As social grant or SASSA payments were handed out today to the elderly and disabled at centres across the country, thousands of people gathered in line, sometimes in running crowds and without following rules of social distancing. Numerous posts on social media showed long lines of people, often standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting for their […]

The Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has announced exceptional tax measures from 1 April to counter the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, including a tax subsidy to certain employers and the easement of some tax payments. The Ministry of Finance said in a statement that there was a critical need for government interventions to assist with […]

Eskom said it expects no leadshedding during the lockdown for the Coronavirus, after usage went down substantially since Friday. Some of the planned maintenance to the aging system could not be carried out during lockdown, however, because workers on site have to be kept to a minimum. “We anticipate further demand reduction for the duration […]

South African Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has appealed to members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to protect and educate South African citizens about staying safe from Coronavirus, and not to abuse them. The Minister has been fielding questions on radio and TV this morning about filmed footage showing army soldiers appearing to humiliate […]

How many people could Covid-19 kill in South Africa? Researchers at the University of East Anglia in England have used data from the Chinese and Italian epidemics to make an online tool that estimates the potential number of deaths in other countries, including South Africa. Led by Professor Peter Lloyd-Sherlock the team, known as the Potential Impact […]

The Motsepe Family has – in partnership with companies and organisations they’re associated with – pledged R1-billion to assist with the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its related challenges to South Africa and the African Continent. The companies and organisations involved in the pledge include: Motsepe Foundation, Sanlam, African Rainbow Capital (ARC), African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) […]

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed the second death in South Africa from Covid-19 and announced there are now a total of 1280 cases of Coronavirus COVID-19 in SA, an increase of 93 from the previously reported cases. “It is with sadness that we announce the second death of a patient who had tested positive for […]

South African High Commission and Embassy staff around the world have been working all weekend – many in foreign countries on lockdown themselves, working from home – to do all they can to help the South Africans who have found themselves stranded abroad. “Her Excellency Ms Tembi Tambo, the SA High Commissioner in the UK […]

South Africa’s national airline SAA, which had suspended flights during lockdown, may be used for foreigners to be evacuated from SA. According to an article in the Mail & Guardian on Sunday, the paper said it had “reliably learnt the airline is in discussions with several countries about the possibility of operating special commercial charters […]

Madeleine Van Wyk (48) sadly passed away this week, becoming South Africa’s first Coronavirus casualty. In an attempt to put a face to this tragic disease and remind everyone in SA to please take lockdown seriously, we are posting a personal tribute written by her close friend and colleague (and SAPeople contributor) Debra Ann Badenhorst, […]

The South African High Commission in Sri Lanka has confirmed that plans being arranged by the SA Honorary Consul in the Maldives, for a chartered flight for stranded South Africans to be flown back home to South Africa, are legitimate. The SA High Commissioner’s Deputy Johannes van Niekerk confirmed that the SA’s Honorary Consul Mohamed […]

Teams of cleaners from various departments in the city of Johannesburg have been unleashed on once crowded, trash-filled areas, especially taxi ranks, to clean up and sanitise them during the lockdown. MTN rank before and after, #lockDownSouthAfrica #COVID19 #WeserveJoburg^TK pic.twitter.com/s7dLBNcYYi — City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) March 29, 2020 The mayor Geoff Makhubo said yesterday, “The […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today – Sunday 29 March 2020 – see off the 112 repatriated South African citizens who will be reunited with their families after all testing negative for coronavirus at the end of their quarantine at the Ranch Resort in Polokwane. The group was placed under quarantine at the resort from 14 […]

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen to 1,187, with Gauteng still reporting the highest number of cases, at 533. But it is the the number of confirmed cases involving healthcare workers in private and public hospitals that is causing concern. Health Minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize said in a statement on […]

British performer Stephen Ridley – aka The Talented Mr Ridley – has produced a poignant video that is going viral around the world. It’s a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ – with some lines that touch close to home, in the time of coronavirus. The video is made even more moving by the fact that […]

The South African Government has identified 17 land parcels for resettlement purposes for people who stay in informal settlements should the need arise, as the country deals with the spread of COVID-19. “Of these, 13 land parcels are state-owned and four pieces of land parcels are privately owned. We have already started preparing some areas […]

South African students who were repatriated to South Africa from Wuhan City, in China, will finally be making their way home to their families on Monday, after spending 14 days in quarantine at a resort in the Limpopo province. The SA Government said plans are underway to reunite the 114 South African citizens with their […]

The group of 60 Germans travellers stranded in South Africa will be repatriated by their government next week, the Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula said yesterday. But the Germany Embassy in Pretoria said nothing was confirmed yet. Yesterday it was reported by News24 that members of the group were under quarantine in several locations in […]

South Africans who are stranded in the Maldives, where the imminent closure of resorts is expected until June, are urged to contact the Honorary Consulate (details below) to be added to a chartered flight home to South Africa. The more who join the less the costs will be. According to Stuart Trenoweth from Joburg, who […]

Last night an entrepreneurial South African’s team in the UK delivered another 200 meals to St George’s Hospital Critical Care Nurses… feeding the nurses on the frontline of the UK’s fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). South African entrepreneur James Durrant, co-founder and director of Blue Sky Publications and of London-based Mustard Foods, says he and […]

South Africa has been downgraded to subinvestment (Ba1) status by Moody’s, on the same day the country went into a 21-day lockdown. That means the country is now rated junk by the big three ratings agencies, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. The other two agencies downgraded South Africa in 2017 already. “The South African government faces […]

South African police arrested 55 people on a largely successful operation, on the first day of a nationwide 21-day lockdown, Police Minister Bheki Cele said. “We had a good night, [it was] a success. Many South Africans had a very good will, our phones were abuzz with reports and things that were seen and telling […]

The number of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa has been revised down from two to one mortality, after a subsequent investigation found that one patient was negative for the virus. Earlier on Friday, the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said South Africa had recorded its first two deaths. The cases were in private and public […]

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19, he confirmed in a tweet on Friday morning. The British PM said: “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus. “I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight […]

A group of 60 German tourists has been placed under quarantine after one of them tested positive for COVID-19, said the Gauteng Health Department on Friday. In a statement, the department said the group is now at a health facility in the province. The development comes on the same the day the national Department of […]