Severe restrictions on travel and economic activity have been imposed in many parts of the world. For the poor, recessions have always meant starvation, lack of medical support for diseases including HIV treatment programmes, and in particular the deaths of infants and children vulnerable to malnutrition and childhood disease. What do the restrictions mean for […]

About 1.5 million more South Africans will from 1 May return to work as government begins to lift a fraction of COVID-19 lockdown regulations. This comes as government gradually eases the economy back into activity as announced this week by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The regulations were introduced last month as government sought to counter the […]

South Africans “celebrate” Freedom Day through gritted teeth, with a wry smile and an acute sense of irony, this year. Many, if not most, will be lamenting the loss of freedom due to the COVID-19 lockdown. For most professionals, there will be no public holiday, since days slide seamlessly into one another, punctuated only by […]

The South African flag has today been projected onto the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai – in honour of Freedom Day, 27 April 2020. This comes just days after the SA flag was projected onto the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. On Monday, the Burj Khalifa page said: “Burj Khalifa […]

No one knows what is going on. So many versions of Level Four have circulated that we all have whiplash, and if you didn’t have an anxiety disorder before, you sure as shit have it now… writes Kim Nicola Stephens. Runners got their shoes all ready and prepped and then someone said NO JOGGING and […]

As South Africa went into Covid-19 lockdown in late March, over 50 performers encouraged the nation to do something powerful –  “to reflect on the lyrics of our anthem, as a source of inspiration and optimism, and to bravely sing it out loud.” Yesterday the man behind the concept – James Bassingthwaighte – announced: “1000+ […]

Here follows the message by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the occasion of Freedom Day in South Africa, during Lockdown, 27 April 2020… in full: Fellow South Africans, Sanibonani. Dumelang. Inhlekani. Molweni. Lotjhani. Ndi masiari. Goeie dag. Good afternoon. On this day twenty-six years ago, a new nation was born in Africa. On the 27th of […]

2020 was going to be a great year for everyone… writes Ari Seirlis, an advisor to the President on disability matters and strategy. I remember reading many friends’ Facebook comments about how this new decade was going to be groundbreaking – vast opportunities, wealth, health and relationships were all going to flourish. A Black Swan […]

South Africans who are stuck in Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand – and who would like to be repatriated home – are urged to submit an online form to book a seat on a private Australian charter plane this coming Friday 1 May 2020. According to Julia Kerr Henkel, who has been stuck in Indonesia for […]

A delegation of 217 Cuban Medical specialists arrived in South Africa in the early hours of Monday, just after midnight. The Cuban Medical brigade includes infectious diseases specialists, and has come to South Africa to support the country in its efforts to deal with #Covid_19, said the National Department of Health South Africa. The group […]

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Freedom Day celebrations in South Africa will be marked using online platforms, says the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. “Freedom Day, as South Africans know it, is very different this year… The COVID-19… pandemic has changed things… [from] the norm,” said the department ahead of Freedom Day […]

South Africa’s Police Minister Bheki Cele has issued an apology to the Muslim community for blasphemous remarks during the arrest of worshippers at a Mosque on Saturday. The video of the arrest, where a police officer can be heard making the remarks during the arrest in Masibekela, Mpumalanga, has been doing the rounds on social […]

South Africa has confirmed a total of 4 546 COVID-19 cases, with 87 deaths. “We regrettably report another COVID-19 related death in the Western Cape, which increases the total number of deaths to 87. “We convey condolences to the family and appreciate our frontline workers who treated this patient,” the Minister of Health, Dr Zwelini […]

A surprise drive-by baby shower in South Africa has moved social media users to tears on social media. The video was posted on Facebook by Dinika Rooy from Buffalo Flats, East London. She said: “We are truly blessed. ?Drive by – Drop off Baby Shower… ??” One of her friends replied: “Your heart is made of […]

A survey by the Democratic Alliance has revealed that 21% of farmers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have experienced an increase in crime during the lockdown period, with 39% claiming that they feel that their personal safety and security has been compromised during the current lockdown period. The random survey, conducted amongst 45 commercial and small-scale farmers […]

A generous-hearted group of South Africans in Cape Town have been cooking, collecting and dishing out food to hundreds of people in township communities who may otherwise be starving. It started small just a week ago but is now reaching thousands, after Western Cape resident Helen During rallied her friends to help donate food because […]

British model and businesswoman Katie Price has revealed to UK press that she was sexually assaulted in South Africa during a shocking carjacking in 2018, and was left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The car-jacking near Ermelo in March 2018 made international headlines at the time – when 12 British tourists, including children, were left […]

Police Minister Bheki Cele has urged religious leaders and congregants to stay at home as the country continues to observe the COVID-19 lockdown. The Minister’s comments follow a video clip that surfaced on Twitter depicting the arrest of 17 congregants, who had allegedly gathered for prayer in Pretoria West on Friday. The Ministry in a […]

South Africans have welcomed the latest speech by their president and African Union chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has encouraged the millions of Africans who are commemorating Ramadan, to take courage and strength from the message of Ramadan, as the continent deals with COVID-19. Watch the video below. To date, over 27,000 cases of COVID-19 […]

Many are hailing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech on Thursday night as one of the best in South African history. None captured the spirit as well as writer and animal rights activist, Herman H Le Roux, whose words written straight after Ramaphosa’s address to the nation have gone viral on social media, sometimes without his credit, […]

An intense hail storm on farms in the vicinity of Uhlenhorst in the Kalahari Desert last week, to the south-east of Rehoboth, covered a large swathe of land with a thick layer of ice and turned the countryside into an instant winter wonderland… writes Niël Terblanché from Informanté. The huge amount of falling ice flayed […]

“The last decent meal I had was a month ago … I don’t know how I will pay my [R250] rent this month,” says Munyaradzi, who asked for his surname to be withheld. Munyaradzi is one of a group of Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa who want to be repatriated. They say making ends […]

South Africa now has 4 220 confirmed Coronavirus cases, with four new deaths. The Department of Health on Friday said the four deaths were recorded in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (two in each province). This brings the total number of deaths to 79. The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has conveyed condolences to […]

As schools enter a second month of lockdown in South Africa, parents and teachers are stretched to the limit to keep up with schooling at home. But while some learners can continue online, many have to cope with the challenge of sporadic communication with their teachers and a lack of connectivity and resources. Can learners […]

Keeping spirits high in Johannesburg during the Covid-19 outbreak – the healthcare workers at Netcare Linksfield Hospital in Orange Grove gathered together (but keeping social distance!) this morning – Friday 24 April 2020 – to sing South Africa’s National Anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. The footage was filmed by Dr Gabriel Doucas in what has become […]