The national carrier of Zimbabwe, Air Zimbabwe, is set to resume flights to Tanzania. Effective 02 March 2021, the airline will operate two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays between Robert G. Mugabe International Airport (HRE) in Harare and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam. Flights will depart Harare at 11:00 and arrive in Dar es Salaam at 14:15, while the return flight will depart Dar es Salaam at 15:00 and arrive in Harare at 16:15.
01 March 2021
Zambia/South Africa: Proflight Zambia & CemAir have signed an interline and code share agreement!
Zambian regional carrier Proflight Zambia and South African regional carrier CemAir have signed an interline and code share agreement. The agreement combines the two airlines' route networks between and within Zambia and South Africa, providing customers with a seamless travel experience. Certain flights will carry both airlines flight numbers. Through the new partnership between Proflight Zambia and CemAir passengers will be able to travel on a single ticket between the two carrier's 15 destinations which include Lusaka, Ndola, Livingstone, Mfuwe and Solwezi on the Proflight Zambia network in Zambia, and Cape Town, George, Johannesburg amongst others in the CemAir network in South Africa.
Kruger National Park Calendar - April!
Weather:
- seasonal shift towards autumn
- drop in daytime temperatures with cool evenings
- occasional late summer rains
Temperatures:
- between 13°C - 28°C (Fahrenheit: e.g. 28°C = [(28x9)]/5 + 32 = 82.4°F)
- visit our webcam page for live footage from Kruger National Park!
Landscape:
- vegetation dense > thick tree canopies
- many trees are bearing seeds/fruits
- pods are out on mopaneveld
Animal Activity:
- game dispersed throughout the park
- game spotting generally difficult
- Warthog, Impala & Wildebeest rutting season
- most migrant birds depart
Covid-19: South Africa has moved to Lockdown Alert Level 1!
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a national address on the national effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic on 28 February 2021 that South Africa will move from Level 3 to Level 1 of the country's Risk Adjusted Strategy. The new alert level has come into effect on 28 February 2021. The country's Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has in the meantime published a new Government Gazette (Regulation Gazette No. 11246, Vol. 668, No. 44201, 28 February 2021) that confirms the move to lockdown level 1, and the changes to some restrictions.
- The hours of the curfew is now from 00:00 to 04:00.
- Gatherings are permitted, subject to limitations on size, adherence to social distancing and other health protocols.
- These include religious, social, political and cultural gatherings.
- The maximum number of people allowed at any gathering is 100 people indoors or 250 people outdoors.
- Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used.
- Night vigils or other gatherings before or after funerals are still not permitted.
- Nightclubs will remain closed.
- The sale of alcohol is permitted, according to normal licence provisions. However, no alcohol may be sold during the hours of curfew.
- The wearing of masks in public places is still mandatory, and failure to wear a mask when required remains a criminal offence.
- The 33 land border posts that have been closed throughout this period will remain closed, while the other 20 will remain open.
- Only five airports will be open for international travel with standard infection control measures.
- These are OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) in Nelspruit and Lanseria International Airport (HLA) in Johannesburg.
- As we ease restrictions, we cannot let our guard down.
- The few remaining restrictions under Alert Level 1 are meant to maintain low levels of infections and, in particular, to prevent super-spreading events.
25 February 2021
Qantas is planning to return to Johannesburg from late October 2021!
The flag carrier of Australia, Qantas, has announced that it is planning to restart regular international passenger flights to most of its 25 pre-Covid-19 international destinations from 31 October 2021, instead of July 2021, as it previously forecast. According to the airline, the date change aligns with the expected timeframe for Australia's Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be effectively complete.
Johannesburg in South Africa, along with e.g. London in England and Los Angeles in the USA, will be one of the 22 international destinations Qantas is resuming flights to. Three routes – New York, Santiago and Osaka – will return at a later date.
Qantas says the flight capacity will be lower than pre-Covid-19 levels, with frequencies and aircraft type deployed on each route in line with the projected recovery of international flying. International capacity is not expected to fully recover until 2024.
24 February 2021
Namibia extends the current measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 until end of March 2021!
Namibia's President Dr. Hage G. Geingob, announced during the 25th Covid-19 public briefing on the national response measures on 24 February 2021 that the current measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 will be extended for a period of 26 days, from 25 February 2021 to 31 March 2021. The country's Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, announced in his statement that the following amendments to the Public Health Regulations will come into force at 24:00 on 24 February 2021 until 23:59 on 31 March 2021 (travel and tourism-related only, for a complete list click here):
- Regulation 3: Wearing of masks
- This regulation remains unchanged.
- Regulation 4: Public gatherings
- This regulation remains unchanged. Public gatherings indoors shall not exceed two hours. Law enforement will be enhanced to ensure compliance.
- Regulations 4 A: Restriction of movement (curfew)
- This regulation remains unchanged. However, the curfew starts at 22:00 as is currently the case but ends at 04:00 instead of 05:00. In the case of boarding schools, out-weekends are suspended in schools were cases of Covid-19 have been detected or are suspected.
- Regulation 5: Restrictions relating to liquor
- This regulation remains unchanged. However, liquor may be sold to and purchased on Sundays and Public Holidays by guests booked in or staying at establishments such as hotels, guesthouses, bed & breakfast facilites and casinos
- Regulation 6: Resumption of business operations and activities
- Businesses are allowed to operate within their normal working hours, with adherence to Covid-19 protocols and subject to regulations four and five.
- Regulation 8: Restrictions related to entry into Namibia
- This regulation remains unchanged.
- Regulation 9: Quarantine and Covid-19 testing
- This regulation remains unchanged.
- Regulation 10: Public transport
- This regulation remains unchanged.
Dr. Kalumbi Shangula pointed out in his statement that where no amendments have been effected to a particular regulation, such regulation remains in force as originally gazetted and will thus, continue to have legal force and effect.
South Africa has renamed two cities, three towns and two airports in the Eastern Cape! [update]
update (25 February 2021): Pumza Fihlani from the BBC tells us how to say Gqeberha - the new Xhosa name for Port Elizabeth.
South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has officially announced a number of name changes for towns, cities and airports as well as spelling corrections and the official registration for existing geographical names in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The changes were published in a Government Gazette (Government Gazette Vol. 668 No. 44181) on 23 February. The Minister approved the new geographical names for the following towns, cities and airports:
- Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) > Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
- Port Elizabeth > Gqeberha
- Uitenhage > Kariega
- East London Airport (ELS) > King Phalo Airport
- King Williams Town > Qonce
- Berlin > Ntabozuko
- Maclear > Nqanqarhu
For the spelling corrections and the official registration for existing geographical names (villages, human settlements and a mountain), please see the Government Gazette (Government Gazette Vol. 668 No. 44181, 23 February 2021).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)