Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Africa is likely to increase to just under 200 by today, Friday 20 March 2020. “We are quite certain by [Friday] we would have gone much higher, probably just under 200,” the Minister predicted at a meeting with the South African Medical […]

South Africa has identified 37 sites around the country that can be used as quarantine facilities in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia De Lille. “One of the key tasks for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has been to identify state-owned buildings which could possibly be […]

The Methodist Church has cancelled Good Friday and Easter Sunday services to combat the spread of the Coronavirus and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has cancelled Friday prayer. In addition, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) has cancelled its annual Moria pilgrimage. Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with leaders of diverse communities of faith to […]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading across the world. For those who catch it, the vast majority will experience mild symptoms, but for a few, it can cause severe disease and death. Some groups – like older people and those with pre-existing health conditions – are more vulnerable when exposed than others. Because of this, […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says new regulations that came into effect on Wednesday, will see all cruise and passenger ships entering South Africa through its sea ports being prohibited from disembarkation. Briefing the media at the Port of Cape Town on Wednesday, Mbalula said the regulations, which were gazetted on the same day, will assist […]

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, husband of South African expat Charlene Wittstock, has tested positive for COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the Royal Palace of Monaco confirmed in a statement on Thursday afternoon, 19 March 2020. Prince Albert is the first head of state to announce he has tested positive for the virus which is sweeping the […]

The South African government has imposed regulations that will limit unjustified price hikes and product stockpiling, to protect consumers, as the number of COVID-19 pandemic cases in SA rises to 150. The regulations, announced by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel during a press briefing on Thursday, deal with pricing matters during the national […]

In line with market expectation, the Reserve Bank of South Africa has cut the repo rate by 100 basis points to 5.25% per annum, Governor Lesetja Kganyago announced on Thursday. “The MPC decided to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points. This takes the repo rate to 5.25% per annum, with effect from 20 […]

The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Africa has jumped from 116 to 150 as of Thursday. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement at a briefing following a meeting with faith-based organisations in Pretoria. “The Minister of Health was able to outline to all of us that the level of infection has now risen […]

Here’s another great video from Steve Hall, the man who gave us the greatest Springboks poem ever… ‘Siyabonga Springboks‘ after South Africa won the Rugby World Cup in Japan in November 2019. Steve discusses how to explain the current “crazy times” to children and how to “keep your feet on the grass” and lead with […]

Following an urgent Mayoral Committee Meeting on Tuesday, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo, announced the following interventions on Wednesday which are to be implemented in Johannesburg in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As recently released figures by the Department of Health show, the majority of cases […]

South African Police are still hunting for the suspects in the murder of one of the Hawks’ top investigators into organised crime, particularly rhino poaching. Lieutenant Colonel Leroy Brewer was gunned down whilst driving to work on Tuesday morning. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the incident occurred at around 06h30 on Lydenburg […]

And the People Stayed Home, a prose poem by Kitty O’Meara, has been going viral since early March 2020 since the retired American teacher and chaplain published the beautiful poem on her blog, under the post title: In the Time of Pandemic. An Italian journalist Irene Vella has claimed it is a translation from her […]

It’s good news for more than 1,700 people who were being held quarantine on a cruise liner at Cape Town harbour, as news came this afternoon that six passengers who were tested for Coronavirus have all been given the all clear, testing negative for the COVID-19 virus. The 1,700 passengers and crew of Italy flagged […]

South Africa’s ‘Patient Zero’ – the first person diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in South Africa – has recovered enough to leave hospital. Authorities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said today that “South Africa is conquering Coronavirus” and that the patient, along with his wife who was also hospitalised with Coronavirus, have both recovered enough to […]

24-hour news channels are a key source of information on the pandemic both in South Africa and globally, but it’s not always possible or practical to keep a TV running. DStv Now for web browsers has a solution in the form of picture-in-picture to keep a small news window running in the corner of a […]

South Africans Noluthando Makalima and Tracy McKay claimed silver medals in their first appearance at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships in San Diego, completed at the weekend. Makalima, a Khayelitsha surfer with cerebral palsy, typified the type of grit this group is known for when she won her medal in the Women’s Prone 2 […]

As the power generation system is still constrained and vulnerable, the possibility of load shedding still remains, says Eskom. “During peak hours we are utilising emergency generation reserves to supplement supply, and [we] may have to implement load shedding at short notice should the power generation system deteriorate,” said the power utility in a statement […]

More than 1,700 people aboard a cruise liner in Cape Town Harbour are into their fourth day (Wednesday) of being quarantined on the luxury vessel. The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) confirmed yesterday that the vessel – MV AidAmira – as well as another vessel – ironically called MV Corona – which were both in the […]

South Africa now has 116 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19). “This means that there has been an increase of 31 new cases from yesterday’s announcement,” said the Health Department on Wednesday morning. Among the new cases are two males, one from Gauteng with no international travel history, and one from the Western Cape, who had […]

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, has taken the world by surprise. The good news is that tremendous scientific and technological advances have permitted scientists to understand a lot about this virus in a short amount of time. Within just two months of the first case, […]

What a surprise! When the call arrived early Monday morning from the rhino monitoring guard – calling “Mona has got a baby” – we all thought we were still dreaming… writes the team from Thula Thula Game Lodge in South Africa. After despair comes hope. We were all shocked and saddened when Lisa, the daughter […]

Quarantine blog. Day 1, 17 March 2020. Corona updates from deepest China! Since the Indian government (where I’m normally based at this time) has cancelled all visas and banned foreign entrants, my partner Debs and I had to pull all the trips we were offering up until November and make a quick plan… writes South […]

In response to the COVID-19 situation, DStv Now has added a new way to get free access (no DStv subscription needed) to the following 24-hour news channels: BBC World CNN Aljazeera Sky News eNCA SABC News Newzroom Afrika Euronews Now What is DStv Now and what can I see for free? DStv Now is the […]

A director of a non-profit company that received an R8.5 million Lottery grant has refused to give details about how the money was spent. At the time her organisation received the grant, she was a member of a National Lotteries Commission (NLC) distribution agency. When asked for comment Nomalanga Tyamzashe, one of the directors of […]