COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa


The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. On 5 March 2020, Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize confirmed the spread of the virus to South Africa, with the first known patient being a male citizen who tested positive upon his return from Italy. The first death to have occurred from the disease was reported on 27 March 2020.
On 15 March, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a national state of disaster, and announced measures such as immediate travel restrictions and the closure of schools from 18 March. On 17 March, the National Coronavirus Command Council was established, "to lead the nation's plan to contain the spread and mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus". On 23 March, a national lockdown was announced, starting on 26 March 2020. On 21 April, a 500 billion rand stimulus was announced in response to the pandemic.
Ramaphosa announced that from 1 May 2020, a gradual and phased easing of the lockdown restrictions would begin, lowering the national alert [|level] to 4. From 1 June, the national restrictions were lowered to level 3.
As of 2 May 2020, the median age of those who had died was 64 years., out of tests conducted, a total of confirmed cases, deaths, and recoveries have been recorded.

Timeline

March 2020

On 1 March 2020, the first patient later confirmed with COVID-19 in South Africa, returned with his wife and 8 others from the Metropolitan City of Milan in Italy, travelling via Dubai, O. R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Gauteng and King Shaka International Airport in Durban to Hilton. On 3 March, the patient reported with symptoms to a private general practitioner and isolated himself; the doctor isolated herself as well. On 5 March the Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, announced the first confirmed case, epidemiologists and clinicians from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases were deployed to KwaZulu-Natal in response. and the patient went to Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg.
On 7 March, it was announced that a woman from the same travel group from Italy, returning to Gauteng, also tested positive.
On 11 March 6 new cases were reported, with 1 case from the same travel group from Italy, while the other 5 cases appear unrelated having travel histories to other European countries. The first case was confirmed in the Western Cape province. 3 new cases were announced on 12 March, including the first case in Mpumalanga province. The first local transmission and first case in the Free State province was also announced, but withdrawn later in the day by the NICD who confirmed that the case's test result was in fact negative. This brought the total cases to 16.
On 15 March, the first local transmissions, not yet confirmed by government labs, were announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. and the following day, the first confirmed case from Limpopo province was announced. The day thereafter, on 17 March, the first confirmed cases of local transmission were announced by government labs, 4 in Gauteng, 3 in KwaZulu-Natal, and 1 in the Western Cape. On the next day, 18 March, the first confirmed case of local transmission in Mpumalanga was announced by government labs.
On 19 March, the Health Minister suggested that two-thirds of the South African population could contract the virus, a prediction in line with Europe's estimates on population infection.
On 20 March, the Free State province recorded seven cases, becoming the sixth of South Africa's nine provinces to be infected. Of the seven cases, five were from abroad who had congregated for a church gathering attended by 200 people. O. R. Tambo International Airport instituted isolation of foreigners on arrival and returning them to their countries of origin.
On 21 March, the confirmed number of cases reached 240 with the Eastern Cape reporting its first case, making it the seventh of the nine provinces to report a case. On 23 March, a national 21-day lockdown was announced by President Ramaphosa to begin on 26 March to 16 April. By 24 March all nine provinces had confirmed cases, with the first cases in the Northern Cape and North West announced.
On 27 March, Mkhize announced the first confirmed death in South Africa from COVID-19.

