COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | The Ranch is declared a green zone and all those quarantined can return home

29 March 2020 7:04

Deputy President David Mabuza has tested negative for Covid-19, the defence department said on Sunday evening.

In a statement, the department said that Mabuza got himself tested after “having been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19".

It was not immediately clear who Mabuza was referring to, but he did come in contact with ACDP leader Rev Kenneth Meshoe at a meeting of political party leaders recently. Meshoe has tested positive for Covid-19.

29 March 2020 5:30

Western Cape's 310 Covid-19 cases broken down by area

“We have seen another increase in the number of residents admitted to hospital as a result of the virus, with 14 currently hospitalised, three of these in intensive care,” Western Cape premier Alan Winde said in a statement on Sunday.

“Today we have started providing subdistrict information across the Western Cape, including in the city of Cape Town. The stats show us that this virus is spreading, reaching communities across our province.

Each and every one these cases, from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to Mossel Bay — is of very serious concern for my government.”

He said response teams were urgently tackling the development of cases in informal areas, tracing contacts and ensuring isolation.

29 March 2020 5:00

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula is relaxing operating hours for taxis and buses to accommodate social grant beneficiaries.

Buses and taxis will be allowed to operate from 5am until 8pm between Monday, March 30 and Friday, April 3.

“Following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the days social grants would be paid, a number of industry bodies have made representations on the relaxation of hours public transport vehicles are allowed to operate.

29 March 2020 3:30

Standard Bank offers payment holiday to customers earning R7,500 or less

“This relief applies to qualifying customers and their associated accounts, which include home loan, vehicle and asset finance, credit cards as well as short term loans.

Customers who opt for the relief will see their interest and bank charges capitalised over the term of their loan agreements,” said the bank's CEO of personal and business banking, Funeka Montjane.

The three-month instalment relief would become available on April 1 and last until the end of June.

29 March 2020 4:00

Police rescue workers who were locked in Durban factory and forced to make masks

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube said that she was furious after hearing about the report back by officials tasked to investigate a complaint she received on Sunday.

“No amount of words could ever describe my anger following a shocking report I have just received from officials I assigned to investigate a complaint I received early this morning.

“This is in connection to more than 14 employees who have been locked up in a factory since Monday last week. They were forced to manufacture hundreds of masks to meet the demand caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus.”

29 March 2020 3:24

Nice and clean 

29 March 2020 3:07

29 March 2020 1:20

'You are our heroes': Ramaphosa to all who helped SA citizens in Wuhan

President Cyril Ramaphosa paid a moving tribute on Sunday to the volunteers who assisted South Africans that were repatriated from Wuhan in China.

The group have tested negative for Covid-19 after 14 days of quarantine at The Ranch resort near Polokwane in Limpopo.

“If there ever was a true representation of Thuma Mina, you are all a representation of Thuma Mina . ... I cannot think of a single moment when it is really truly represented in practice than this moment and what you did,” he said at the resort.

He was addressing SAA pilots and cabin crew, health practitioners and SANDF members who volunteered to carry out the mission.

29 March 2020 1:00

South Africa may approach the IMF for 'health funding' - Mboweni

South Africa may approach the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for funding to fight the coronavirus that threatens to drag the country's economy deeper into recession, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said in the Sunday Times.

"This morning in a conversation with the (central) Reserve Bank and the Treasury I indicated that we should proceed and speak to the IMF and the World Bank about any facility that we can access for health purposes," Mboweni said in an interview.

29 March 2020 12:47

Isolated in foreign lands, footballers learn to deal without the game

The riches, glamour and glory of playing football in front of packed stadiums attracts the world's top players across borders but with the European game in lockdown, many have been left isolated from their families.

Coronavirus has forced governments across Europe to impose swingeing restrictions on travel and personal freedoms.

Footballers' daily routines have been upended with no games to play for the foreseeable future and training sessions now conducted alone at home or via video-conferencing to maintain some semblance of team spirit.

29 March 2020 10:04

Ramaphosa visits repatriated South Africans from Wuhan

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Sunday visit the repatriated South Africa who were in the city of Wuhan, China.

The South Africans were in a 14-day quarantine at the Ranch Resort in Limpopo.

29 March 2020 08:48

'You can afford not to work for 21 days, Mr President, we can't' Ntsiki Mazwai

Controversial musician Ntsiki Mazwai has written a scathing open letter to president Cyril Ramaphosa, arguing that government's decision to implement the 21-day lockdown was not well thought out.

In the blog post, Mazwai said Ramaphosa when the lockdown was implemented, Ramaphosa did not think of the many South Africans who would financially suffer from the lockdown.

Mr President what should we do with our bills month end? Most of us live from hand to mouth to be honest. So did you have a plan in place for us? How do we pay rent, electricity and water when you called for our work to be canceled but you continue and will earn your big salaries from MULTIPLE 'BEE' incomes? I understand you MPs earn just under R100 000 a month so it's no wonder we don't see panic in your eyes.

Day3: Khayelitsha residents arrested for flouting lockdown rules

29 March 2020 07:32

Police in Cape Town arrested some Khayelitsha residents for not obeying the 21-day lockdown regulations.

29 March 2020 07:40

Number of Covid-19 cases in SA climbing higher

The national department of health announced on Saturday that the number of the coronavirus cases increased by 112, making the total 1,187.