Covid-19 in numbers: Get the latest figures
COVID-19 NEWS
Minister Jackson Mthembu dies of Covid-related complications
Minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu has died of Covid-19 related complications.
Private hospital group opens temporary units for Covid surge
Private hospital group Netcare has opened temporary facilities in three provinces to manage increasing numbers of ...
More soldiers have been deployed to enforce Covid regulations: What you ...
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the deployment of 2,122 soldiers will preserve life, health and property.
Biovac to distribute vaccines to SA health-care workers: Treasury letter
SA pharmaceutical company Biovac Institute has been contracted by the government to import, store and distribute ...
Yvonne Chaka Chaka splits social media with Covid-19 vaccine comments
The singer came under fire for questioning why the Covid-19 vaccine was being produced so quickly.
LISTEN | Dr Anban Pillay answers our vaccine questions
Amid the scramble to secure a healthy supply of Covid-19 vaccines, the SA government has been accused of not acting ...
Social media hype over unproven Ivermectin is irresponsible — experts
South Africans might be desperate to stop Covid-19 in its tracks, but this does not mean scientific rigour will be ...
JONATHAN JANSEN | ‘Nationalisation’ is being bandied about, so play the ...
Independents have a place, but at times such as this and for solidarity’s sake they should align with public ...
'Our people have suffered enough': Gauteng legislature worried as ...
Gauteng-based athletes have endured months of struggle, seemingly without help from the provincial government. They say ...
'If I don’t make it, I love you all': Mom of newborn's last words before ...
She will never share a mother and daughter bond. She will never get see her child smile, cry, or hear the words ...
SA records 12,710 new Covid-19 cases and 566 deaths in 24 hours
SA recorded 12,710 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, after two consecutive days of fewer than 10,000 new ...
EDITORIAL | The survival of the booze industry is in our hands
South Africans want to drink our favourite tipples. We also want beds available in hospitals. We can’t have it both ways
High-dosage blood thinners may harm critically ill Covid-19 patients, ...
The department says there is no data available yet to review the findings.
'Unbothered' and 'clueless': SA reacts to David Mabuza overseeing Covid-19 ...
David Mabuza is simply not the right man for the job, says DA shadow minister of health Siviwe Gwarube.
Private schools can open even if public schools don't, says deputy minister
Private and independent schools were well within their rights to resume their academic year, even while public schools ...
Nasrec field hospital to be used to ease pressure in Gauteng: Mkhize
The Nasrec field hospital will be used to ease the pressure in Gauteng as the province continues to see an increase in ...
The new Covid strain plaguing SA: seven pressing questions answered
Is the new Covid-19 variant, 501Y.V2, more deadly? Will existing vaccines work against it? We asked an expert from the ...
POLL | Would you consider making online schooling permanent?
With most schools in SA set to reopen in mid-February, independent schools such as Curro have announced plans to move ...
High-dosage blood thinners may harm critically ill Covid-19 patients, ...
The department says there is no data available yet to review the findings.
DJ Sox worried about Covid-19 vaccine-related politics: How are we ...
"We must just produce our own vaccine that we can trust..." DJ Sox said.
'Unbothered' and 'clueless': SA reacts to David Mabuza overseeing Covid-19 ...
David Mabuza is simply not the right man for the job, says DA shadow minister of health Siviwe Gwarube.
Saints alive! Private schools get bust by department for staying open
St Jeff College in Braamfontein is one of two schools who defied the Gauteng education department directive
Medaids ponder how to price vaccines so non-members get them too
Schemes under pressure to vaccinate as many people as possible while ensuring there is enough money to buy doses
SA records 839 new Covid-19 deaths, with health dept saying figure was due ...
SA recorded its highest ever daily Covid-19 death total, with the health department saying this was due to "data ...
David Mabuza to lead inter-ministerial committee on vaccines
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed his deputy, David Mabuza, to lead the inter-ministerial committee that will ...
