of 0,11.
After the ethoxylates (ETO) expansion achieved beneficial operation in January 2020, the alcohol expansion and the alumina expansion, as well as the new Guerbet unit, achieved beneficial operation in June 2020. As a result, 100% of the LCCP’s Specialty Chemicals units are online and 86% of total nameplate capacity of the LCCP is operational.
The last remaining unit to come online will be the low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit, which was damaged during a fire in January 2020.
The unit is expected to achieve beneficial operation before the end of October 2020. Some challenges in restoring the unit have resulted in a slight delay to the previous market guidance of the end of September 2020.
During the time of the delay in the LDPE unit start-up, the ethylene produced by the cracker and destined for the unit is being sold to third parties.
As a result, projected earnings for the LCCP complex in this financial year will be impacted only by the loss in the margin of ethylene to LDPE.
In addition, the insurance claims process is underway and the first insurance proceeds have been received.
The overall LCCP cost estimate is tracking US$12,8 billion as per our previous guidance. The new ethane cracker produced at an average rate of above 80% of nameplate capacity during the fourth quarter of the year.
COVID-19 had a limited impact on the LCCP construction and commissioning activities during the fourth quarter of the yearand mitigation plans are in place to minimise potential impacts going forward.
The close-out and demobilisation of the LCCP is progressing according to plan with the remainder of the work limited to the removal of scaffolding. Site demobilisation of construction equipment, infrastructure and services will be completed after the last unit achieves beneficial operation.
The people on site have reduced to less than 400 and follows the demobilisation plan. This includes the LDPE restoration resources.
Verskeie leersders het deelgeneem aan die Con Spirito Kunstefees.
Cabous Harmse dring deur na Con Spirito Nasionale Finaal
Cabous Harmse het aanlyn aan die Con Spirito se English Undramatised Poetry afdeling deelgeneem. Hy vewerf 98% (A+++) vir sy uitstekende vertolking en dring deur na die Con Spirito Forte Nasionaal.
Cabous Harmse dring deur na Con Spirito Nasionale Finaal
Chana Dunn presteer puik in Kultuuraktiwiteite
Chana Dunn, ‘n graad 10 -leerder van Hoërskool Secunda, het haar talente ten volle uitgeleef en in meer as een kultuurkompetisie presteer.
In die Con Spirito Kunstefees neem sy deel aan Redenaars Afrikaans Moedertaal en verwerf ‘n A++. Vir haar deelname aan die Engelse redenaars afdeling, verwerf syook ‘n A++ en dring deur na die nasionale Forte rondte.
In die Allegretto Interprovinsiale Eisteddfod behaal sy 95,3%vir haar Afrikaanse Redenaars deelname en dring deur na die “Showcase” rondte. Sy het ook aan die Voorbereide Engelse Lees afdeling deelgeneem en 95,9% behaal wat haar dan ook na die “Showcase” laat deurdring.
Ook in Radikale Redenaars dring sy in die volgende afdelings na die Nasionale finaal deur: Afrikaans Moedertaal, English Additional Language, Lees Afrikaans Poësie, English Reading Prose en Reading Poetry.
Chana Dunn presteer puik in Kultuuraktiwiteite
Lianè en Inneke Welgemoed presteer puik in Con Spirito Kunstefees
Lianè Welgemoed, ‘n matrikulant van Hoërskool Secunda, het tydens die aanlyn Con Spirito Kunstefees aan Vokaal Engels Ligte musiek (86% A+) en Vokaal Engels Popmusiek (88% A+) deelgeneem. Sy dring met die popmusiek afdeling deur na die Nasionale Fortè rondte.
Inneke Welgemoed, Gr. 8 -leerder van Hoërskool Secunda, het aan die Instrumentale afdeling Klavier deelgeneem. Sy behaal 83% in die afdeling Romantiese musiek, Klassieke musiek (85%).
Sy het ook aan die Vokale afdeling aan English Light Music deelgeneem (88%) en English Pop (87%).
Inneke Welgemoed
Lianè Welgemoed
Lianè en Inneke Welgemoed presteer puik in Con Spirito Kunstefees
6 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
2. Gee deur Zapper App – vind ons QR code in die diens aankondigings.
Kontak ons gerus op Kruik Gemeente se Facebook Messenger en Whatsapp lyn (0721336130) of besoek ons webtuiste by: https://www.kruik.co.za/.
Ons sal graag met jou gesels.
