In light of the ban on the sale of liquor and gazetting of updated lockdown regulations, the DA has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of paying lip-service to public participation.

The DA in the Western Cape said: “The blanket liquor ban fuels criminal syndicates, results in job losses and will do more harm than good in the long run.”

The opposition party called on the presidency to revisit the decision and engage the industry to provide alternative solutions.

As the pandemic gathers pace in SA, pressure on the country's doctors has become intense. Boitumelo Makaulule, who works in a government hospital, and Suhayl Essa, who does shifts in private clinics, shared their stories with Sunday Times reporter Paul Ash

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela Mandela, died on July 13 2020 in Johannesburg.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation expressed shock at the news of her death.The statement also noted that her death came on the anniversary “of another tragic moment – when Madiba’s son, Thembekile, died in a car accident in 1969”.

In a statement, the foundation's CEO Sello Hatang expressed shock at the news. “Zindzi was someone we had come to know well and to love. She was our friend.” 

Her cause of death has not been disclosed. She is survived by her four children and her husband.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday night that SA would not go back to a hard lockdown.Speaking during a national address, Ramaphosa said that going back to a level 4 or level 5 lockdown "would not necessarily achieve a significant reduction in the rate of transmission".

Also, he said, this could "come at a great and extraordinary economic cost, putting more livelihoods at risk and potentially causing long lasting social harm".

"Cabinet has decided that the country will remain at alert level 3 at this stage, but that we should however strengthen the enforcement of existing regulations," he said.

A looming shortage of ICU and general ward beds means severely ill Covid patients — even those with medical aid — may not make itthrough thedoor athospitals inhotspot areas that are close to capacity. In Gauteng, which is SA’s centre of infections, health MEC Bandile Masuku said his department expected a shortage of at least 800 beds by the end of the month. However, data from the province indicates that there could be a shortage of 50,000 beds by September. Health experts say it is difficult to tell h ow extensive the bed shortage will be because the government is not releasing proper data on beds and other available resources.

Africans should be clamouring to be part of vaccine trials so we have equal access, rather than saying we’re being used as guinea pigs, say top African scientists.

They said that only 2% of clinical trials happen in Africa, yet the continent has 17% of the world’s population and thus misses out on early rollout of life-saving preventions.

In a webinar moderated by media expert Tsepiso Makwetla and hosted by the World Health Organisation, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said participation in trials would prevent a repetition of Africa being last to benefit from scientific developments.

Mayor Dan Plato response to Qholani’s eviction sums up the politics of land in deeply divided Cape Town.

In a voice note sent to TimesLIVE journalists, Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for the Gauteng MEC for health, confirmed that six members of the Gauteng health war room have tested positive for Covid-19. She also provided clarity on the number of graves that have been dug in the province, saying that ensuring there is capacity at grave sites is simply a matter of being prepared for the worst.

The Democratic Alliance condemns the violence and destruction of public property on national highways including the N1, N2 and N7. The majority of these incidences have been caused by truck drivers in protest of employment of foreign nationals.

Daylin Mitchell, MPP says: “Whilst truck drivers, like everyone, have the right to engage in protest action, this needs to follow due process and not negatively impact other commuters as well as the supply chain of goods in the province. It is absolutely unacceptable that truck drivers have chosen to protest by blocking vital arterial routes.”

ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte has sent a strong message to ANC members, to use your WhatsApp groups to spread information about Covid-19 instead of gossiping and socialising.

In a voice note circulated to party members, Duarte said South Africans have not fully internalized the impact of Covid-19, she asked members to remain cautious and follow all preventative measures.