April 2020

On 1 April, researchers from the NICD and South African National Bioinformatics Institute at the University of Western Cape released the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 from a South African COVID-19 patient. Pick-up trucks dispensed free hand sanitizer in Alexandra in early April.
On 9 April, it was announced that South Africa's cabinet members, which include the President, Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers would donate one-third of their salaries for three months to a solidarity fund.
On 9 April, the St Augustine's Hospital in Durban was shut down following a localised outbreak of over 60 confirmed cases and four COVID-19 related deaths; by then 1,845 had tested positive for the virus nationally with total 18 deaths.
On 10 April, health experts were surprised at the dramatic slow-down in the daily rate of new cases over the previous two weeks, however it was feared that this slow-down may trigger complacency.
On 10 April, Mkhize recommended that the general public use cloth facemasks when going out in public.
On 12 April, there was an increase of over 145 cases including 23 officials and 3 prisoners at the East London Correctional Centre.
On 13 April, chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Salim Abdool Karim indicated that the lockdown had been effective in delaying transmissions. He also described the country's 8-stage plan to combat the coronavirus. This included criteria for extending or easing the lockdown.
On 14 April, the number of confirmed cases grew by 143, with 70 of the new cases being from the Eastern Cape.
By 23 April, when President Ramaphosa again addressed the nation the total number of cases had increased to. Detailed figures released by the NICD showed that in April that the number of cases had taken distinct trajectories in different provinces. In the two weeks from 9 to 23 April, the cases in the coastal provinces had a very high increase – Eastern Cape cases rose 583% from a low base, KwaZulu-Natal rose 108% and Western Cape 148%. North West and Gauteng had high increases, while the other provinces had much lower increases from 6% in the Northern Cape to 23% in Limpopo.
As of 27 April 2020 23:59, the median age of laboratory-confirmed cases was 38 years, and children aged <10 years accounted for 3%.
On 30 April 2020, Ramaphosa received a consignment of personal protective equipment donated by global internet group Naspers on April 30.

May 2020

On 19 May 2020, scientists advising the government estimated 475 confirmed COVID-19 deaths by the end of that month, and more than forty-thousand deaths by November. They also estimated that there could be insufficient ICU beds by June or July. The scientists stated that these estimates were subject to deviations and were based on simple and pessimistic assumptions.

July 2020

On 12 July, in an address to the nation, President Ramaphosa announced that the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases had arrived. The state of disaster was extended until 15 August 2020 and the alcohol ban was reintroduced along with a new curfew from 21:00 until 4:00. Resumption of alcohol sale and distribution had led to increased pressure on hospitals from road traffic accidents, trauma and violence which happened mostly at night.
On 22 July, the South African Medical Research Council and the University of Cape Town's Centre for Actuarial Research estimated that 17,090 excess natural deaths had taken place between 6 May and 14 July 2020 in South Africa. These represented, by the second week of July, a 59% increase in natural deaths compared to the same time period in previous years 11,175 of these excess estimated natural deaths were in those above age 60 years. Excess natural deaths were COVID-19 related either directly or indirectly through delayed diagnosis and treatment of other conditions. Unnatural deaths, from car accidents and murders, were 20% lower than expected.
On 23 July, President Ramaphosa announced the re-closure of all public schools for four-weeks from 27 July to 24 August and the extension of the academic year into 2021.

Preparations and response

After the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, an emergency operation centre was immediately activated.