Geniet die diens saam met ons hier by Kruik!
Preek notas:
As ons terugkyk na die afgelope 3 weke is daar paar sleutelgoed wat ons uit Dawid se storie kan haal as hy sê; Die Here is my Herder.
1. Dawid is eintlik op donker plek as hy dit skryf, ons kan dink dit gaan goed met hom en daarom skryf hy dit, maar hy is op die teenoorgestelde plek in sy lewe. Miskien bring dit die bewustheid dat God juis met ons werk in donker en moeilike tye, en dat Hy lei wanneer ons Hom nie nodigste het.
2. Hy sê; die Here! Daar is nie iemand groter as die Here nie en Hy wil voor jou stap, sodat jy na die goeie plekke van jou lewe kan gaan. Die Here is nie in ‘n kompetisie met enige iemand nie insluitend die duiwel, die duiwel is ‘n skepsel, God is die Skepper! Die Here is my Herder!
3. Hy sê; Die Here is my Herder ek kom niks kort nie. Dawid maak dit persoonlik! Hy sê; My… en Ek. Al is ek alleen is God by my.
4. Ek kom niks kort nie. Die Here is genoeg! Die mens is heeltyd opsoek na nog, Dawid sê; Ek het niks meer nodig nie.
5. Net die Here kan my vrede en rus gee. Paulus sê; Vrede wat my verstand ten bowe gaan.
(Fil 4:6)Fil 4:6,7 Message – Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
6. Hy maak my siel lewendig, Hy vat na my wie ek werklik is. Net die Here kan my ware lewe gee. “By the waters of reflection my soul remembers who I am.”
7. Al kom enige iets naby my ek sal nie vrees nie, want U is met my. Daar is niks groter as die Here en Sy liefde vir my nie.
Wat sal ons dan van hierdie dinge sê? As God vír ons is, wie kan teen ons wees? Romeine 8:31
Hy wat selfs sy eie Seun nie gespaar het nie, maar Hom vir ons almal oorgegee het, hoe sal Hy nie saam met Hom ons ook alles genadiglik skenk nie? Romeine 8:32
Wie sal ons skei van die liefde van Christus — verdrukking of benoudheid of vervolging of honger of naaktheid of gevaar of swaard? Romeine 8:35
Maar in al hierdie dinge is ons meer as oorwinnaars deur Hom wat ons liefgehad het. Romeine 8:37
Want ek is versekerd dat geen dood of lewe of engele of owerhede of magte of teenwoordige of toekomende dinge of hoogte of diepte of enige ander skepsel ons sal kan skei van die liefde van God wat daar in Christus Jesus, onse Here, is nie. Romeine 8:38,39
En dan gaan Dawid vanoggend aan as hy sê: U dek die tafel voor my aangesig, my teenstaanders kyk toe.
Een van die grootste eienskappe van Jesus was om te dien, Dawid sien die Here vir hom die tafel dek. Hy sê in een vertaling – U behandel my soos ‘n eregas… maar Jesus verander dit, hy maak ons Sy kind… so… U dek die tafel vir my soos vir U kind. Kinders het baie meer voorregte en genot by ‘n tafel want dit is hulle familie en hulle tafel.
Weet die Here dek die tafel spesiaal vir jou!
Jesus se gebed in Johannes 17 is ‘n gebed om ons deel van hierdie verhouding en tafel te hê.
Johannes 17:3 – En dit is die ewige lewe, dat hulle U ken, die enige waaragtige God, en Jesus Christus wat U gestuur het.
Johannes 17;21-24 – Dat almal een mag wees net soos U, Vader, in My en Ek in U; dat hulle ook in Ons een mag wees, sodat die wêreld kan glo dat U My gestuur het. En Ek het hulle die heerlikheid gegee wat U My gegee het, sodat hulle een kan wees, net soos Ons een is.
Ek in hulle en U in My, sodat hulle volkome een kan wees; en dat die wêreld kan weet dat U My gestuur het, en hulle liefgehad het net soos U My liefgehad het. Vader, Ek wil dat waar Ek is, hulle wat U My gegee het, ook saam met My sal wees, sodat hulle my heerlikheid kan aanskou wat U My gegee het, omdat U My liefgehad het voor die grondlegging van die wêreld.