From back-to-school delays to online learning - here's how we got here
The department of basic education delayed reopening schools by two weeks to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
WATCH | Spoofs on Covid-19 vaccine 'effects' spark viral social media trend
TikTok users have mocked the conspiracy theories surrounding the Covid-19 vaccines.
This is how SA scientists plan to fight the new Covid variant
Globally there are over 20 variants of the virus, with experts expecting a third surge in SA in June
‘Our fridges are full’: undertakers are the forgotten front-line workers
Last responders battle to cope with both the extra workload and the emotional strain of the huge rise in Covid deaths
All primary school pupils can return on February 15, but secondary schools ...
Primary schools can allow all pupils to return to school daily from February 15, provided that health and safety ...
Patients are visiting health-care facilities too late: KZN premier Sihle ...
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government is pleading with residents to not "over rely on homemade recommended solutions" ...
FACES OF COVID | 'I have walked out on my own two feet'
Veteran media personality and former government spokesman Denzil Taylor has shared his joy at being discharged from ...
If you react badly to the vaccine, will the manufacturer be held liable?
The government is tight-lipped about liability discussions with drug companies, saying NDAs are in place
COVID-19 NEWS
SA's Catholic Church mourns loss of Archbishop Abel Gabuza to Covid-19
Covid-19 has claimed the life of the Catholic Church's archbishop coadjutor of the archdiocese of Durban, Abel Gabuza.
'Why did you leave me?' Sneziey Msomi heartbroken by grandmother's death
People are losing their loved ones everywhere you look.
Judge Zondo pledges to preserve Solly Bux's legacy by helping others
To “give without any expectation, without recognition”. That is how deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo aims to preserve ...
ATM hygiene safety: Banks ask for practicality on Dlamini-Zuma regulation
70% of SA's 30,000 ATMs are situated in remote locations and on premises that are not owned by banks, so compelling ...
Dlamini-Zuma set to file response to vaccine challenge by Wednesday
AfriForum and Solidarity say co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has until ...
Bid to block report into racial profiling of black doctors by medical ...
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) and the Board of Healthcare Funders have urgently gone to court on ...
Tributes pour in after KZN transport MEC Bheki Ntuli dies from ...
Condolences are streaming in for KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC Bheki Ntuli, who died at a Durban hospital on Saturday ...
WATCH | Kelly Khumalo says victory over Covid-19 needs 'God himself'
"I feel like I need to ask you guys to call on the Lord because no scientist is going to create a miracle at this ...
Mining industry to support SA's Covid-19 vaccine rollout
SA's mining companies will support the government in the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines as the nation battles a surge in ...
PETER BRUCE | Endlessly bloviating while people suffer
I try not to be too harsh in my judgments of the government and its response to Covid-19.
Stiffer tax on booze looms large
Steep taxes and a higher legal drinking age are among the measures the government is considering as it seeks to curb ...
SUNDAY TIMES EDITORIAL | A supremely tough decision on schools, and at ...
How do you make a decision when two arguments are equally compelling?
Covid-19 likely to send school dropout rate soaring
Education experts have expressed serious concern over whether 15% of pupils who did not pitch up at government schools ...
New Covid-19 wave’s tsunami of grief
More than 3,000 Covid-19 deaths were recorded between Monday and Saturday this week, with daily deaths stats smashing ...
Newborn twins lose mom to Covid-19
Throughout her pregnancy, Rozaan November was excited to meet the twins she was carrying.
Pass Covid test or stay away, top private schools tell pupils
Top private schools are insisting pupils produce negative Covid-19 test results before they return to class next month.
Lab group ordered to stop offering Covid tests in row over accreditation
The health department has stopped a national private laboratory service conducting unaccredited Covid-19 screening ...
No need to panic, the vaccines are on the way - Mkhize
South Africans will have to continue applying Covid-19 preventive measures even after the targeted 67% of the ...
