Sunday, April 27, 2025

Laura Peterjohn

Ramaphosa announces 5-stage plan to ease lockdown

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: Ramaphosa addresses South Africa in a national broadcast on Thursday night, detailing a 5-stage plan aimed to re-start the economy while easing the nation’s lockdown. SOURCE: Siyabulela Duda/GCIS

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled plans to begin easing the country’s lockdown in a week’s time.

On Thursday night Ramaphosa addressed the nation, revealing a 5-stage plan to move South Africa out of its 35 day lockdown and help re-start the economy.

From 1 May, South Africa will move from level 5 to level 4 which will allow for the relaxation of some restrictions and the gradual re-opening of businesses. The Daily Maverick reports that food retail stores will be able to sell all products normally sold in their stores (there have been severe restrictions on what can be sold under the hard lockdown), mines will begin to reopen, and schools will begin to reopen in phases. 

Businesses will be permitted to open in a gradual manner, reports CNBC Africa. Before allowing workers to return to work, strict sanitation protocols must be observed to prepare the workplace. But workers will not be allowed to resume work in batches of more than one-third. This is in order to maintain strict social distancing guidelines.

The sale of cigarettes will also resume.

Bars, shebeens, conference and convention centres, entertainment venues, cinemas and theatres will stay closed. Concerts, sporting events, and religious, cultural and social gatherings other than funerals will all still be not permitted.

South Africa will also keep its border closed to all international travel, except for repatriation of South African nationals and foreign citizens. Travel between the provinces will remain forbidden except for the transport of goods. 

The Daily Maverick reports that though Ramaphosa aims to begin the re-opening of SA, the virus peak is still expected to be months away and people should expect the lockdown to fluctuate between levels 5 and 3 until September.

Coronavirus entered US weeks earlier than previously thought

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: Post-mortem testing has shown that people thought to have died of flu in California in February actually died of coronavirus, suggesting that the virus was present in the US weeks earlier than previously believed. SOURCE: Gustavo Fring, Pexels

California officials have confirmed that the coronavirus was likely to have caused the deaths of two people in the US state in February – suggesting that the disease was present in the US weeks earlier than previously thought.

Until now the first US death was thought to have occurred in Washington on February 29th.

But new tests show that coronavirus caused a death on February 6th – that of a woman who had developed flu-like symptoms in early January. Patricia Dowd, 57, had tested negative for the flu and the coroner was reportedly “baffled” by the death. In the last week, tissue samples from Dowd have tested positive for Coronavius.

Dowd had not traveled outside the country since November.

This news comes as cases worldwide are reported to have topped 2.6 million, with deaths exceeding 184,000. Some countries that had hoped to have already seen peak infection rates, such as Spain and Singapore, are reportedly seeing new growth. Spain’s daily rate of infection has been slowly climbing and on Tuesday it reported its highest number of new cases, and fatalities in a week. Singapore today reported more than 1,000 new infections for the fourth straight day.

In the US, Bloomberg reports, there have been more than 839,675 confirmed cases with 46,583 deaths.

However, the news of earlier deaths has prompted authorities to start re-evaluating those numbers and the timeline of the disease. 

CNN reports that California governor, Gavin Newsom has begun instructing medical examiners from all 58 counties in California to research deaths that might have been COVID-related as far back as December

Newsom said the move was intended “to ultimately help guide a deeper understanding of when this pandemic really started to impact Californians directly”.

It is thought that a bad flu season may have meant that some deaths were misclassified.

In Indiana, officials are beginning to track possible cases from mid-February, while the first cases previously reported were in March.

SA mobilises army to maintain order

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By: Laura Peterjohn

MAIN IMAGE: A tweet posted by news outlet News24 showing police busy with anti-looting patrols. Source: Twitter @News24

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the mobilisation of the entire South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help with enforcing the country’s lockdown regulation – one of its largest deployments in its history.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa informed parliament in a letter that in addition to the 3,000 troops already deployed for coronavirus duty, he had ordered that an additional 73,180 soldiers, including reservists, should be mobilised for a limited period. The decision, which places all soldiers on standby while a decision is made on how they will be deployed, will be in force until 26 June 2020, costing the nation R4.59 billion.

The president’s letter was tweeted to the public by opposition leader John Steenhuisen on Tuesday evening, just before the President addressed the nation on measures to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. There have been calls from ANC members of parliament for him to be sanctioned for breaking parliamentary rules.

The deployment of the army follows several reports of looting of grocery stores and liquor outlets taking place across the country. 

In Bishop Lavis, a suburb of Cape Town, Checkers store delivery trucks were looted on Monday morning, reported Independent Online. Stones were reportedly thrown at 4 trucks, forcing them to a halt. Two of them had been delivering food relief parcels.

A major arterial road in the city, the R300, was closed by authorities several times this week as looters have stoned other delivery trucks and tried to force them to a halt, endangering other drivers and pedestrians

In Johannesburg, there have been reports of looting of vehicles carrying food parcels.

