A possible R125 million deal for Protective Personal Equipment by the husband of Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson and a Johannesburg councillor – coming only days after the president said severe steps would be taken against people who questionably benefit off the government’s R500 billion budget to deal with COVID-19 – has raised the ire of opposition […]

South Africa’s Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has tested positive for COVID-19. The Minister received his results on Saturday, 25 July 2020. This was the Minister’s second test since the outbreak of this virus. “Minister Patel is in good spirits and is in self-quarantine, and will continue to work from home. Those that […]

The #ServeUsPlease peaceful protest announced for Cape Town will now have national movements in several cities across the country today. The protests will be held simultaneously, from 10am to 12pm on Friday 24 July. In response to the South African government’s Covid-19 restrictions on the hospitality, tourism, food and alcohol, entertainment, media and affiliated industries, […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe, in any State institution, allegations of corruption during or related to the COVID-19 national state of disaster. The President announced the signing of the proclamation during his address to the nation on Thursday evening, on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted […]

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says KwaZulu-Natal appears to be following the same trend of COVID-19 infections, as witnessed in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces. Speaking during a virtual sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday, he said: “This is based on the average daily cases that we have been recording. We […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tonight brief the nation on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Coronavirus. (You can watch below.) “The President’s address follows a number of meetings of the Cabinet and the National Coronavirus Command Council,” said the Presidency on Thursday. The President’s address is scheduled to get underway […]

While the Eastern Cape has been overwhelmed by news of the collapse of its health care system, with hospitals unable to cope with the pandemic while the local government spends money on a questionable scooter programme, the Minister of Health has said it doesn’t need to be put under administration and that all provinces are […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has put global emergency preparedness under sharp scrutiny. It’s also placed national health systems’ capacity to predict and respond to major emergencies under the microscope. Much of the response to the pandemic is focused on testing, case management and control measures such as personal hygiene, quarantine and social distancing. But in most […]

While the number of new COVID-19 cases is stabilising in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal is expected to join Gauteng as the country’s epicentre, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has warned.   “In the country, Gauteng is still at the top of the rate of infections. KwaZulu-Natal is taking over now,” Mkhize […]

The City of Cape Town’s newly built facility – meant for Covid-19 patients in Makhaza, Khayelitsha – was torched allegedly by people protesting over land on Saturday. Protesters torched the Desmond Tutu Community Hall and a new facility for Covid-19 patients in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, on Saturday. The new facility opened a week ago and damage […]

A vaccine against COVID-19 is urgently needed if we’re to stop the virus spreading and prevent potentially millions of further deaths. We’re now one step closer to that goal. Yesterday, we published early results from our clinical trial of the vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (also known as AZD1222), designed by the University of Oxford and developed […]

As a medical professional, being on the frontline, I was constantly worried about contracting COVID. And three weeks ago I tested positive for it… writes Dr Andrew Williams, a medical practitioner in the Western Cape, whose post has gone viral, in which he candidly shares his fears and guilt of contracting COVID-19 in South Africa, […]

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has recuperated from COVID-19 and is back in the saddle today, at the same time that the Western Cape’s new positive cases have dropped to below three other provinces. The Western Cape was the epicentre of the virus in South Africa early on during the pandemic, mostly because of – […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone the spotlight on injustice in the world while also exposing risks that have been ignored for decades, says United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. He said the 26 richest people hold the same wealth as half the global population; and 100 million more people could be pushed into extreme poverty and […]

The signs painted on the safari vehicle driving through Nelspruit clearly pointed out the lunacy of the government’s lockdown regulations. While taxis can load 14 passengers in stuffy vehicles – risking the spread of COVID – open-sided safari vehicles that are rarely filled up have been told they cannot operate. Closed since March 2020, safari […]

A BBC documentary about the state of hospitals in the Eastern Cape, particularly Port Elizabeth, has shocked viewers in the UK and back home in South Africa. On Thursday morning, the Democratic Alliance tweeted a clip from the documentary’s “hospitals of horrors” and said: “?| The BBC has shown the country and the world what […]

Zindzi Mandela’s son Zondwa confirmed on Wednesday evening that his mother tested positive for COVID-19 on the day of her passing, but added that other tests have also been done and that the family is still waiting for the autopsy report to clarify her exact cause of death. Zindzi – the daughter of ‘giants’, Nelson and […]

Following the reinstatement of the alcohol ban and curfew, South African police will do random stop and search operations to ensure citizens adhere to the imposed regulations, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced today. “Throughout all of this, law enforcement officials will be dependent upon the cooperation of community members to ensure these operations are handled […]

Medical intern Danielle Moulton takes just three things into the hospital with her in the morning: her car key, a pen, and her phone in a plastic zipper bag. The rest of her belongings stay in the car, as her day in the Covid-19 wards of Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town starts. At work […]

While the positive COVID-19 cases in South Africa is rapidly approaching 300,000… the good news is that almost half of these patients have already recovered. In the past 24 hours, SA has reported another 10 496 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 298 292. The number of recoveries is 146 279, […]

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has tested positive for COVID-19. Mantashe and his wife Nolwandle both tested positive for the virus. According to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the Minister received his results on Tuesday. “This was the Minister’s third round of tests to be conducted since the outbreak of this […]

In a light-hearted – but important – rant, South African health care worker Kim Alexander has shared with her countrymen just why it is important right now that alcohol is banned. Watch below. An emergency medical practitioner also weighed in yesterday with an emotional message (see further down). Kim actually recorded her message a couple […]

After the death of Zindzi Mandela, who was ambassador to Denmark, was made public earlier today, it was announced that Claudinah Ramosepele, a former ambassador to Switzerland, had also died. “Deepest condolences from all at DIRCO to the families, friends and colleagues of Ambassadors Ramosepele and Mandela. Both have served South Africa well. May their […]

South Africa needs a Marshall Plan for building treatment and prevention capacity, not “ineffective gimmicks and outright lies”, says John Steenhuisen, Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). “Tonight we saw a president so determined to avoid taking responsibility, that he now seeks to blame the very citizens he has failed to protect,” said Steenhuisen in […]

Level three restrictions will stay in place said a sombre President Cyril Ramaphosa in his address to the South African public, live on television, on Sunday evening. The President also announced that the sale, dispensing and distribution of alcohol is suspended with immediate effect (which will free up hospital beds for the increasing number of […]