'The money will be there' — Ramaphosa promises Treasury will have the cash ...
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday allayed the fears of many South Africans, saying the Treasury would have the money ...
SA records 615 Covid-19 deaths, just less than 15,000 new cases in 24 hours
SA recorded 14,880 new Covid-19 related cases in the past 24 hours, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday ...
South Africans called to action as People’s Vaccine Campaign is launched
A campaign launched by emerging civil society group the C19 People’s Coalition is calling for the support of South ...
Zondo to self-isolate after staffer tests positive for Covid-19
The state capture inquiry on Friday adjourned earlier than planned after a staff member working closely with ...
Unions give deadline for management teams to return to school a 'fail' mark
Teacher unions are outraged by the department of basic education’s decision to get school management teams (SMTs) and ...
'People are sick. Our children must stay at home': Parents and pupils ...
Parents and pupils have voiced their concerns about the basic education department’s decision to delay the reopening of ...
Don’t fail SA’s kids again, reopen schools, say top profs
The NCCC wants this postponed to February 15, with the education minister set to address the issue on Friday
KZN, Limpopo health urged to get other oxygen suppliers as Covid-19 cases ...
Parliament's portfolio committee on health has expressed concern at the insufficient oxygen supply for Covid-19 ...
Gautengers! Put yourselves on voluntary level 5 lockdown, urge experts
They have also called on government to introduce online learning until there’s a clear downward Covid trend
With 712 new deaths, SA has recorded 2,273 Covid-19 fatalities in 3 days
South Africa has recorded its three most deadly Covid-19 days on consecutive days this week, as the number of confirmed ...
TB set to soar in Covid’s wake. Containing it will mean actively finding ...
In SA, TB testing halved between March and August, with studies putting global death figures at ‘2015 levels’
Zweli Mkhize warns of fake 5G conspiracy theory, as SA's Covid-19 recovery ...
SA's recovery rate has surpassed one million, but concerns about the 5G conspiracy theory persist.
Coronavirus Command Council recommends that school reopening be postponed ...
'The NCCC was deeply concerned about the pressure on health-care facilities'
State’s ‘bizarre’ plan to roll out Covid-19 vaccines at Eastern Cape ...
Bhisho's ambitious plan to roll out Covid-19 vaccines includes using half of all schools in the province as vaccination ...
Bhisho spells out plan to vaccinate 3.7 million people
It wants to give 3.7 million people the vaccine, with 200,000 health-care workers — both in the public and private ...
SA expats feel good after vaccine jabs
Andile Gova, an expatriate nurse at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US who received his first dose of the Moderna ...
Land reform & farming policy expert Prof Mohammad Karaan dies
Tributes are being shared after the death of agricultural policy influencer Prof Mohammad Karaan on Wednesday.
Popular Muslim cemetery in Cape Town full as Covid-19 deaths mount
The most popular municipal Muslim cemetery in Cape Town has run out of space due to Covid-19.
ANCYL branch calls for arrests of its own members for peddling fake Covid ...
The ANC Youth League's Gauteng Crisis Committee is calling for the "immediate arrest" of their compatriots who had ...
JONATHAN JANSEN | Schools should absolutely not reopen in lockdown level ...
Government does not prioritise children and teachers. If it did, thousands of training hours would not be ashes
AKA claps back at being labelled a 'coronavirus conspiracy theorist'
This time, AKA took the streets with sarcasm!
53% of adults want schools closed until Covid-19 situation improves - ...
As the country intensifies its fight against Covid-19, a survey conducted by UJ has revealed that the majority of ...
Mom who had Covid-19 reunited with baby after thinking her son had died
A Cape Town mother who spent her festive season heartbroken and in despair after she thought her premature baby boy had ...
Home affairs will offer limited services during level 3 - here's what you ...
Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Tuesday that the department will offer limited services to the ...
'The vulnerable first, we can wait': Phumzile Van Damme and Derek Hanekom ...
