COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Presidency warns against spread of Covid-19 misinformation

April 9 2020 - 14:30

Presidency warns against spread of Covid-19 misinformation

The presidency has warned against the spreading of "fake news" relating to Covid-19.

In a statement the presidency warned that if there is information making its rounds on social media purporting to be official communication from government is not found on any of the government's official sites, it should be ignored and regarded as "fake news". 

April 9 2020 - 14:15

A day on the coronavirus front line in Alexandra

When April 2 2020 dawned grey and chilly in Joburg, Keith Nthite’s day started much the same as many others. His warmest leather boots. A brown denim jacket. A thick black beanie pulled down over his ears.

But in one important way, Nthite’s morning was very different. And it had to do with a blue Meridian overall slung over the door of his bedroom cabinet.

• This article was first published by New Frame.

April 9 2020 - 14:13

State's mass relocation plans come to life in Covid-19 fight

More than 21,000 families are set to be moved from 29 informal settlements across the country as the government tries to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The removals are expected to begin in the next few weeks, starting with informal settlements in Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, Sowetan reports.

April 9 2020 - 13:54

Minnie Dlamini teams up with Jaguar Land Rover for #FeedingSATogether

Jaguar Land Rover SA and the Minnie Dlamini Foundation have teamed up to help feed orphans and the elderly around the country who may not have access to regular meals during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The South African Red Cross Society will use Land-Rovers to distribute food parcels and continue to educate communities about the coronavirus.

April 9 2020 - 13:51

Essential baby items, clothing can be sold in lockdown: Dlamini-Zuma

Essential baby items and clothing may be sold in stores during the 21-day lockdown, the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) said on Thursday.

“Following requests for clarification, we confirm that this provision includes baby clothes, blankets, towels and other essential accessories for newborns, infants and toddlers up to 36 months old,” said minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

April 9 2020 - 13:50

Ramaphosa pleased with Covid-19 data centre's response in fight against virus

President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “hugely impressed” by the efforts of the department of health and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to use technology to track the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Ramaphosa visited the health department’s Covid-19 information centre, a data centre set up to monitor and track the spread of the coronavirus, on Thursday where he was briefed on mechanisms to track government’s response to the pandemic.

April 9 2020 - 13:25

WATCH | ‘I’m on the frontline’: woman collects medicine for the elderly during lockdown

Fifty-two-year-old Faieza Cannell Smith from Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, collects the files of elderly hospital patients with her partner Ra-shaat Smith to do hospital runs on behalf of community members during the lockdown.

Smith does a lot of work in her community, while also running her own catering business. With the spread of the coronavirus posing a high risk to the elderly, she has decided to offer some help.

April 9 2020 - 13:15

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula condemns motorists who flout lockdown rules

April 9 2020 - 12:55

Mzwandile Masina denies visiting Mduduzi Manana during lockdown

City of Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina has denied visiting Mduduzi Manana during the national lockdown, as suggested by a photo that has surfaced on social media.

Former deputy minister of higher education Manana and his “social lunch” have been the talk of social media since Sunday, after he posted a picture of communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and others having a meal at his house.

April 9 2020 - 12:52

Cyril Ramaphosa and Zweli Mkhize applauded for 'greatest effort' against Covid-19 in Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa and health minister Zweli Mkhize's leadership in the fight against Covid-19 has again received praise.

The pair have been applauded by The Council on Foreign Relations on the decision to institute a 21-day nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the virus and providing daily, forthright briefings that are perceived as credible.

The council said the lockdown, which is now its 13th day and set to end on April 16, was one of the strictest enforced outside China, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.

April 9 2020 - 12:43

NSRI donates food parcels to Robben Island families during Covid-19 lockdown

The National Sea Rescue Institute will deliver food and essentials to people living in Robben Island during the Covid-19 lockdown.

April 9 2020 - 12:20

'Italy's youngest patient' recovers from virus

A two-month-old baby who was believed to have been Italy's youngest COVID-19 patient has been released from hospital after overcoming the disease, media reports said Thursday.

