Est 2009 Issue 24 - 2020 25 June - 2 July 2020

Inner-City Gazette @ICG_Sales 072 824 3014 Inner City Gazette

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Wits University Vaccinology Professor Shabir Madhi Pic: Waldo SWiegerS

Braamfontein - Wits University has an-nounced South Africa’s first Covid-19 vaccine trial to find medication that will prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, the vi-rus that causes Covid-19. In a virtual briefing on Tuesday Wits Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the South Africa Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Dis-eases Analytics Research Unit, Shabir Madhi, said this is a landmark moment for South Africa and Africa at this stage of Covid-19. “As we enter winter and pressure in-creases on public hospitals, we need a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 infection. We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vac-cine trial last week, and the first par-ticipants will be vaccinated this week,” Madhi said. He explained that participants will be set up in three groups. “Group One has 50 HIV negative peo-ple; Group Two comprises 1 900 HIV negative participants; and Group Three with 50 people living with HIV. The 1

950 participants, aged between 18 to 65, and who are HIV negative, must not have tested positive for Covid-19. They also should not be pregnant or breast-feeding, or previously participated in a trial involving an adenoviral vaccine, or received any other corona virus vac-cine,” he said. The 50 people living with HIV are in-cluded to examine safety and see how they respond to the vaccine. Participants will need to provide written, informed consent to participate in the trial, and will remain on the trial for about a year. Madhi added that the trial will cost R150 million, and will be carried out in metropolitan areas where the risk of SARS-CoV2 infection is high, and Co-vid-19 hotspots. “Our best-case scenario is that we have an answer on the outcomes for this tri-al vaccine by the end of the year,” he added. Half of the participants will receive the ChAdOx1 COVID-19 (ChAdOx1-Cov19) vaccine and the other half will receive a placebo (normal saline). The

participants will be given an e-diary to record any symptoms experienced for seven days after receiving the vaccine, and they will also record if they feel un-well for the following three weeks. The participants will then go through a process of follow-ups where research-ers will check participants’ observa-tions, review the completed e-diaries, and take blood samples, to be used to assess the immune response to the vac-cine. Participants who develop symp-toms of the virus during the study can contact a member of the clinical team, and participants who feel unwell will be assisted in finding hospital care. Department of Health director-gener-al Dr Sandile Buthelezi said: “There would be no better time than today to launch this vaccine trial, as the country has reached a landmark of over 100 000 infections; and have breached a high level of deaths in the country. We are mainly depending on non-pharmaceuti-cal interventions, if there is a way we can fast-track our road to getting the vaccine; that would be the solution.”

Wits unveils corona virus vaccine trialThe participants will be given an e-diary to record any symptoms experienced for seven days after receiving the vaccine, and they will also record if they feel unwell for the following three weeks.

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Cybercrooks unleash web skimming

Senior malware analyst Victoria Vlasova

Tech Reporter

Researchers have uncovered a new technique for stealing us-

ers’ payment information on online shopping websites, a type of attack known as web skimming. By registering for Google Analyt-ics accounts and injecting these ac-counts’ tracking code into the web-sites’ source code, attackers can col-lect users’ credit card details. About 24 online stores worldwide have been compromised this way. Web skimming is a practice used by attackers to steal credit card details from payment pages of online stores, whereby they inject pieces of code into the source code of the website. This malicious code then collects the data inputted by visitors to the site, such as payment account logins or credit card numbers, and sends the data to the address specified by attack-ers in the malicious code. Often, to conceal the fact that the webpage has been compromised, at-tackers register domains with names that resemble popular web analytics services, such as Google Analytics. When they inject the malicious code, it’s harder for the site administrator to know that the site has been com-promised. For example, a site named “googlc-analytics.com” is easy to mistake as a legitimate domain. Kaspersky researchers have discov-ered a new technique for conducting web skimming attacks. Rather than redirecting the data to third-party sources, they redirected it to official Google Analytics accounts. Once the attackers registered their accounts on Google Analytics, all they had to do was configure the accounts’ tracking parameters to receive a tracking ID. They then injected the malicious code along with the tracking ID into