DA MP Phumzile Van Damme and ANC stalwart Derek Hanekom have not only endorsed the Covid-19 vaccine, which is expected ...
Cuban doctors instrumental in KZN's Covid-19 fight, says health MEC
Cuban health experts based at KwaZulu-Natal's Covid-19 facilities have been instrumental in the fight against the ...
Eastern Cape concerned about Covid-19 vaccine rollout in far-flung areas
The Eastern Cape government has expressed concern that it may encounter problems with vaccination distribution to ...
SA's booze industry seeks tax relief after new sales ban
SA’s alcohol industry, reeling under a renewed liquor sales and distribution ban since the end of December, on Tuesday ...
‘There is no vaccine microchip and it will not track people or alter their ...
Many South Africans are anti-immunisation, leading a top virologist to try to ally fears and debunk myths
Covid-19 carnage continues as deaths set new record for second successive ...
The first week of 2021 produced an all-time record number of deaths in SA, the Medical Research Council said on ...
Highest daily Covid-19 death toll in SA as 806 people die in 24 hours
SA recorded 806 new Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest ever single-day deaths so far.
Formal complaint lodged against chief justice for his 'devil vaccines' ...
Health advocacy organisation African Alliance has filed a formal complaint with the Judicial Services Commission ...
Durban private hospital accused of dispensing Ivermectin is under police ...
A private hospital in Durban is under police investigation after allegations the outlawed drug Ivermectin was dispensed ...
The DA wants another round of UIF Ters payments for businesses as SA ...
The DA's call comes after Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that SA would remain on level 3 lockdown.
We were wrong about when second wave would hit: Prof Salim Abdool Karim
Prof Salim Abdool Karim, chair of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, on Tuesday conceded that they were wrong ...
PODCAST | Tougher lockdown restrictions won’t work, says top vaccinologist
Shabir Madhi says without a vaccine rollout, all they will do is delay infections that might occur in the near future
On just two days last week, home affairs registered 10,852 deaths: ...
'We believe it is going to get worse,' says home affairs minister as department inundated with applications for death ...
Chefs left jobless during hard lockdown get support to keep feeding the ...
What started as volunteering work for chefs who were jobless during the hard lockdown has turned into something ...
'Another star gone too soon': Mmusi Maimane and Thuli Madonsela pay ...
Lindiwe Ndlovu died in her sleep on Monday.
755 deaths recorded in 24 hours, as SA's total Covid-19 fatalities pass ...
More than 200 deaths were recorded in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as SA passed the 34,000 mark in terms of Covid-19 ...
7,000 arrested in two weeks for not wearing masks: Bheki Cele
At least 7000 South Africans have been arrested and charged for not wearing protective masks in public between December ...
Most South Africans fear vaccine so much, they’d rather go back to level 5
Survey finds they also lack faith in a government rollout, fear the drugs are too new and are anxious about side-effects
Alcohol ban remains as lockdown level 3 extended: Cyril Ramaphosa
The country will remain on lockdown level 3, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday night.
Vaccine rollout 'the largest and most complex logistical undertaking in ...
The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine will be at a scale never experienced in the country before — even greater than that ...
Land borders shut as SA struggles to contain Covid-19 infections
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced closure of the country’s 20 land ports to the public - with people only allowed ...
'When this Covid-19 wave is over, there is going to be a third and fourth ...
Glenda Gray, president of the Medical Research Council, urged South Africans this week to curb the spread of the new ...
Festive season is full of grief for families of Covid-19 victims
The joy of Christmas was missing this year for Amanda Ngubethole, who spent the holiday grieving for three relatives ...
The A to Z of Covid-19: What we’ll always remember from the year of the ...
From asymptomatic to Zoom, here's the A to Z of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 75 million people ...
‘New wave’ Covid-19 curbs loom as hospitals fill up, oxygen is rationed
Tougher restrictions could be imposed nationwide when the National Coronavirus Command Council meets this week to ...
