Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
INingizimu Afrika isingene ngokusemthethweni kwigagasi lesine lobhubhane lwe-Covid-19 njengoba kubikwe isibalo sabantu abaningi asebethole lesi sifo ezifundazweni eziyisikhombisa kweziyisishiyagalolunye.
Lokhu kushiwo nguNgqongqoshe wezempilo udokotela uJoe Phaahla ngoLwesihlanu ngesikhathi ekhuluma nabezindaba.
UPhaahla uthe izwe lihlaselwe igagasi lesine lokutheleleka nge-Covid-19 lohlobo olusha olubizwa nge-Omicron olutholakale ezifundazweni eziningi.
Ukwanda kwalesi sifo kwabikwa okokuqala e-Gauteng kanti manje sekudlulele nase-Western Cape, e-Limpopo, eMpumalanga, e-North West naKwaZulu-Natali.
I-Free State kanye ne-Northern Cape babike ukuthi banesibalo esincane sabantu abathelelekile.
UPhaahla uthe ukunyuka okuphezulu kwezifo kuhambisana nezinkomba zangaphambilini zokuthi ukwahluka kwe-Omicron kuzoba kubi kakhulu kunamagagasi amathathu adlule.
Emasontweni ambalwa nje, izwe lisuke ezibalweni eziyizi-2,465 ngosuku laya kweziyi-16,055 ngoLwesihlanu kwathi abantu abangama-25 bashona ngoLwesihlanu ebusuku.
Ukwenyuka kwesibalo sabathelelekile singaphezu kwezinkulungwane eziyishumi nantathu ngosuku phakathi nesonto.
“Esingakusho ukuthi empeleni sabikelwa, njengoba ngike ngasho ngaphambi kwaleli gagasi lesine, ukuthi liyeza. Kodwa besingazi ukuthi igagasi elisha lizothatha isikhathi esingakanani futhi uhlobo olunjani nokuthi kuzoba khona igciwane elisha elihlukile noma kuzoba yini isimilo salezo zinhlobo,” kusho uPhaahla.
Ubuye wengeza ngokuthi igagasi elikhombisa ukwanda kwezifo lishubile kakhulu kunanoma yikuphi okunye ukuphakama noma igagasi esilibonile kulawa amathathu edlule.
UPhaahla uphinde watshela isithangami sabezindaba ukuthi unethemba lokuthi lolu hlobo olusha lwegciwane lungaphathwa ngaphandle kokuthi kushone abantu abaningi.
Unxuse abantu baseNingizimu Afrika ukuthi bagonywe ngokugcwele, wengeza ngokuthi izwe lingaphatha igagasi lesine ngaphandle kwemingcele eqinile yokuvalwa kwemigwaqo ngokhisimusi.
Ngesikhathi kuqhubeka isithangami nabezindaba, usosayensi uMichelle Groome we-National Institute for Communicable Diseases yaseNingizimu Afrika uthe izifo nazo ziyasuka kubantu abasha ziye kubantu abadala.
I-Omicron yatholwa okokuqala eningizimu ye-Afrika ngoNdasa futhi lafakwa ohlwini lwezifo eziyingozi yinhlangano yezempilo yomhlaba futhi ososayensi basaqoqa imininingwane ukuze bathole ukuthi ithathelana kangakanani kanye nobukhulu bokugula oba nakho uma isikungenile.
Khonamanjalo inyuvesi yaseGoli (i-UJ) imemezele ngoLwesihlanu isinqumo sayo sokugoma okuyimpoqo kuzo zonke izinkampani zayo nasezikhungweni kusukela ngoMasingana ngonyaka ozayo.
Bonke abasebenzi, abafundi kanye nozakwethu abenza ucwaningo kodokotela kanye nezivakashi, osonkontileka nabanye ababambiqhaza kuyodingeka babonise ubufakazi bokugonywa ingxenye noma ngokugcwele ngaphambi kokungena kunoma iyiphi ikhempasi noma isikhungo.