“LOOK: Food shelves emptied out – parts of SA gripped by ‘panic buying’”- https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/look-photos-panic-buying-south-africa-food-shortages-buy-bread-milk/

This is troubling. A whole host of supermarkets have 'run out' of basic food items on Wednesday, as panic buying sets in at our major supermarkets.

Cry, the beloved country. In scenes reminiscent of the start of the coronavirus pandemic, widespread incidents of ‘panic buying’ have been reported in KZN, Gauteng, and even a handful of food stores in other provinces.

FOOD SUPPLIES DWINDLE AS RIOTS CONTINUE

On Monday, President Ramaphosa warned that an extended period of unrest would cripple SA’s food chain. Basic provisions such as bread, milk, and meat were all missing from the shelves of South Africa’s biggest supermarkets on Wednesday. Albany, one of the biggest bread producers in the country, confirmed they are having ‘distribution issues’.

“Since Sunday afternoon, our KZN Bakeries have been temporarily closed due to the civil unrest in the province. In Gauteng, the delivery of bread is constrained due to challenges in accessing certain areas. We are continuing to distribute bread where it is safe to do so. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm the exact locations at the moment.” | Albany

Widespread looting across both KZN and Gauteng has sparked chaotic scenes in our grocery stores, as citizens respond to the past few days of looting by hoarding food items for themselves. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that can only serve to exacerbate the crisis that has engulfed Mzansi. From Johannesburg to Durban, shelves are being emptied out…

LOOK: PANIC BUYING SETS IN ACROSS KZN, GAUTENG AND OTHER LOCATIONS

A host of images and videos of empty shelves are provided in the article.

They may have the vaccines.

“Riots latest: Fury as looters ‘steal COVID-19 vaccines’ from pharmacies”- https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/breaking-riots-updates-wednesday-14-july-looters-steal-covid-19-vaccines/

This is one of the lowest points of the riots so far: Looters have been blamed for the theft of COVID-19 vaccines at several pharmacies this week.

How, we ask, has it come to this? Nothing quite sums up the selfish intentions of the lawless looters than what we’ve seen with our community pharmacies – and as dozens of medical centres were raided over the past few days, it was perhaps inevitable that some involved in the riots would try and steal COVID-19 vaccines.

CONFIRMED: LOOTERS HAVE STOLEN VACCINES THIS WEEK

The SA Pharmacy Council confirmed that NINETY dispensaries had been ransacked since the end of last week, with vandals also helping themselves to various unprescribed medications. Doctors have been unable to see clients in desperate need of advice, and on Monday, several vaccination centres began to close their doors.

“We are distraught and disappointed. Among the looted items are Covid-19 vaccines and scheduled medicines, which when used without proper pharmacist counselling on storage and dosage, may result in harm to one’s health.”

“We call on South Africans to refrain from destroying healthcare infrastructure or disrupting healthcare services for any reason. Such actions reverse the difficult gains we have made in increasing the accessibility of care to previously underserved communities. It also puts the lives of citizens in these communities at risk.”

SA Pharmacy Council

RIOTS PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM GETTING THEIR COVID-19 SHOTS

The sickening impact these riots have had on the vaccine rollout, by the way, makes for a tough read. The number of people showing up for their jabs has dropped by a gut-wrenching 95% in KwaZulu-Natal. Mia Malan, the editor-in-chief of health journal Bhekisisa, says the shocking decline is a ‘direct consequence of the current unrest’.

“Farm murder of Brendin Horner investigation: 5 cops, 2 animal brokers arrested for stock theft”- https://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/free-state/farm-murder-of-brendin-horner-investigation-5-cops-2-animal-brokers-arrested-for-stock-theft/

Five police officials between the ages of 28 and 40, and two animal stock brokers between the ages of 30 and 50 were arrested in the early hours of 14 July 2021, in Bloemfontein and Ladybrand by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation in Free State assisted by Tactical Response Team (TRT) Bloemfontein and general detectives during the first phase of a major case investigation aimed at disrupting corruption and stock theft in the Free State Province.

Their arrests originate from the incident which took place in October 2020 where Brendin Horner was murdered in Senekal.

The Minister of Police visited the Eastern Free State where farmers made allegations against police officials allegedly involved in stock theft. A multi-disciplinary task team was established to investigate these allegations which led to the arrest of police officials and animal stock brokers.

During the arrest of two stock brokers, police also discovered two unlicensed firearms.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Ladybrand Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 15 July 2021 where they will be facing charges of stock theft, defeating the administration of justice and perjury. The stock brokers will face additional charges of possession of unlicensed firearms.

