AFRICA

More than 70,000 extra troops will be deployed in South Africa to help enforce a lockdown intended to stop the spread of conronavirus, national broadcaster SABC says. Opposition leader John Steenhusien has tweeted a letter that President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote to parliament saying that he had decided to deploy an …

South Africa’s Communication Minister Stella Ndabeni has admitted to failing to follow the lockdown rules and has paid a 1,000 rand ($53;£42) fine as ordered by the senior magistrate in the Tshwane district court. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Phindi Mjonondwane said the minister’s court case proves that all citizens are …

Police in Gauteng have launched the 72-hour Activation Plan to find the suspects behind the killing of a Sebokeng-based Detective Sergeant. National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, has assigned the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner to immediately mobilise the 72-hour plan. According to a police report, at about 7:10pm, the police official …

With skyrocketing prices of food items resulting from COVID-19 pandemic gari has emerged as the food item in highest demand, especially among low-income workers in Sokoto. Gari, a popular staple food in Nigeria, is used as a main dish or accompaniment. “Both the white and yellow varieties are in high …

In what is surely the government’s most ambitious social spending effort in the democratic era, potentially reaching the pockets of millions of impoverished and vulnerable South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined a massive R500 billion social and economic spending plan on Tuesday to buffer some of the effects of the …

The ban on the sale and transportation of alcohol during the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa has emptied hospital beds, ruined businesses, provoked violence and political disputes, and has led to a surge of interest in pineapples, writes the BBC’s Andrew Harding from Johannesburg. The idea was simple. Ban all …

Ramaphosa sets aside billions for economic and social relief President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a massive R500 billion economic and social relief package to beat the effects of the coronavirus. The president said this money will come from repurposing R130 billion in the government’s budget, and other money from local …

Transnet Port Terminals has said its various port utilities were only half as busy during the coronavirus lockdown, as various logistics subsectors experienced a drop in demand for their services. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national lockdown at the end of March, which was later extended to include the entire …

South African Airways can no longer depend on financial support from government, the Pravin Gordhan-led Department of Public Enterprises said on Tuesday evening. During a meeting with unions representing workers at the troubled airline, the state was not in a position to provide more capital and that all parties need …

A man identified as Yakubu Alhassan, was electrocuted in Anagada community, a surburb in  Abuja while trying to fix a faulty fuse in a transformer. The residents said the deceased popularly known as Yakubu NEPA was a staff of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) but the company’s Public Relations …