Vier groot struikelblokke in ons lewens…
1. Ons lewe met ‘n tekort. Ons altyd opsoek na nog.
2. Ons lewe met ‘n verwronge beeld van wie ons is.
3. Ons lewe word meestal beheer deur ons vrese.
en dan vanoggend…
4. Ons weet nie ons is uitverkorene kinders van God nie, ons lewe weg van hierdie mees intieme verhouding. Jy is sy kind en geen ding in hierdie wêreld kan hierdie liefde keer nie.
Besprekingsvrae
Is die Here jou herder? Loop Hy voor in jou lewe?
Wat moet jy doen om leisels aan Hom oor te gee?
Die Here is die enigste een wat weet wat jy nodig het en jou die nodigste rus en vrede gee, en beskerm teen selfs die dood… Wie vertrou jy om jou deur die donker te vat?
As President Ramaphosa announced the Level 2 restrictions tonight, one could feel the country shake as people jumped up in jubilation! The whole country is moving to Level 2 and with restrictions being lifted, life is slowly but surely coming back to “normal” or the new normal we have become accustomed to.
This is what is allowed under Level 2 lockdown:
The National State of Disaster has been extended to 15 September.
Restaurants may remain open with a curfew from 10 pm – 4 am.
Alcohol may be served in all licenced restaurants.
The number of guests remains limited to prevent spread of the virus.
The number of people in stores restaurants etc. still remains limited to ensure the prevention of spreading the virus. Although interprovincial travel has been opened, international travel is still banned and borders will not open as of yet.
It has been a long wait but it seems like everything is going back to the new normal.
The SANBS urges you to keep Blood stocks up. Be a Hero, It’s in your Blood!
Following a successful run during stages five and four of the national lockdown, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has started to see a decline in their blood stocks. The SANBS is, therefore, appealing to all blood donors to continue to donate blood to increase the current blood stock level.
With very little blood available, this will have a severe impact on the patients who rely on lifesaving blood transfusions. “Whenever our blood stocks reach below two-days, it places the lives of patients at risk. The lives of a haemorrhaging mother, newborn babies, accident victims, cancer-fighting patients and thousands of other patients in need of a blood transfusion,” said Silungile Mlambo, SANBS Chief Marketing Officer.
Your blood will make a difference
The SANBS needs to collect 4 000 units of blood a day to meet the daily demand for blood. “This is an urgent call to all who are eligible, willing and able to donate blood to give the gift, as you have consistently done in the months that have passed,” Mlambo pleaded.
Don’t let South Africa run out of safe blood. Donate today.
A blood donation gives patients a second chance with their loved ones. Another Christmas to remember, another summer holiday at the beach.
Everyone is called to please continue to visit their nearest blood donor centre or mobile blood drive. It’s more than just one unit of blood. It is a move that can save up to 3 lives. 30 minutes, 4 four times a year, is all it takes to make a monumental impact on the lives of others.”
• Consider your blood safe for transfusion to a patient
• Commit to donating blood regularly
To find out more about where you can donate blood, visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31. Connect with us on Twitter (@theSANBS), Facebook (@SANBS) and Instagram (@thesanbs).
Don’t let South Africa run out of safe blood. Donate today.
Rita Meyer is a well-known name in town. She has helped many people through her Psychotherapy practice and is also a Fibromyalgia. But now she is fighting back 1 day at a time through Equine Therapy.
Fibromyalgia is a long-term (chronic) condition. This condition can be hard to understand, even for healthcare providers. Its symptoms mimic those of other conditions and there are not any real tests to confirm the diagnosis. As a result, fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed.
Rita studied her Degree in Social Work at the University of Pretoria where after she finished her master’s degree in Clinical Health through UNISA.
Rita and one of the ponies at a therapy session
Her first job was working in the prison service. Soon after that she worked at the Sterkfontein psychiatric hospital and at a clinic for alcohol and drug abuse. After all the experience she accumulated through those years she decided it was time to open her own practice in Benoni.
After opening the practice in Benoni Rita and her husband decided to move to Secunda.
Secunda was familiar territory for Rita as she grew up on a farm in Leslie.
During the lockdown, a friend of Rita’s mentioned that her son was riding at the stables at Lake Umuzi. Her friend told her that Susan, the owner of the horses is looking for a therapist to work with people by using the horses as a therapeutic outlet.
Equine Therapy at Lake Umuzi
Rita contacted Susan and they immediately got a long very well. They decided to start with equine therapy. Rita would be able to assist her patients and help them reach their goals through this.