The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Free State Major General Moodley has applauded the multi-disciplinary task team for the arrest of the suspects allegedly involved in stock theft in the Free State Province.

“ALERT: West Rand (Krugersdorp, Roodepoort etc) looting warning - Friday 16 July | South Africa”- https://youtu.be/no5aP3LuFoQ

“A disturbing audio is going viral by a person claiming to be an instigator and part of a plan to invade the suburbs in the west Rand today (Friday 16 July) - please be very careful if you live in these areas.”

“Zulu leadership reaching out to white leaders for direction post ANC | South Africa”- https://youtu.be/kQuU1aDyUeM

“It is quite clear that a growing number of South Africans have realised that the ANC are nothing more than a self serving bunch of criminals who have no regard for the dream of a "Rainbow Nation". In this video the top military leader of the Zulu extends a hand to the white leadership to take back the country.”

“Why Are Thieves Stealing So Many Catalytic Converters?” – South Africa is mentioned- https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/why-are-thieves-stealing-so-many-catalytic-converters. Below are excerpts.

The local paper offered up this vague headline last week, “Car Part Thefts Up in Henderson in 2021, Police Say.” Most readers likely passed over the article. But, in the time it takes to read the piece, a half dozen catalytic converters can be stolen.

“It actually takes an individual who’s committing these offenses about three seconds really to slide up underneath the car and saw off a catalytic converter and they’re out,” police chief Thedrick Andres said in a livestream last month warning residents about the issue, Sabrina Schnur of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

“It’s almost impossible for us to have an officer in every neighborhood that can prevent that.”

The public’s desire for cleaner air has placed catalytic converters on every new vehicle. Thieves don’t care about clean air, they steal the parts for the platinum, rhodium, and palladium.

There are only three countries PMGs can be mined in any quantity: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Russia, not cauldrons of laissez-faire capitalism.

In fact, as [Rick] Rule points out, there is much discussion of nationalizing the mines in South Africa. “In a circumstance like that,” Rule said, “the shareholders are unwilling to put sustaining capital investments in the mines and unwilling to open new mines. The mines get more and more neglected and more and more long of tooth. The management substitutes labor, which is cheap[,] for capital, which is dear, which they might not own.”

The youth unemployment rate in South Africa is 70 percent, so hiring more workers is popular, but, the workers are unskilled, unproductive, and “because they're not allowed to employ much capital, are very, very, very inefficient. You're substituting labor for capital there. The labor force needs to be paid more, but they're unproductive so they can't be paid for.”

South African labor needs to employ more capital, but they can't because mining companies are afraid to provide the capital. These same companies need to open new mines as well, along with providing sustaining capital investments in the existing mines. But why would they, when they're not sure who's going to own the mines?

So, US car owners are being preyed upon by thieves, because South African mine owners are being preyed upon by their government.

“Military intelligence analyst speaks on violence in SA”dated Jul 17, 2021, at https://youtu.be/TvzK5nXrVy4

“The rioting and violence are proof that government is not in control, and that the governing party's time is running out. That's the view of former military intelligence analyst, Anthony Turton. He says this week's events didn't come out of nowhere.”

6:12 – “ I think that we’ve been through a pivotal moment now. We’ve literally been through a cleansing period I think because you know some of the bitterness and anger particularly of the racist divide in South Africa, the racial divide, I believe has come to a head this week and we saw in the darkest moments of this period of unrest. We’ve actually seen a de-racialization of the whole thing in South Africa where on the one hand, there was an attempt to made to incite racial violence but that completely failed, dismally failed, and we’ve seen people mounting defenses on the barricades where black, white, pink and green, they’ve all been alongside each other. You’ve seen police working with militia. We’ve seen Muslims and Christians working together. So if anything, this has backfired and it served to unite the country and I think that is a cathartic moment. So I’m actually quite upbeat and quite bullish about this thing.”

“Tucker presses South Africa civil rights activist on why people are leaving”dated Jul 17, 2021, at https://youtu.be/LtMbUO4E-eQ

“South Africa civil rights activist Ernst Roets issued a warning for the people of the United States as globalism and far-left racial politics rise to prominence in both nations on 'Tucker Carlson Today.'”

“What's Happening in SOUTH AFRICA Is Happening HERE [USA]!!!” – Dr. Steve Turleydated Jul 14, 2021, at https://youtu.be/iIxU8ciY9I8

“As chaos continues in South Africa food is running low for citizens” – Mention George Sorosdated Jul 15, 2021, at https://youtu.be/D7-Wrd3iHfA

“Native South African Lara Logan joins 'Ingraham Angle' to discuss the contentious protests: 'a particularly distressing situation'”

The truth is coming out.

