Author: Staff Writer
The South African government is planning to decrease the headcount in 29 critically overcrowded informal settlements across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape as COVID-19 continues to spread. The Sunday Times reported that the plan is at an “advanced stage”. The elderly, disabled and shack dwellers will likely be the first to be evacuated and housed in emergency accommodation, the department has said. The National Coronavirus Command Council decided to enforce a 21-day nation-wide lockdown with effect from midnight Thursday 26 March 2020, until midnight on Thursday 16 April 2020. In a televised address to the nation, President…
The North West Department of Health has taken a decision to put all confirmed COVID-19 patients and their contacts under its supervision to avoid further spread of the virus. The decision was made after a COVID-19 patient from Bloemhof could not be found at home and had to be tracked down to a farm in Welkom in the Free State province. North West Health MEC Madoda Sambatha said the patient was immediately put under the care of the department. “The person is now under the care of the department. We should at all-time know where COVID-19 positive people and their…
Police Minister Bheki Cele has welcomed the dramatic reduction in serious and violent crimes during the lockdown to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement issued on Sunday, Cele said indications were this was due to, among others, the prohibition of the sale and movement of liquor since the nationwide lockdown 10 days ago. The Ministry in the statement said the analysis is based on a preliminary report that is yet to undergo the necessary verification and endorsements. Analysing the crime and comparing the first week of the lockdown to the same period in 2019, Cele said murder cases had…
As the country enters the second week of the 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, law enforcement agencies have called on communities and various organisations to refrain from taking the law into their own hands to enforce the Disaster Management Regulations. The NatJOINTS, which comprises of various government departments, is responsible for the coordination of the COVID-19 operations, including high density policing operations, border control, route security and public health infection containment, among others, said the majority of the nation has been adhering to the lockdown regulations. “However, the call for greater adherence to the regulations comes following…
The South African Police Services (SAPS) have arrested a 23-year-old man in Pretoria for allegedly contravening the Regulations of the Disaster Management Act 2002. The suspect is likely to face charges of at least contravening Regulation 11B of the Disaster Management Act 2002. This as South Africans observe the tenth day of lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. On 27 March 2020 little snippets of a video, in which two young men were seen travelling around Pretoria with one of them continuously swearing, mocking efforts to curb the COVID-19 virus and bragging they do not comply with laws put…
The South African lockdown restrictions may only be lifted somewhere between the end of June and the end of August, according to Rapport newspaper. The newspaper quoting a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said new COVID-19 infections in South Africa will only peak at the beginning of June. The National Coronavirus Command Council decided to enforce a 21-day nation-wide lockdown with effect from midnight Thursday 26 March 2020, until midnight on Thursday 16 April 2020. In a televised address to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the lockdown is necessary in order to save lives in light of the…
As rating agency Fitch announced its decision to downgrade South Africa from ‘BB+’ to ‘BB’, placing the country further into non-investment grade, the government has emphasised its commitment to implement structural economic reforms. In a statement on Friday, the government said it has noted the decision by the agency. In its decision, Fitch cited the lack of a clear path towards the government’s debt stabilisation, as well as the expected impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) shock on public finances. The agency also cited economic growth as the reason for the downgrade. “To assure all South Africans, the government is seized…
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the Western Cape has already seen an increase of COVID-19 positive cases of people who have not traveled abroad – which has led to an upsurge in the number of admissions to hospitals. Briefing the media in Cape Town on Friday, Mkhize said the department, therefore, is pushing to roll-out more testing especially in densely populated areas such as townships and informal settlements. He said they have already identified these sites and additional beds to augment the existing capacity as the number starts to peak to manage the outbreak. The country has recorded two…
Government is ramping up efforts to make sure that every health worker has protective gear as soon as next week. Health Deputy Minister Joe Phaahla made the assurance during a ministerial press briefing on Friday, where he said the government would be getting stock from this weekend and early next week. The health worker unions have been putting pressure on the government to provide health care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), with Nehawu threatening to take Health Minister Zweli Mkhize to court over the matter. There were also concerns that healthcare professionals were putting their lives at risk…
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that as of Friday there are now 1 505 positive cases of COVID-19, an increase of 43 new cases from Thursday. “We also want to report that there are 2 more deaths from KwaZulu-Natal. An 80-year-old male and 81-year-old female,” said Minister Mkhize, adding that the total number of deaths now stand at 7 with 2 yet to be confirmed. Speaking at Khayelitsha Hospital on Friday, he said he would like to convey Government’s condolences to the families and friends of these individuals. “We would also like to thank the health workers who are…