Government

Ramaphosa to address South Africa on Thursday evening

Staff Writer

 ·30 Sep 2021

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 20h00 on Thursday (30 September) on developments in the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The president’s address follows meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council, the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet,” the presidency said in a statement.

“The president’s address will be broadcast and streamed on a range of platforms that are accessible to South Africans and international audiences.”

President @CyrilRamaphosa will address the nation at 20h00 today on developments in the country’s response to the #COVID19 pandemic, following meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council, the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet. https://t.co/L3fB2yHheZ pic.twitter.com/gPkVOcL3Zu

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 30, 2021

Ramaphosa is expected to announce South Africa’s updated lockdown regulations in the coming days, after moving to an adjusted level 2 lockdown on 13 September.

Health minister Joe Phaahla said last week that the government is considering the further easing of lockdown restrictions. Some of the eased restrictions could include:

• An 00h00 evening curfew;
• Alcohol would be allowed to be sold for off-site consumption on a Saturday;
• More leisure activities will be allowed to reopen.

However, despite the more positive outlook, Phaahla and other health experts have warned that a fourth wave could be on the horizon – particularly with the coming elections in November, and higher mobility and larger gatherings over the end-of-year holiday period.

On Wednesday (29 September), South Africa reported 2,106 new cases of Covid-19, taking the total reported to 2,900,994.

Deaths have reached 87,525 (+108), while recoveries have climbed to 2,766,892, leaving the country with a balance of 46,577 active cases. The total number of vaccines administered is 17,349,100 (+172,497).

Read: Government meeting to review lockdown restrictions for South Africa