Author: Staff Writer

President Cyril Ramaphosa has chaired a virtual meeting of the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC), which discussed measures to strengthen and intensify the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual meeting was held on Saturday, as South Africa marked day 23 of the national lockdown. On Thursday, 9 April, President Ramaphosa announced a two-week extension of the previously announced 21-day national lockdown, which is part of efforts to slow the spread of Coronavirus. The previous meeting of the PCC, which was held on 4 April 2020, assessed the effectiveness of the original 21-day lockdown period. The PCC agreed on the…

Efforts to ensure the repatriation of South Africans stranded abroad are continuing, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said on Saturday. “Negotiations are ongoing with countries and other stakeholders to allow stranded South Africans to travel,” said the department in a statement. The department has assured South Africans stranded abroad that no effort will be spared to ensure their repatriation amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Efforts to repatriate citizens are constrained by regulations introduced to limit the movement of people globally in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. “Many countries across the world have instituted…

Transnet has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth R5.2 million as part of the national effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19. The donation from South Africa’s largest freight company comes after the government’s call for businesses and individuals to contribute to the fight against the virus. The handover of the PPE took place at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) on Saturday. Most of the donated equipment will be used at this hospital. The hospital, which offers healthcare services to people in Soweto and surrounding areas, will receive 18 500 PPE kits, including 5 000 litres of…

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has urged aviators to comply with the regulations and directions of the Disaster Management Act aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. In a statement on Saturday, the Minister appealed particularly to pilots and drone owners to comply with the regulations put in place as part of South Africa’s COVID-19 national lockdown. The Minister’s plea follows reports of a surge in the number of applications for permission to fly remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), commonly referred to as drones. “The SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) had also received a handful of requests from small private aircraft owners,…

African private sector has a major part to play in supporting governments to defeat COVID-19 in Africa. That is one of the main messages from an emergency session of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa’s partnership initiative, African Influencers for Development (AI4Dev). Some of Africa’s top business leaders joined UNDP Africa to focus on the actions needed for a coordinated continent-wide response to the COVID-19 crisis. The AI4Dev initiative is at the heart of UNDP’s new partnership strategy for Africa, engaging with African champions who are already working to drive sustainable development across the continent. It is a powerful coalition…

The Solidarity Fund has started delivering food parcels to more than 250 000 families across South Africa. The Solidarity Fund, which receives donations from corporates, citizens and foundations, has made R120 million available for food relief for distressed families. The Fund is working with the Department of Social Development (DSD), four major non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the food security sector, and with faith and community-based organisations across the country to ensure maximum reach, especially in rural areas. The Fund will act as a coordinator for the distribution efforts to maximise reach and scale. Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Solidarity…

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has postponed the May/June amended Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate Examination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 350 000 part-time candidates were to sit for the matric examination. Those who were meant to sit for the exams include candidates who did not meet the pass requirements in the 2019 final exams, as well as those who sought to rewrite to improve their marks. DBE Director-General Mathanzima Mweli wrote a letter to the heads of the provincial Education Departments, confirming the changes to the plan for the examinations. The outbreak of COVID-19 led…

The Presidency says it has declined the request of the Gauteng Liquor Forum for its members to sell alcohol during the declared National State of Disaster and lockdown. “The restriction on the sale of liquor will remain,” said the Presidency on Friday. The decision was communicated to the forum’s attorneys on Friday via the offices of the State Attorney. “The President [Cyril Ramaphosa] and government as a whole remain committed to financially supporting businesses in distress during this period. The President has carefully considered the representations made by the Gauteng Liquor Forum. “These, however, have had to be weighed up…

South Africa has confirmed a total of 2 783 COVID-19 cases, having conducted 100 827 tests to date. Gauteng has the highest number of cases with 1 018 people testing positive for the virus, followed by the Western Cape at 717 cases, KwaZulu-Natal at 591 cases, Eastern Cape at 246 cases, Free State at 100 cases, Limpopo has 26 cases, the North West has 24 cases, Mpumalanga has 23 cases and the Northern Cape has 16 cases. There are 22 unallocated cases. “Today we regrettably report two new COVID-19 related deaths. Both deceased are from the Western Cape,” Minister of…

The JSE inaugural #Trade4Solidarity campaign has raised R34.4 million to be donated to the Solidarity Fund. The #Trade4Solidarity campaign was held over two days on Wednesday and Thursday this week, all revenues that the bourse earned across all asset classes were donated to the Solidarity Fund. The fundraising effort was launched in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appeal to the country for donations to the Solidarity Fund. The Solidarity Fund is a special vehicle set up to help government and civil society fund South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further transmission and support those affected by it. JSE…