South Africa

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has discouraged consumers from using minibus taxis after 9am to get groceries, as the nationwide lockdown takes effect in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa has been revised down from two to one mortality, after a subsequent investigation found that one patient was negative for the virus.

Police have arrested 55 people on a largely successful operation, on the first day of a nationwide 21-day lockdown, Police Minister Bheki Cele said.

Labour centres across the nine provinces will remain closed over the course of South Africa’s 21-day lockdown period, said the Department of Employment and Labour.

Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu on Friday called on the public to be sensitive to the needs of the vulnerable and people with disabilities.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has reiterated that the entire food value chain is an essential service that will keep operating during the national lockdown.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs has begun negotiations with Spar KZN management, with the view of terminating the contracts of franchise owners who are involved in price hiking.

A group of 60 German tourists has been placed under quarantine after one of them tested positive for COVID-19, said the Gauteng Health Department on Friday.

Nearly 1 500 companies have registered on the online Bizportal to provide essential services during South Africa’s national lockdown.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) expressed concern at the manner in which some media houses were engaging with inmates using illegal means to spread false and misleading information.

Two people have died as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19), says the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

As South Africans begin the first day of the national 21-day lockdown, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) says it is stepping up its efforts to fight the spread of the Coronavirus disease.

With just hours to go until South Africa enters a 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has sent the men and women in uniform to serve, guide and lead the way.

The confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has risen by 218 - bringing the total number of cases to 927.

The Social Development Department has urged parents with joint custody to prioritise the needs of the child during the 21-day COVID-19 national lockdown.