11,500 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours as positivity rate breaches 30% mark
SA recorded 11,552 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours.
'It would appear new Covid-19 variant has higher transmissibility': experts
SA’s new coronavirus variant has rapidly displaced others but little is known about it yet — including whether it makes ...
Covid-19 pandemic: it was a time for heroes across the land
A year that to all intents and purposes began only on March 27 when SA went into hard lockdown brought lashings of ...
From 'fellow South Africans' to 'it looks like Hiroshima': 2020 in quotes
2020 will go down in history as the year in which a deadly pandemic went hitchhiking around the globe.
EDITORIAL | A populace seemingly bent on self-destruction needs to be ...
It is said of common sense that it is not as common as it should be, and how true this seems today as South Africans ...
SA closes in on 1 million Covid-19 cases, with 14,700 recorded in 24 hours
SA is likely to hit one million confirmed Covid-19 cases this weekend, after more than 14,000 new cases were recorded ...
For exhausted health workers, this festive season will be brutal
Barely able to catch a break before the country plunged into its second wave of Covid-19 infections, health-care ...
Former Durban deputy mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala dies of Covid-19
Former Durban deputy mayor Nomzuvo Shabalala died on Saturday of a Covid-19 related illness, parliament confirmed.
New Covid-19 infections just 'tip of iceberg', warn health experts
Health experts have warned that SA will experience high levels of Covid-19 infections if people continue to ignore ...
'They are not coping': health-care staff take strain as coronavirus surges
Health-care workers are under severe strain trying to cope with the explosion of Covid-19 infections and deaths in the ...
'The second wave is going to be a tsunami': Mzansi reacts to SA's highest ...
"With the way SA is handling the second wave, 2021 will just be episode 2 of 2020."
'Parties are Covid-19 superspreaders': Gauteng government urges residents ...
"We have to adapt to new ways of celebrating and bonding with families and friends."
'Exponential increase in deaths' says Medical Research Council as second ...
The total number of excess deaths from natural causes of people older than one is now at 59,463.
Youth blamed as Covid-19 second wave hits Limpopo
The Limpopo government has blamed the behaviour of its youth during the festive season as the province experiences a ...
Gauteng government slams Daspoort tunnel party
The Gauteng government has called for Covid-19 compliance and “responsible behaviour” following several reports of ...
Second insurer agrees to pay Covid-19 lockdown business interruption claims
Insurance Claims Africa has welcomed the decision by Hollard and Guardrisk to pay claims from businesses forced to ...
'I couldn’t breathe': Covid-19 survivor has a message to share with SA
Amy Louw, who works as an admin clerk in Cape Town, has spoken about her battle to overcome the coronavirus during a ...
339 Covid-19 deaths and 9,441 cases confirmed in 24 hours
SA recorded 339 deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24-hours, taking the national death toll from the pandemic to ...
MEC Ravi Pillay after Durban walkabout: flouting of Covid-19 rules 'is ...
The personal-care industry and liquor outlets have been slated for failing to create an environment in which to fight ...
Here's a roundup of the latest research on the coronavirus
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find ...
Sars to lock down offices for two weeks to curb spread of Covid-19
The closure is intended to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Garden Route beaches to remain closed as DA loses court battle
The DA has lost its court bid to overrule the government's decision to close Garden Route beaches for the December ...
Western Cape health-care workers exhausted as Covid-19 roars again
The Western Cape has 761 active infections among health workers, with 68 in hospital and five mortalities in the past ...
SA pays R283m deposit to secure access to Covid-19 vaccines
The national health department and the Solidarity Fund confirmed on Tuesday that a down payment of R283m had been made ...
Family 'stranded' in SA as travel ban over new Covid-19 variant kicks in
When businesswoman Marina Wessolowski arrived in Cape Town on December 12 she was looking forward to spending Christmas ...
