TimesLIVE - In The News

Miss SA organisation asked to challenge the stigma against trans women entering pageants

“I am not asking you to perform inclusion, I am asking you to challenge exclusion,” Rhodes University student Asonele Phiri said in an open letter to the Miss SA organisation as young women enter to become the newly crowned Miss SA. Identifying as a transgender woman, Phiri said it is…

22 May 2020 10AM 6 min

Is your immune system ready to face off with Covid-19?

Covid-19 has taken the world by storm, and with it there is a sense of helplessness. How do we fight off a virus that seems unavoidable and to date has no treatment or vaccine? As SA confronts the easing of lockdown restrictions and the reopening of schools, the question of…

21 May 2020 2AM 8 min

LOCKDOWN | Schools will reopen on June 1 for matrics and grade 7s

South African schools will reopen on June 1 — starting with grade 12 and 7 pupils. And when the doors are opened after a two-month hiatus due to the coronavirus lockdown in SA, pupils will return in a staggered fashion. This is according to basic education minister Angie Motshekga, who…

19 May 2020 12PM 2 min

FULL ADDRESS | Ramaphosa: Most of SA will be on level 3 by end of May

Most of South Africa will be placed in level 3 of the nationwide lockdown by the end of May, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday. But high-risk areas will remain on level 4, he added. He said a consultation process on how the move to level 3 will work will…

13 May 2020 2PM 35 min

'Longest eight weeks of my life': green light to repatriate South Africans stuck in African states

A South African man stranded in Morocco for eight weeks cannot believe that he and other South Africans stuck in three other African countries will finally be repatriated on Thursday evening.

13 May 2020 8AM 2 min

A Mother's Day love letter

Mother’s day is a celebration that honours motherhood, maternal bonds and mother figures in society. It is usually characterised by breakfast in bed, fancy dinners, flowers and adorable home-made, school-made or bought vibrant cards with “Happy Mother’s Day” written boldly. This year, Mother's Day will be celebrated in lockdown as…

8 May 2020 6AM 5 min

LISTEN | Is your social media use becoming a problem?

The national lockdown has seen a marked increase in social media use among South Africans. The restrictions have led to people interacting and keeping themselves busy by tweeting, liking, commenting, sharing and being much more active on social media. Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, these social media platforms have also highlighted…

8 May 2020 5AM 7 min

#WeSaluteYouSA — celebrating Worker's Day in lockdown

The working class in SA has been at the forefront of many causes, from the struggle for a democracy to labour laws and gender policies. Once again they are at the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic. May 1, also known as International Workers Day, pays homage to the working…

1 May 2020 5AM 3 min

What are we born free of? asks SA youth

The “rainbow nation” generation born after April 1994 say they are disillusioned at being considered “born frees”. Political science and international relations honours student at the University of Fort Hare, Nolwazi Mabindisa, 30, says that the concept of identifying as a born free triggers a lot of emotions.

28 Apr 2020 3AM 10 min

FULL ADDRESS | SA Lockdown due to be lifted, but barely

Ramaphosa said the government had been decided to start ending the lockdown in phases from Thursday, April 30. Ramaphosa said several levels of lockdown intensity have been defined by the government. At the moment, South Africa was in a level five lockdown. From Friday, May 1, South Africa will enter…

23 Apr 2020 2PM 26 min

SA will have a severe epidemic - Prof Salim Abdool Karim

Infectious disease specialist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, who chairs the government's advisory committee on Covid-19, has become a household name for being the man in the know about the coronavirus. In this interview Abdool Karim explains why SA’s lockdown was so important, what recommendations his committee has put to government…

23 Apr 2020 6AM 13 min

Voices from the Lockdown

As the lockdown enter its fourth week, Paul Ash speaks to South Africans at home and overseas about how they are coping and what they're misisng about their old lives.

22 Apr 2020 10AM 18 min

FULL ADDRESS | Grant payments up as Ramaphosa announces R500bn to deal with coronavirus in SA

R500bn will be spent to support South Africans dealing with the consequences of the coronavirus. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement during an address on Tuesday night. He said this amounted to "about 10% of our GDP".

21 Apr 2020 2PM 26 min

High praise for home-grown weed as '420 day' celebrated in lockdown

The merits of home cultivation were expounded on by a South African marijuana user as “420" trended on Twitter in celebration of the day (April 20) despite the “dagga day” falling during lockdown. 420 is slang worldwide for cannabis culture, and is an annual event that takes place on April…

21 Apr 2020 9AM 5 min

Lockdown away from home, the perspective of South Africans across the world

With spiralling numbers of global confirmed Covid-19 cases, social distancing and quarantine measures have been instituted across much of the world, with stay-at-home orders implemented by most governments. Global coronavirus cases are approaching 2 million, with more than 126,000 deaths . Six South Africans living on different continents amid the…

15 Apr 2020 4AM 13 min

Defaulting on treatment puts HIV and TB patients at higher risk for coronavirus

South Africa has 7.7-million people living with HIV and the highest number of tuberculosis-related deaths globally. More than 80% of people who died of TB in 2016 were also infected with HIV. Doctors and experts fear the coronavirus pandemic will have a tremendous impact on our health system and on…

14 Apr 2020 6AM 5 min

FULL ADDRESS | SA's national lockdown extended by 2 weeks

SA's lockdown has been extended by two weeks. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday night. “After careful consideration of the available evidence, the national coronavirus command council has decided to extend the nationwide lockdown by a further two weeks beyond the 21 days,” he said. He said the…

9 Apr 2020 2PM 28 min

Police van crashes into guard and woman in Bloemfontein

Two people were injured when a police van crashed into them at a shopping centre in Bloemfontein on Tuesday afternoon, Free State police said. Police have confirmed the authenticity of a video of the incident after it was posted on social media on Wednesday. Spokesperson Brig Sam Makhele said officers…

9 Apr 2020 5AM 1 min

Ipid arrests policeman after fatal shooting of his girlfriend

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has arrested a policeman who allegedly fatally shot his girlfriend at the police barracks at Pretoria Moot on Sunday.The 41-year-old sergeant, based at the flying squad in Midrand, accused his girlfriend, 35, of having an affair with his colleague before shooting her several times.

8 Apr 2020 6AM 1 min

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams on two months' special leave after lockdown lunch

President Cyril Ramaphosa has cracked the whip against communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams for violating a government-imposed lockdown, putting her on special leave for two months and docking a month’s pay. Ramaphosa's spokesperson added that "the law should take its course" regarding the violation. This was after Ndabeni-Abrahams was exposed for…

8 Apr 2020 5AM 4 min