In line with market expectation, the Reserve Bank of South Africa has cut the repo rate by 100 basis points to 5.25% per annum, Governor Lesetja Kganyago announced on Thursday. “The MPC decided to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points. This takes the repo rate to 5.25% per annum, with effect from 20 […]

The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Africa has jumped from 116 to 150 as of Thursday. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement at a briefing following a meeting with faith-based organisations in Pretoria. “The Minister of Health was able to outline to all of us that the level of infection has now risen […]

Following an urgent Mayoral Committee Meeting on Tuesday, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo, announced the following interventions on Wednesday which are to be implemented in Johannesburg in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As recently released figures by the Department of Health show, the majority of cases […]

South African Police are still hunting for the suspects in the murder of one of the Hawks’ top investigators into organised crime, particularly rhino poaching. Lieutenant Colonel Leroy Brewer was gunned down whilst driving to work on Tuesday morning. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the incident occurred at around 06h30 on Lydenburg […]

And the People Stayed Home, a prose poem by Kitty O’Meara, has been going viral since early March 2020 since the retired American teacher and chaplain published the beautiful poem on her blog, under the post title: In the Time of Pandemic. An Italian journalist Irene Vella has claimed it is a translation from her […]

It’s good news for more than 1,700 people who were being held quarantine on a cruise liner at Cape Town harbour, as news came this afternoon that six passengers who were tested for Coronavirus have all been given the all clear, testing negative for the COVID-19 virus. The 1,700 passengers and crew of Italy flagged […]

South Africa’s ‘Patient Zero’ – the first person diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in South Africa – has recovered enough to leave hospital. Authorities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) said today that “South Africa is conquering Coronavirus” and that the patient, along with his wife who was also hospitalised with Coronavirus, have both recovered enough to […]

24-hour news channels are a key source of information on the pandemic both in South Africa and globally, but it’s not always possible or practical to keep a TV running. DStv Now for web browsers has a solution in the form of picture-in-picture to keep a small news window running in the corner of a […]

South Africans Noluthando Makalima and Tracy McKay claimed silver medals in their first appearance at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships in San Diego, completed at the weekend. Makalima, a Khayelitsha surfer with cerebral palsy, typified the type of grit this group is known for when she won her medal in the Women’s Prone 2 […]

As the power generation system is still constrained and vulnerable, the possibility of load shedding still remains, says Eskom. “During peak hours we are utilising emergency generation reserves to supplement supply, and [we] may have to implement load shedding at short notice should the power generation system deteriorate,” said the power utility in a statement […]

More than 1,700 people aboard a cruise liner in Cape Town Harbour are into their fourth day (Wednesday) of being quarantined on the luxury vessel. The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) confirmed yesterday that the vessel – MV AidAmira – as well as another vessel – ironically called MV Corona – which were both in the […]

South Africa now has 116 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19). “This means that there has been an increase of 31 new cases from yesterday’s announcement,” said the Health Department on Wednesday morning. Among the new cases are two males, one from Gauteng with no international travel history, and one from the Western Cape, who had […]

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, has taken the world by surprise. The good news is that tremendous scientific and technological advances have permitted scientists to understand a lot about this virus in a short amount of time. Within just two months of the first case, […]

In response to the COVID-19 situation, DStv Now has added a new way to get free access (no DStv subscription needed) to the following 24-hour news channels: BBC World CNN Aljazeera Sky News eNCA SABC News Newzroom Afrika Euronews Now What is DStv Now and what can I see for free? DStv Now is the […]

A director of a non-profit company that received an R8.5 million Lottery grant has refused to give details about how the money was spent. At the time her organisation received the grant, she was a member of a National Lotteries Commission (NLC) distribution agency. When asked for comment Nomalanga Tyamzashe, one of the directors of […]

The number of COVID-19 infections in South Africa has risen to 51, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday. A Wits medical student has also tested positive, according to a private laboratory test which is still to be confirmed by the SA Health Department. The confirmed number has risen by 13 from Saturday’s figure of […]

Pleas for energy bars and drinks have been posted on social media on Sunday night for the firefighting crews currently battling the Tafelberg Road Fire which is “burning fiercely in strong wind conditions”. Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) asked for donations to please be dropped off at SANParks – Table Mountain National Park Newlands Fire Base […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has today – Sunday 15 March 2020 – declared a National State of Disaster… in order for SA to focus on preventing and reducing the outbreak of the Corona virus. The number of COVID-19 infections in South Africa has risen to 51, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday, rising […]

Almost immediately after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in South Africa, the jokes started. From memes featuring prominent politicians to bad puns, from TikTok video clips to pictures of people posing with silly home-made protective gear, South Africans took to Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook to make fun of the virus. It is not […]

The number of COVID-19 infections has grown to 38 in South Africa, the Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed on Saturday… an increase of 14 new confirmed cases since Friday’s 24. “In view of the rising numbers, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an urgent Cabinet meeting to be held on Sunday. This meeting will explore ways […]

The 114 South Africans evacuated by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) from China’s COVID19-hit Wuhan City have touched down in Polokwane, in Limpopo. The group arrived shortly after 10:30am on a South African Airways (SAA) flight. About 20 minutes after landing, the first passenger disembarked the aircraft and was swiftly escorted to one […]

US President Donald Trump officially declared a National Emergency (“two very big words”) on Friday, 13 March 2020, as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose above 2,000 in the USA, with the death toll reaching 41. To unleash the full power of the Federal Government in this effort, today I am officially declaring […]

South Africa’s Health Department has confirmed eight new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases to 24. “At this point, I wish to also bring it to your attention that there are more positive results that have come out. “The NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases] and NHLS [National Health Laboratory Service] […]

Eskom claims that the water pump at Koeberg nuclear power station which tripped on Tuesday, plunging South Africa into Stage 4 Loadshedding, did so because it became clogged with jellyfish and fish. The bad news is that Stage 4 loadshedding is likely to continue till late into Friday night. The good news is that the […]

South Africa on Thursday confirmed its first local transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Free State. UPDATE: The man in the Free State has been tested against and although he initially tested positive has subsequently been found to be negative. According to the Department of Health, a 32-year-old male came into contact with a […]