The baby was no longer running a temperature or fever and was released with her mother, who has recovered from a bout of pneumonia, the reports said.

April 9 2020 - 12:18

Two Limpopo doctors released after being forced into quarantine

Two Limpopo doctors who were forced into quarantine by the provincial department of health have been released, the South African Medical Association (Sama) said on Thursday.

Dr Claire Olivier and Dr Taryn Williams, who work at Mmametlhake Hospital in Mpumalanga, were already self-isolating at home when they were forced into quarantine.

The two tested positive on March 29.

April 9 2020 - 11:51

WATCH | SA to borrow R19bn from Brics bank to help fight Covid-19

The Treasury says it will take up a $1bn (about R19bn) loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) - formerly known as the Brics Development Bank - to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

April 9 2020 - 11:50

Nehawu calls off court case as Zweli Mkhize promises to help with masks, gloves

Public sector union Nehawu and health minister Zweli Mkhize have agreed that no health worker will be forced or intimidated to work without proper and sufficient provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The leadership of Nehawu met the minister on Wednesday morning after a court application by the union to force a meeting with him was dismissed.

April 9 2020 - 11:47

Risk of stress and insomnia going viral among Covid-19 health workers

Health workers could face sleepless nights of anxiety when the Covid-19 outbreak peaks.

SA is in the early stages of the pandemic compared to countries such as China, Italy and the US, where the grim stats of infection and deaths have shown exponential growth.

Those countries provide a glimpse into what could be around the corner as global infection numbers close in on 1.4-million (WHO figures), and a new study has raised the spectre of sleep-deprived health workers

April 9 2020 - 11:45

Kitchen bootlegger feels the heat after cops swoop on his pricey stash

Normal price: R65.

Lockdown price from a profiteer's kitchen counter in Cape Town: R200.

That was what police found on Wednesday when they raided a Kraaifontein home and discovered alcohol, cigarettes and drugs neatly displayed for sale. 

April 9 2020 - 11:44

Dogs shot 'for no reason' with rubber bullets in Khayelitsha lockdown

Two dogs in Khayelitsha, Fifi and Fido, are recovering at the SA.MAST Animal Clinic after being treated for rubber bullet wounds - allegedly inflicted by a police officer enforcing the Covid-19 lockdown.

Fido was shot twice in the shoulder. Fifi was shot twice in the neck.

According to the clinic’s director Tamsin Nel, only Fido was strong enough last week to undergo surgery. On Friday, two rubber bullets were removed from his shoulder.

April 9 2020 - 11:25

Ramaphosa to visit Covid-19 national data centre

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the Department of Health's  Covid-19 national information centre on Thursday in Pretoria.

In a statement the presidency, said the centre is housed in a secure facility at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

The centre monitors and records real-time analytics, dashboards on the Covid-19 pandemic in provinces across SA and its various districts.

April 9 2020 - 11:14

Locked-down Spain celebrates Holy Week with music and humour

In the week leading to Easter Sunday, hundreds of colourful processions featuring penitents in cone-shaped hoods and centuries-old religious floats traditionally flood the streets of villages and cities across Spain.

But with a nationwide lockdown in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Spaniards are finding ways to mark Holy Week from their homes, by blasting religious music from their balconies or viewing videos of last year's parades.

April 9 2020 - 11:05

Here's what SA's been cooking up during lockdown, according to Google

If our googling habits are anything to go by, Mzansi seems to have developed a serious sweet tooth since we all got “grounded” by the government on March 27.

Since the moment we entered lockdown, six of the eight most-searched recipes by South Africans have come from the dessert section of the ginormous cookbook known as the internet, according to Google search trends.

That good old comforting classic, malva pudding, took the number one. Fudge and banana bread rounded out the top three.

April 9 2020 - 10:48

Booze ban during lockdown has Mzansi asking Google how to make alcohol

Searches on Google SA for "alcohol ban South Africa" spiked 500% over the past week as SA’s lockdown entered its second week.

High levels of search interest were also seen for the terms "how to get alcohol" and "homemade alcohol", said Google.

The Free State, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo all showed high levels of interest in the term "homemade alcohol".

April 9 2020 - 10:46

New Covid-19 rules outline how to handle victims' bodies

In a bid to stop the further spread of the coronavirus, no person may handle the remains of a Covid-19 victim with bare hands - or kiss them.

The measure is part of a new set of regulations outlined in a government gazette on Wednesday by the national department of health.

Health minister Zweli Mkhize said anyone handling a Covid-19 body should at all times wear suitable personal protective gear and practise good hygiene.

April 9 2020 - 10:40

Police investigate picture of female officers 'posing with alcohol'

Police said on Thursday they were investigating the authenticity of a photograph circulating online depicting two women officers holding up what appeared to be bottles of alcohol in a “toast”.

The officers, in uniform, are in a room next to several packs of liquor stacked on a table. The context of the image is unclear and the bottles being held up appear to be full.

April 9 2020 - 10:35

WATCH | Da L.E.S doing this Tiger King song will make your lockdown

April 9 2020 - 10:30

Wash your hands

April 9 2020 - 10:22

Covid lockdown | Pleas for appliance repair and sale go unanswered so far

What happens if your fridge or washing machine packs up during lockdown? If you can’t fix it yourself, you’re stuck, because the Disaster Management Act regulations do not include the sale or repair of domestic appliances among essential goods and services.

Karen Voogt, a Joburg mother spending lockdown with a family of six, including three children under 10, told TimesLIVE this week that her 11-year-old washing machine had broken.

“I know it’s a relatively small problem when there’s a deadly virus ruling the world,” she said. “But what now?”

April 9 2020 - 10:20

That Ramaphosa joke about which year the lockdown would end cut Mzansi deep

As South Africans wait to find out whether the national 21-day lockdown will end on April 16, a video of president Cyril Ramaphosa saying he didn't specify in which year the lockdown would end, has many breathing through the wound.

April 9 2020 - 10:17

POLL | Do you buy Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams' apology?

The apology of communications and digital technologies minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, dominated trends lists in SA as some said tougher action should have been taken against her, while others said the sanction was sufficient.

Ndabeni-Abrahams was ordered by President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly apologise on Wednesday for breaking lockdown regulations after she was pictured at ANC NEC member Mduduzi Manana's home on Sunday.

April 9 2020 - 10:15

Municipalities asked to identify mortuaries for Covid-19 bodies

All provincial departments of health in the country have been asked to identify suitable government mortuaries that will accommodate Covid-19 bodies.

This was among rules and regulations set out in a government gazette published in a bid to help curb the rise of Covid-19.

Health minister Zweli Mkhize published the rules on Wednesday.

April 9 2020 - 10:00

EFF not impressed by Trump's 'shameful' attempt to remove Tedros Adhanom

The EFF has criticised US president Donald Trump for his comments about World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Trump accused The WHO DG of being China-centric in the fight against Covid-19 and threatening to withdraw funding for the organisation.

"The international community must unite against Donald Trump and his government's attempt to destabalise the WHO during what is evidently an international crisis threatening the very existence of humanity."  

April 9 2020 - 09:30

EFF condemns SAB management for moving alcohol

The EFF says the movement of alcohol is not an essential service.

This comes after seven South African Breweries employees and two thir-party drivers were arrested for the movement of alcohol.

April 9 2020 - 09:20

IN PICTURES | Robots may become heroes in war on coronavirus

Long maligned as job-stealers and aspiring overlords, robots are being increasingly relied on as fast, efficient, contagion-proof champions in the war against the deadly coronavirus.

One team of robots temporarily cared for patients in a makeshift hospital in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the COVID-19 outbreak began.

April 9 2020 - 09:02

I am at home, this is my verge: Why it's hard to stay inside when living in a township

Despite the lockdown order, Katlego Ngwato, 20, was standing on the pavement outside his home in Alexandra Township last week.

He lives in a shack made of board and corrugated metal, in amongst other similar rooms in what was probably once a garden to one of the original 40 houses established in 1913.

Over 700,000 people live within the 800 hectares that is Alexandra.

April 9 2020 - 09:02

Fake news, be gone! SA one of world's most reliable for Covid-19 news

SA is one of the most reliable countries in the world when it comes to Covid-19 news, a study has found.

The study was done by BreadCrumbs, a behavioural linguistics firm that combines sociolinguistics, psychology and marketing principles to create personalised and persuasive communication.

April 9 2020 - 09:00

Solidarity Fund to roll out food relief for vulnerable households

A fund set up to pull money together to fight Covid-19 and limit its economic pain on families is planning to earmark R120m in food relief for a quarter of a million vulnerable households.

This is stated in an internal document obtained by Business Day.

April 9 2020 - 08:10

WATCH | R600,000 repairs for Cape Town 'refugee church' before Easter

April 9 2020 - 08:07

We had valid reasons to move booze: SA Breweries stands firm after arrests

Lawyers have been appointed to assist South African Breweries (SAB) staff arrested by Gauteng authorities, the company said as it lashed out against accusations it was breaking the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.

Seven SAB employees and two third-party drivers were arrested on Wednesday and their loads impounded.

April 9 2020 - 08:00

Pregnant Roodepoort woman tests positive for Covid-19

A 30-year-old pregnant woman from Roodepoort has tested positive for Covid-19.

Morgan Brink said she received her positive result on April 1, days after returning from a cruise on the MSC Orchestra.

“I did the test on March 25 and I got my test results on April 1. And no, it was no April Fool’s joke. My doctor phoned me and told me to go straight to hospital just so we could check everything because I am pregnant,” she said.

April 9 2020 - 07:45

Lockdown | Diary of a single, Soweto mom: I'm learning to appreciate the small things

April 8: Day 13

Today I realised that throughout this lockdown, I haven’t sat outside much and I’m not sure why.

I realised this after I went outside and spoke to people who were walking up and down our street. The fresh air felt so good on my skin and the whole experience — though less than 20 minutes, I'm sure — really lifted my mood.

For a few seconds, I forgot that we’re on lockdown as I watched people move about freely and children playing in the street. My son even had a brief conversation with one of them and I think that made him happier too.

April 9 2020 - 07:36

This is what Mzansi wants Ramaphosa to consider for lockdown review

South Africans have shared their opinions on measures they think could help curb the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country.

This is after United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa asked social media users to weigh in on the review process for the 21-day lockdown period.

Holomisa asked his followers to give their opinions on which regulations they thought should be reviewed - and why.

April 9 2020 - 07:20

WATCH | Cape Town couple host wedding in their backyard with cardboard guests

April 9 2020 - 07:25

Handstand challenge to help small businesses stay afloat amid Covid-19

A gymnastics club in Johannesburg has launched the "handstand challenge" to help small businesses affected by the coronavirus lockdown.

The challenge is to do a handstand a day for the next 100 days. Alternatively, participants are asked to donate money to keep small businesses afloat, or to sponsor someone to do the challenge.

April 9 2020 - 07:15

African Union throws weight behind WHO in face of Trump criticism

The African Union (AU) — through its chair President Cyril Ramaphosa — has thrown its weight behind the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the face of criticism by US president Donald Trump.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the AU commended the WHO for its “good work” in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

April 9 2020 - 07:10

How to limit kids' screen time during lockdown, according to digital guru

Digital life skills expert and parent Dean McCoubrey runs school programmes on social media. The founder of MySociaLife talks about screen guidelines during lockdown.

What are fair screen limits during lockdown when children must learn and socialise online?

Screen time limits depend on many factors:

• What type of family are you (conservative or liberal)?
• What type of child do you have (obsessive user or more self-regulated)?
• What type of screen time are we talking about: for example, educational (like wildlife TV shows), sport (YouTube), social (Instagram) or gaming (Fortnite)?