The SACP Gauteng second deputy secretary Sekete Moshoeshoe said in a statement his party was concerned that efforts to ensure that poor and vulnerable working class communities are cushioned during the lockdown were being “hijacked by opportunists who are diverting them for narrow selfish interests”.

Western Cape MEC for safety and security, Albert Fritz, has revealed that shop lootings took place in at least four areas on Tuesday, including the Cape Town suburbs of Manenberg, Sherwood Park, Nyanga Junction and Gatesville.

In a statement Fritz noted that a “humanitarian crisis” was unfolding because of the lockdown and it was “a struggle for many to put food on the table”. However, he said, “acts of criminality will not be tolerated”. He said he was engaging with the Cabinet on urgent solutions to address the spate of lootings.

Among several other incidents in the Western Cape this week, it was reported that a group attempting to overrun the Watergate Mall in Mitchells Plain were stopped, but looters managed to take goods from an Elsies River supermarket valued at over R3,000. Four people were arrested in this incident.

In another incident, in Delft South, about 50 people reportedly stormed a different supermarket, taking goods valued at around R4 000.

In Vredenburg on the West Coast, between 300 and 400 residents of Witteklip reportedly threw stones at the police who had stopped them from storming a local spaza shop. They had complained about not getting food parcels. Four people were arrested.

Fears of looting have caused some shop owners to clear their stores. DispatchLIVE reported that in the Cape Town suburb of Delft, shop owners had evacuated shops in the face of the risk from looters. 

SA government considering new budget to tackle coronavirus

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By: Laura Peterjohn

The SA government is considering the possibility of temporarily increasing social grants during the lockdown period. SOURCE: Twitter @ANCLimpopo

The South African government has moved to try to reduce the economic impact of coronavirus by lowering the country’s repo rate to it’s lowest level in a quarter century.

At the same time Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced that the government would be revisiting the national budget for the year, to make more money available for government spending and to boost the economy.

In addition to this, Sunday World reports that Mboweni has indicated social grants may be increased temporarily to assist struggling South Africans. An announcement on this would likely be made tomorrow.

“Government, through National Treasury, is exploring all funding avenues to finance all COVID-19 related programmes and measures aimed at addressing the pandemic,” Mboweni reportedly said in a call to reporters..

The Reserve Bank’s announcement on the repo rate – the rate at which the Reserve bank leads out money to banks dropped it to 4.25%, lowering the national leading rate to 7.75%, reported fin24. 

The Monetary Policy Committee of the bank voted unanimously to make the cut in an attempt to increase spending and boost small businesses. The unexpected move caused the Rand to weaken to R18.30/$, reported fin24. 

This decision came just after Business For South Africa (B4SA) revealed that preliminary modelling of the economy suggested that over one million more South Africans will face unemployment, in part due to the estimated 8%-10% contraction of the SA economy expected in 2020.

Across the globe countries are facing similar predictions of economic turmoil. The International Monetary Fund has warned that the world faces it worst recession since the Great Depression. The global economy is expected to contract by 3%.

https://twitter.com/WandileSihlobo/status/1250040619482955781

Separately, UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that Britain could see a 35% drop in GDP by June, a direct consequence of the three month lockdown that the country has imposed.

The IMF has predicted that in South Africa the economy will contract by 5%.

https://twitter.com/WandileSihlobo/status/1250042409939087361?s=20

President puts South Africa’s minister of communications on leave

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South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has moved swiftly to discipline his Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, for violating the country’s coronavirus regulations.

On Sunday, Ndabeni-Abrahams was pictured in a post on the former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana’s Instagram page, enjoying a lunch with her husband at his home, directly contravening the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

First shared by @MDUMANANA on instagram

Manana is a controversial figure who was previously in the public eye when he was caught on video assaulting a woman in a Johannesburg nightclub. Recently he has been preparing to start a YouTube ‘connoisseur real estate show’. A publicity video for the show which is to due air from July shows him in his home has been shared on social media.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1yLY91HDFE&feature=youtu.be

This prompted many South Africans to call for action to be taken against her. On Wednesday President Ramaphosa revealed that after meeting with Ndabeni-Abrahams, he had asked her to take a two month leave of absence, one month of which is to be unpaid. 

Ndabeni-Abrahams was also directed by Ramaphosa to address the nation and issue a formal apology. 

In a short video she released in the course of the day, the minister asked South Africans to forgive her and apologised to the President and to the nation at large, and urged them to obey the regulations.

However, some South Africans are saying the punishment is no more than a slap on the wrist and is not enough. Many have taken to social media to call for her arrest, arguing that she breached lockdown regulations and must face the same punishment as ordinary citizens have faced for doing so.

In response to calls for Ndabeni-Abrahams to face the law, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said, “As to allegations that the minister violated the lockdown regulations, the law should take its course”. 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has filed a criminal complaint against Ndabeni-Abrahams, and has called for her to be removed from the cabinet. 

Government officials face questioning after breaking social distancing guidelines

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By Laura Peterjohn

MAIN PHOTO: South African Minister of Communications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is in trouble after this photo was posted on Instagram by her former colleague Mduduzi Manana, showing her apparently enjoying a social call at his home in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown. SOURCE @MDUMANANA on Instagram

As police crack down on South Africans, in some cases using violence to enforce the strict lockdown guidelines imposed by the government, at least one top government official has shown little regard for the measures in place.

