This Sunday Carte Blanche investigates a mystery that took place at a guest house on a farm in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, near to Kareedouw. You can watch the show on Sunday 14 June in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries from Tues 16  June if you’re abroad. […]

On 15 March 2020, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a national state of disaster and 11 days later, an intense lockdown ensued! This breathtaking drone video – ‘PERSPECTIVE’ by Timothy Hay and Simon Mulholland – captures a never-to-be-seen again, empty, picturesque and pristine KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). WATCH VIDEO Perspective – KZN Lockdown “Covid-19 […]

British comedian Michael McIntyre (the same guy who said South Africans have the funniest accent!) has produced a video that’s pure gold… and that most people around the world will relate to, whether you’re a comedian or not. In the video he visits a fortune teller in 2019 who predicts what he’ll be up to […]

As the number of COVID-19 infection cases in South Africa continues to rise, with the national death toll now at 1080, President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of COVID-19 victims, who have succumbed to the virus. “Each one of these deaths is a tragedy. Each one represents a unique life: a […]

Monday 7 June 2020 was the first day of school for Grade 7 and 12 learners across South Africa, under the COVID-19 learning environment – complete with face masks, screening and social distancing protocols. On the first day of the reopening of schools, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga visited various schools across Gauteng to oversee […]

The mayor of Johannesburg, Geoff Makhubo, has gone into self-isolation after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a funeral in the Western Cape. Makhubo earlier today visited a school in Johannesburg to see the safety preparations made for returning learners. Makhubo said that even though he had tested negative recently, […]

Government’s lack of transparency means analysts cannot evaluate whether a strategy is working… writes Alex van den Heever on GroundUp. The response required to address the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa could reasonably be argued to necessitate the extraordinary step to invoke the Disaster Management Act. After all, in times of crisis, even the old Roman […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has one simple but fundamental message for his fellow South Africans: “Don’t be alarmed. Be prepared.” He says he, like most people, has noticed the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in SA rising fast. “More than a half of all cases since the start of the outbreak were recorded in […]

Crises bring out the the best and worst of politicians and populations. Folly, fear and fortitude are on display everywhere. In the main, democracies have fared better than non-democracies in handling the coronavirus pandemic… writes Lawrence Hamilton from the  University of the Witwatersrand. But the record is very varied indeed. What explains this? What can […]

The Western Cape needs about 30,000 beds as the number of Coronavirus infections in the province is expected to continue to surge, it was announced today when President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the 850-bed Hospital of Hope at the CTICC. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, who was on the visit with Ramaphosa and Western Cape Premier […]

Everyday Lauren* breaks her isolation to visit the clinic where she undergoes radiotherapy. Cancer patients appear to have a higher risk of dying of Covid-19 if they become infected with the new coronavirus. Lauren has cancer and needs to attend a clinic for radiotherapy. She describes the measures the clinic has taken because of the […]

An urgent intervention and investigation of a Durban quarantine facility is being sought by both the DA and AfriForum to resolve what the opposition party calls an “untenable situation”. About 160 to 200 South Africans are currently being quarantined in Durban hotel, Coastlands… which they claim is dirty and unsafe, and where they are allegedly […]

There are now 40,792 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa as of 4 June 2020, according to the Department of Health. This is an increase of 3,267 cases in the past 24 hours. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said: “As of today, the cumulative number of confirmed #COVID19 is 40 792, the total number of […]

The lockdown in South Africa has been extended by another month, which means it will run its full 90 days, until 15 July, according to a statement by government today. After a meeting of the cabinet today, the extension was announced by the Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, as was a decision to appeal […]

With lockdown leaving many families in South Africa destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families, South Africans all over the land have stepped up to find a way to create vegetable gardens, soup kitchens and other ways to help feed those who may otherwise starve. And for those who […]

South Africa’s government is proud that its response to Covid-19 relies on science. It might be prouder if it was also guided by knowledge of how society works. When South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown began on 27 March, opposition from some quarters was inevitable. What was not expected was that the most vehement resistance would be […]

The number of confirmed COVID-19 in South Africa is 37 525, while the death toll has spiked to 792. Almost 80% are in the Western and Eastern Cape Out of the 37 recorded deaths on Wednesday, 29 are in the Western Cape, seven in the Eastern Cape and one in KwaZulu-Natal. On Tuesday, 50 people […]

Two South African airlines, Airlink and FlySafair, will start flying again over the next two weeks, with Mango also possibly joining them. Airlink said it would launch a limited scheduled domestic air service from 8 June, with flights on the Johannesburg-Cape Town and Johannesburg-Durban trunk routes, using 98-seat Embraer E190 regional jets. According to the […]

The Democratic Alliance said today that the minister of tourism’s “see how things go” attitude could decimate the country’s tourism industry. The minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has said that the sector would only reignite by December this year. “By that time most of the tourism, travel and hospitality industries will be decimated,” the DA said. “The […]

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has expressed confidence that the aviation industry and South Africa’s airports will adhere to COVID-19 regulations and directives, as the sector reopens. See below for the process passengers will now go through to travel by air. Speaking on Wednesday at the O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, where he was inspecting […]

The South African Government says it has taken note of the Johannesburg High Court ruling, which declared COVID-19 lockdown regulations in levels 3 and 4 unconstitutional and invalid. The court, however, suspended the declaration of invalidity for a period of 14 days. “This means that the Alert Level 3 regulations remain in operation for now,” […]

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa have now reached 35 812 — an increase of 1 455 in the last 24 hours. According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Western Cape still has the majority number of cases with 23 583, followed by the Eastern Cape with 4 324, Gauteng with 4 276, and […]

The regulations promulgated by the South African government relating to the lockdown Levels 3 and 4 under the Disaster Management Act have been declared unconstitutional and invalid, and the government has been given 14 days to rectify them. In the Gauteng High Court, Justice N Davis said the invalidity was suspended for 14 days, and […]

The Democratic Alliance says its lawyers have written to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, over the continuous ban on personal care services, such as hairdressers. In a press statement on Tuesday, Dean Macpherson – DA Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry, said: “The continued criminalisation of the personal […]

Although liquor sales are allowed from today, the two-month ban on the sale of alcohol, combined with a ban on exports, has had a devastating impact on the wine industry. According to figures released by Vinpro last week, about 80 wineries and 350 producers have gone out of business, and 18,000 workers have lost their […]