RECORDED | Ramaphosa speaks to the nation

President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak to the nation at 8pm on Monday.

This confirmed information given to Sunday Times Daily earlier on Monday - from an insider at the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) as well as Gauteng premier David Makhura, albeit the latter unintentionally - which had said the latest “family meeting” was likely to take place on Monday.

According to the presidency, the address will be on “developments in relation to the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic”, and it followed meetings of the NCCC, the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and cabinet in recent days.

“Ramaphosa also hosted a virtual engagement on Sunday January 10, 2020, between government and interfaith leaders on the Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy which is an inclusive national effort that enables adaptive responses to the shifting pandemic. This engagement focused on the unfolding pandemic in the country and on the continent, including efforts to secure vaccines for all,” said spokesperson Tyrone Seale.

The insider told Sunday Times Daily the president would not move the country into a harder lockdown level 4, as previously rumoured.

He said lockdown level 3 will be extended until February 15 and the curfew will be amended to between 9pm and 5am, from 9pm to 6am.

The insider said some borders will be closed.

The address by Ramaphosa comes after a week of skyrocketing coronavirus infections.

For four consecutive days last week, the country recorded more than 20,000 new daily infections - and more than 17,000 yesterday.

This means between Wednesday and Sunday last week, there were close to 100,000 new Covid-19 cases.

On Monday morning, Makhura dropped a hint that the much-awaited “family meeting” with the president would be held today.

Speaking during his visit to Pretoria’s Steve Biko Academic Hospital with health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi, Makhura said the provincial command centre would give a detailed briefing on the progress of the Covid-19 pandemic on Tuesday after the president makes his announcement.

“We have been postponing because we felt we had to wait to hear what the president has to announce first,” Makhura said.

Later during the visit, he said he did not know when the president would address the nation.