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 […]

Roedean School in South Africa has created a unique and incredibly moving version of Leonard Cohen’s famous ‘Hallelujah’. The legendary song has been covered numerous times over the years, but this version by the South African school is unique. The choir have done it “together apart”… in these times of coronavirus. Roedean School said: “Apart […]

As South Africa enters its first day of a 21-day national lockdown, this performance by the award-winning Ndlovu Youth Choir is so welcomed… by a nation that is pulling together (separately, with social distancing!) in these tough times. The choir posted the video on the eve of lockdown saying: “God bless our nation. Our spirit […]

Following SAPeople’s story earlier today about over 100 South Africans who were stranded in transit at Heathrow Airport in the UK, unable to get home to South Africa, the SA High Commissioner in London has partly come to the rescue. The South Africans – mainly seasonal workers – got stuck after President Ramaphosa yesterday announced […]

South Africa’s fast food chicken restaurant chain, Nando’s (which has branches around the world), has done it again! Always famous for their thought provoking adverts which usually poke fun at local politicians, this advert does the opposite – praising South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for his leadership during these difficult days of Corona virus. And […]

A group of 17 lions and tigers rescued from circuses in Guatemala made it to South Africa before the lockdown, in what the rescue organisation Animal Defenders says was “one of the luckiest breaks ever.” The cats landed in South Africa nine weeks ago, which seems like a long time, but the Coronavirus was already […]

The Kiffness has been keeping South African informed about Coronavirus… and entertained. David Scott’s COVID-19 version of Toto’s Africa went hugely viral, and his latest is sure to be just as popular. This time he’s done a Bohemian Rhapsody Parody… called the Lockdown Rhapsody… The lyrics, as usual, are spot on! “This is the real […]

Now more than ever, South Africans (and people around the globe) need to look after each other. But sadly Pick ‘n Pay says some shoppers are still stockpiling unnecessarily, leaving empty shelves for others in need, and creating panic. Therefore the supermarket chain has produced this video with some of SA’s top musicians reminding locals […]

A number of existing drugs are being re-purposed and tested in South Africa for their efficiency in the potential treatment for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). “Preliminary work on the development of vaccines has started with University of Cape Town (UCT), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Biovac. Progress is expected in over 18 months,” […]

Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town may be closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in South Africa, but the penguins are having a blast… and lifting the spirits of all those, preparing for lockdown, who have watched videos of the happy penguins not only going walk-about… but running and hopping too! A few days […]

“No one is safe until we are all safe. The next few weeks are going to be critical — we will need to work together to reduce the spread of the virus,” explains the signup sheet of a new Covid-19 response initiative. The Cape Town Together Community Action Network is an initiative that has been […]

A rather large elephant seal has set up home on what is normally a popular tourist beach at Hout Bay in Cape Town, South Africa. But fortunately for the seal, the chances are he won’t be much disturbed as the City of Cape Town announced that the beaches will be closed from today, Tuesday 24 […]

The South African business community has mobilised to combine its resources as a way of limiting the economic, social and health impact of COVID-19 on the country. This emerged at the discussions held by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country’s business formations on Sunday. Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), the Black Business Council (BBC) and […]

In response to government’s call on citizens to refrain from excessive purchasing and stockpiling goods as it intensifies its efforts to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19), Dis-Chem Pharmacies has advised that it will be limiting the number of items consumers can purchase. With immediate effect, shoppers will be able to purchase a maximum of six units […]

South Africa’s The Kiffness has created an awesome version of Toto’s Africa that’s going viral faster than a virus! The Kiffness’ David Scott posted the brilliant video on Sunday, saying: “Please stay home South Africa #FlattenTheCurve” (For more info on flattening the curve, see below the video.) He calls the video “Toto – Africa (COVID-19 […]

Check out this adorable three-year-old South African child – Ibanathi Mpungose – teaching the nation how to prevent Coronavirus, in her very passionate manner. South Africans are loving her! The video, shared by her father, has gone viral – watched by over 36,000 people on Instagram; and shared on Twitter by the likes of DJ […]

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will pay social grants to older persons and persons with disabilities from 30 and 31 March 2020. Other beneficiaries will be able to access their grants from 01 April 2020. The social security agency’s decision to pay grants earlier is in response to the State of National Disaster […]

Dear Family and Friends, This is not a letter about Coronavirus, it’s one for the campfire when next you get there and I write it today for everyone struggling to save lives in this dark time in our history… writes author Cathy Buckle in her latest Letter from Zimbabwe. On a steaming hot night when even the […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a messaging service – WHO Health Alert – with partners, WhatsApp and Facebook to keep people safe from Coronavirus. This easy-to-use messaging service has the potential to reach two billion people and enables WHO to get information directly into the hands of the people that need it. The […]

The numbers are snowballing – over 200 by Friday morning – even though the response of the South African government has been swift. This Sunday Carte Blanche investigates how seriously South Africans are taking Covid-19. You can watch the show on Sunday 22 March in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas in […]

If you’re missing the beauty of Africa amidst Coronavirus and the ban on most travel, these photos will warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Kenneth Coe, a frequent visitor to the continent and a trustee of The Nature Conservancy, has compiled this special gallery with a selection of his wildlife photos… […]

On Monday the 16th of March 2020 my school took precaution and closed because of Covid-19… writes teacher and regular SAPeople contributor Andrea Ben. When I went into school that day I felt a sense of emptiness, loneliness and sadness. I missed the high five greetings, hugs, laughter and loud voices on the playground. Today […]

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the health department is seeing the successful recovery of people in South Africa who had tested positive for COVID-19. “We are in the process of conducting further confirmation tests and medical examinations then we [will] formally inform the public on the number of recoveries. At this stage, most of the […]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading across the world. For those who catch it, the vast majority will experience mild symptoms, but for a few, it can cause severe disease and death. Some groups – like older people and those with pre-existing health conditions – are more vulnerable when exposed than others. Because of this, […]