the webpage’s source code, allowing them to collect data about visitors and have it sent directly to their Google Analytics accounts. Because the data isn’t being directed to an unknown third-party resource, it’s difficult for administrators to realise the site has been compromised. For those exam-ining the source code, it just appears as if the page is connected with an of-ficial Google Analytics account, com-mon practice for online stores. To make it even harder to spot, the attackers also employed a common anti-debugging technique. If a site administrator reviews the webpage source code using Developer mode, the malicious code is not executed. About 24 websites were compro-mised this way, which included stores in Europe, North and South America. Senior malware analyst at Kaspersky Victoria Vlasova says this new tech-nique is particularly effective. “Google Analytics is one of the most popular web services. A majority of developers and users trust it, it’s often given permission to collect user data by site administrators. That makes malicious injects with Google Analyt-ics accounts inconspicuous. Adminis-trators should not assume that because the third-party resource is legitimate, its presence is OK,” Vlasova says.

Benefits of online higher education in 2020Dr Hendrik Botha and Dr Janet Viljoen

While many institutions grapple with a sudden and dramatic shift to online learn-ing, provision of technology mediated learning is in our DNA. Boston City Campus & Business Col-lege has decades of experience in this modality of provision. “That Covid-19 will have a transformative impact on the way learning happens within the universities seems indisputable. The most dramatic evidence of this is the shift to online learn-ing” (Habib and Valodia, 2020). While the emergency remote teaching (Hodges et al., 2020) deployed during the first half of 2020 was restructured in haste, and lacked the proper pedagogical construc-tion for online learning (Habib and Valo-dia, 2020), Boston has carefully curated its teaching and learning materials to be durable, reliable, cutting-edge and most importantly constructively-aligned for a seamless and coherent student learning experience. The lockdown necessitated by CO-VID-19 across the world is the perfect backdrop against which to review our experience in online education and the advantages thereof. In our experience, online and distance learning (ODL) is flexible, cost-effective and enables access even to those in full-time employment. Learning can take place at any time and in any place and is not constrained by factors such as lec-ture-room capacity. Online and distance learning opportunities remove the binary choices: it is no longer study or work, study or travel, upskill or have a family: it is study AND work, travel, and have a family. Moreover, the world is no longer preoccupied with what type of learning got you your qualification: what remains important is the reputation of the institu-tion and of its graduates. One such mea-sure is evidenced in local and voluntary international accreditation. There is no more a social hierarchy be-tween contact learning (face-to-face) and online and distance learning experiences. Acknowledging the context of the 21st century and the fourth industrial revolu-tion, online learning by its very nature supports and develops personal inde-pendence, and prepares the candidate for the modern workplace – one which is characterised by remote work-from-home arrangements and a high degree of per-sonal autonomy. Boston leverages the available technol-ogy to the student’s benefit, incorporating

AI to monitor participation, send motiva-tional communications, and trigger alerts when participation is low which prompts a call to the student from a member of fac-ulty or a personal student advisor. Online does not mean alone! Boston offers a wide range of Higher Certificate and Diploma qualifications which cater to niche specialisations and are occupationally focused. Access to these qualifications is not restricted by the need for a Bachelor’s Pass in the Matric examinations, and completion of one of these qualifications may facilitate transi-tion into a Bachelor’s Degree upon suc-cessful completion. Your dream of higher education is not over because you did not achieve a Bachelors’ Pass: there are many alternative higher education quali-fications available to you, all recognised on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). At the other end of spectrum, you may elect one of our Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce, Accounting or Social Sci-ence, or perhaps you may wish to ad-vance your business acumen through our unique Postgraduate Diploma in Manage-ment. Online provision of learning comes in many different forms and with many vari-ants of support available to the student. Boston likes to take a middle road ap-