Rita studied Equine Therapy through online courses and she is still continuing with more courses to be better equipped to assist her patients.
Equine Therapy, also known as Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), is a treatment that includes equine activities and/or an equine environment in order to promote physical, occupational and emotional growth in persons suffering from many mental health and health problems.
“With the horses you do not have to speak. You can just be with a horse. They are incredibly smart animals and they feel what you feel,” said Rita.
She continued: “With the Fibromyalgia this type pf therapy helps a lot. People can get out of the house and walk around. The horses help with the Fibromyalgia because the horse can feel your pain.”
Are hospitals more dangerous because of COVID-19? Evander Hospital certainly became a place to avoid!
We all tend to think that a hospital is a safe place. One that we go to when you are ill or have an emergency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic it became clear that hospitals are increasingly dangerous places to be.
Mrs S Gwarube from the DA asked the Minister of health (in parliament) the following:
What total number of field hospitals have been built in each province since 1 March 2020.
The answer is simply shocking.
On June 26 the Minister replied that none were built in Mpumalanga.
Answer from Minister of Health on the readiness of Field Hospitals
The reporting from the Mpumalanga department of health is also not very accurate. The Bulletin asked the department about their readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the question and answer:
Do you perhaps have a statement regarding your readiness in Mpumalanga as well as the state of the field hospitals.
Response. The Department is ready to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department developed plans to mitigate the surge of COVID-19 in the province. We have made available quarantine and isolation sites across the three districts, and also deployed Community Health Workers to conduct screening. We are working with the Department of Public Works to establish field hospitals. This question was answered on July 21st.
There are several quarantine units in the area, but they are not equipped to handle any medical problems.
We have several hospitals in our area. It became clear that the COVID-19 cases are threatening to flood the hospitals. Several hospitals are in a state of preparedness, but several are not. It would appear that Evander Hospital is totally swamped with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The terrain is empty at Evander Hospital this afternoon shortly after 15H00
The Bulletin is aware of an employee that took the test at Evander hospital, 3 weeks and a day ago, and still have no results provided to him.
Evander Hospital is an example of how poor management are endangering the lives of the patients.
The Bulletin investigated allegations that the hospital is a crisis waiting to happen.
What we have uncovered is a hospital that have no control over the surge of COVID-19 cases
Allegations were made about Evander Hospital to The Bulletin that stated the following:
There is a shortage of staff members, both doctors and nursing staff. The shortages can be contributed mainly to the mandatory quarantine period after having been tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
This staff shortage is creating a very volatile situation at Evander Hospital. Information at The Bulletins disposal is that patients sometimes have to go without receiving proper medication. Wound dressings are not changed due to the shortage of staff and patients sometimes must forcefully skip a meal.
The Bulletin also learned that 40 to 50 patients are sometimes left in the care of only two staff nurses.
The Staff nurses left to tend to patients are not qualified to dispense medicine according to information received.
Patients that visit the Evander Hospital for testing are not triaged and told to wait outside. No vitals are taken.
Screening stations at the hospital entrances are inadequate as symptomatic (COVID-19 symptoms) patients venture past screening stations with no effort to block them from doing so. They would venture into already overcrowded waiting areas without being separated from the other patients to undergo COVID-19 testing and isolation. At certain times there are no functioning screening stations at entry points and patients and family members are free to enter the hospital at free will.
The Bulletin was told that after 14H00 there are no staff available as all would leave work at that time.
The Evander Hospital management refuses to concentrate on the COVID-19 pandemic and continues with non-urgent and non-emergency services.
Social distancing practices are not adhered to and the hospital is overcrowded most of the time.
About a week ago 37 staff members tested positive.
The Bulletin also learned that Staff members are apparently expected to continue to work and not self-isolate. They are told that they are not a “close contact” even if they work in close contact with someone that tested positive for COVID-19.
Patients that did not make appointments are bringing family members with them and exacerbating the overcrowding problem.
Questions sent to the Department of health, to both the spokesperson for the MEC and the Spokesperson for the department were not responded to at the time of placing this article. This is despite promises that a response would be compiled and sent to The Bulletin by 09H00 this morning. We are therefore posting these allegations without any response from the Mpumalanga Department of Health.
Life Cosmos Hospital responded in the following manner to The Bulletins questions on their readiness:
Could you please confirm the availability of beds in your Kosmos Hospital in Witbank?
