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FULL ADDRESS | Grant payments up as Ramaphosa announces R500bn to deal with coronavirus in SA

R500bn will be spent to support South Africans dealing with the consequences of the coronavirus. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement during an address on Tuesday night. He said this amounted to "about 10% of our GDP".

21 Apr 2020 2PM 26 min

High praise for home-grown weed as '420 day' celebrated in lockdown

The merits of home cultivation were expounded on by a South African marijuana user as “420" trended on Twitter in celebration of the day (April 20) despite the “dagga day” falling during lockdown. 420 is slang worldwide for cannabis culture, and is an annual event that takes place on April…

21 Apr 2020 9AM 5 min

Lockdown away from home, the perspective of South Africans across the world

With spiralling numbers of global confirmed Covid-19 cases, social distancing and quarantine measures have been instituted across much of the world, with stay-at-home orders implemented by most governments. Global coronavirus cases are approaching 2 million, with more than 126,000 deaths . Six South Africans living on different continents amid the…

15 Apr 2020 4AM 13 min

Defaulting on treatment puts HIV and TB patients at higher risk for coronavirus

South Africa has 7.7-million people living with HIV and the highest number of tuberculosis-related deaths globally. More than 80% of people who died of TB in 2016 were also infected with HIV. Doctors and experts fear the coronavirus pandemic will have a tremendous impact on our health system and on…

14 Apr 2020 6AM 5 min

FULL ADDRESS | SA's national lockdown extended by 2 weeks

SA's lockdown has been extended by two weeks. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday night. “After careful consideration of the available evidence, the national coronavirus command council has decided to extend the nationwide lockdown by a further two weeks beyond the 21 days,” he said. He said the…

9 Apr 2020 2PM 28 min

Police van crashes into guard and woman in Bloemfontein

Two people were injured when a police van crashed into them at a shopping centre in Bloemfontein on Tuesday afternoon, Free State police said. Police have confirmed the authenticity of a video of the incident after it was posted on social media on Wednesday. Spokesperson Brig Sam Makhele said officers…

9 Apr 2020 5AM 1 min

Ipid arrests policeman after fatal shooting of his girlfriend

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has arrested a policeman who allegedly fatally shot his girlfriend at the police barracks at Pretoria Moot on Sunday.The 41-year-old sergeant, based at the flying squad in Midrand, accused his girlfriend, 35, of having an affair with his colleague before shooting her several times.

8 Apr 2020 6AM 1 min

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on two months' special leave after lockdown lunch

President Cyril Ramaphosa has cracked the whip against communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams for violating a government-imposed lockdown, putting her on special leave for two months and docking a month’s pay. Ramaphosa's spokesperson added that "the law should take its course" regarding the violation. This was after Ndabeni-Abrahams was exposed for…

8 Apr 2020 5AM 4 min

How to fight anxiety and depression caused by the lockdown

“The 21-day lockdown may sound like a short time but for some isolation can lead to increased anxiety and depression,” says clinical psychologist and board member of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Dr Colinda Linde. She says anxiety will continue to increase as the fight against Covid-19 goes…

6 Apr 2020 9AM 6 min

‘Resilient, persistent & tenacious’: tributes to Mama Winnie, two years on

As April 2 marked two years since the death of struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, political and non-governmental organisations paid tribute to the former anti-apartheid activist, lauding her commitment to the liberation struggle. Affectionately known as the “mother of the nation,” Madikizela-Mandela died aged 81 at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg after…

2 Apr 2020 12PM 3 min

Good Samaritans lend a helping hand during national lockdown

Siya Matya, a grade 2 teacher from East London, wakes up every morning to teach her young nieces and nephews English and maths. Debbie Bekker from Durban is also using the lockdown period to spread some good fortune, by using her sewing skills to make masks for the less fortunate.

1 Apr 2020 8AM 6 min

Pandemic, epidemic and endemic - what is the difference?

On March 11 2020, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO's) director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared Covid-19 a pandemic, but what is the difference between a pandemic, an epidemic and something that is endemic?

31 Mar 2020 5AM 3 min

FULL ADDRESS | President pleads with SA to adhere to lockdown regulations

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation four days into the 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was set up to respond to the spread of the coronavirus and the Covid-19 illness it causes. Ramaphosa lauded South Africa Africans for staying at home, but also cautioned those who thought they were immune to…

30 Mar 2020 1PM 18 min

Legal duo offers 'COVERED-19' docs as pandemic makes us 'face sickness and death in a very real way'

As the Coronavirus pandemic gripped SA, lawyer Sinal Govender and venture designer Claire Keet Pollock realised that many people would be faced with the scary reality of death and sickness. So they shifted the focus of their company, Pop Law, to highlight the often tricky administration that comes with death…

27 Mar 2020 11AM 2 min

'The 21-days are going to be really hard': delivery motorcyclists on lockdown

Motorcycle riders in Johannesburg were unsure on Tuesday how the looming lockdown would affect their incomes as providers of food delivery services. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lockdown on Monday, explaining that essential services personnel would be the only ones exempted, including police officers, healthcare workers and those involved in…

24 Mar 2020 9AM 2 min

'My world stopped for a second': Ndaba Mandela speaks about Covid-19 diagnosis

Ndaba Mandela was at home in Johannesburg with friends on Saturday when he received a call which shook him to the core: he had tested positive for Covid-19. Mandela, the grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, arrived back in SA from New York the Sunday before, the same night President…

23 Mar 2020 6PM 2 min

FULL ADDRESS | Nationwide lockdown declared in SA

SA is going into lockdown, the president confirmed: "The National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to enforce a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, with effect from midnight, Thursday March 26."

23 Mar 2020 2PM 28 min

The state of awareness in SA's communities

A lack of knowledge and information is driving people's ignorance around the deadly nature of coronavirus, which has infected more than 200 people in the country to date. A Sunday Times team spent a day in some of Johannesburg's most densely populated areas to find out what residents, business people…

21 Mar 2020 6PM 3 min

How coronavirus has changed SA's party scene

In regulations gazetted by the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the government outlines the conditions under which the sale of liquor may take place. Places such as clubs, taverns and restaurants where people gather to consume liquor are now closed with immediate effect, unless…

20 Mar 2020 2AM 4 min

University students voice frustration over cancelled graduations

Minister of higher education, science and technology Dr Blade Nzimande announced yesterday that all post-school institutions will be closed for early recess from Wednesday. His announcement, coupled with the postponement of graduation proceedings across the country, has left many students concerned and frustrated.

18 Mar 2020 9AM 5 min