The other back to school blues

[ABSA Automative]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] June 02 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, On the eve of our nation's return to school, we found out it would be pushed back by a week. We now have a good idea why. In a briefing with Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Monday, it was revealed that the fight over the tender to supply schools with personal protective equipment was a significant factor in the unreadiness to return on Monday. In some provinces, disgruntled local suppliers, who were not contracted, reportedly held protests that blocked much of the equipment from reaching schools. Compounding the issue, according to the briefing, were bidders who misrepresented their capacity to deliver what was required. Should all this be resolved and if everything goes to plan, learners will return to school next week. When they do, they will find classrooms and schoolyards very different from the ones they left behind. Bongekile Macupe breaks down the [new safety regulations]( that will be put in place for pupils and staff. Remember how some of us got through school bumming pencils from our friends? There will be none of that. As cities across the United States experience the kind of American might usually reserved for what its president calls "shithole countries", it is easy to forget how security forces across the continent have largely acted with impunity for so long. South Africa is experiencing its [own instances of horrific violence]( from law-enforcement agents. The most publicised of these is the death of [Collins Khosa]( in Alexandra after an altercation with members of the South African South African National Defence Force and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department. Even after Khosa's family successfully took them to court, those implicated have been unsurprisingly [exonerated by an internal investigation]( conducted by the SANDF. The ministers of police and defence have also been ordered by the high court to publish a [set of guidelines]( on how to engage the public during the pandemic. As Mukoma wa Ngugi writes, we [cannot reform ourselves out of the times]( we are in. In case you missed it Fact-checking flu vax: More than 375 000 people worldwide have died from complications related to Covid-19, mainly in the United States and Europe. Posts on social media claim that people who have been vaccinated against the flu in the past 10 years will test positive for Covid-19. This is false; experts say the novel coronavirus that causes the disease is unrelated to the flu, and that data on approved tests does not support the claim. A summoning spell: Zimbabwe summoned the US ambassador over a White House official's remarks suggesting the teapot-shaped former "breadbasket of Africa" is [exploiting protests against the killing of George Floyd](. After Senator Marco Rubio said on Twitter that at least three unidentified "foreign adversaries" used social media to stoke and promote violence in the US, national security adviser Robert O'Brien later identified Zimbabwe, China and Iran among America's adversaries. Walk it off: Facebook employees are staging a rebellion over Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to act against US President Donald Trump, [expressing their dissatisfaction]( with their boss on social media in a rare public display of dissent and, in some cases, staging a "virtual" walkout. Dissent came from employees at all levels of the company, including some senior staff. #TheShowMustBePaused: Black Out Tuesday, created by Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two black women who are executives in the music business, [will begin today](. The pair have called on the industry that has "profited predominantly from Black art" to take a stand. "It is the obligation of these entities to protect and empower the Black communities that have made them disproportionately wealthy in ways that are measurable and transparent," said Thomas and Agyemang in a statement on their [official website](. Watching the watchers: Desperate to control the spread of the coronavirus and lift restrictions, governments around the world are turning to technology. Here are [six of the most important technologies]( being used. Explore the risks and limitations of each. What else is happening in the virtual newsroom Did you know that we are hosting [free webinars]( There's something for everyone, from financial planning to psychological support. Sign up now. We are keeping all our coronavirus coverage free to read. For reliable, up-to-date information, [visit our hub](. The critical issues our reporters specialise in haven't gone away; if anything, they have been exacerbated by this current crisis. We are committed to providing you with factual and up-to-date news, comment and analysis through this pandemic and beyond. If you're able to, this is a critical moment to support our newsroom with a [subscription or donation](. Yours in solidarity Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [PPS Asset protection]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) 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