Testing

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases started testing people in South Africa for SARS-CoV-2 on 28 January 2020, and by 7 February had conducted 42 such tests.
By mid-March, state hospitals were offering free COVID-19 testing.
On 30 March 2020, the government announced its intentions of initiating an enhanced screening and testing programme. On 3 April 2020, the NICD made alterations to its testing guidelines to further allow for anyone who presented with relevant COVID-19 symptoms to be tested.
By the start of April, 67 mobile testing units had been established and people had been tested, some in drive-through facilities.
On 8 April, the National Health Laboratory Service detailed its testing capacity through the country. The NHLS would be able to perform approximately tests per day.
Many private clinical pathology laboratories were also conducting tests. The CEO of the NHLS, Dr Kamy Chetty, said that by 9 April 2020 the majority of tests had been done in the private sector as the initial cases had been linked to international travellers who were likely to be on private medical aids.
By 9 April 2020, South Africa had conducted tests at 1.2 tests per thousand, considerably lower than for example Turkey, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. However, the ratio of positive tests to total tests conducted was significantly lower than most countries. By 10 April, the number of tests had increased to, making the average number of tests per day in the first 10 days of April roughly. The chair of the board of the NHLS, Eric Buch, stated that it had a capacity of tests per day and would welcome doing more tests. On 12 April, Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that the number of tests carried out in the previous 24 hours had increased to 5 032, with 3 192 carried out in public laboratories.
On 14 April, Stavros Nicolaou, head of Business for South Africa's healthcare working group and Aspen Pharmacare executive, said that South Africa had the capacity and kits to do tests a day.
By 23 April the total number of tests was. The number of daily tests increased: for the first 14 days of April the daily average number of tests was 3394; for the next 9 days the daily average was 6283. The rate of positive tests versus total tests remained less than 3%. The Minister of Health released figures that showed that of all the tests done up to 23 April 62% had been done in the private sector and 38% in the public sector. However, that ratio was changing as the public sector increased capacity. The public sector performed 63% of the new tests reported on 23 April 2020.
By 27 April, tests had been performed on South African residents, with the public sector doing the majority of the tests. Provincial test coverage varied by over a factor of 8. The number of tests per residents was Northwest 66, Limpopo 69, Mpumalanga 101, Northern Cape 111, Eastern Cape 247, KwaZulu-Natal 270, Free State 284, Gauteng 439, and Western Cape 541. A surveillance programme was started to monitor community transmission. In the three arms of the programme 812 tests had been done and two positive cases had been detected.
By 28 June, the total number of tests was. The private sector had now overtaken the public sector, in terms of tests completed. The private sector had done test with the public sector only doing.
By 11 July, had been done with the private sector still doing the most tests.

Clinical trials, vaccines and treatment

On 17 March 2020, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority announced that it would expedite review of treatments, vaccines and clinical trials.
A team from 8 universities and 14 hospitals led by Helen Rees and Jeremy Nel from the University of the Witwatersrand participated in the World Health Organisation Solidarity Clinical Trials that investigated medications.
A COVID-19 vaccine trial was launched in Gauteng province, towards the end of June in collaboration with the Jenner Institute in the UK.
By 15 July it was reported by the BBC and Daily Maverick that the Eastern Cape's health system was near collapse due to staff shortages, absenteeism, strikes, and preexisting problems resulting from poor management.

State of disaster

By mid-March, isolation measures gathered pace, and on 15 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster, prohibiting gatherings of more than 100 people.
On 17 March, Ramaphosa, supported by Deputy President David Mabuza, convened the inaugural meeting of the National Command Council on COVID-19, or as it was subsequently called, the National Coronavirus Command Council, "to lead the nation’s plan to contain the spread and mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus".
On 18 March, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma signed a government gazette limiting the number of patrons at pubs, clubs, and restaurants to 50.
Parliament suspended all activities as of 18 March. and the African National Congress and Democratic Alliance postponed their elective conferences.
The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration cancelled all scheduled cases from 18 March 2020 and prohibited walk-in referrals of new cases – in lieu of electronic referrals.
Schools were closed on 18 March 2020, resuming in early June. Most universities suspended classes around this time as well.
University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban University of Technology graduation ceremonies were cancelled or postponed until further notice.
After panic buying, some retailers put limitations on the number of certain items customers could buy. On 19 March, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel signed a government gazette that enforces price controls on essential items and that could see price gougers punished with measures including a R10 million fine, a fine equivalent to 10% of a firm's turnover, or 12 months in prison.
On 3 June, Minister Dlamini-Zuma extended the state of disaster, which was to lapse on 15 June, three months after its announcement, to 4 July citing "the need to continue augmenting the existing mitigation measures undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the disaster."

