14 January 2021 - 13:41
A 59-year-old IsiXhosa matric examination marker from Gauteng has succumbed to a Covid-19 related illness.
The Gauteng department of education said the marker, who was stationed at Jeppe Boys Marking venue, died in hospital after being found unconscious at her place of accommodation on Tuesday.
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“In response to this tragedy, all contacts were isolated and tested and after that a process referred to as rapid testing was invoked. All markers in the centre were tested and the specific marking venues where the marker had worked, were decontaminated.
“The whole marking centre is being deep-cleaned twice a day and this will be so until the end of the marking process.
“As a result of the rapid testing, another 25 employees tested positive, of which 18 are markers,” the department said.
On Monday, the department received news of the death of a marker at Inanda Seminary School.
“The head of department and a team of senior officials are gathering all necessary information and ensuring the safety of all other markers.”
It s Easy to Avoid the Way More and More Cars Are Being Stolen
Tobias Carroll, provided by
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A new article at Marker offers an alarming statistic for auto owners: in the second half of 2020, car thefts increased by 13%. Could this be related to the way a number of people bought cars in response to the pandemic? Might it have some connection with the way thieves are hacking the locks of luxury cars? Or is there something even more sinister at the heart of this?
Well, there’s certainly something distinctive about the methods by which a growing number of car thieves are zeroing in on their quarry. Neither diabolical cleverness nor technological expertise plays a role here, however. Instead, car thieves are capitalizing on a tried and true occurrence: car owners getting careless.
Of those who tested positive, 238 markers contracted the coronavirus after reporting for duty.
“There has been anxiety and fear among markers and their families to the extent that some marking personnel opted to withdraw from the process. While some withdrew due to the fear, others withdrew because they themselves had tested positive for Covid-19 or somebody in the family had tested positive.
“In most cases in the Eastern Cape, most if not all the markers who tested positive reported they had recently attended weddings, funerals or family events with a considerable amount of people present.
“This confirms once again that social gatherings and the lack of compliance in such settings remains our single biggest challenge when it comes to the fight against Covid-19,” said director-general Mathanzima Mweli.