Several South Africans are stranded abroad – from Morocco to Mauritius, Ireland, Saudi Arabia to Peru and the UK – and are desperate to get home. The DA has called on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Naledi Pandor, to urgently intervene in bringing them home as a 21-day lockdown for South Africa […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa, as chairman of the African Union, is leading a teleconference today among African leaders to come up with a coordinated plan for the continent – where 2,746 positive cases have been recorded – on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Today’s consultative meeting is aimed at developing a common response of […]

About 100 South Africans making their way home to South Africa have found themselves trapped in transit in Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport in London. The South Africans, who are mainly seasonal workers who have flown in from different parts of the world, were on their way back to SA via London. But on landing […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has invited all South Africans to take part in a National Day of Prayer wherever they are, in response to Coronavirus (COVID-19). The President made the call on the eve of the 21-day national lockdown, which will start at midnight Thursday (tonight). Following discussions with religious leaders, President Ramaphosa called on citizens […]

The South African president Cyril Ramaphosa tested negative for the Coronavirus, his office said in a statement today. The president submitted for testing as a precautionary measure upon the advice of his physicians on Tuesday and received his results last night, according to a statement released by the presidency. “The Presidency has deemed it necessary […]

A group of 17 lions and tigers rescued from circuses in Guatemala made it to South Africa before the lockdown, in what the rescue organisation Animal Defenders says was “one of the luckiest breaks ever.” The cats landed in South Africa nine weeks ago, which seems like a long time, but the Coronavirus was already […]

The South African government has released its final regulations covering the 21-day lockdown to start at midnight on Thursday, and it said that people were meant to stay in their homes at all times except to obtain essential goods and services. The Minister of Police Bheki Cele said at a press conference, where several ministers […]

The Kiffness has been keeping South African informed about Coronavirus… and entertained. David Scott’s COVID-19 version of Toto’s Africa went hugely viral, and his latest is sure to be just as popular. This time he’s done a Bohemian Rhapsody Parody… called the Lockdown Rhapsody… The lyrics, as usual, are spot on! “This is the real […]

Now more than ever, South Africans (and people around the globe) need to look after each other. But sadly Pick ‘n Pay says some shoppers are still stockpiling unnecessarily, leaving empty shelves for others in need, and creating panic. Therefore the supermarket chain has produced this video with some of SA’s top musicians reminding locals […]

Prince Charles has tested positive for Corona Virus and is self-isolating with his wife Camilla at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Clarence House disclosed in a statement Wednesday morning. The 71-year-old heir to the British throne is displaying only mild symptoms, according to a Clarence House spokesperson, and “otherwise remains in good health”. The Duchess of […]

A number of existing drugs are being re-purposed and tested in South Africa for their efficiency in the potential treatment for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). “Preliminary work on the development of vaccines has started with University of Cape Town (UCT), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Biovac. Progress is expected in over 18 months,” […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases have increased to 709 confirmed positive cases as of the latest Coronavirus Update on Wednesday. Speaking to the public broadcaster, the SABC, on Wednesday morning, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced the latest figures which increased by 155 cases overnight. With 64 new cases, Gauteng led the pack of the provinces with […]

Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town may be closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in South Africa, but the penguins are having a blast… and lifting the spirits of all those, preparing for lockdown, who have watched videos of the happy penguins not only going walk-about… but running and hopping too! A few days […]

At the stroke of midnight on Thursday, South Africa will go on a nationwide lock-down with the exception of essential services. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Monday evening, following a meeting on Sunday with the National Coronavirus Command Council. The lockdown is the South African government’s bid to contain and slow down the […]

The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has announced that as of Tuesday, South Africa has 554 confirmed COVID-19 cases. This is an increase of 152 new cases from Monday’s announcement. The update follows the President’s televised address to the nation on Monday night, where he announced a nationwide lockdown in South Africa as part […]

“No one is safe until we are all safe. The next few weeks are going to be critical — we will need to work together to reduce the spread of the virus,” explains the signup sheet of a new Covid-19 response initiative. The Cape Town Together Community Action Network is an initiative that has been […]

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has been postponed for a year, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan announced today, Tuesday 24 March 2020. In a joint statement, they said “in the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan […]

Our intrepid correspondent Bruce Marais, who is usually travelling, has been in self-imposed quarantine in Casablanca, Morocco, for almost two weeks. For South Africans about to go into 21 days of lockdown he has some useful tips. “Dear friends in South Africa who are going on lockdown this Thursday, I’ve been in isolation for 13 […]

PRETORIA – Huawei Technologies has handed over a million rand donation to South Africa’s Department of Health, to support efforts to fight and contain the spread of the covid-19 virus. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize – who also received a further R2-million from the South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association, at the Chinese Embassy in […]

A rather large elephant seal has set up home on what is normally a popular tourist beach at Hout Bay in Cape Town, South Africa. But fortunately for the seal, the chances are he won’t be much disturbed as the City of Cape Town announced that the beaches will be closed from today, Tuesday 24 […]

The DA says it welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement Monday evening of a nationwide lockdown and the deployment of the South African National Defence Force. DA Leader John Steenhuisen said after the speech: “These measures are of critical importance in our efforts to combat the spread of the Coronavirus through our communities and contain, as […]

South Africa will officially go into lockdown at midnight on Thursday night, 26 March 2020, for 21 days, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a live streaming to the nation on Monday evening. He said that since his last address a week ago the global coronavirus crisis has deepened from 160,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases to 340,000… […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will be addressing the nation on the outcome of a meeting with business and political party leaders on ways to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in SA. WATCH VIDEO: Live streaming – President Ramahosa Addresses the Nation on Coronavirus

As uncertainty and fear grow amid the Covid-19 virus outbreak, some farms in the Western Cape are closing their doors. This could see hundreds if not thousands of seasonal farmworkers like Elizabeth Pietersen without means to provide for their families. Pietersen said she was recently dismissed “with immediate effect” without any warning. The only explanation […]

The South African business community has mobilised to combine its resources as a way of limiting the economic, social and health impact of COVID-19 on the country. This emerged at the discussions held by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s business formations on Sunday. Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), the Black Business Council (BBC) and […]