Lockdown

On 23 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation and announced a 21-day national lockdown effective from midnight 26 March through to 16 April, with the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to support the government. On 9 April the President announced a two-week lockdown extension, until the end of April. Exempt from the lockdown are people deemed necessary to the effective response to the pandemic such as:
During the lockdown, all gatherings except for funerals were prohibited. Restaurants, taverns, bottle stores and all other stores not selling essential goods were to close during the lockdown period. Schools, already closed a week before the lockdown period, will not reopen until after the lockdown. Non-exempt people are only allowed to leave their homes during this period to access health services, collect social grants, attend small funerals and shop for essential goods. See the South African Government Gazette 25 March 2020 for a complete list of exemptions and non-exemptions during the lockdown period. South Africans were ordered not to take their dogs for a walk during the lockdown, though they may walk them around their house or apartment building.
People may not be evicted from their place of residence during the lockdown.
Movement between provinces, and between metropolitan and district areas are prohibited except for
All borders of the country are closed during the lockdown, except for designated ports of entry for the transportation of fuel, cargo, and goods.
International and domestic passenger flights are prohibited, except for flights authorised by the Ministry of Transport, for the evacuation of South African nationals in foreign countries, and for certain repatriations.

Reduced deaths

The lockdown resulted in fewer deaths from road accidents and homicides. During Easter, from 9 April 2020 to 13 April, there were 28 fatalities from road accidents during the lockdown, compared to 162 in 2019. During the lockdown, 432 murder cases were reported, compared to during the same period the previous year: 29 March 2019 to 22 April 2019. Overall deaths for the year up to 21 April 2020 were "generally within the bounds of expectation" according to the Medical Research Council. Nonetheless for the 5 weeks before 21 April 2020, non-natural deaths including those from homicide and road traffic accidents were lower for both females and males.

Levels

Easing of the national lockdown restrictions, based on a risk-adjusted strategy, started on 1 May 2020, becoming level 4. From 1 June, the national restrictions were lowered to level 3.
5Drastic measures required to contain the spread of the virus to save lives.
54Liquor ban: sale, dispensing, distribution, and transportation. No special or events liquor licenses may be considered for approval.
54Tobacco sales ban: tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and related products.
4Curfew from 20:00 until 05:00, except if granted a permit to perform an essential or permitted service, or is attending to a security or medical emergency.
4Evictions, prohibition of: orders of eviction are stayed and suspended until level 4 ends, unless overridden by a court.
4Movement: people may leave their place of residence to
  • perform an essential or permitted service,
  • go to work if they have a permit,
  • buy permitted goods,
  • obtain permitted services,
  • move children, as allowed,
  • walk, run, or cycle between 06:00 and 09:00, within a 5 km of their place of residence.
4Public transport: the Minister of Transport may allow the resumption of rail, bus services, taxi services; e-hailing services; and private vehicles, by setting out the hygiene conditions to limit exposure to COVID-19.
4Movement between provinces, metropolitan municipalities, and district municipalities are prohibited except for workers with a permit to perform an essential or permitted service, attending funerals, transportation of mortal remains, and students of permitted schools or higher education institutions. A once-off, one-way return to place of residence between 1 May 2020 to 7 May 2020, staying there until the end of level 4.
4Closure of borders: except for designated ports of entry, and for the transportation of fuel, cargo, and goods.
4Gatherings are banned, except for
  • funerals ; and movement between provinces, metropolitan municipalities, and district municipalities are allowed only for close family and partners with permits to do so. );
  • when at a workplace; or
  • when buying or obtaining essential goods and services
    • 4Places closed to the public:
  • where religious, cultural, sporting, entertainment, recreational, exhibitional, organisational, or similar activities are held;
  • public parks, sports grounds and fields, beaches and swimming pools;
  • flea markets;
  • fêtes and bazaars;
  • night clubs;
  • casinos;
  • hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, airbnbs', timeshare facilities and resorts, and guest houses, except where required for remaining tourists confined to hotels, lodges and guest houses;
  • game reserves except where required for remaining confined tourists;
  • holiday resorts except where required for remaining confined tourists;
  • taverns and shebeens, or similar establishments; theatres and cinemas; and
  • museums ;
  • places that pose a risk to public of COVID-19.
    • Exceptions for those rendering security and maintenance services.
    4Sales allowed: food, cleaning, protective, babycare, stationery; winter clothing, bedding, heating; medical supplies; fuel, coal, wood, gas; hardware supplies for emergency home repairs and essential services by qualified tradespersons; components for vehicles for essential workers; chemicals, packaging, and supply of level 4 products.
    43Facemasks: a cloth facemask, a homemade item, or another appropriate item that covers the nose and mouth, is mandatory when in public.
    43Screening: public and at workplaces.
    3Liquor ban: sale, dispensing, distribution, and transportation. No special or events liquor licenses may be considered for approval.
    3Tobacco sales ban: tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and related products, except for export.
    3Curfew from 21:00 until 04:00, except if granted a permit to perform an essential or permitted service, or is attending to a security or medical emergency.
    3Evictions, prohibition of: orders of eviction are stayed and suspended until level 3 ends, unless overridden by a court.
    3Movement: people may leave their place of residence to
    • perform an essential or permitted service,
    • go to work if they have a permit,
    • buy permitted goods,
    • obtain permitted services,
    • move children, as allowed,
    • exercise between 06:00 and 18:00, provided it is not done in groups and adheres to health protocols and social distancing,
    • attend a place of worship, provided it is within the same province,
    • attend a school or learning institution.
    3Movement of children between guardians or caregivers: permitted if in possession of a court order, a parenting plan, or a permit issued by a magistrate's court, provided the household is COVID-19 free.
    3Movement between provinces is prohibited except for workers with a permit to perform an essential or permitted service, moving to a new place of residence or caring for an immediate family member and possessing the appropriate affidavit, members of parliament performing oversight responsibilities, students of permitted schools or higher education institutions, attending funerals, transportation of mortal remains, obtaining medical treatment, and people returning to their place of residence from a quarantine or isolation facility.
    3Gatherings are banned, except for
  • attending faith-based institutions ;
  • an agricultural auction;
  • a professional non-contact sports match ;
  • funerals ;
  • auctions;
  • when at a workplace; or
  • when buying or obtaining essential goods and services.
    • 3Places closed to the public:
  • where religious, cultural, sporting, entertainment, recreational, exhibitional, organisational, or similar activities are held;
  • gyms, fitness centres, sports grounds and fields, and swimming pools, except if training professional athletes and for hosting professional non-contact sports matches;
  • fêtes and bazaars;
  • night clubs;
  • hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, timeshare facilities and resorts, and guest houses, except where required for remaining tourists confined to such facilities, and for persons in quarantine or isolation;
  • bars, taverns and shebeens, or similar establishments;
  • beaches and public parks, except for exercising;
  • tourist attractions, except for private self-drive excursions;
    • Exceptions for those rendering security and maintenance services.
    3Closure of borders: except for designated ports of entry, for the transportation of fuel, cargo and goods, and for humanitarian operations, repatriations, evacuations, medical emergencies, movement of staff of diplomatic and international organisations, return of a South African national or permanent resident, and daily commuters.
    3Public transport: the Minister of Transport may allow the resumption of rail, bus services, taxi services; e-hailing services; and private vehicles, by setting out the hygiene conditions to limit exposure to COVID-19.
    3Domestic air travel is permitted except if for recreational, leisure, or tourism purposes.
    3All businesses may operate, provided they follow hygiene protocols, have a COVID-19 plan and a compliance officer, except for
    • liquor and tobacco retailers;
    • short-term home rental for leisure purposes ;
    • passenger ships for leisure purposes; and
    • entertainment activities.
    3The following places and businesses may reopen to the public:
  • personal care services, including hairdressing, barbering, facial treatments, makeup and nail salons, body massage, and piercing and tattoo parlours ;
  • restaurants for 'sit-down' meals;
  • accredited and licensed accommodation, except for home-sharing and airbnbs;
  • conferences and meetings for business purposes;
  • cinemas, theatres, libraries, museums, archives and galleries ;
  • casinos; and
  • non-contact sports matches and training, and training for contact sports ;
    • 2Further easing of restrictions, maintenance of physical distancing.
    1Most normal activities resume with precautions.

    Enforcement

    announced, on 5 April, a reduction in cash-in-transit thefts thanks to increased road blocks and more visible policing. He also announced a reduced murder rate. Trauma related hospital admission decreased by two-thirds. By the end of the first seven days of the lockdown a total of 2,289 people had been arrested for violating lockdown orders with over total arrests for various crimes.
    Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, on 8 April, was put on special leave for two months, one without pay, for violating lockdown regulations. A picture of her appeared on social media while having lunch at ANC NEC member Mduduzi Manana's home.
    Enforcement was done across the country with varying degrees of success. In the Eastern Cape it was reported in early April that little to no enforcement of the lockdown was implemented in at least some of the province's rural areas.
    The use of force by police and SANDF personnel was controversial with multiple reports of excessive force in enforcing the lockdown. This included incidents of beatings and preventing people from filming police abuses leading the public advocacy group Right2Know to release a statement that the police had no right to prevent the public "from exercising their constitutional right to film and record incidents".
    By the fifth day, three people had died due to alleged excessive force by security officials enforcing the lockdown, equaling the number of people that had died of the virus in South Africa by that date. By 3 April, the eighth day of the lockdown, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate reported that they were investigating eight deaths involving the police since the start of the lockdown. At the time, this exceeded the number of deaths in the country due to the pandemic. This was in-spite of President Ramaphosa's public call for police restraint. By 12 April a total of nine people had died due to police and army action following the beating to death of a man in Alexandra by the army.
    The South African National Editors' Forum issued a statement expressing concern over police action denying the media access to sites when covering COVID-19 related stories. On 27 April the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns about the heavy handed and highly militarised enforcement of COVID-19 related lockdown measures in a number of countries including South Africa. By 30 April the government confirmed that a total of five people were alleged to have been killed by police within the first three weeks of the lock down along with 152 incidents of assault by police.
    The Pretoria High Court ordered the South African government to take steps to prevent police abuse during the lockdown, following the death of Collins Khosa, who died of injuries after being beaten by the police.

    Tobacco and alcohol

    During the announcement on the lifting of level 5 lockdown measures on 23 April President Ramaphosa announced that the sale of tobacco would be re-legalised, this statement was contradicted on 29 April by Minister Dlamini-Zuma. The resulting uncertainty over the legality of tobacco sales during level 4 lockdown caused British American Tobacco to file an urgent court appeal which was dropped on 6 May and reopened by 29 May. The ban raised concerns by the Human Sciences Research Council and South African Revenue Service that it would encourage the growth of illicit tobacco sales thereby growing the power and influence of organised crime. The ANC Women's League defended Dlamini-Zuma's statement amid accusations that she was receiving financial support from illicit tobacco traders. By 4 May President Ramaphosa confirmed the continuation of the ban during level 4. The Democratic Alliance accused Dlamini-Zuma of lying to the public over the strength of support for the tobacco ban and called for her removal from office.
    During the level 5 lockdown period the sale of alcohol was banned so as to reduce pressure from alcohol related injuries further burdening hospitals. The ban was controversially reimposed on 12 July amid concerns that the ban was fueling the growth of illicit alcohol sales.

    Criticism

    The uncertainties around the length of the lockdown, its intensity, and concerns over the erosion of civil liberties has drawn criticism from a number of notable individuals and political parties in South Africa. Former finance minister and senior ANC member Trevor Manuel questioned the rationality of the way in which government implemented the lockdown whilst expressing concern that the lockdown endangered South African Constitution. The DA challenged the use of the military to enforced night curfews, criticised the ban on e-commerce and restrictions on exercise hours, and filed a court challenge over the constitutionality of the lack of parliamentary oversight in the National Disaster Management Act. The Freedom Front Plus filed an application to the Gauteng High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the National Disaster Management Act. The Economic Freedom Fighters criticised the relaxation of some of the May 2020 lockdown regulations as an example of giving into industry pressure by allowing them to reopen.

    Repatriation

    On 14 March 2020, 112 South Africans were repatriated from Wuhan, China, and placed under observation and in quarantine at The Ranch Resort near Polokwane.
    Medical screening was performed prior to departure, four South Africans who were showing signs of coronavirus were left behind to mitigate risk. Only South Africans who tested negative were repatriated.
    Test results cleared all the South Africans, including the flight crew, pilots, hotel staff, police and soldiers involved in the humanitarian mission who, as a precautionary measure, all remained under observation and in quarantine for a 14-day period at The Ranch Resort.

    Cuban doctors

    On 27 April 217 Cuban medical health specialists arrived in South Africa to assist with the pandemic response at the invitation of the South African government and were deployed across the country.
    Their arrival and the reported R429 million cost paid to the Cuban government was controversial. The South African Medical Association stated that their deployment was premature as many South African doctors and nurses had not yet been deployed as part of the pandemic response. The South African Internationally Trained Health Professionals Association criticised the government for not instead using unemployed South African medical graduates. The Democratic Alliance stated that government should first prioritise using local healthcare professionals. The Daily Maverick questioned the high cost paid for the doctors. The United States government criticised their deployment and payments made for their services as a form of human trafficking whilst the Cuban government rejected allegations of profiting from the deployment of its doctors and stated that criticism was part of a "smear campaign".

    Donations

    South Africa received donation of personal protective equipment like medical masks from China and ventilators from the United States.

    Impact

    Economic impact

    At the beginning of the national shutdown on 27 March South African economists predicted that the pandemic could cause a 2.5% to 10% contraction of South Africa's total GDP in 2020. The national lockdown and resulting economic slowdown reduced demand for electricity by more than MW thereby temporarily reducing the impact of the long running South African energy crisis. It is estimated that the government would experience a revenue shortfall for 2020 of between R70 billion and R100 billion. This resulted in the South African government announcing a R500 billion stimulus package thereby accelerating deficit spending from 6.8% to over 10% of GDP for the 2020 financial year.
    The Johannesburg Stock Exchange lost 15% of its value in the week ending 13 March 2020, its worst week in 21 years.
    On 19 March, the South African Reserve Bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago announced a reduction of the country's repo rate by 100 basis points or 1 percentage point to 5.25%. On 14 April, a further reduction to 4.25% per year was made.
    On 22 March, Standard Bank announced a 90-day payment holiday for small and medium-sized business and students to try and shield them from the economic impact of the outbreak, starting from 1 April. By June 2020 it was estimated that the state had lost R1.5 billion rand in tax revenue due to the pandemic and resulting lockdown.
    Within the first month of the lockdown three million South Africans had lost their jobs contributing to an increase in food insecurity and poverty. By mid-July wide spread food shortages were reported across the country and in rural Eastern Cape in particular.

    Corruption and profit gouging

    Corruption has had a significant negative impact on efforts to fight the pandemic by inflating the costs of government procurement whilst eroding public confidence in government institutions. Years of corruption prior to the pandemic has reduced reduced the capacity of the cournty's health service. Incidences of police corruption also increased during the lockdown period as security officials used their expanded positions of power to extort bribes from members of the public.
    Sicuro Safety and Hennox Supplies were fined after admitting to inflating its prices of face masks by 900%. A company supplying the Gauteng government was found to be charging double the price for sanitiser and four times the normal price of surgical face masks. Officials in the Kwazulu-Natal government were suspended for making "massively overpriced" purchases of PPE and blankets. In late July President Ramaphosa announced that measures would be implemented to combat corruption in the delivery of food parcels and the procurement of exorbitantly priced goods. The Special Investigation Unit stated that it was investigating a number of suspicious transactions and alleged acts of corruption from the R500 billion rand COVID 19 Relief Fund.

    Social impact

    Events cancelled or postponed

    Major sporting codes suspended their activities, including Super Rugby, 2019-20 Pro14 season, Varsity Rugby, Premier Soccer League, Athletics South Africa, Sunshine Tour golf, Wimpy Lifesaving South Africa national championships and Parkrun. The Cape Epic cycle tour, the 2020 Two Oceans Marathon and the 2020 Comrades Marathon were cancelled. 2020 Cape Town Rugby Sevens, 4–6 December 2020, were cancelled.
    Live events cancelled or postponed included the Mangaung African Cultural Festival, Bloem Show, AfrikaBurn, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Splashy Fen Festival, Rand Show, National Arts Festival, SciFest Africa, WWE Live South Africa and Comic Con Cape Town. South African tours were postponed by the Lighthouse Family, Boyz II Men and BeBe Winans.
    Trade and agricultural shows postponed or cancelled included HuntEx, DecorEx Cape Town & Durban, Tyrexpo, Power & Electricity World expo, the Pietermaritzburg Royal Show, SA Cheese Festival, Qualité Awards Dinner, and Agri-Expo Western Cape Youth Show.
    The Zion Christian Church cancelled its annual Easter pilgrimage. The Muslim Judicial Council suspended Friday prayers, then closed mosques altogether on Sunday 22 March, but the call to prayer will still be given.
    Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein suspended Synagogues.
    Traditional circumcision schools in the Eastern Cape were suspended.
    The City of Johannesburg closed all public facilities indefinitely including public swimming pools, recreational and civic centres, stadiums, libraries, sporting facilities, and the Johannesburg Zoo. The Ethekhwini Metropolitan Municipality closed all of Durban's public facilities including swimming pools, beaches, libraries, community halls, and museums while restrictions have been put in place for the Durban Art Gallery and cemeteries to only allow 50 people at a time. The City of Cape Town closed all public facilities indefinitely including public swimming pools, recreational and civic centres, stadiums, sporting facilities, and the nature reserves.
    South Africa's oldest pub, The Perseverance Tavern, closed down during the pandemic due to the economic impact of the extended alcohol sales ban.

    Looting

    A number of liquor stores and food stores were targeted by looters in the Cape Town suburbs of Elsies River, Delft South, Samora Machel, Manenberg, Sherwood Park, Nyanga Junction, and Gatesville. On 21 July, a truck carrying COVID-19 specimens was hijacked at a clinic in Motherwell, Eastern Cape and found abandoned 500 metres away.

    Notable deaths

    The arrival of the COVID-19 virus in South Africa saw an increase in the dissemination of misinformation about the virus on social media and other platforms. These range from messages minimising the virus's harm in the country to the propagation of conspiracy theories about government actions to control the virus.
    Deliberately spreading fake news and other misinformation in South Africa about the virus was declared an offence punishable by a fine, six months' imprisonment, or both.
    One individual was arrested for posting a video showing himself drinking in public with friends following the national lock-down whilst stating that there was "nothing called corona here". In another incident a man claimed that government officials would be going door-to-door using contaminated test kits to test people for the virus. A conspiracy theory that Bill Gates wished to test a COVID-19 "vaccine" in Africa or South Africa first caused significant controversy on social media following the publication of a now retracted story in News24. Trevor Noah stated that he received hate mail for conducting the interview on The Daily Show with Gates where it was falsely reported that Gates made the claim.
    Fake news that 5G cellular technology was the true cause of COVID-19 symptoms also spread in the country during this period as it also did in other countries around the world.

    Statistics

    National







    agedeathspercentage
    Unallocated210.8
    0–9 years30.1
    10–19 years70.2
    20–29 years431.6
    30–39 years1646.0
    40–49 years33912.3
    50–59 years65223.7
    60–69 years71726.1
    70–79 years49217.9
    80–89 years2468.9
    ≥ 90 years652.4

    Status as of 1 July 2020

    Regional

    Gauteng

    North West

    Western Cape

    On 8 July, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde tested positive for COVID-19.