Tag: South Africa

S.Africa reports 24-hour record of 1,160 new virus cases

by Susan NJANJI Agence France Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa on Sunday reported 1,160 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily number since the first case was recorded in March, data released by the health ministry showed “As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 15,515 with 1,160 new cases identified in the last 24-hour cycle of testing,” said the ministry statement. The Western Cape province, popular […]

S.Africa reports 24-hour record of 1,160 new virus cases

  by Susan NJANJI Agence France Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa on Sunday reported 1,160 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily number since the first case was recorded in March, data released by the health ministry showed “As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa is 15,515 with 1,160 new cases identified in the last 24 hour cycle of testing,” said the ministry statement. The Western Cape […]

South Africa’s detected coronavirus cases rise to 1,505

  CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa on Friday announced two more coronavirus deaths and 43 new confirmed cases, bringing to tally in Africa’s worst-affected country up to 1,505 infections and seven deaths. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who released the latest figures, said the figure was likely to be underestimated due to testing limits. “I want to raise the point that this number is affected by… the limitations of the active testing that […]

S.Africa to rollout mass screening for coronavirus: president

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa, which has the highest numbers of confirmed coronavirus infections on the continent, will start mass door-to-door screening and testing for coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday. The “unprecedented” exercise will be launched in the next few days, with at least 10,000 field workers deployed across the country of 57 million people, he said in an address to the nation. “We are now entering a new phase in the […]

South Africa reports first two virus deaths as lockdown starts

  by Sofia CHRISTENSEN and Susan NJANJI with AFP African bureaux Agence France Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa recorded its first two deaths from the novel coronavirus on Friday as the number of confirmed cases breached the 1,000 mark just hours after a three-week nationwide lockdown swung into action. “This morning we wake South Africans up with sad news that we now have our first deaths resulting from COVID-19,” Health Minister Zweli […]

South Africa’s coronavirus cases rise sharply to 709: health official

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa reported that its number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus jumped to 709 on Wednesday from 554 the previous day, an increase of 28 percent. South Africa, which now has the highest number of infections on the continent, has ordered a 21-day lockdown which rolls into action at midnight on Thursday. “Right now we have actually increased from yesterday, we are now at 709 cases,” Health Minister […]

Strutting the ramp in ‘masks’ as coronavirus meets fashion week

https://youtu.be/eLRtQnOmbI0   CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP) — Models strutted the ramp with adhesive glittering rhinestones stuck around their mouths arranged in the shape of surgical face masks as the coronavirus pandemic took centre stage at a fashion week in Cape Town. Veteran South African designer Gavin Rajah on Thursday night used the stage at the African International Fashion Week in Cape Town, to highlight to the division and potential racism that protective surgical masks […]

Two South Africans who served as crew members in cruise ship contaminated by coronavirus in Japan

  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Two South Africans were contaminated by the new coronavirus while serving as crew members aboard a cruise ship that was quarantined for three weeks in Japan, officials said Friday. The pair, the first South Africans confirmed to have the virus, are being cared for in Japan but they do not show symptoms of the illness linked to COVID-19, South Africa’s health ministry said. The government was informed by Tokyo […]

S.Africa says rhino poaching down 23 percent last year

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa recorded a 23 percent drop in the number of rhinos killed by poachers last year, official figures showed Monday. In 2019, 594 rhino were slaughtered for their horns, down from 769 killed in 2018. Poaching is fueled by the demand for rhino horn in Asia, where it is coveted as a traditional medicine or an aphrodisiac, and can fetch up to $60,000 per kilogram. South Africa, home to […]

Leopard kills toddler in S.Africa’s Kruger park

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — A leopard killed a two-year-old boy inside a fenced-off staff compound at South Africa’s Kruger national park, officials said Thursday. “The toddler was only 30-months-old,” the park said in a statement. “The boy was certified dead by doctors at the Shongwe hospital after being rushed there by family members.” The leopard attacked the boy on Wednesday evening after getting into the staff living quarters, which are separated from the rest […]

51 killed, 1,000 people displaced by floods in S.Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Devastating floods in South Africa have left 51 dead and forced more than a thousand people from their homes, according to an updated toll issued Wednesday as President Cyril Ramaphosa flew to the deluged region. Heavy rains have lashed the southeast of the country, tearing down homes and ravaging infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces. Speaking to the affected Amanzimtoti community in Durban, after returning from emergency African Union […]

Updated: 13 killed, at least 16 injured as church roof collapses in South Africa

  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Thirteen people were killed and 16 injured when part of a church collapsed on worshippers following a violent storm near the eastern South African city of Durban, officials said Friday. The accident happened late Thursday when a brick wall under a makeshift roof collapsed during a service at a Pentecostal church, a converted hangar, in the town of Ndlangubo, north of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal province. “Such a tragedy. 13 […]