South Africa

Seven out of 10 COVID-19 related deaths reported on Tuesday are from the Western Cape, the epicentre of the Coronavirus in South Africa with 3 609 cases.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has urged taxpayers to remain compliant and make use of its online services as the country battles an ailing economy compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The South African Revenue Service says the country’s tax and revenue performance has taken a knock as a result of an ailing economy compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has commented on the court case over the ban of cigarette sales during level 4 lockdown involving tobacco manufacturing companies.

As 1.5 million workers in the South African economy returned to work this week, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel has met with representatives of the clothing textile, footwear and leather sector.

The decision to uphold the ban on the sale of cigarettes as the fight against COVID-19 continues, has many citizens fired up and wondering if government is not encroaching on civil liberties.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) CEO, Fundisile Mketeni and the Eastern Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mlungisi Mvoko, today handed over food parcels and hygiene products to 300 households living in areas adjacent to Addo Elephant National Park, in the Eastern Cape.

As the country has lifted the lid on some of the economic activity and people are starting to move around, South Africa must brace itself for the increase of COVID-19 infections.

Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has appealed to municipalities throughout the country to refrain from the abrupt cutting of water supply to residents.

SASSA KwaZulu-Natal has cleared a glitch in its payment system that affected the payments of pension and disability grants.

It comes as no surprise that at a time when the country finds itself at its most vulnerable, there will be companies and individuals that will take the opportunity to profiteer for their own gain and take advantage of the current state of national disaster, finding ways of exploiting consumers by selling COVID-19 related items and passing them off as locally made and/or safe to use against the spread of the pandemic.

As the pandemic continues to plague the entire nation, the Electoral Court has since been forced to postpone the by-elections that were set for June due to COVID-19.

The Employment and Labour Department has referred the public wishing to collect their R350 social grant to the Social Development Department.

With winter fast approaching and confirmed COVID-19 cases now at 7 220, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has urged South Africans to continue to stay home to ease the burden on the country’s healthcare system.

South Africa has once again come joint first with New Zealand in the 2019 Open Budget Index (OBI), conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) through an Open Budget Survey.