Boots on the ground

President Cyril Ramaphosa banned the sale and distribution of alcohol for the second time on July 12, citing “clear evidence”, that the use of alcohol places undue pressure on medical facilities. However, the president's evidence is still hotly contested in the Ministerial Advisory Committee.

This episode of Boots on the ground: behind SA's national lockdown looks into the scientific validity of the latest ban. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

It's week 14 of South Africa’s national lockdown, and it is crystal clear that preparations of the most morbid sort are underway. From the development of field hospitals to the creations of added burial capacity, there is a mad dash underway in SA's health sector.

The questions the country face is: have we done enough, and are we ready for what comes next?

In today’s episode, we consider those very questions.

This short podcast series follows Sunday Times reporter Alex Patrick and senior reporter Graeme Hosken as they track, record and reflect on the real events and people that make up SA’s biggest Covid-19 news stories. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

Saturday the 4th of July, marks SA’s 100th day in lockdown.

The country has progressed from a very daunting lockdown level 5 to what people are now calling lockdown level 3 lite. With the easing of lockdown restrictions many South Africans seem to have lost their fear of Covid-19, with some people holding that the virus is just a flu that ought not to be feared.

This is strange, because Covid-19 has really bared its teeth in our communities recently. There has been a spike in both infections and in Covid-19 related deaths.

SA has to date recorded 177,124 infections and 2,952 deaths.

In today’s episode we re-examine what exactly is at stake during this global pandemic. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

In this episode of Boots on the ground: behind SA’s national lockdown, we speak to the witnesses and victims who were present when Collins Khosa died.

40-year-old Collins Khosa died on April 10 after he was allegedly assaulted by soldiers.His life partner, Nomsa Montsa, alleged in an affidavit that Khosa had been sitting with his brother-in-law inside the yard of their Alexandra home when soldiers carrying sjamboks entered and accused them of violating lockdown regulations.

A scuffle broke out and, according to Mantsha, Khosa was taken out of the yard and was choked, had beer poured over him and was slammed against a cement wall. He succumbed to his injuries a few hours later. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

In this episode of Boots on the ground: behind SA's national lockdown, we chat to restaurateurs turned cigarette smugglers.

In light of the North Gauteng High Court ruling that the lockdown regulations are "unconstitutional and invalid", we ask if certain lockdown regulations are criminalising our society. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

With lockdown level 3 looming, SA parents need to make some hard decisions around how best to begin exposing their children to Covid-19. In this episode of Boots on the ground, we consider some of the difficult choices parents have had to face since lockdown began and what decisions still need to be made as schools prepare to open their doors on Monday. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

In this episode of 'Boots on the ground': behind SA's national lockdown we look at the toll lockdown is having on the South African economy and consider Prof Glenda Gray's accusation that government’s risk-adjusted Covid-19 strategy is “unscientific”. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

SA has been in lockdown for over 50 days and one thing is clear: people want their basic freedoms back.

So while the announcement of lockdown level 4 was initially met by cheers, it has also unintentionally made the national lockdown a lot harder to govern. Fluctuating laws and regulations have seen a pushback from the country’s citizens.

In today’s episode we follow SANDF soldiers into Alex, as they try to uphold the newly established curfew, while winning back the trust of the people in the area. We also speak to those pushing back against lockdown regulations that they see as unjust and impractical.

In this short podcast series, we follow Sunday Times reporter Alex Patrick and senior reporter Graeme Hosken, as they track, record and reflect on the real events and people that make up SA’s biggest Covid-19 news stories.

Boots on the ground is a true piece of mobile journalism — all interviews, voices and sound effects have been gathered using nothing but smartphones. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

In this short podcast series, we follow Sunday Times reporter Alex Patrick and senior reporter Graeme Hosken, as they track, record and reflect on the real events and people that make up SA’s biggest Covid-19 news stories. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE

In today’s episode of 'Boots on the ground: behind SA’s lockdown', we place under the  microscope the plight of our neighbours both locally and across our borders, and consider what happens to our humanity when we ignore the suffering of those around us. Sunday Times · TimesLIVE