UPDATE, June 2020: In a letter dated 15 June, the Zondo Commission replied to the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture to say that despite the strict lockdown regulations, the commission was able to do a substantial amount of work remotely in the weeks since the country shut down. The letter reiterated that hearings Read more >
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The Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant amounting to R350 has been rolled out as an important mechanism to address immediate hunger and impoverishment which has worsened under the lockdown. This new grant was promised to all unemployed South Africans without income between the ages of 18 and 59 years. While the speed of Read more >
Pierre Mpapele Government has created great expectation for small businesses to afford them opportunities to supply Covid-19 supplies. We were invited to register on the government portal and on the central database, but that was the end of the engagement. People who do not have clothing businesses are at the forefront of opportunities to supply Read more >
By Anna-Sophie Hobi The Covid-19 pandemic is first and foremost a humanitarian crisis. Efforts to contain the virus and support those directly impacted are of utmost importance. Around the world, governments are taking unprecedented actions to limit the spread of the virus—adopting measures aimed at protecting the lives of their populations and the viability of Read more >
Corruption Watch, in fulfilling its commitment to ensuring accountability and the integrity of public finances, sent a letter to National Treasury (NT) on Thursday, 7 May 2020, expressing its concern regarding the repeal and release of different instruction notes relating to emergency procurement under COVID-19. The release of successive instruction notes has created legal uncertainty Read more >
• Platinum Mining. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. A decision handed down at the beginning of May by the Johannesburg labour court will force the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to consult mining-affected communities on issues that affect them. The matter related specifically to new amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, published by the Read more >
Guest contributor The seven-day grace period for people to move from one province to another during lockdown came to an end at midnight on Thursday, 7 May 2020. Thousands of people took up the opportunity to either return to their places of work or go home. Before lockdown I had travelled from Johannesburg to Durban Read more >
Betsie du Plooy Since lockdown started, the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) started their own load shedding. From day one, Bethal and the townships of Embalenhle and Emzinoni had load shedding, at times for three or four hours per day, and other times for up to seven or eight hours. They created a so-called schedule, but Read more >
Guest contributors These are some of the experiences shared with us: Monica de KockStrange how to keep oxygen in your blood, you must essentially be outdoors, exercising or taking in sunlight, otherwise your oxygen levels drop. The Corona virus, however, affects oxygen levels in your red blood cells. We have a huge open space, but Read more >