1:26 – “What you start to see is some of the echoes of you know critical race theory and the woke agenda that have proliferated all over the world. We’re paying the price now for Big Tech and Facebook and all these people who are able to really set the agenda in any country that they want and where people can spread this message and spread this divisive politics and South Africa is no exception.”

1:58 – “Obama’s ambassador to South Africa was a man called Patrick Gaspard and when Obama’s term ended and he came home. He became the President of the Open Society Foundation, George Soros’s foundation… but when he was in South Africa, he was very vocal about reparations. He was one of the people who was pushing and encouraging publicly for the South African government to take land away from white people, particularly white farmers of course. 30 000 white farms in South Africa feed those people and they feed other people across southern Africa and so when you take that land away and it is not used to farm anymore, you starve your people. People saw that in neighbouring Zimbabwe. So there is a radical element at play here and nobody can tell at this point, it is impossible to say, how much this is involved but South African media is quickly turned to looking at who is driving this and whether there are other forces, and there are eerily similar echoes here. There is a whole ideology goes along with Open Society and all these affinity groups. About turning a moment into a mass movement or a revolution and that’s what many people I speak to are looking for.”

“Armed South African citizens fire on citizens during chaotic unrest”dated Jul 13, 2021, at https://youtu.be/oWbExjZo_eg

As Tucker Carlson states;

2:13 – “The links between this country and South Africa are deep and profound particularly politically. Our ruling class did a lot to empower the current government of South Africa and maybe lessons for the world and what is happening there. One of the lessons is when chaos strikes, you are on your own.”

“Eskom confirms 'explosion' at Medupi Power Station”- https://youtu.be/oZviVRNvrI0

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-08-09-eskom-confirms-explosion-at-medupi-days-after-station-comes-onstream-investigations-under-way/ states;

An explosion has rocked Medupi Power Station in Lephalale less than a week after Eskom announced that the station – the biggest dry-cooled and most expensive power station in the world – had attained commercial operation status.

“PAUL KAGAME WAS HERE [Uganda] AS NRA UNVEILED DEADLY KARATE COMMANDOS”dated Feb 28, 2020 at https://youtu.be/uLyJQ9Xs1V8

Uganda and North Korea were/are bedfellows – 25 June 1988 video

“Italian and Rwandan leaders join urgent call to transform world's food systems as UN Food Systems Pre-Summit gets under way”dated July 27, 2021 at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/italian-rwandan-leaders-join-urgent-113600697.html

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame stress need for more inclusive, sustainable and holistic approaches ahead of the Summit in New York in September.

ROME, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame led calls for countries to make bold commitments to transforming their food systems during opening day remarks at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit.

Drawing parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and global hunger crisis, Prime Minister Draghi called on delegates, who came from more than 100 countries, to commit to ending hunger for 811 million people amidst a changing climate.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres added: "The pandemic, which still assails us, has highlighted the links between inequality, poverty, food, disease and our planet."

Against this backdrop, President Kagame announced a common position for Africa, aligned with the continent's Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The position is based on five actions including policies such as school feeding programmes, market development and finance, as well as encouraging farmer cooperatives and expanding social safety net programmes.

"Food unites us all, as families, as communities, as cultures and as humanity," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. "Now let's use it to unite around the urgency and the actions that are needed to transform our world by 2030."

In pre-prepared remarks, Pope Francis said that eliminating hunger alone was not enough, urging the world to commit to "designing food systems that protect the Earth and keep the dignity of the human person at the center."

Referred to as the "People's Summit", it has already embarked on an unprecedented year-long process of engagement with more than 1,000 dialogues involving tens of thousands around the world. The results give the most comprehensive picture to date of existing interconnected challenges – from hunger and poverty to rural livelihoods, health and youth unemployment – as well as opportunities.

Reflecting on Uruguay's national dialogue, Vice President Beatriz Argimón said it was necessary to "celebrate and enhance the incredible resilience of women and their key role for the transformation of productive systems."

Playing a central role at the Summit were youth, Indigenous Peoples, farmers and women including Cherrie Atilano, President of Philippine agribusiness AGREA, who said: "We want young people to have better food choices. The youth have the power to change it because they are the now, the current, and the present."

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) announced a Business Declaration that sets out the private sector's ambition towards equitable, net-zero and nature-positive food systems that can nourish all people.

