There is intense pressure on the South African government to lift the lockdown and open the economy. Sustainably lifting out of the lockdown is critical. But there is no roadmap. The stakes are high and there are no right answers, just ones that juggle uncertain probabilities. Diminishing growth over the past decade has weakened industry […]

Thousands of South Africans arrested for minor infringements of lockdown rules, and forced to pay admission of guilt fines (to stay out of jail), have now earned themselves criminal records. According to current affairs show, Carte Blanche, these people were going about lawful essential tasks of buying food, prepaid electricity and fetching their children. They […]

As a philanthropist rather than a psychologist I know more about people helping each other than I know about why they do it. What I know at the moment is that we’re seeing much more in the way of actual help for those affected by coronavirus than I’ve seen for any other cause, anywhere in […]

Dudu Myeni, who was chairman of the board of South African Airways for five years from 2012 and “made headline news for the wrong reasons,” has been declared a delinquent director and will not be allowed to hold directorships of other companies. Judgment was handed down in the Pretoria High Court today in favour of […]

South Africa is currently one of the world’s largest carbon emitters. And it’s increasingly being viewed as a pariah that isn’t contributing as much as it could to the international fight against global warming and climate change. With a lot of other countries now moving away from fossil fuel-based electricity, there’s considerable pressure for South […]

As the continent marks the 57th Africa Day, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa – as African Union Chair – will lead the continent’s celebrations, which include a special virtual broadcast and the Africa Day Solidarity Concert for the COVID-19 Response Fund. Africa Day is celebrated on 25 May 2020 and marks the establishment of […]

US President Donald Trump is donating his salary for this quarter to the US Health Department for COVID-19 research. White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, announced the news at a press conference on Friday. McEnany said: “The President, as you are all well aware, donates his salary to various initiatives… across the Federal Government, and […]

Locked in South Africans (#LISA) this morning (22 May) lodged papers at a Gauteng court requesting urgent court action against the South African government which is not letting all South Africans, who have jobs abroad, return to their overseas homes. Representing approximately 3,500 South Africans currently stuck in SA, the Home Away from Home organisation […]

The South African Reserve Bank has cut the repo rate by 50 basis points, and from 22 May it will be 3.75 percent. SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago made the announcement on Thursday following a Monetary Policy Committee meeting. The cut is the third since the advent of COVID-19 in the country in March, when the […]

A field hospital to deal with COVID-19 patients is being set up in Tshwane with the help of BMW, Nissan, and the embassies of Germany and Japan. Gauteng premier David Makhura made the announcement while visiting the two automakers’ manufacturing plants in Rosslyn to see how they were applying the COVID safety regulations during work […]

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) announced today that it has facilitated the repatriation by air of 5,239 South Africans stranded abroad. According to DIRCO Minister Naledi Pandor, hundreds more have also returned through the country’s land borders. As several countries went into lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, an initial 3 637 requested […]

It is around 2pm on a cold afternoon in Tsakane in Gauteng, South Africa. Two friends, Musa*, 12, and Thato*, 11, are trying to sell the last of the stock of cigarettes and rizlas which they hide in their pockets. They are not wearing warm clothes or masks, and they haven’t showered or had breakfast […]

The Unemployment Insurance Fund has paid out over R14 billion in benefits to employees affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The total amount disbursed since 16 April is now just over R14 billion. This excludes normal payments the UIF makes, which are R1.849 billion, said UIF Commissioner, Teboho Maruping. On Monday, the UIF, which falls […]

South Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases now stand at 16 433 with 475 071 tests having been conducted. In a statement on Monday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said of the 475 071 tests conducted, 14 198 tests had been conducted in the last 24-hours. South Africa also reported a further 22 COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of universal health coverage. That is the message underlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa who was addressing the virtual 73rd Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) on Monday. The pandemic should propel countries to act with greater urgency to make it a reality. “In this final decade towards […]

With the sale of alcohol banned for over seven weeks, the illegal booze trade has mushroomed and prices rocketed. People who used to frequent shebeens in the southern Cape, say syndicates have stepped in and are charging exorbitant prices for conventional brands of alcohol. In response, people have started to brew their own liquor at […]

Small, medium and macro enterprises in South Africa should watch out for fraudulent agencies purporting to be entities of the Department of Small Business Development and trying to extract fees out of them. “It has come to the attention of the department that an unknown company is requesting food producers and agro-processors to send through […]

Crime in the Cape Town city centre during lockdown has dropped by 73 percent compared with last year, according to statistics released by the Cape Town Central City Improvement District. Only 94 crime incidents were reported from 26 March 2020 to 15 May 2020, compared with 340 during the same period last year, said CCID […]

More than 15,000 small-scale farmers in South Africa have been approved for the COVID-19 Agricultural Disaster Fund, says Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza. Didiza said that 55,155 applications were received from smallholder and communal farmers, with the highest number of applications received from the Eastern Cape Province, followed by the Northern […]

Children are suffering increasingly from preventable infectious diseases, including TB and measles, due to missed vaccinations. When a novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 first entered the world stage on the heels of the Chinese New Year in January 2020, little was known about it and its impact on people, health systems and countries. This […]

A young 13-year-old in Cape Town is baking up a storm to help make sure that other kids don’t go starving. As of yesterday she has donated R7,200 to a soup kitchen in Langa. And her buns are so in demand that a friend has now joined the team to bake even more. Teenager Tam […]

The Covid-19 global pandemic has unprecedented health and socio-economic consequences for millions of people across the world. Each country affected has introduced numerous measures, including public health interventions, restrictions on movement, as well as state and other relief and stimulus packages to reduce its impact. South Africa has a history of grand corruption and low […]

This Sunday Carte Blanche investigates how the lockdown is affecting the wine industry in the Cape Winelands, South Africa… and what it will take to recover. With around 600 wineries affected by lockdown, the iconic Cape winelands that earn R49 billion for the country annually are bleeding revenue, jobs and prospects. COVID-19 lockdown regulations saw […]

As government prepares for the further easing of the lockdown to level 3, Cabinet Ministers will undertake broad-ranging consultations with government, key sectors of the economy and civil society. Having appreciated the progress made towards levelling the  COVID-19 pandemic curve and capacitating the public health system to deal with an increase in infections, Cabinet approved […]

Spaza shop owner in South Africa says ban on alcohol and tobacco has cost him R25,000. By Mosa Damane… “I think the government is violating the rights of smokers by banning cigarettes. It is my money and health and I have a right to decide when to quit,” says Veli Hlongwane from Maliwa street, Mzimhlophe […]