proach: the material is online for you to access 24/7 at your convenience, and subject experts are available for consul-tation via online communication chan-nels. We go a step further than this. Bos-ton provides the prescribed courseware (textbooks) free of charge as part of the fee structure. This means that when Es-kom load sheds, or when you run out of data, you can continue your learning journey. We believe that we cannot rely exclusively on technology, and that the deployment of our LMS works best in conjunction with the “good old hardcopy textbook”. Some may argue that online learning does not offer the student the same per-sonal development opportunities, social exposure, and peer engagement that oth-er, more traditional (face-to-face) means of learning might. We think the key is in the word “personal” development and we argue that the enthusiastic student who is willing and able to learn will derive the same developmental benefits from the online interaction as from a face-to-face connection. After all, we are all digital na-tives in some sense in 2020. Never sat-isfied with “good enough” Boston goes a step further: we provide Support Centres around the country where students can meet to collaborate, learn together, use technological facilities, or seek assistance from a Student Advisor. Attendance at a Support Centre is voluntary, self-directed and a matter of choice: this means you can travel to the centre during off-peak times when travel is cheaper, choose your days according to what suits your sched-ule, or indeed choose not to make use of the facilities in person in favour of online communication with faculty or advisors. The choice is yours – entirely yours.“Covid-19 highlights the need to reimag-ine the global institutional architecture of the higher education system” (Habib and Valodia, 2020). Higher education is forc-ibly being pushed into new territory, un-known challenges lie ahead, and admit-tedly, no person has gone before us in this respect. The architecture of online educa-tion, such as we deploy at Boston, is es-tablished and robust. It has stood the test of time and has been through iterations of change and improvement in response to student needs. Where we may once have sat on the fringe of higher education pro-vision, online provision of education now finds itself firmly central, swiftly approach-ing mainstream. Trust the online provider with years of experience to guide your learning journey.

dr Hendrik BotHa

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Kathy Gibson

Microsoft South Africa and Vodacom have launched an online learning

platform, which they believe is a first for the industry. Vodacom Business CEO William Mzim-ba explains that the platform will be made available to all public and private schools, TVET colleges and universities. “This provides connectivity and applica-tions in a single platform that will enable digital learning via virtual classrooms,” he says. Virtual classrooms are enabled through Office 365, allowing students and teach-ers to collaborate via video conferencing, live streaming and other tools. Students are also able to submit assignments via the platform, and teachers can return marked assignments. All students and institutions will have ac-cess to the platform, which is accessible via PC, mobile phone and tablet devices. Mzimba and Lillian Barnard, MD of Mi-crosoft SA, stress that the announcement addresses the short-term needs created by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also aims to transform education in the long-term. Mzimba says education needs to be a com-bination of online and on-campus learning. “We are demonstrating that, as a country, we can usher in those two modes.”

Barnard says the traditional learning model has to change, with children given access to more personalised learning. She points out that technology skills are becoming more important for job seekers across the board. “In South Africa, there is a need for deeper technology and digital skills; 64% of com-panies surveyed say they see an increase in digital skills in the next few years. But they say they struggle to find the right digital skills to advance their business objectives.” Barnard adds that Microsoft will give Vod-acom partners the resources they need to train teachers in acquiring necessary skills.

Partnership launches online learning platform

Vodacom Business chief officer William Mzimba

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Aspen executive Stavros Nicolaous

Johannesburg - Pharmaceuti-cal giant Aspen says there will be enough supplies of the Dexametha-sone drug which is used to treat se-verely ill Covid-19 patients. An Oxford University’s recovery trial recently found that the anti-in-flammatory medicine causes a 35 % reduction in the deaths of critically ill patients. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says there are currently around 300 000 units of the product available in

the country, and South African doc-tors are able to offer the treatment to those who need it. Aspen Pharmacare Group’s ex-ecutive Stavros Nicolaous says the drug has a much targeted therapeu-tic range. “It does have generic forms, so there are other suppliers in the country. We are confident that with Aspen and other suppliers, we can keep a stable and constant supply in the country,” Nicolaous adds.

