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Stuff from Johannesburg

Gauteng has no plan in place to deal with spike in Covid-19 infections

Dear Johannesburg

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is extremely concerned that the Gauteng Provincial Government has no plan in place to deal with the spike in Covid-19 infections that may occur as many residents return from their holiday destinations.

Furthermore, it is worrying that the Provincial Command Council (PCC) has postponed this week’s meeting indefinitely given that the province is currently one of the Covid hotspots in the country with 315738 positive cases reported on 7th January. It is therefore imperative that a solid plan to deal with the spike in infections is put into place as soon as possible.

In addition, hospitals like Chris Hani Baragwanath and Steve Biko are filled to capacity with Covid-19 patients and cannot cope with a further influx of patients.

By August/September last year, 2000 new beds should have been built in existing hospitals, which would have helped ease the pressure on the hospitals which are currently under pressure.

Undertakers in the province are also under pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are running out of space to store bodies.

The DA is also calling on the Premier and the PCC to release a list of all the hotspots in Gauteng, so that residents can take the necessary precautions. I have already requested a meeting with Premier Makhura to get clarity on the plans that will be put in place to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic as well as to ascertain the status of the additional 2000 beds as well as the Nasrec field hospital.

Another hard lockdown is not option as our economy cannot afford it and the DA is appealing to members of the public to follow all the Covid-19 safety protocols that have been put in place – wear a mask when going out at all times and wash or sanitize your hands regularly.

Regards

Solly Msimanga MPL
Official Leader of the Opposition- Gauteng

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The Geological Miracle of the Witwatersrand

The very existence of Johannesburg is a geological fluke. Unlike most major global cities, Johannesburg was not built near a river, a coast, or a natural harbor. It sits 1,753 meters above sea level on a rocky ridge called the Witwatersrand (Ridge of White Waters). This ridge is the edge of the world’s largest known gold deposit, formed over 2 billion years ago when an ancient inland sea began to evaporate, leaving behind layers of gold-bearing conglomerate.

When George Harrison, an Australian prospector, stumbled upon an outcrop of gold on the farm Langlaagte in 1886, he triggered a “gold rush” that changed the course of African history. Within a decade, a dusty collection of tents and wagons transformed into a permanent city of brick and mortar. The “Main Reef” proved so vast that it eventually produced nearly 40% of all the gold ever mined in human history. This geological wealth dictated the city’s layout: the mining belt runs east-to-west across the city’s center, creating a physical divide between the wealthy northern suburbs and the industrial, working-class south. Today, while most mines within the city limits have closed due to the extreme depth and cost of extraction (some mines reached over 3.9 kilometers underground), the physical legacy remains in the form of “mine dumps”—massive yellow-white hills of crushed rock and sand that define the Joburg skyline.