Tag Archives: South Africa

As government consultations continue over the possibility of lowering lockdown levels at the end of May, early analysis by the Department of Health has revealed the seven hardest-hit districts likely to remain at high risk stages. Ekurhuleni metro in Gauteng, eThekwini metro and iLembe District in KwaZulu-Natal, Buffalo City and Nelson …

A virtual meeting held by a South African parliamentary committee has been hacked and the speaker abused. The programming committee’s session had just started on Thursday morning when pornographic images appeared on the screen and a male voice hurled insults at Speaker Thandi Modise, who was chairing it. The outraged …

South African anti-apartheid activist, Denis Goldberg has died at his home near Cape Town, aged 87. Goldberg was a prominent member of the ruling African National Congress and stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela. He spent 22 years in prison for his involvement with the ANC’s fight against apartheid, the racist …

South Africa’s president has announced an easing of some lockdown restrictions beginning next month, citing economic concerns. But President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that most people should remain at home, public gatherings remain banned, and the country’s borders will stay closed. From 1 May, some businesses will be allowed to reopen, …

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 …

In late January, China put 60 million residents on lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus in its hardest-hit region, the Hubei province. Residents were not allowed out of their homes except to go to grocery stores or pharmacies. Planes, trains, and buses into and out of the city were shut …

South Africa says it is succeeding in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, with a nationwide lockdown showing clear signs of containing the disease, for now. At a televised briefing, the chair of the government’s advisory committee said South Africa’s success in halting an exponential rise in cases was unprecedented. South Africa …

The German embassy in South Africa is making plans to repatriate some 7,000 of its nationals who are stuck in the country. Already, 47 German tourists are under quarantine in the country after one of them tested positive to Covid-19, according to local media reports. South Africa has the highest …

Bustling streets and long queues at supermarkets highlighted South Africa’s struggle to adapt to a new lockdown on Friday, as the country recorded its first Coronavirus death.   In the poor township of Alexandra near Johannesburg’s financial district, a group of men drank openly in the street until police intervened and ordered …

The World Health Organization plans to reach at least 50 million people with a WhatsApp information service that delivers information on demand about the coronavirus and is so successful in South Africa it will be used around the world. The free service, the first of its kind launched globally by …