There is ‘enough of the drug to treat Covid-19 patients’

Johannesburg - A popular Johan-nesburg CBD hair salon, Indalo Nubian Naturals, has turned to crowd funding to raise funds to keep it open, after it had to close due to the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown. Indalo, which is situated in Commissioner Street in the Jo-burg CBD, also caters for men and children with natural African hair. It announced the closure of its Jo-burg branch last week, leaving 29 stylists without a job. The brand, which is owned by Smangele Sibisi, has another branch in Pretoria. Sibisi said what was meant to be just three weeks turned into three months, and rent costs kept piling up with no income, which left the Joburg branch with massive debt and employees destitute. “A month of not receiving your income can be understood, but two to three months is really a disaster. Our contract with our accountant was suspended due to non-payment, and eviction of stylists from their accommodation followed. I was also evicted from where I stayed,” Sibisi said.

Sibisi has turned to crowd fund-ing through the BackaBuddy cam-paign to raise R200 000 to keep the business open. “This will help rebuild our salon, which will mean no one will be left without a job. Our employees will have a home again, and this will definitely help us gain a home for our clients who used to visit our Johannesburg branch. My hope is to eliminate the numbers of youth unemployment and this will definitely do just that. The funding will be used for a new space, shop fittings, in-salon stock to use and salon equipment,” Si-bisi said. By Monday, 22 June, the cam-paign had raised over R15 000 of its targeted amount for funding.

Popular CBD salon turns to crowd funding to survive

Indalo owner Smangele Sibisi

‘My hope is to eliminate the numbers of youth unemployment and this will definitely do just that. The funding will be used for a new space, shop fittings, in-salon stock to use and salon equipment’

Online shopping fraud increasesJohannesburg - Restrictions in physical shopping and awareness on personal safety since the begin-ning of the Covid-19 lockdown have increased online shopping; and fraudsters have also increased their attempts to defraud consum-ers through Card Not Present shopping activity. FNB head of card fraud Senzo Nsibande says in the latest modus operandi criminals contact con-sumers to deceive them into com-promising their card details and one-time PIN (OTP). “Criminals call pretending to be from your bank, informing you that fraud has been detected on your account; while offering help to reverse the transactions. They then ask you to read out the One Time PIN that you have just received, which enables them to buy goods using your card details

online. Most people unknowingly read out their OTP and, as a result, fall victim to fraud. An OTP is a dynamic number generated by your bank to you to authenticate transactions when shopping on-line,” Nsibande says. He adds that online shopping continues to rise and with the Covid-19 pandemic the trend is likely to continue. “While we continue to encourage the use thereof, we advise con-sumers to familiarise themselves with the new ways the criminals are using to defraud unsuspect-ing customers. More importantly, we urge all consumers to always protect their personal information. For our customers, we remind them that FNB will never request their private information such as a OTP or their card PIN for any reason,” Nsibande adds.

Johannesburg - The Hillbrow police station has re-opened after it was tem-porarily closed for nearly a week, fol-lowing a member testing positive for the corona virus last week, according

to spokesperson Captain Musa Shi-hambe. He says following the temporary closure of the station, operations moved to Umthombo Wempilo proj-

ect premises at the Christ Church near the Twist and Caroline streets inter-section in Hillbrow. Umthombo Wempilo is an outreach project that supports vulnerable and

abused women within the Hillbrow community. “The Hillbrow SAPS station closed because one member tested pos-itive for the virus. We are thankful to have a church and people like Pas-tor Godfrey, the minister in charge. Decontamination of the police station has been completed and we are back to our normal routine. May God be with us and our fami-lies as we strive to bring peace and prosperity in the community we serve,” he said.

