COGTA Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s Level 3 regulations for South Africa, released today, have been met with frustration and widespread shock and horror. The keyword in response seemed to be “irrational” with the DA adding that the regulations “lack scientific basis” and AfriForum demanding  the Minister recall them. The DA said it will use all […]

The Democratic Alliance has rejected as a sham the South African National Defence Force’s decision to exonerate the soldiers allegedly involved in the death of an Alexandra resident, Collins Khosa. It was reported yesterday that an internal SANDF probe exonerated the soldiers, although a police investigation is continuing. In papers before the North Gauteng High […]

The government has released regulations about what is and isn’t allowed under Level 3 of lockdown, starting on 1 June, saying that exercise can take place between 6am and 6pm, and liquor can be sold Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm. The changes were announced today by ministers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Ebrahim Patel. What still […]

The whole country will move to level 3 lockdown from 1 June, including areas identified as hotspots, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. Mkhize clarified this after confusion was created when an old slide was presented stating hotspots would remain at level 4 and was also making rounds on social media. However, if these areas […]

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 […]

A group of mostly elderly women from KwaMnyandu in Elandskop near Pietermaritzburg have dug up an old spring so their village can have uninterrupted water supply. The women cleared away trees and shrubbery and some of the men in the village helped them dig and connect the pipes to supply water to many homes in […]

A temporary Covid-19 hospital has been built in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha with the generosity of Doctors Without Borders/MSF Southern Africa, to handle the spillover of extra patients from Khayelitsha Hospital that are expected over the coming weeks. In chilling video footage (watch below), filmed by Western Cape amateur film maker Gershwin Christian Williams, the harsh […]

Space-X has announced that it is standing down from today’s launch “due to unfavourable weather in the flight path”. The next launch opportunity is Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC, says Space-X. Space-X founder and South African expat Elon Musk’s mission got very close to lift-off, with the crew settled in, […]

Watch the video below for the live television coverage of the launch of Crew Dragon from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 10.33pm South African time, the first time a private company – SA expat Elon Musk’s Space-X – will travel to the International Space Station. The two astronauts on board are best friends and seasoned […]

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 African expat Elon Musk is poised to make American history tonight, 27 May 2020, when his company Space-X sends two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. And his proud mother, model Maye Musk, has posted a photo of her and Elon when he was just a baby in […]

Only a week after saying that there would be just three days of loadshedding this winter, Eskom has asked South Africans to turn off all unnecessary electrical items because the system is under severe pressure. In a tweet on Wednesday afternoon, it said, “Our power system is under severe pressure. Please switch off all unnecessary […]

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs, has been served a lawyer’s letter on Wednesday by AfriForum, informing her that the organisation plans to take further legal action if the smoking ban is not lifted. This ban refers to the sale of tobacco products that are currently illegal, AfriForum said in a […]

The dust seems to have settled around the matter of Professor Glenda Gray, who was critical of the unscientific nature of some of the lockdown measures, drawing the ire of a Department of Health official who said she should be investigated by the South African Medical Research Council. The council on Tuesday said that after […]

With the weather service predicting more snow tomorrow, some roads in the Eastern Cape, especially near Graaff-Reinet, were temporarily closed. The N9 from Graaff-Reine to Middelburg and the R61 from Cradock towards the N9 were closed as the result of dangerous driving conditions due to snowfall, but according to news reports have been opened again […]

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises to 24 264, South Africa is working around the clock to ramp up its testing capacity. However, South Africa is now faced with the challenge of a shortage of test kits – a problem not unique to the country. “As a country, we are now facing a […]

Low-income families have increased their spending on food by more than 30% since March when the national Covid-19 lockdown began. This is according to a report published by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PEJDG) on Tuesday. The Group collected its food price data from five supermarkets and four butcheries that serve poor households […]

Churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in South Africa may resume their services under level 3 of lockdown… with strict conditions in place, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday evening. In March, places of worship were forced to close their doors to congregants, as government implemented a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread […]

The family of a South African Airways (SAA) crew member, who sadly passed away on Sunday, have been left dismayed by rumours circulating in SA that she died from Covid-19. Through the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), the family has issued a statement laying claim to the facts surrounding the tragic death of the 39-year-old […]

Following on from yesterday’s revelation that over 1,000 South Africans are stranded just on the other side of SA’s borders – in neighbouring states from Namibia to Mozambique – the father of one such SA citizen has shared this heartbreaking letter with SAPeople readers. Letter from Raymond Cloete: “My son Richard went to visit his […]

The well-known Cape Town International Conference Centre is in the process of being converted into an 850-bed intermediate hospital for COVID-19 patients. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde conducted a visit today to see the progress at the site, and visited one of the completed wards. The facility will eventually provide at least 850 intermediate care […]

Schools across the country are in the process of finalising preparations to receive Grade 7 and 12 learners when schools reopen on 1 June. Some teacher unions, however, have threatened their members might not return yet because the schools are not COVID-prepared. There are over 400,000 teachers in the country’s 25,000 public schools, teaching 12.9 […]

After an 18-year battle with the South African government to honor an agreement it made in 2002, Limpopo farmer David Rakgase, who is 80, finally owns his Nooitgedacht farm for the original price he offered. After the High Court ruled against the government and in favour of Rakgase in September 2019, the government has honoured […]

As predicted by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) a monster cold front has gripped parts of SA, sending locked-down residents back under the blankets and duvets this morning! SAWS said today’s satellite image shows the cold front moving east, resulting in cold to very cold temperatures across the southern and central parts of SA. […]

South African fans of award-winning actor Menzi Ngubane have taken to social media to send well wishes and prayers for his speedy recovery after reports that the legendary actor is allegedly “battling for his life” at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg. Ngubane, who underwent a kidney transplant a decade ago, was apparently admitted with suspected […]