Covid-19 checks and curfew add to Beitbridge border traffic jam
Travellers are sleeping in their parked vehicles while waiting to cross the Beitbridge border post in Limpopo, where ...
Covid-19: Help us protect our passengers, taxi operators urge government
Taxi owners have called on the government to help them protect passengers from Covid-19, as tens of thousands of people ...
SA approaches 25,000 Covid-19 deaths, with 216 in 24 hours
SA’s death toll climbed to just shy of 25,000 Covid-19 related deaths, as the total number of confirmed infections ...
Western Cape doctors make life-and-death decisions as Covid-19 cases soar
Public sector doctors have started to apply strict criteria that may mean some patients won’t be admitted to ICU.
From 'smuggling' bae to partying without masks: 5 times South Africans ...
While many adhered to the regulations, some made news headlines for violating them and getting fined in the process.
Heartbreak at Christmas: SA families mourn several loved ones lost to ...
"It floods my mind in an agonising way. The memories are at times too much to bear."
AKA shares ‘controversial’ thoughts about Covid-19, leaving Twitter shook!
AKA's coronavirus rant had fans schooling the star left, right and centre!
WATCH | Beaches 'off limits' but not parking lots after police pounce in ...
Kouga municipality mayor Horatio Hendricks has warned residents and visitors, until the outcome of a court challenge, ...
'More than 1 million people have benefited from the Cyril Ramaphosa ...
The Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation has committed R402m and raised R1.2bn for education and small business development ...
To fly or not to fly in the face of Covid-19
Hundreds of South Africans hopped on planes and flew thousands of kilometres in the face of the Covid-19 storm to spend ...
New Covid-19 variant in SA? Yup, and here's what we know so far
SA is in its second wave of Covid-19, and health experts and the health ministry have also warned about a new variant ...
Prof warns tougher lockdown may be only option if social distancing ignored
There may be no choice but to tighten lockdown regulations unless people adhere to social distancing and health ...
Blade Nzimande slams 'unscientific theories' on Covid-19 vaccine
Nzimande says SA cannot go through another health denialism disaster as it did with Aids in the early 1990s.
Why people cross the border without a Covid test
Though international borders were closed for months during the most restrictive stages of the Covid-19 lockdown, many ...
'Covid VSOP, not the normal one': Mzansi reacts to new Covid-19 variant
'This new coronavirus variant is going to be ruthless,' said one user.
Water safety programme for SA kids floundered under Covid-19 lockdown
Covid-19 lockdown has hit the NSRI’s schools programme, with less than half the planned number of children getting ...
152 deaths related to Covid-19 reported overnight, mostly in Eastern Cape
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday evening reported 152 more Covid-19 related deaths - with the Eastern Cape ...
Covid-19: SA has more than 100,000 active cases
There are 100,156 active cases of Covid-19 in SA, according to the latest update by the health ministry.
Records tumble on grimmest day yet for Covid-19 in Western Cape
Highest number of daily infections and deaths and a new record for active infections.Those are Saturday's grim Covid-19 ...
Got questions about the new Covid-19 variant? Health department has lots ...
The department of health issued a lengthy list of questions and answers on Saturday after announcing that the virus ...
Covid-19 surge and trauma patients put Western Cape hospitals under ...
Hospitals across the Western Cape were under "severe pressure" on Sunday due to a sharp increase in patients with ...
Church gathering ignites 48 Covid-19 cases as virus spreads in KZN
A church gathering attended by more than 2,000 people has contributed to the increased rate of Covid-19 infections in ...
New variant of Covid-19 found in SA, and is spreading fast
A new variant of Covid-19 has been identified in SA and is circulating widely - but it is not clear yet whether it is ...
Let's bow our heads and Zoom: Virtual communion takes over as churches ...
Hunger for the word of God, grief and having easy access to fellowship are some of the reasons churches have seen a ...
SA surges past 900,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 8,700 in 24 hours
SA had officially recorded its 900,000th Covid-19 case, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday.