COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Evangelist pastor Angus Buchan tests positive for Covid-19

26 March 2020 - 1:45pm

Evangelist pastor Angus Buchan tests positive for Covid-19

Evangelist pastor Angus Buchan has tested positive for Covid-19.

"After speaking to my private physician this morning – who has been in contact with the laboratory that holds our results, we received greater clarity on our results. We had indeed tested positive for the Coronavirus. However we are not showing symptoms and are in good health."

26 March 2020 - 14:11

Call for neighbours to report domestic abuse: Covid-19 lockdown

Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu has urged communities to report incidents of violence and abuse against women and children during the lockdown.

The country will at midnight on Thursday go into a lockdown for 21 days.

Zulu said during an eNCA interview that her department welcomed police minister Bheki Cele's decision to prohibit the sale of alcohol during the lockdown.

“We welcome the decision. We appreciate and understand exactly what happens when people consume a lot of alcohol and go home.”

26 March 2020 - 12:58

Lotto winner will have to wait 21 days to claim R7.4m prize

A player who won the R7.4m Lotto jackpot on Wednesday will most likely have to wait until after the coronavirus lockdown to claim the money.

This as national lottery operator Ithuba on Thursday announced a shutdown of its offices amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“During the lockdown, our head office and all regional offices will be closed. This means that no winners will be able to claim their winnings at any of our offices. Players should not be anxious about this because all winning tickets have a lifespan of 365 days. It is therefore imperative that players keep their tickets safe until they can claim,” Ithuba said.

Those with smaller winnings could claim from supermarkets remaining open during the lockdown.

26 March 2020 - 12:15

'One working tap' for 2,000 households as lockdown looms

Two thousand shacks, only “one working tap” — and now lockdown.

That is the reality for those living in Port Elizabeth’s Nomakanjani informal settlement.

Though the large community has eight taps — too few even if they are all working — only one is said to be functional, meaning residents have to queue, sometimes for hours, to fill their water bottles and buckets.

As SA moves closer towards a national lockdown at midnight on Thursday in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus, residents in Nomakanjani are wondering how they will cope, reports HeraldLIVE.

26 March 2020 - 12:04

WATCH | Throwback of Madiba handwashing video has never been more relatable

The Nelson Mandela Foundation has re-released a 2003 handwashing-campaign video by the department of human settlements, water and sanitation featuring Madiba.

The throwback opens with a jug of water being poured over a schoolchild’s hands as an adult helps him lather them up with soap.

“Everybody should practice good hygiene,” said Mandela, as he is revealed to be the person helping the child and, in a touching moment, dries off his hands.

26 March 2020 - 11:00

President Cyril Ramaphosa tests negative for Covid-19

President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested negative for Covid-19 after speculation that he may have come into contact with someone who had it.

The president said on Thursday it was decided to make the test results public and reassure the nation that he is in good health.

“The president submitted for testing as a precautionary measure upon the advice of his physicians on Tuesday March 24 2020 and received his results last night [Wednesday],” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said.

26 March 2020 - 09:50

Walking dogs during lockdown is 'rubbish', says Julius Malema; government U-turns

EFF leader Julius Malema was unimpressed after health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize's said people would be allowed to walk their dogs during the 21-day lockdown from midnight on Thursday to April 16.

Mkhize said this during an interview on eNCA on Wednesday.

“You can walk, you can walk with your dog, you can jog, but do it with a good distance between you [and the next person]

However, government U-turned on the decision, with police minister Bheki Cele saying: “There shall be no dogs that shall be walked. The cluster met and we agreed that it doesn't enhance the call made by the president [Cyril Ramaphosa].

Malema was not impressed.

26 March 2020 - 08:51

Here are some of the schools at which Gauteng's vulnerable will be helped

The Gauteng government has put in place measures to deliver aid to the homeless, abused women and indigent pupils during the 21-day lockdown period that starts at midnight on Thursday.

“In a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, Gauteng provincial government will use existing social infrastructure to work in partnerships to develop solutions that will address homelessness. The province will divert resources to bolster social services support to the homeless through using existing school infrastructure,” said acting social development MEC Panyaza Lesufi.

The department has identified 30 schools for social support services that are categorised into central, eastern, northern and western corridors.

26 March 2020 - 08:12

President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for national day of prayer on Thursday

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the country to observe a national day of prayer on Thursday, as citizens prepare to go into lockdown at midnight.

“I call on all our people, whether they are religious or not, wherever they are, on Thursday March 26 to observe a moment of silence in a show of social solidarity,” Ramaphosa said on Twitter.

He encouraged people to spend two minutes in prayer, reflection or silent meditation between 6pm and 6.30pm.

“I call on our people to offer a prayer and a thought for the protection and healing of our land and its people from this disease.

26 March 2020 - 05:57

Liquor stores expecting bottlenecks ahead of booze ban

The panic buying that has engulfed the country since the announcement of the national lockdown is about to turn alcoholic.

Scores of people are expected to flock to their nearest liquor outlets as soon as they open on Thursday.

This comes after police minister Bheki Cele announced on Wednesday that all supermarkets and all liquor stores would be banned from selling booze once the 21-day lockdowns kicks-in on Thursday night, as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

26 March 2020 - 06:30

Armageddon outta here: Capetonians flock to 'safer' rural homes

With the clock ticking down to three weeks of lockdown, Cape Town is experiencing an exodus to the Eastern Cape.

Some of those boarding minibus taxis and buses believed that heading for their sparsely populated "home" villages would "save them".

Others saw the 21 days ahead as a chance to bond with families they normally see only during the December and January holidays.

Gidi Buyana and her husband Nkosinathi Buyana left Cape Town on Wednesday to join their parents and two children in King William’s Town.

26 March 2020 - 07:30

Toy shops 'busier than usual' as parents prepare for lockdown

Play mats, clay mud and Lego blocks.

These were just some of the items that parents were rushing to buy in some toy stores in northern Johannesburg on Wednesday ahead of the coronavirus lockdown, which starts at midnight on Thursday.

“We have been busy since Tuesday, with people buying mostly things meant for children’s entertainment,” said a worker at a Crazy Store in the northwest of Johannesburg.

26 March 2020 - 06:28

WATCH | No dog walks, no alcohol, limited transport: Ministers clarify #21DayLockdown

An interministerial conference was held in Pretoria on Wednesday to outline rules and measures for the 21-day lockdown, effective from midnight on Thursday.

Social, security, governance and economic cluster ministers outlined how their sectors will uphold the mandate of the lockdown outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday. No jogging, no dog-walking or roaming around outside one's house is permitted.

All transport will be shut down, except that needed to transport essential service workers at limited times during the day. The ministers urged South Africans to stay put during the lockdown and comply with the SA Police Service (SAPS) and army to ensure SA flattens the curve of the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown will be in place until April 16.