At least three factories in the Western Cape have turned their focus away from their normal production of clothing and liquor to turn out much-needed face masks and hand sanitiser. The companies are KWay, Reliance Clothing and Distell in Paarl. Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer said in a statement yesterday that he had visited two places […]

The Surgeon General of the South African National Defence Force says the SANDF has recorded its first four positive cases of the COVID-19. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Surgeon General said three of the cases were in the Western Cape, while the fourth was recorded in Gauteng. “None of these members are uniformed […]

Watch the video below for some of the brilliant moments when online teaching just goes hilariously wrong! The footage, filmed by teachers from St John’s DSG in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, catches innocent, funny and wonderful family moments as teachers in SA get ready to teach school children remotely from Wednesday, during the Covid-19 lockdown. St […]

The Department of Home Affairs has outlined temporary measures that have been put in place to address immigration matters during the lockdown period. The temporary measures were introduced after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster on 15 March and subsequently a national lockdown from 27 March, extended until the end of April […]

We are a group of concerned citizens and educational activists and South African leaders, with the support of the National Association for Social Change Entities (NASCEE). We have heard Minister Motshekga’s interview on e.TV on 10 April, and understand that a Recovery Plan will be tabled to the Cabinet in the course of the week. […]

As the world staggers under the catastrophic impact of eating a wild animal, probably a pangolin, the South African government has reclassified 130 wild animals as meat. The next pandemic could be round the corner with its epicentre at the southern tip of Africa. South Africa has embarked on a mission to commercialise and commoditise […]

Residents of Tafelsig in Cape Town burnt tyres and blocked streets on Tuesday, demanding food parcels. When GroundUp arrived in the afternoon, a large contingent of police and the SANDF were on the scene. Traffic officers blocked sections of AZ Berman and Spine Road. Rocks and coils from burnt out mattresses littered the streets. Each […]

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 2 415, as of Tuesday, 14 March. Releasing the update of cases, the Health Department said the total number of tests conducted to date is 87 022. Gauteng has 909 cases, Western Cape 643, KwaZulu-Natal 489, Eastern Cape 174, Free State 98, Limpopo 24, […]

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank has suddenly decided to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points. This takes the repo rate to 4.25% per annum, the Reserve Bank said in a press statement on Tuesday. The Bank said the May 2020 meeting of the MPC was moved earlier […]

South African Airways (SAA) has announced a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, on 18 April 2020 for stranded South Africans in UK and the rest of Europe. The SA High Commission in the UK has advised those Saffers still stuck in the UK to fly to Frankfurt, if they would like to board this flight. UPDATE: […]

An 11-year-old schoolboy in Heidelberg, South Africa, was tragically electrocuted and killed after playing on a bouncy castle that his parents had hired during the Coronavirus lockdown, to keep him and his little sister entertained. Gauteng couple Paul and Rhodine de Beer hired the inflatable for 11-year-old Pedre and his five-year-old sister Anele, 5 to […]

South Africa’s Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, has condemned the incidents of vandalism, burglary and destruction of schools across several provinces since the COVID-19 lockdown started. This follows break-ins at three schools in KwaZulu-Natal in 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, where expensive learning equipment was stolen… the latest in a string of schools that […]

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, in partnership with the packaging industry, has secured a plan to assist waste pickers countrywide who have lost their livelihoods during the national lockdown period. “Working with industry and the waste reclaimers associations, we will be distributing electronic food vouchers to waste pickers’ cell phones over the coming […]

Gauteng MEC for Education and Youth Development, Panyaza Lesufi today visited the Lyttelton Homeless Shelter in Tshwane, following reports of escapees fleeing with mattresses… writes photojournalist Tom Brown. Images which were widely circulated on social media yesterday, including in a tweet by Lesufi, showed two men making off with multiple mattresses from the facility. City […]

The number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa rose to 2,272 on Monday, with two more deaths confirmed by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. He said one of those deaths was a 57-year-old Gauteng man who had no recorded underlying diseases. The positive tests are an increase of 99 from the previous day. Total deaths stood […]

Professor Tim Noakes gave an interview to CCFM that has been widely circulated on social media. In it Noakes makes false and misleading statements… writes GroundUp editor Nathan Geffen. The interview starts off with Noakes admitting he is not a virus expert. If the interview had ended at this point it would have been accurate. […]

In the second week of March the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. By mid-March the disease had spread rapidly in many countries around the world. Governments are taking drastic steps, including the complete lockdown of cities, as well as extensive health interventions to try and stem the disease which is caused by […]

Phew, goosebumps! Watch this video of South Africans aboard a cruise ship last night, moored off the coast of Miami, singing their hearts out for the land they love and miss so much right now. Natalie Fine, a South African citizen working on board the ship alongside 24 other South Africans (and 50 other nationalities), […]

Police Minister Bheki Cele has condemned the burglary and looting of at least 16 liquor outlets in the Western Cape since the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown. Minister Cele visited the province on Saturday and was accompanied by Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale, the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Kehla Sitole and Deputy National Commissioner, Lieutenant General […]

As of Sunday, 12 April 2020, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 2 173, with no reported increase in deaths. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said this is an increase of 145 cases from the previously reported cases on Saturday. The number of deaths still stand at 25. He said […]

For the first time, most South Africans – and Christians around the world – have celebrated Easter at home with their family in lockdown… writes filmmaker and photographer Kierran Allen, who has captured these photos of Easter Sunday, in Durban, South Africa. As we head into our second phase of trying to ‘flatten the curve’, […]

Almost half a million people around the world tuned in to watch Italian music maestro’s solo Easter Sunday performance at the magnificent Duomo cathedral in Milan. If you missed it, join over a million people who have since tuned in to listen – watch below. Bocelli said he was honoured by the invite to perform […]

More than 100 South Africans who found themselves stranded at Heathrow over two weeks ago are finally heading home on SAA Flight 4239, along with about 200 others stranded in the UK! And it’s largely thanks to an incredible team of South African volunteers from around the world who have been keeping their spirits high, […]

South African Airways (SAA) is involved in the ongoing repatriation of thousands of foreign nationals to reunite them with their families in their respective home countries, after getting stuck in SA by the national lockdown, which came into effect at midnight on 26 March 2020. SAA acting General Manager for Operations Tebogo Tsimane said “we […]

South Africa has 2028 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), with 25 deaths, the country’s health minister has announced in the latest update. “The total number of COVID-19 tests conducted to date is 75 053,” Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Saturday. The Minister said he was sad to reveal another […]