Read more at the SA government’s online coronavirus portal or use the 24-hour public hotline: 0800 029 999
What you need to know
Agriculture sector a bright spot in Covid-19 gloom
But the government’s decision on drought indicates ‘little empathy’, says Agri Western Cape
Cipla’s generic Covid-19 drug lands in SA but the state isn’t buying it
Remdesivir would sell for almost R6,000 for a five-day course, markedly less than overseas
Cosatu threatens to pull support from ‘feeble’ Ramaphosa administration
President’s ally calls his government dysfunctional as public anger grows over corruption in Covid-19 fight
Mkhwebane says Covid-19 related complaints have climbed
The public protector’s office says it is inundated with complaints relating to the pandemic and SA’s response to it
Scientists say it’s time to rethink the booze ban
Glenda Gray says the current ban has achieved its objective and government should start planning to lift it
Strict Covid-19 regulations dry up SA wine tourism
Lockdowns cost the industry more than R2.5bn from March-July
Profiting from disaster is how ‘scavengers’ operate, Cyril Ramaphosa says
Reports of tender scandals have seen his spokesperson, Khusela Diko, and Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku take a leave ...
EXCLUSIVE: Hard work pulls Cape Town’s virus-hit port back on track
Close collaboration between port and terminal authorities, shipping lines, exporters and importers brings dramatic ...
Ramaphosa calls for caution as Covid cases breach 500,000
President says stabilisation of the daily increase in infections shows prevention measures are having an effect
Eased restrictions bring slight relief for tourism and hospitality sector
New concession likely to be insufficient to stem crisis in a sector facing the loss of more than 400,000 jobs and ...
Anglo wants mining industry talks with Cyril Ramaphosa
CEO Mark Cutifani calls for a meeting with the president and ministers to clear obstacles to investment and create ...
‘Shameful’ PPE tender scandal threatens to sidetrack virus battle, Makhura ...
The visibly angry Gauteng premier says the PPE scandal has the potential to sidetrack efforts to save lives and ...
High court dismisses DA’s application to appeal criteria ruling in ...
Judges say the party was asking the court to approach the country in a ‘colour-blind fashion’
Latest alcohol ban is a ‘bloodbath’ for workers in the wine industry
Winefarm workers are losing their jobs and livelihoods due to the ban, as illicit sales are thriving
Western Cape Covid-19 cases peak with room to spare
Indicators point to a decisive drop in number of new Covid infections, particularly in Cape Town
Excess deaths soar to more than four times official Covid-19 toll, MRC ...
Inclusion of excess deaths estimated by Medical Research Council pushes SA's all-cause pandemic mortality rate to over ...
Cyril Ramaphosa closing schools has no legal effect, DA tells court
No order was gazetted so the president’s announcement on public schools is a ‘nullity’, says the opposition party
Guardrisk to settle with 700 clients in Covid-19 payout wrangle
Settlement will be equal to the first three months of lockdown, but Insurance Claims Africa says six months would have ...
Old Mutual Insure to pay about R650m for business-interruption policy ...
Group joins several other short-term insurers that have agreed to make payments
AROUND THE WORLD
Australia’s Melbourne to shut much of retail and manufacturing for six ...
Security failures at quarantine hotels for returning travellers and poor communication of critical data to migrant ...
WTO’s new head will face wreckage of Trump’s ‘America First’ onslaught
Eight candidates to be sifted through ‘confessionals’ from members
BoE officials united over Covid response despite split over UK prospects
Disagreement about speed of recovery is unlikely to prompt much debate over monetary-policy response
Rich nations steal a march in securing coronavirus vaccines
A string of agreements have seen wealthy countries lock up more than a billion doses of vaccines
Philippines tightens Manila lockdown as Covid cases surge
President Rodrigo Duterte agrees to tighten restrictions as spike in infections overwhelms the Southeast Asian ...
Covid-19 outbreak on Arctic cruise ships infects at least 40
Operator Hurtigruten was the first to resume cruises following a three-month halt due to the global coronavirus pandemic
US Q2 annualised economy shrinks 33%, the steepest drop since 1947
The figures lay bare the extent of the economic ravage from shutdowns and failure to contain the virus, indicating the ...