Police station re-opens after Covid-19 closurePolice officers at their desk during the temporary relocation

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UN secretary-general António Guterres

Killer robbers get life jail

Johannesburg - The Nelson Man-dela Foundation has announced that UN secretary-general António Guterres will deliver the 18th Nel-son Mandela annual lecture on 18 July this year. This year’s lecture will be the first to be hosted virtually, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement the foundation said the theme for the lecture, Tackling the Inequality Pandemic: A new

Social Contract for a New Era, fo-cuses on current inequalities that have come under sharp focus dur-ing the Covid-19 pandemic. “It will look ahead to what we must do to address the world’s fragilities and build a fair globalisation. The annu-al lecture invites prominent people to drive debate on significant social issues.” Previous speakers include Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, former

US president Barack Obama, Arch-bishop Desmond Tutu, and former president Thabo Mbeki. Guterres, who took office in Janu-ary 2017, is the ninth UN secretary-general. “Whether working as a volunteer in the poor neighbourhoods of Lis-bon, or representing his constitu-ency in the Portuguese parliament, and from his years as Prime Minis-ter to his service as UN High Com-

missioner for Refugees, Guterres has sought to ease suffering, pro-tect the vulnerable and ensure hu-man rights for all. These priorities remain at the core of his efforts as UN secretary-general,” the founda-tion said. The annual Nelson Mandela lec-ture will be streamed live from the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Jo-hannesburg headquarters and the UN in New York, United States.

UN secretary to deliver Madiba lecture

Johannesburg - On Tuesday two men were sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man at a plot in Lanseria in May 2018. They were also sentenced to 20 years jail for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and 15 years for robbery with aggra-vating circumstances; and the sentences will run concurrently. According to the prosecution, the men, Bongani Thabani Ndlovu, 35, and Jabulani Meli Dlamini, 41, followed Ralph Ockert’s car after he withdrew some money at the Fourways Mall. National Prosecuting Author-ity (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said on arrival at his residence, while waiting for

the gate to open, Ockert was ac-costed by Ndlovu and Dlamini. “They knocked on the driver’s window; then they fired shots, fa-tally wounding Ockert. They then took cash and some of his belong-ings, including his bank card. Af-ter that they brazenly continued to make purchases using his bank card,”she said. Later police Warrant Officer Abie Montwedi tracked Ndlovu and Dlamini to Marshalltown in the Joburg CBD. The men fled, but were later arrested. Prosecutor Faghre Mohammed said it was a “well-orchestrated crime” and therefore there was no reason to deviate from the pre-scribed life sentence for the men.

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Lusanda Zokufa - Kathilu

The Market Photo Workshop has announced the upcoming open-

ing of Reclamations, a virtual exhibition to be hosted on Pho-toform Africa and the National Arts Festival online showcase. The exhibition, a Tierney Fellowship Retrospective at the Market Photo Workshop, will be presented at the National Arts Festival Live from 25 June to 8 July 2020 on www.photoforma-frica.com. Reclamations revisit the longest running mentorship programme in the history of African pho-tography that supports young photographers in realising visions that reflect the aspi-rations and disquiet of their communities. Photographers Tracey Ed-ser, Simangele Kalisa, the late Thabiso Sekgala, Mack Magagane, Tshepiso Mazi-buko, Lebohang Kganye, Sipho Gongxeka, Matthew Kay, Tsepo Gumbi, Celimpilo Mazibuko, Tshepiso Mabula ka Ndongeni, together with the Tierney Bamako Award Recipient, Moussa John Kala-po, represent a cross-section of photographic concern that remains urgent in our transitioning societies.

Awarded at the Market Photo Work-shop, these fellows refocus attention on gender, race, migration, the di-

vide between urban and rural, land restitution, spirituality,

national and familial mem-ory and reclaims them from the histories of their making. The Market Photo Workshop, in partner-ship with the Tierney Family Foundation, cre-

ates opportunities for pho-tographers to cultivate the development of photography as a medium. The Tierney Fellowship pro-vides successful applicants

with financial support to research and produce photographic work, in consultation with a men-tor, over a year. The programme started in 2008; partner institu-tions include the Market Photo Workshop, Wits School of Arts and the Michaelis School of Fine

Art at the University of Cape Town.

