Top news items in major S. African media outlets

CAPE TOWN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The following are news items in South African major news outlets on Friday.

-- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Thursday released an advisory on increased malaria risk in three provinces.

The NCID announced that there's an extended seasonal risk of malaria, with an increase in number of cases of severe malaria, specifically in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal, including the Kruger National Park. (Traveller24)

-- Steinhoff International Holdings chairperson and largest shareholder, South African billionaire Christo Wiese, is stepping down from the supervisory board after an accounting scandal engulfed the retail giant.

The board accepted Wiese's resignation to resolve questions of conflict of interest, the owner of furniture chains such as Mattress Firm in the United States and Conforama in France said in a filing on Thursday. (Fin24)

-- Following the announcement of an outbreak of listeria in South Africa, there are now calls for supermarkets to test their food for the bacteria before it's sold to customers.

At least 37 people have died of listeriosis and over 500 cases have been reported in the country. AfriForum's Marcus Pawson on Thursday urged restaurants to take the necessary precautions. (Eyewitness News) Enditem