1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: This is Cape Talk Talk. It's time now for ground 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: up news with the ground Up senior journalist Mauritia Darmonds. 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: Of course, they focus on very important public interest in 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: human rights journalism and Mauritia joins me now on the 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: Lingo morning. Mauritia, ope you will. 6 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 2: Good morning, Lesla. I'm well, thanks and I trust you 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 2: are too. 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: I am very good. Yeah. We're broadcasting from the SA 9 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: Red Cross Amschangar for Lesli and a large I have 10 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: been really welcomed here and I've been enjoying my time here. 11 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: But let's start here. The Cape I Court makes an 12 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: important ruling in a case where a child who needed 13 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: legs amputated but the parents were against this due to 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: cultural and religious reasons. 15 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: So this was at the Red Cross Children's Hospital and 16 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: it involves a six year old girl who had been 17 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 2: admitted there in January with menangocical stept to semia, which 18 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: is a bl infection that causes poer circulation, and she 19 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 2: later developed gangrene in both feet, which left amputation as 20 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 2: the only viable option, and the doctors warned that the 21 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: infection could spread, which would worsen her condition and further 22 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 2: limit her mobility and her parents initially refused consent for 23 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 2: the surgery and said that they wanted to pursue traditional 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 2: healing in the Eastern Cape and they planned to remove 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 2: her from the hospital despite her being in severe pain 26 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 2: and on strong medication, but the hospital refused to discharge 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 2: her and they just cited that it was in her 28 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 2: best interests and the staff at the hospital made extensive 29 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: efforts to accommodate the family's beliefs, so they allowed traditional 30 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 2: healers to assess the child, to consult cultural leaders, and 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: they also involved social workers and experts, and two traditional 32 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 2: healers evaluated the child and they suggest the treatments, but 33 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: neither could provide a medically acceptable alternative, and after ongoing discussions, 34 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: the mother eventually consented to the surgery, but the father 35 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 2: did not, and that's when the hospital then approached the 36 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 2: court urgently under the Child's or the Children's Act rather 37 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 2: and the judge in the matter acknowledged the constitutional protection 38 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: of cultural and religious rights, but she also emphasized that 39 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: the child's best interests are paramount, which includes their rights 40 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 2: to life, dignity, and healthcare, and she found that surgery 41 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 2: would be the only appropriate medical option. 42 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: The order by the court was that and the judge 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: that in my view and I quota in my view, 44 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: the hospital displayed a level of sensitivity and respect for 45 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: the families religious and cultural beliefs which was nothing short 46 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: of admirable, the judge said, But neither of the traditional 47 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: leaders who assessed the child that provided a medically access alternative. Okay, 48 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: let's move here now. Post Bank to resume with a 49 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: rollout of Social Grant Black cards from April. 50 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 2: Yes, so, so that is to replace those remaining SASA 51 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 2: Gold cards that some Social grant beneficiaries are still using. 52 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 2: So about one point five million beneficiaries had received black 53 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 2: cards by March last year and around six hundred thousand 54 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 2: still needed to switch. And that move follows Postbank's licensing 55 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 2: as a financial services provider and it's part of their 56 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 2: broader plans to establish as a state owned bank after 57 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 2: it separated from the South African Post Office in twenty nineteen. 58 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 2: So that transition from the gold to the black cards 59 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 2: was prompted by a security breach in twenty twenty one 60 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 2: that compromised the SASA gold cards and the Reserve Bank 61 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 2: instructed Postbank to replace those gold cards with a more 62 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 2: secure card and that is where the black card comes in. 63 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 2: So a large scale rollout began back in twenty twenty four, 64 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 2: but it was widely criticized for being confusing. They were 65 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 2: very tight deadlines, long queues, and a lot of the 66 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: time the systems were not working and by March last year, 67 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 2: by by that deadline, only about half of the beneficiaries 68 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 2: had switched. So so Post Bank and SASA are expected 69 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 2: just to continue working together to reach the remaining beneficiaries 70 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 2: who are still using the Gold card. And yeah, so 71 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 2: the rollout of those black cards are expected to begin 72 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 2: later this month up until July. 73 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: Mauricia Durmans, she's a senior journalist for Groundup. That's where 74 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: we leave it for today. 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