Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that as of Sunday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 1 655, with 11 confirmed deaths. The Minister said this is an increase of 70 cases from the previous update issued on Saturday. Gauteng remains the province with the highest number of cases with 704, followed by […]

Police Minister Bheki Cele has welcomed the dramatic reduction in serious and violent crimes in South Africa during the country’s lockdown to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement issued on Sunday, Cele said indications were this was due to, among others, the prohibition of the sale and movement of liquor since the nationwide lockdown […]

Western Cape amateur film maker Gershwin Williams has captured haunting footage of Cape Town under lockdown, during South Africa’s 21-day Lockdown. Gershwin says: “A dose of my experiences in and around Cape Town, South Africa.” Gershwin was able to capture the scenes of desolation because “I have an essential services permit, so I took my […]

Check out this new song performed by the award-winning Drakensberg Boys Choir called Ubuhle Bendalo which means The Beauty of Nature in Zulu. The music and lyrics are by composer and conductor  Sivuyile Scott; and has been adapted by Bernard Krüger and Tobias Stückelberger. (See lyrics beneath the video.) Grade 9 learner Samkelo Mdakane delivers […]

As of today, Saturday 4 April 2020, South Africa has recorded 1,585 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and has nine confirmed fatalities. A public announcement has also been issued for former patients at St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban to get in touch with authorities. The Department of Health said: “We have received a report from KZN […]

IPID is also investigating 13 complaints related to shootings and 14 assault cases… writes Daneel Knoetze. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has registered six cases of “death as a result of police action” during the first week of the national Covid-19 lockdown, between midnight on 26 March and 2 April. Added to the tally of […]

Children earn money directing cars around potholes hidden by a flooded road in Bethelsdorp… writes Mkhuseli Sizani. A flooded street where motorists cannot see hidden potholes has become a source of income for some enterprising children in Bethelsdorp, Port Elizabeth. Their parents aren’t too pleased. The group of children, aged between five and 18, some […]

The Gauteng Health Department has called for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. The call comes as South Africa marked day 9 of the 21-day national lockdown aimed at stopping the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). “The fight against COVID-19 requires a joint effort by all sectors of society. This includes the increasing of […]

With an urgent need for medical supplies and equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, African Union (AU) Member States have called for international cooperation and support. The call was made in a teleconference convened by AU Chairperson President Cyril Ramaphosa. “Lifesaving supplies, including PPEs [personal protective equipment] masks, gowns, and ventilators and other support devices […]

Dear Family and Friends, On an early morning emergency dash to collect supplies I was anxious about venturing out and what I would see. It was Day 5 of Zimbabwe’s 21-day Coronavirus lockdown and I knew that by now people who live hand to mouth and eke out a living selling fruit and vegetables from […]

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has appointed Justice Catherine (Kate) O’Regan as the COVID-19 Designated Judge. Government will report on a weekly basis to the former Constitutional Court Justice the particulars of those who have been traced using cell phone data. The move is aimed at finding the contacts of those who test […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences at the passing of Freedom Front Plus founding leader and former Chief of the then South African Defence Force, General Constand Viljoen. Aged 86, Viljoen passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon at his farm in Ohrigstad, Mpumalanga. The President offered his sincere condolences to Risti Viljoen and the […]

As rating agency Fitch announced its decision to downgrade South Africa from ‘BB+’ to ‘BB’, placing the country further into non-investment grade, the SA government has emphasised its commitment to implement structural economic reforms. In a statement on Friday, government said it has noted the decision by the agency. In its decision, Fitch cited the […]

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for an end to “arbitrary limitations” on what can be sold in stores that are open in South Africa during the lockdown. The confusion around what are considered “essential items” in grocery stores, pharmacies and the like, is unhelpful and should be ended, says the DA. “I will write […]

Welcome to the Lock Up/Down Cartoon by Piet Frans (aka Pieter Kruger). If you missed the first few days, view Day 1-5 of the Lockdown cartoon here. By Piet Frans (aka Pieter Kruger) – a former lawyer who spent 13 years in The Hague prosecuting war criminals at the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal. Now retired, […]

I have spent quite some time documenting the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, as well as the communities’ response to the lockdown… writes Durban photographer Kierran Allen (who is covering the Lockdown in Durban for SAPeople, with authorisation from SAPS). There are two very different takes on it: and I have witnessed both with my […]

Two more elderly people have sadly passed away in KwaZulu-Natal, where South Africa’s coronavirus mortality is at its highest, according to a Covid-19 update by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The Minister said a gentleman aged 80 passed away on 1 April, and an 81-year-old female on 2 April. “Both didn’t have a history of travelling […]

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation says it is pleased to announce that 16 South Africans who were stranded in Dubai and Doha, respectively, have been successfully repatriated back to South Africa.   They arrived yesterday, 02 April 2020, following the announcement by the President of the relaxation of the restrictions to allow South […]

This Sunday, Carte Blanche investigates how hundreds of desperate South Africans stuck abroad on almost every continent are dealing with this crisis. You can watch the show on Sunday 5 April in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in most countries abroad from Tues 7 April on Showmax International. C O V […]

One of the world’s leading news broadcasters, the BBC, has praised South Africa for its “ruthless efficiency” in fighting the coronavirus, and for its “formidable leadership”. “South Africa seems to have acted faster, more efficiently, and more ruthlessly than many other countries around the world,” says the BBC, stating that more than 47,000 have been […]

A singing doctor in America is taking the world by storm, and in a way his inspiration to help people all started with a trip to South Africa a few years ago… which left him feeling “unstoppable”. Dr Elvis Francois (his name really is Elvis!) posted a video a couple of weeks ago from Rochester […]

A South African Police-led operation has ended the occupation by refugees of the Central Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square, writes James Stent for GroundUp. A large contingent of police officers broke down both entrances to the Central Methodist Church on Thursday afternoon, before entering the church as a group. The police appeared to meet very […]

Former Stellenbosch Mayor Conrad Sidego has sadly passed away at the age of 73. DA Leader John Steenhuisen said: “Saddened to hear of the passing of the DA former mayor of Stellenbosch, Conrad Sidego, a man who lived life to the fullest and who had a passion for service. Condolences to his family and friends […]

The Duduza Clinic near Nigel in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, has been shut indefinitely today – Thursday 2 April – following a resident nurse testing positive for Covid-19.  The infected nurse was reportedly among the 859 churchgoers whom attended a prayer meeting – the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast – at the Divine Restoration Ministries in Bloemfontein, earlier […]

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, as of Thursday, stands at 1 462. The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, announced the increase in cases at Universitas Hospital in the Free State, where he met with the COVID-19 task team in the province. A mass screening and testing is now underway there. […]