As the number of cases fluctuates around the country, all our hospitals in the various provinces are experiencing pressure on COVID-19 admissions at one point or another given the increase in infection rate. It is important to note that capacity in any hospital is based on a number of factors, not only patient and bed numbers.
All hospitals also need to balance available staffing – nurses, specialists and allied healthcare professionals – with the need to accommodate and treat patients who are admitted for various health-related conditions. The overall bed capacity cannot be simply correlated to the number of Covid-19 patients that can be admitted as we also admit for other conditions, i.e. trauma, emergency medicine, maternity etc.
Our hospital management teams remain in constant contact with one another, their doctors and other healthcare professionals and private hospital groups to ensure that additional beds are available should this be required. Life Cosmos Hospital is licensed by the Department of Health as a 261-bed facility of which there are a total of 30 ICU beds for medical and surgical cases.
Do you perhaps have a statement regarding your readiness in the Mpumalanga area in particular or perhaps countrywide?
As with all our hospitals across South Africa, Life Cosmos Hospital in eMalahleni and Life Midmed Hospital in Middleburg remain open and operational for admission of patients and treatment of medical emergencies. Each hospital is using its facilities in the most efficient manner to provide the most appropriate care to the maximum amount of people.
We continue to provide quality care to our patients who require hospital services outside of COVID-19 related care such as trauma, emergency medicine, maternity, cardiac etc. To make sure that the situation is managed as best as possible, each Life Healthcare hospital has a Doctor COVID Committee that works closely with hospital management in the daily and ongoing clinical decisions in the interest of patients, staff and doctors.
There are daily operational briefings and live data to keep all the management teams appraised of facility status and enhanced collaboration between hospitals in the country to ensure best practice and shared learnings.
A capacity forum has been formed to deal with capacity considerations, including equipment and our COVID-19 task team is continuously assessing the situation and making sure that our facilities and employees across the country have all the required resources to treat patients who are affected by the virus and those who are not.
Thank you Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, General manager, Emergency medicine, Life Healthcare for your response in this matter.
We also spoke to the General Manager of Emalahleni Private Hospital that confirmed their readiness. The GM confirmed that all their allocated Covid-19 beds were full. This was during the latter part of July.
Mediclinic Highveld also received its share of criticism regarding their COVID-19 preparedness and protocols.
In response to The Bulletin’s questions we received the following response:
Questions:
How full are the facilities with regards to the COVID-19 allocated beds?
What is the procedure that you follow when receiving a patient that tested positive? If you have space and if you have none?
Dr Stefan Smuts, Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, responded by saying “While we can confirm that Mediclinic Highveld is currently operating at full capacity, with an increased demand for intensive care and high care beds, it is important to note that this situation remains fluid and is continuously being monitored across all bed types and across all hospitals in the region to ensure the optimal use of available resources and continuity of patient care.”
“We would also like to reassure the community that our Emergency Centre remains open to stabilise any patient in an extreme emergency, irrespective of age or comorbidities, and regardless of the hospital divert status. Once the patient’s condition is stable, the individual will then be referred to the closest most appropriate facility if required,” Dr Smuts said in their response, “Mediclinic Highveld is ready to safely receive patients in a medical emergency. We therefore encourage our community to seek medical care if they are ill or in pain.”
The Bulletin was told that no sanitising had been done for a while at the hospital while the positive case count is mounting.
MEDICLINIC CONFIRMS COVID-19 CLEANING MEASURES
“Mediclinic Highveld can confirm that in addition to our existing infection prevention and control procedures, additional cleaning measures were put in place at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Said Dr Stefan Smuts, Chief Clinical Officer of Mediclinic Southern Africa.
“The hospital has implemented additional cleaning rounds in all rooms. High touch areas in the hospital have been identified with cleaning protocols put into place to address these areas. Staff areas, bathrooms, pharmacy, reception and theatre have regular cleaning scheduled throughout the day. A checklist is signed by the appointed cleaner after each round to allow monitoring of these measures.”
Treatment areas within the COVID-19 unit have additional disinfection processes to further manage the risk of transmission.
While it is very concerning that certain health-related institutions are clearly having a problem in coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic such as the Evander Hospital, others have clearly made extensive efforts in coping with the Pandemic.
The Bulletin will continue to monitor the complaints and criticism as well as the compliments levelled at our health institutions. Let us hope that Evander Hospital will show a drastic improvement in the management of the facility.
VISIT Mpumalanga Department of Heaths’s Facebook page HERE