“Violence in SA | Reports of unhappiness among troops”- https://youtu.be/duqlAkHBlwk

“The South African National Defence Force is dismissing as baseless claims made on social media that they are threatening to withdraw over meal allowances. EFF leader Julius Malema tweeted that the army is threatening to redeploy because they're going hungry. Shahan Ramkissoon spoke to SANDF spokesperson Brigadier-General Mafi Mgobozi.”

“Julius Malema ‘in trouble with SANDF’ – following his latest Twitter post” - https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/breaking-what-julius-malema-say-on-twitter-sandf-argument-are-soldiers-quitting/

SANDF has indirectly gone into battle with Julius Malema on Monday, after they responded to claims that soldiers on SA’s streets were ‘going without food’.

JULIUS MALEMA CLAIMS SANDF SOLDIERS ARE ‘STARVING’

Juju found himself in SANDF’s bad books following a post he shared over the weekend. The EFF leader claimed to have received a text message from a soldier, who purportedly said that no food had been provided for his starving colleagues.

GRAB THE POPCORN! ARMY HITS BACK AT JUJU

The post, shared several thousand times, has since forced SANDF into some online diplomacy. Despite not mentioning Julius Malema by name, their recently published statement heavily references the Twitter post on his feed.

Responding in typically regimented fashion, SANDF suggested that Malema ‘could be prosecuted’ for choosing to share ‘baseless misinformation’ with his 3.6 million followers on the platform.

Army officials have conceded that there was an issue with food supplies, but according to the top brass, this has since been taken care of. Malema’s offending post still remains active, as of 14:30 on Monday.

“SANDF is highly concerned by ill-intended social media comments about the alleged withdrawal of soldiers. We dismiss with contempt, and scoff at the baseless insinuations that are aimed at causing panic. Perpetrators of such insinuations are reminded that it is an illegal and prosecutable offence to spread fake news or misinformation.”

“We acknowledge that there were challenges with ration packs and meal allowances. These received the necessary attention. It is outright disingenuous to suggest that soldiers are starving and considering withdrawing for the mission.”

“SIU Confirms Witness Murder” - https://youtu.be/AQcAT9dzdyk

“The Special Investigating Unit spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago has confirmed that the murdered Gauteng Health Department official, Babita Deokaran, was a witness in a PPE probe.”

“Babita Deokaran: Murdered official ‘uncovered corruption, provided crucial evidence’”- https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/babita-deokaran-murdered-health-official-uncovered-corruption-provided-crucial-evidence/

David Makhura said Babita Deokaran stopped payments of irregular contracts in the department. Her evidence also led to successful dismissals.

Senior Gauteng Health official Babita Deokaran, 53, who was shot and killed outside her home in Johannesburg on Monday, was a person who did everything in her power to uncover corruption, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said.

While the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recently revealed that Deokaran was one of its witnesses in the PPE investigations, Makhura added that she was appointed Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in August 2020 in the aftermath of the irregular and unlawful PPE procurement.

BABITA DEOKARAN ‘SERVED THE PEOPLE WITH HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS’

Makhura said Babita Deokaran served the people of Gauteng and the Department of Health with exceptional professionalism, unswerving dedication, and high ethical standards.

“During her tenure as the Acting CFO, Ms Deokaran uncovered corruption and stopped payments of irregular contracts in the Department at different levels, including in hospitals.

She took to heart the call to bring perpetrators of corruption and looting of public resources to book,” he said.

“As a result of her conscientious and courageous leadership, Ms Deokaran provided crucial evidence to the disciplinary processes conducted by the Office of the Premier and the SIU investigations,” he added.

‘HER GOOD DEEDS LED TO SUCCESSFUL DISMISSALS IN THE DEPARTMENT’

Police have made no arrests as yet and they also have no motive for the brutal shooting, however, according to Makhura, Babita Deokaran’s evidence and “good deeds” led to successful dismissals within the department and saw the institution of civil claims to recover public funds from businesses and government officials responsible for malfeasance and corruption.

“The perpetrators of this brutal murder of an outstanding public servant must know that we have put in place all the necessary resources to find them and bring them to justice. In honour of Babita Deokaran, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the perpetrators of corrupt tender processes and the callous killing of officials face the full might of the law,” Makhura said.

“We will not be cowed down by criminal gangs who want to loot state resources. We are taking steps to protect officials who have become targets of threats, intimidation and wanton murder,” he added.

A dedicated SAPS Provincial Task Team has been established to hunt down the perpetrators responsible for Babita Deokaran’s untimely death.