Black Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain dies
Black Republican presidential candidate and Trump supporter who made millions in the pizza business dies after ...
Mexico’s economy plunges 18.9% in Q2 amid untamed Covid outbreak
Mexico warned it could take seven years to get back to GDP levels seen before the pandemic, after government fails to ...
Number of Mecca pilgrims reduced from millions to a few thousand
Saudis and foreign residents gather under strict conditions, with the Grand Mosque cleaned with 54,000 litres of ...
French ports hammered by double whammy of strikes and Covid-19
Marseille and Le Havre are faring worse than other harbours in the region
German economy shrinks by 10.1% but ‘recovery is underway’
Despite the contraction for the second quarter being worse than expected, employment remains stable and a third-quarter ...
Australia an instructive snapshot of winter virus surge
A recent climb in Covid-19 infections shows Europe and the US what could lie ahead
Fed warns coronavirus poses considerable risk to US recovery
Vote to leave the federal fund's target rate in a range of 0% to 0.25% was unanimous
UK uses robots and AI for social care, fast-tracked by Covid-19
Scientists are testing robots to do tasks normally done by care workers among vulnerable social and medical groups ...
UK signs deal for 60-million Sanofi/GSK vaccine doses
This is the fourth such deal amid worries that rich countries, such as the US and UK, are securing vaccine doses at the ...
Moroccan farmers lose out on Eid sales amid new travel restrictions
Rural farmers have seen fewer coronavirus cases, but have had to drastically cut prices ahead of Eid al-Adha due to ...
The WHO warns that the coronavirus is not seasonal
People have it fixed in their minds that, like other viruses, this one changes as the weather does, which is simply not ...
Men faring better than women in Covid-induced recession
Industries that employ more men, such as construction and manufacturing, have been more resilient than in other ...
Views and Analysis
JON FOSTER-PEDLEY: How to keep making decisions in the throes of a crisis
Having data at your fingertips and keeping an eye on the long term is crucial
BUSI MAVUSO: Confidence is in a trough as infections start to peak
There have to be consequences for a lack of ethics in doing business with the government
Siemens health deal is a leap of faith
Covid-19 has complicated medical priorities, with spending on cancer treatment technology falling
LUKANYO MNYANDA: From hardly any debt to financial aid
No country has ever run to the IMF for help because it has been handling its finances well
Pooled procurement of medical supplies is the booster shot Africa needs
Medical supplies platform could be the turning point to fix shortages and ensure price competitiveness
AYABONGA CAWE: Rationale behind the IMF loan has been glossed over
SA will get itself accustomed to the medicine before the doctor needs to administer it
Ardern-type leaders show virtues of ditching textbook amid pandemic
Conventional wisdom that crises require decisive, confident, authoritarian leaders no longer applies
TONY LEON: SA’s IMF loan carries echoes of Britain in 1976
The government has to make painful choices — now it may be able to do so under cover of the loan
GENEVIEVE QUINTAL: Corruption fight is bogged down in red tape and ...
It has taken the NPA a year to get hold of records and documents from the state capture commission
ANTHONY BUTLER: Predictions not rosy about SA in a post-Covid world
Economic crisis will weaken Cyril Ramaphosa’s position ahead of ANC 2022 elective conference
A model of financing for trying times
Asset-based financing is a form of lending that could benefit small businesses that are struggling to raise money
PETER BRUCE: Ramaphosa should have put his name on SA’s IMF letter
The president needs to demonstrate that he will do everything necessary to halt a slide into debt
BOB VAN DIJK: Data is hard cash in an increasingly digital world
Covid-19 has brought into sharp focus the powerful relationship between human endeavour and technology
MARK BARNES: State and business had best overlap to spare us from more ...
If those with money don’t invest enough to sustain and grow a middle class, it’s curtains for everyone
TSHEPO MAHLOELE: Private-public infrastructure deals must get it right ...
Projects must not pass the risk of cost overruns on to end users
Why holding gold counters makes sense during this uncertainty
Bullion excels amid expansionary monetary policy, high inflation and equity market corrections, writes Stephán ...
