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"You can cycle, you can run, you can walk."   This is according to cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Wednesday night, as she detailed what movements were allowed under level 4 lockdown restrictions, which kick in from Friday. "You can leave and go and exercise," said Dlamini-Zuma, adding that this was said by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week. "Under these regulations, you can cycle, you can run, you can walk - but it will have to be within your neighbourhood, within 5km radius of your home. And it will not be under organised groups - you can't run as  a club or a group. You can ... do it between 6am and 9am," she said. She said that social distancing was still paramount. Earlier in the briefing, Dlamini-Zuma said South Africans made more than 70,000 submissions to government over the proposed regulations under level 4 of the nationwide lockdown, Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Ove...

Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma explained the conditions of level 4 lockdown on Wednesday night. Image:   GCIS Alcohol and cigarettes would not be allowed under level 4 restrictions, the government said on Wednesday night. "Alcohol is not allowed yet on level 4," said Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. On top of this, for "health reasons", cigarettes, tobacco and related products - including vaping - would also not be allowed. Dlamini-Zuma said there were about 2,000 public comments against a proposal to allow the sale of cigarettes. There was also discussion within the government. "Government took that into consideration and debated the merits and looked at it and decided that we must continue as we are when it comes to cigarettes and tobacco products and related, that we should not open up the sale," she said. "The reasons are health-related. It hasn't been allowed, it's still not allowed - just like...

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa. His union has approached the labour court to force the department of mineral resources & energy to set minimum standards for health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. Image:   REUTERS The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has not tendered any evidence to prove that employers are not protecting miners from Covid-19, the government told the labour court. Amcu has approached the labour court to force the department of mineral resources & energy to set minimum standards for health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. The application follows a decision by the government to allow mines to operate at 50% capacity during the lockdown. Mark Wesley, a lawyer representing the ministers of minerals and energy and co-operative governance & traditional affairs, on Wednesday submitted that the government was not opposed to putting interim measures in place. However, the ministers, he said, were o...

More than half of South Africa's youth is unemployed. Image:   123RF Stock Banking details, proof of residence and identity number will be required for South Africans applying for the monthly R350 coronavirus social relief distress fund. The government on Wednesday released the criteria to qualify for the monthly unemployment stipend during the lockdown which will be administered by the South African Social Security Agency [Sassa]. This comes after the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week that  R500bn had been set aside towards assisting South Africans negatively impacted by the lockdown which he said would see an increase in social welfare grants as well as payment to those who are unemployed. Ramaphosa said for the child grant would be increased by R300 for May, and by an additional R500  for each child caregiver for five months thereafter, an additional R250 towards all other grant recipients and R350 for those not receiving any for...

A law academic from the University of Pretoria has been appointed to serve on the Institut de Droit International's commission on pandemics and international law. With this appointment Professor Dire Tladi joins the crème de la crème of leading international lawyers such as former president of the International Criminal Tribunal Theodore Meron and judge of the International Court of Justice Xue Hanqin. “I am honoured. There are some really excellent international lawyers on the commission, and I hope to make my little contribution to what is an important topic,”  Tladi said. “The commission will be responsible for preparing draft articles for the IDI. As a member of the commission, I hope to use my experience and knowledge to contribute to drafting suggestions, proposals as well as legal positions for the draft articles and commentaries,” he said. Tladi's appointment comes at the height of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. He said he hopes to make a difference in the ...

Petrol is set to drop by about R1.74 a litre in May, with diesel falling by R1.56 and illuminating paraffin a whopping R2.18. Image:   scyther5 / 123rf May 2020 will soon join April in setting back-to-back records for monthly fuel price drops. This is according to the Automobile Association (AA), which was commenting on unaudited month-end data released by the Central Energy Fund. Against the backdrop of the international oil picture, even the disastrous performance of the rand vs the US dollar in April barely moved the needle on local fuel prices. The local currency's average value against the dollar plunged from R16.45 on March 26 to R18.45 on April 28, with daily peaks in excess of R19 to the dollar. “The rand has been pummelled by Covid-19 and the Moody's downgrade to junk status, and yet we are still able to predict record-territory fuel price drops. This goes to show just how severely the world oil price has collapsed.” Petrol is set to drop by...