Ashleigh Nefdt
Every week, Perdeby puts together the week’s biggest national and international news stories. We know you’re in a rush and sometimes simply need to brush over what’s going on around us. Here are some of the biggest news stories of the week.
#Listeriosis outbreak
On Monday 5 March, South Africans were warned about certain poultry and meat products that could be infected with the new strain of listeriosis. Here’s what you need to know:
The source: The problem stems from Enterprise Food’s Polokwane factory, which inspectors from the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, as well as inspectors from the World Health Organisation, found selected meats to be positive for the ST6 strain type.
Who is affected: Even though no one should take a risk, listeriosis primarily affects people with weak immune systems, the elderly people and pregnant women.
How to stop Listeriosis from spreading: Even if you have thrown away suspicious meat products (specifically polony and cold cuts), you might still be afraid of listeriosis lurking some other food products, so here’s what you can do:
- Certain food chain stores like Woolworths have sent around specific lists of products that might be infected, so check those names against the products you have in your fridge.
- Boil your cooked food in water above 70 degrees Celsius as listeriosis cannot handle the heat.
- Clean your fridge using diluted bleach, as listeriosis love the cold, and can multiply in your fridge and cause cross contamination.
Inxeba, South Africa’s ticket to the Academy Awards age restriction lifted
On Wednesday 7 March, John Trengove’s film, Inxeba, the Wound, will officially had its restriction lifted from X-18, a restriction which essentially banned the film from being showed in cinemas, and for mainstream appeal.
“I think this was a big victory for the film and a big step forward. The rating was bizarre and the bewildering for all of us,” Trengove said about what is considered a great victory for the film.
The age restriction was raised by the Film and Publication Board’s Appeals Tribunal from 16 to 18, after viewers in the Eastern and Western Cape protested the screenings on a basis that the film was demeaning the Xhosa culture.
However, the film’s producers took the case to the High Court on Tuesday 6 March and won, earning what they consider a great victory for a culturally educational film that people should be allowed to watch.
North Korea could abandon its nuclear weapons in exchange for US security
South Korean delegates who were recently hosted by Kim Jong Un himself broke the news that the North Korean leader is prepared to give up his nuclear power if the United States agrees to certain security guarantees.
According to Chung Eui-Yong, the head security adviser for South Korea’s president, “The North side clearly affirmed its commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and said it would have no reason to possess nuclear weapons should the safety of its regime be guaranteed.” This is a dramatic change of North Korea’s foreign policy which has been focused on deterrence through the development of nuclear weapons.
