As of May 1, South Africa will be under a Level 4 lockdown and a gradual, phased reopening of the economy will start. On Thursday 23 April, President Cyril Ramaphosa explained that the country’s response to Covid-19 would from now on be tiered.

The five levels of lockdown represent the different levels of Covid-19 threat and the necessary corresponding restrictions. The levels will also be applied at national, provincial, district and metro levels. The details of which regulations will be eased in what way under which level will be explained next week. 

An infographic summarising the Covid-19 lockdown alert levels in South Africa. (Source: Department of Health)

An infographic summarising how the Covid-19 lockdown alert levels system works in South Africa. (Source: Department of Health)

A map showing the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa as of 23 April. Source: (Source: Department of Health)

The Solidarity Fund provided an update on its first month of operation and its new board on Thursday. It has raised R2.6-billion so far to support the health and humanitarian response to Covid-19 in South Africa.

This money came from 75,000 people and donations range from R2 to R1-million. As Ed Stoddard writes, interim CEO Nomkhita Nqweni said these billions are “a drop in the ocean” of need and that there’s more to be done.

The fund has launched an information campaign on 15 radio stations in all 11 official languages across the country. It has purchased 21 million masks, hundreds of thousands of hand sanitisers and gloves and 200 ventilators.

The first 20,000 food parcels have been distributed by the fund. It expects to deliver 250,000 parcels before the end of April and says it has been “overwhelmed” by requests for help. As Estelle Ellis reports, it will be helped by various NGOs to distribute the parcels nationwide.

A slide from the Solidarity Fund presentation today mapping where food will be going.

Further details on SANDF deployment were made clear on Thursday during Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence. All 76,000 available SANDF personnel have been deployed during the State of Disaster – this includes the regular force, reserve force and auxiliary force. They are drawn from the army, air force, navy, military health services and volunteers.

However, Chief of SANDF Joint Operations Lieutenant-General Rudzani Maphwanya did not indicate how many personnel would be operational at a given time.

So far, they have been helping the SAPS at roadblocks, on foot patrols, in cordon and search operations and patrolling South Africa’s borders. Now, their tasks will expand to preparing isolation and quarantine wards at military hospitals in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town as well as field hospitals nationwide. The SANDF is also sourcing additional mobile mortuary units. Greg Nicolson spoke to defence analysts on how the deployment might pan out.

In the Eastern Cape, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced rapid interventions to strengthen the public health system of Nelson Mandela Bay. The city has been plagued by staff and personal protective equipment shortages for months. This is coming to a head as the city’s Covid-19 cases climb quickly. Estelle Ellis reports on the new action plan.

In the Western Cape, the provincial legislature’s brand new Covid-19 oversight committee met with Premier Alan Winde for the first time on Thursday. Winde emphasised again that the province is preparing for the outbreak to reach 80,000 cases at its peak in August or September. However, it was reiterated that this prediction can change weekly. As Suné Payne writes, the committee also discussed life after lockdown in the province.

The province has seen a spate of food truck and supermarket lootings in recent days. Police managed to intercept some planned lootings, but didn’t manage to stop crowds in Delft, Mitchells Plain and Philippi East. As Vincent Cruywagen reports, arrests have been made and police are tracing perpetrators. However, those running feeding schemes fear they might not be able to carry on this work.

Meanwhile, the Department of Correctional Services has claimed that three prison riots at correctional facilities across the country were about cellphones and cigarettes being confiscated and not coronavirus. It argued that the riots were triggered by a decision to raid cells for contraband while visits were suspended at facilities. 

However, as Estelle Ellis reports, confidential official reports said that prisoners were unhappy about restrictions on visits, food being brought in from outside and receiving money, cigarettes and tobacco from family. DM