South Africa

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has called upon every citizen to start saving water in earnest and use its availability as a weapon to fight COVID-19.

The level of awareness and compliance with the lockdown regulations in Gauteng have improved but areas in some townships remain a concern for government.

Due to the current lockdown, citizens can expect a three-day blackout during the winter, a sizeable decrease from the envisaged 31 days of stage 1 load shedding.

As government prepares for the ease of the lockdown to alert level 3, President Cyril Ramaphosa has consulted a broad range of faith leaders on government’s preparations for a differentiated approach to the reopening of the economy alongside the unrelenting effort to save lives.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has facilitated the repatriation by air of 5 239 South Africans stranded abroad.

The Mahikeng Provincial Hospital has been decontaminated after a hospital doctor tested positive for COVID-19.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her Deputy, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize, will on Friday host a webinar focusing on upholding the rights of persons with disabilities.

World Health Organisation (WHO) member states have signed a resolution that calls for COVID-19 vaccines to be classified as a global public good for health in order to bring the pandemic to an end.

As the numbers of COVID-19 cases increase, South Africa has recorded its first death of an infant due to Coronavirus.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the delivery of water to the community of Alfred Nzo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape will continue, the Department of Water and Sanitation said on Wednesday.

A Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) survey has revealed that 8.1% of its respondents lost jobs or closed businesses as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Plans to establish a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients in Tshwane are underway.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, is expected to brief media on the repatriation of stranded South Africans abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Water and Sanitation has called on water users in Gauteng to use water responsibly.

Collection of smart identity cards, birth registrations and temporary measures regulating entry and exit from South Africa for emergency medical attention are now open at the Department of Home Affairs - under level 4 of the national Coronavirus lockdown.