Corruption could make the IMF loan expensive
Treasury must intensify transparency if it wants to check irregular expenditure
JOHN DLUDLU: State must act on corruption if it wants to restore public ...
Allegations of theft and corruption have been swirling around Covid-19 relief programmes
Focus should move from injustices to jobs and productivity
Pandemic needs to expose materialism’s shallowness and highlight unemployment and poverty
BUSI MAVUSO: Greed of the wasted decade still finds fertile ground
Hopes that we could avoid corruption in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic were just wishful thinking
JONATHAN COOK: Strong relationships can carry us through any downturn
Loving relationships are vital as entrepreneurs rely on people as colleagues, customers, suppliers and investors
HOW THE MARKETS ARE REACTING
Rand weakens in response to global economic recovery concerns
The rand lost more than 1% as August began
Asia stocks rise as upbeat factory data lift confidence
Biggest intraday gain since July 21 as Australian shares gain 2%
Gold steadies near record high
Concerns over economic fallout from rising Covid-19 cases offset pressure from US dollar
Oil prices fall as new lockdowns dent fuel demand
Fresh wave of Covid-19 infections threaten to stall demand just as producers step up output
Hundreds of restaurant staff, from owners to kitchen workers, took to the streets of Cape Town as part of a nationwide protest against SA’s Covid-19 curfew and alcohol restrictions. They say these rules are destroying their livelihoods.
UIF and pensions during Covid-19 have been a major concern for employers and employees across the country. Minister of employment and labour Thulas Nxesi has announced a Covid-19 relief fund for employers and their employees. More than 100,000 payments to companies have already been made by the scheme. Here is what you need to know about your UIF claims and company pension funds during this time of uncertainty.
A clinical research centre in Cape Town called TASK has begun a vaccine clinical trial on 500 health workers to determine if the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine can prevent people from contracting the coronavirus or limit the severity of Covid-19 symptoms.
The Western Cape saw 35 arrests due to looting from April 17 to April 23 2020. We take a look at some of the looting and ransacking of grocery stores, trucks and churches in Cape Town during the extended Covid-19 lockdown. Subscribe to MultimediaLIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimesLive Comment Moderation Policy: https://www.timeslive.co.za/comments/
Western Cape provincial health minister Nomafrench Mbombo visited the Cape Town International Convention Centre on June 29 2020 to receive donations made by retail group Shoprite. The MEC gave insight into how the field hospitals around the province were fairing and just how prepared the Western Cape is for any possible spike in hospitalisations.
Tshwane officials have removed close to 10,000 homeless people in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Homeless people have been placed in shelters throughout the city. They are expected to remain in these shelters until the lockdown ends. Subscribe to MultimediaLIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimesLive Comment Moderation Policy: https://www.timeslive.co.za/comments/
Capetonians spoke out about the ban on cigarettes announced by minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on April 29 2020. This comes less than a week after president Cyril Ramaphosa announced that cigarettes would be back on shelves across the country when the Covid-19 lockdown level is eased to level 4 on May 1 2020.
South Africa's 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.
South Africa's 21-day lockdown initially prohibited any movement between provinces, other than essential services. This presented problems for people wanting to hold or attend burials and funerals across the country. The regulations have since been amended however to allow people a chance to pay their last respects. Here is what you need to know about regulations concerning movement to attend funerals.
The Covid-19 coronavirus, targets human cells with ACE2 receptors, which are found in the respiratory system. The immune response can trigger potentially deadly inflammations and the virus can spread from the lungs to other organs. Here’s a visual representation of how Covid-19 infects and damages the human body.
With many small businesses taking a financial hit during SA's 21-day lockdown, personal trainer Abdullah Bayett, who runs SKR Martial Arts & Fitness Academy in Lenasia, Johannesburg, is trying to see the lockdown as a new challenge. He has been recording a combination of fitness routines and sharing the videos with his members via WhatApp to ensure they stay fit during the lockdown.
Would you like to comment on this article or view other readers' comments?
Register (it’s quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.