First Take SA

Political parties have reacted positively to the social and economic relief plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The President announced a five hundred billion rands plan which seeks to stimulate the economy, protect jobs and alleviate hunger

Analysts have welcomed the 50-billion-rand Covid social relief measures of the total 500-billion-rand economic support packages announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa announced that Government will implement a six month Coronavirus special grant to curb food insecurity and to assist distressed communities through increased social grant funding over the next six months. The President fur...

As the COVID-19 death toll edges closer to 41-thousand in the United States with 765-thousand cases, small protests have sprung up in several states against stringent lockdown or stay-at home measures. Despite issuing new guidance on measures to reopen economies in a systematic step-by-step basis, President Donald Trump has cheered on protests against social distancing measures in some states run...

Corruption and ill discipline may cost Kenya 28,000 (TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND) lives, the country's Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has warned. From holding private house parties during the designated curfew period to bribing police officers manning the quarantine institutions, Kagwe warned that a section of Kenyans have not internalised the seriousness of COVID-19 and their seeming reckless be...

Residents of Eersterust, East of Pretoria, have appealed to government to speed up the process of delivering food parcels, as the number of families going to bed hungry continues to grow. Some members of the community say despite submitting their names early this month, no assistance has come from the City of Tshwane municipality.

Residents of Lawley in the south of Johannesburg have taken to the streets in anticipation of being addressed by Gauteng Human Settlements MEC, Lebogang Maile and City of Johannesburg Mayor, Geoff Makhubo. The pair are expected to visit the area this afternoon after community members were allegedly evicted during the course of the week despite the country being under national lockdown.

Increasing the child support grant for six months is a quick and effective measure to ease the plight of vulnerable South Africans that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the view of various NGOs and academics, who have suggested alternative ways in which government can provide immediate relief to citizens battling with a loss of income and food shortages during the ex...

The Eastern Cape Health department has conducted a mass screening and testing campaign at Majola village in Port St Johns. This after six people tested positive for Covid-19. It's alleged that they were part of more than hundred people, who attended a funeral at the village, over three weeks ago. One of those who tested positive for Coronavirus is a female prison warder from East London's Correcti...

The Gauteng Social Development Department has been inundated with calls and requests for food parcels from hungry citizens. According to media reports - at least 7,000 requests for food parcels have been received in a day. The demand and high call volumes resulted in the call centre shutting down. The department has, however, emphasized that there is a strict criteria in place for allocating food...

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has conducted door-to-door Covid-19 screening in Ermelo, Mpumalanga. Accompanied by the MEC for Health, Sasekani Manzini, Mkhize interacted with volunteers conducting the screening, health workers and also visited a Covid- 19 ward at Ermelo hospital

Although Alliance partners - the ANC and the SACP - have welcomed Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's latest statement that South Africa would not consider any international funding that would be accompanied by a structural adjustment programme, COSATU remains sceptical. Last month, Mboweni announced that the country will approach the IMF for relief as a result of the financial crisis brought on by th...

The ANC and the DA have distanced themselves from the branding of surgical masks in their respective party colours. This follows criticism of politicising the fight against COVID-19 after pictures of these masks emerged on social media.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura says politicians including councillors will not be responsible for distributing food parcels to needy households, but will only assist in identifying those who are deserving. This follows accusations in Tshwane that food was being distributed along political party lines. He was speaking at the launch of a Covid-19 Food Bank in Ekurhuleni on Gauteng's East Rand. It is...

Community members in Alexandra in the north of Johannesburg say they are in desperate need of food parcels to be delivered in the community. Yesterday* hundreds of residents in the township flocked the nearby school in the hopes of receiving food relief after a hoax message circulated in the area. Chaos erupted in the area, forcing Johannesburg Mayor, Geoff Makhubo to visit vulnerable families in...

The South African National Defence Force says it does not condone any illegal actions by its members as they enforce the lockdown regulations. This after a number of videos and images surfaced on social media where soldiers appeared to be brutilising individuals during the national lockdown. Meanwhile the military says it will co-operate with a police investigation into the death of a man who was...

Africa - China relations have been rocked by allegations of racism as the Covid-19 pandemic persists globally. Africans are reportedly being blamed for a second wave of the novel Coronavirus outbreak in China. A protest letter by a group of African ambassadors in Beijing has detailed concerns over the reports. The allegations include forced evictions of Africans from hostels, selective covid-19 te...

Infectious disease epidemiologist and chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 - Professor Salim Abdool Karim - says South Africa must expect increased vulnerability to COVID-19 once the lockdown is lifted. As the country enters week three of the nationwide lockdown, Karim, Health Minister - Doctor Zweli Mkhize- and some of the country's leading scientists shared some of the s...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has until TODAY (Tuesday) to respond to requests by the Gauteng Liquor Forum to relax the total ban on alcohol sales or face court action. The forum, which claims to represent about 20,000 township shebeens and taverns, wants government to allow for the sale of alcohol with limited operating hours, allow online sales and taverns to operate as takeaway outlets.

The government of Botswana may extend its state of emergency to 6 months. President Mokgweetsi Masisi says this will enable the state to channel all its resources and energies to fighting the coronavirus. He met with opposition party leaders on Monday in the capital Gaborone. However, the main opposition party, the Umbrella For Democratic Change, did not attend the meeting.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is still early to decide if the nationwide lockdown should be extended. He was speaking during his visit at Rand Water's headquarters in Glenvista - south of Johannesburg. This is the Water and Sanitation National Command Centre which ensures the distribution of water across the country during the country's battle with the Coronavirus

There has been uproar since the picture of Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni Abrahams emerged on social media where she appeared to be enjoying lunch with former Deputy Higher Education Minister, Mduduzi Manana, during the lockdown period. The Democratic Alliance has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to lay a criminal complaint against Ndabeni-Abrahams and fire her

The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union - NEHAWU - will be approaching the Labour Court today in an attempt to force the health department to provide Personal Protective Equipment for all its front-line workers amid the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The union says there are not enough masks, gloves and sanitisers to go around during the ongoing lock-down period, but healthcar...

Tributes are continuing to pour in for veteran entertainer, Vinolia Mashego. 'V-Mash' as she was popularly known shot to stardom in the 90s with the hit show, Jam Alley on SABC 1. Mashego died in her sleep at her home in Mamelodi in Pretoria on Sunday night. She was 56.

Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza has outlined how the 1.2 billion Rand COVID-19 disaster fund intervention in the agricultural sector will be allocated. This follows the announcement of funding intended to alleviate various sectors that will be hard hit during the 21-day lock-down

Communities continue to disobey Covid-19 regulations. From taxi drivers trying to stop essential services workers from going to work, to motorists being on the road despite not having the necessary documents proving they are performing an essential service. Some communities have bizarrely taken the initiative of enforcing lock-down regulations themselves.