South African Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, is to be summoned to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa after being exposed for breaking the government issued lockdown. 

South African Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

Ndabeni-Abrahams was pictured in an Instagram post uploaded by disgraced former deputy minister Mduduzi Manana, which showed the pair enjoying a luncheon with several other people. In the post Manana thanks Ndabeni-Abrahams for the work she has been doing to keep the country functioning during the nationwide lockdown. 

Manana has since attempted to explain away the gathering, issuing a public statement to say that Ndabeni-Abrahams had been visiting his home on official business and was therefore not braking any of the lockdown rules. He aopologized for creating the impression it was a “social lunch”.

However his statement has been meet with heavy criticism and there have been several calls for Ramaphosa to take action against his minister for this direct breach of government orders. 

Ramaphosa issued a statement saying that he had seen the picture and had called for a meeting with Ndabeni-Abrahams to further discuss the optics of the situation.

“We are trying to install a clear message to all our people that social distance is important. Let us stay at home. Let us not be going around with visitations. And if you have to, it must be work-related,” he said.

Ndabeni-Abrahams is not the only government official who has been caught breaking guidelines imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Scotland’s chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, has been forced to step down after she visited her second home – twice – contradicting the guidance she herself had issued to the public, advising them to stay at home, reported The Guardian.

Chief medical officer of Scotland, Catherine Calderwood

In New Zealand, Health Minister David Clark is in trouble after he took his family on two outings – once to the beach, and once to a mountain trail ride – breaching his country’s social distancing guidelines.

David Clark, New Zealand’s Minister of Health

The BBC reported that Clark offered his resignation, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declined due to the ongoing crisis. She has, however, demoted him and withdrawn his seniority in her cabinet.

In a time of isolation, communities come together

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By Laura Peterjohn

MAIN PHOTO: An image that has been widely shared shows a pair of bears outside a house in Stockport, England. The owners of the house have been putting them out in different outfits, enacting different home-bound scenarios for the entertainment of their neighbors and gaining a following on social media. SOURCE: @Adam_Harrison13 Twitter

While people are being forced to make sure they keep their distance, communities are uniting behind a common cause: supporting each other in a time of need.

As health care workers place themselves on the front line of the pandemic, working long hours at great personal risk, communities have been getting creative in finding ways to show thanks while still following the strict social distancing guidelines in place.

In a gesture that started in Wuhan, China, the city where the disease was first reported, people  began taking to their balconies at an agreed time each evening to cheer loudly in support of the workers on the front lines.

When the disease began migrating, so did the shows of support. Evolving into clapping, shouting, drumming, whistling and even blowing trumpets or South African vuvuzelas the cheer can be heard every night in nations on every continent. 

https://twitter.com/dr_boland/status/1244086214711365632?s=21

 In Italy, one of the nations hit hardest by the pandemic, communities have taken it to another level with residents playing music together and singing songs nightly. CNN reports that during the lockdown, radio stations have even gone so far as coordinating the songs they play, with the national anthem being played at the same time every night.

In the United States teddy bears have started popping up in windows all over the country reports the BBC. A scavenger hunt that is perfect for social distancing, the bears are encouraging children to go on socially-distanced walks outdoors while providing a safe activity for them during quarantine.

Also in the United States, Little Free Libraries that usually serve as places where you can take books that their owner wants to give away are becoming food pantries with the idea that those who are in need can take.

Coronavirus: A Pandemic of Unemployment

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As nations around the globe are placed in lock down, enforcing polices of social distancing and government “stay at home” orders to slow the spread of COVID-19, millions of businesses are being deemed ”non-essential to daily life” forcing their doors to close.

This has prompted the layoff of millions of workers, who are seeing their jobs all but vanish overnight. With many countries extending their restrictions beyond the initial date, more and more people are facing the new reality of unemployment. 

In the United States 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last week, with New York Times reporting that 10 million jobs have vanished in the last two weeks. This leaves the US unemployment rate at around 15%, a rate that is three times higher than during the 2008 recession, and a rate that hasn’t been seen in the country since the stock market crash and the great depression that followed it in 1929.

There are predictions that the worst is yet to come. Economists at the University of Oxford suggest the United States could see 20 million more jobs lost, pushing the unemployment rate to 35% – a rate the nation has never seen before, reports the country’s National Public Radio. 

In Germany, finance minister of the Hesse region, Thomas Schaefer, committed suicide, reportedly after being deeply worried about the economic effects the virus would have on the global economy. 

The New York Times reports that in Spain, 800,000 Spanish workers lost their jobs in March, pushing unemployment rates to 14%. Despite strict orders from the government for citizens to remain in their homes, hundreds of people have been lining up outside social security offices daily in attempts to collect unemployment benefits.

The BBC reports that British Airways is in talks to suspend 32,000 members of its staff, and the American-based airplane manufacturer Boeing has announced its own layoffs after a large number of countries issued travel bans, greatly decreasing demand.

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