First Take SA

The fear of contracting the Coronavirus is very real and people in the Mthatha area in the Eastern Cape say they have no option but to heed the president's call for a 21-day lockdown. Villagers at KwaTshemese village believe remaining indoors is the only solution to contain the spread of the virus.

To preserve the indigenous knowledge that the future generation will benefit from , the National Lotteries Commission funded the Credo Mutwa Museum and Library in 2019. Credo Mutwa was a prominent and respected resident of Mahikeng. His cultural home at Lotlamoreng Dam fell into disrepair, when he left, following his expulsion by the then Bophuthatswana President Kgosi Lucas Mangope. He was expelled for predicting his downfall. But the great Sanusi, will be greatly missed, not only by his family.

So it's going to be a Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games rather than a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Olympics have been postponed to no later than the summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced YESTERDAY.Tokyo had completed preparations when the virus started spreading across the world. Despite insisting for months the Games would go ahead as planned, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had earlier this week hinted that a delay may be unavoidable.

The Ministry of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi has assured workers that regardless of the hours worked, they are entitled to receive the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) benefits if their employer has been compliant. The Minister says the basic conditions of employment rights have been activated for workers to seek annual leave. Nxesi was addressing an inter-ministerial committee briefing regarding the 21-day lockdown period announced by the President.

South Africans say the national lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night is a responsible step to help minimise the spread of the Coronavirus in the country. But for many, the challenge is how to spend 21 days at home. Some are buying board games to play with their children, while others plan to relax in front of the television.

Different political parties have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's new stringent measures aimed at preventing the spread of Coronavirus. Most political parties have urged the nation say although inconveniencing, the new measures are meant to save lives.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a national lockdown for 21 days under the Disaster Management Act. This follows a meeting with the National Command Council to assess the efficacy of the measures put into place on Sunday last week. The lockdown will run from midnight on Thursday 21 March up until 16 April and will see all citizens required to stay home with the exception of various professional catgaories. Measures have also been announced to mitigate the negative economic impact of the disease.

Aid organisation Gift of the Givers will this week start operating a Coronavirus testing facility in Northgate, Johannesburg. This will be among three of the organisation's facilities in Gauteng that will provide testing at a subsidised rate. South Africa currently has 274 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 infections, an increase of 34 since Saturday.

The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Africa has risen to 274. The Health Ministry released the latest figures last night shortly after the Presidency announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa's expected address to the nation on the pandemic had been postponed to today. President Ramaphosa was locked in meetings till late yesterday engaging with business leaders, heads of political parties and government's National Command Council at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

South Africans waited with bated breath last night as President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to address the nation following his meeting with the National Command Council on the Coronavirus situation in the country. However, Ramaphosa's planned announcement of further measures to tackle the virus, was postponed to today.