Covid-19: Manifestation against police brutality in Angola

Following the latest cases of police brutality in our Country during lock-down against defenceless citizens and many of which result in deaths, today an independent group of young Angolans have been promoting since morning a public manifestation called "No to police brutality".

The event brought together a large number of people who together repudiated the institutional violence perpetrated by some national police officers.

The event had as a concentration point the cemetery of Santa Ana in Luanda where the march began until the Independence Square, where the route culminated and people stayed in protest.

Covid-19: Social media has been bombarded with fake news about the end of coronavirus in Angola

Someone lied to these women that covid-19 is over, and that they can now walk around without masks, sell every day and do their business normally.

It seems that these women have not been watching the news on TV, radio and other media sources. Since they leave their homes early to go to work and return at night. 

The problem of misinformation

 

The truth is that the news was mistranslated. Due to the constant deaths caused by police officers, famine and other types of violence, the Angolan government has decided to make some changes in the state of emergency:

1) In the light of the new Presidential Decree on the extension of this period of isolation and social restrictions, the vendors are now authorised to sell, from Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and no longer only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

2) Under the new period of the State of Public Calamity that Angolans are beginning to experience, as of midnight on Wednesday (9 September), drivers are free to wear or not face mask.

Tragedy in Angola. Father kills the family because of hunger

This tragedy happened on Wednesday morning in the province of Benguela, Municipality of farta Bay, commune of Quimia.

The father left a letter saying that he lost his job because of covid-19, this caused a terrible hunger at home. His wife could not stand it, she abandoned him with two children.

Unable to support the family and the disappointment that the wife abandoned them, the victim murdered their two kids and then killed himself as well.

We are coming soon. We are very busy

Good morning dear, please stay tuned. We are coming soon 

Covid-19: Angola gains 6,000 specimens/day lab

 With the launch of the Viana Laboratory Diagnosis Centre on Thursday, Angola’s testing capacity shoots from 700 to 6,900 specimens a day.

According to the secretary of State for Public Health, of the total number of specimens to be processed per day in the country, 3,700 will involve RT-PCR molecular tests and 3,200 for rapid serological exams.

Speaking at the daily covid-19 update briefing on Thursday evening in Luanda, Franco Mufinda said this testing capacity will increase late this month with the launch of another three laboratories in the provinces of Lunda Norte, Huambo and Uíge.

He added that each laboratory will have the capacity to process 2,000 specimens a day, totalling 6,000/day. This will elevate the country’s testing capacity to 12,900 samples/day until the end of this month.

The official warned that the rise in the testing capacity will lead to a hike in detection of new positive cases of covid-19 and appealed to people not to panic with the likely steep elevation of infections in the coming days.

With 125 new positive cases of covid-19 recorded in the last 24 hours, Angola’s pandemic statistics show 3,217 infections, 130 deaths, 1,277 recoveries and 1,810 active patients.

Fight against corruption respects sense of justice in Angola

 President João Lourenço said last Tuesday that the ongoing fight against corruption is being carried out with determination, a sense of justice and the necessary impartiality.

Speaking at the opening of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of the Republic, the Head of State ruled out the idea that there are persecuted persons and protected ones in this fight.

He assured that the authorities will not retreat in the fight against corruption and impunity, in the accountability of presumed criminals and in the recovery of assets illegally acquired in the country, no matter where they are, in Angola or abroad.

“The fight against corruption in Angola is a fact of life and easy to see on a daily basis through the actions of citizens, the Public Ministry and the Courts throughout the country, not only to combat presumed criminal acts that have already been practiced, as well as to prevent them from happening today or tomorrow, if society is not very vigilant”, he assured.

To the President of the Republic, these objectives are achieved with work and patience, it is important to let the concerned authorities carry out their work and present the final result.

João Lourenço affirmed that the State is not sleeping, because "we are working hard and we are optimistic that we will be successful".

Local Elections

Regarding the local elections, the Angolan head of State said that the legal conditions to schedule and carry out the poll were not met, although he acknowledged that there was consensus on the need for the implantation of local governments.

He recalled that he took to the Council of the Republic of March 2018 the intention to carry out the local elections in 2020 and the Executive fulfilled the responsibility of exercising the legislative initiative that the Constitution confers on it, that is, drafting the law proposals and presenting them to the National Assembly for approval.

"We acknowledge all the effort made by the National Assembly to approve part of the municipal legislative package, but without necessarily pointing the blame, we agree that not everything is done, the work is not yet finished", he stressed.

In inviting the members of the Council of the Republic to reflect on the matter, João Lourenço stated that his understanding is that it is not possible in a democratic and law-abiding state to hold any kind of elections without legal support.

Covid-19: Angola records 125 new infections, the highest number ever

 Angola has reached a total of 3,217 positive cases of covid-19, after detecting 125 new infections in the last 24 hours, the highest number in one day so far.

The information was released Thursday evening in Luanda by the secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, during the daily covid-19 update briefing with journalists.

According to the official, in the period in respect, the country reported four deaths and 32 recoveries.

Mufinda said on the occasion that of the new positive cases, five were detected in central Benguela province, two in northern Cuanza Norte and 118 in the capital Luanda.

The new patients are aged between one and 79 years, being 61 males and 64 females. Luanda recorded three deaths and Benguela one, all Angolan nationals, the secretary of State also said.

He added that 23 of the recoveries were reported in northern Zaire province, eight in northern Cabinda and one in Luanda.

With the new data, Angola’s covid-19 figures show 3,217 positive cases, 130 deaths, 1,277 recoveries and 1,810 active patients.