Through Photoform Africa, alumni and current students will

have profiles set up for their pho-tography practice and submit photo stories for publishing on this site, to build a collective archive of Market Photo Workshop alumni work. Visit www.photoformafrica.com

25 June - 2 July 2020 inner-CiTy GazeTTe 7 thE Arts

uoTaBLe uoTesQ

By ProPhEt PhiliP BANdA

Photographer Lebohang Kganye

akhona Jolingana

A collaboration between AS-SITEJ South Africa and Drama

for Life (DFL) will soon host a ‘conference and festival’ to explore the current Arts landscape in the time of Covid-19, supported by the National Lotteries Commission of SA and the City of Johannesburg. In response to the pandemic, DFL and ASSITEJ South Africa invite participants to an intergenerational exploration with students, children, artists, facilitators, young academ-ics and DFL alumni and staff, where everyone is invited to share, be-tween 20 and 24 August 2020. The Conference and Festival inves-tigates the fundamental questions of Masidlale: Exploring Connection; How do we play, explore and co-cre-ate now; How can the Arts respond to disconnection; How do we ‘come together’ to create during this time; How can theatre be reimagined as a place for healing and connection; Who are our collaborators and how do we journey together? The event will include Zoom con-versations, online creative experi-ments, panel conversations, online/virtual performances, and discus-sions, and play readings from the AS-

SITEJ SA In the Works, platform. This year’s crop of 10 writers was selected from over 40 applicants from all over South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. The writers are Jade Beeby, Katlego Kolanyane-Kesupile, Lereko Mfono, Maimouna Jallow, Mathabo Tlali, Modisana Mabale, Sanelisiwe Yekani, Siphumeze Khundayi, Uvile Ximba and Zinhle Mbokane. It will also host French playwright and dramaturge Karin Serres, and Rives Collins, US playwright. The deadline for submissions is 20 July 2020. Visit www.dramaforlife.co.za.

Invitation to join arts exploration

Writer Katlego Kolanyane-Kesupile

Virtual photo expo for National Arts Festival Reclamations revisit the longest mentorship programme in the history of African photography that supports young photographers in realising visions that reflect aspirations of their communities.

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Banyana coach Desiree Ellis

Banyana coach urges PSL giants to launch women’s soccer teams

sports Reporter

Banyana Banyana coach De-siree Ellis has challenged

PSL giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to launch wom-en’s teams. The two soccer giants are cur-rently the only PSL top clubs without a women’s team. Both are based in Soweto where the Safa Women’s National League (SWNL) was launched last year. Ellis says the Soweto giants can help grow the women’s game if they include women’s teams. “It is vital for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to form women’s teams. If they come on

board sponsors will also come on board. The only big team in England that didn’t have a women’s team was Manchester United, but now has a team. It was the same with Real Madrid. The Spanish leagues have grown and sponsorship has improved. I don’t want to use the word, but PSL clubs should be forced to have women’s teams, and not just have the team for the sake of having it, but give them sup-port and necessary development similar to what they do with their male counterparts.” Ellis added that such a move would also see a huge shift in the mind-set of people, and

sponsors would come on board. “Chiefs marketing director Jes-sica Motaung has been asked many times about forming a women’s team. I don’t know what the stumbling block is. I ask them once again to take women’s football to another level. Maybe they are still look-ing at the cost. If you see what they spend on the men’s team, the cost will be like a drop in the ocean. They already have many women supporters; so in-vesting in women’s football will increase their fan base. If they come on board, it will change the landscape of women’s foot-ball in the country,” Ellis said.

‘They already have many women supporters; so investing in women’s football will increase their fan base’