Mmusi Maimane has sent prayers for SA.
Image: HALDEN KROG
Mmusi Maimane took to Twitter before the lockdown on Thursday night to convey a message of hope as South Africans prepared for the 21-day home confinement fight against the coronavirus.

The Movement for One SA (Mosa) leader said he and his family were praying for all South Africans and expressed optimism that each would come out of this difficult time stronger.President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced that SA would be going on lockdown for 21 days to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Businesses and non-essential service providers will close.

SAPS, traffic officers, health care professionals and the military are exempt from the lockdown. The SANDF will be deployed to potential hot spots to assist police in ensuring that the lockdown rules are adhered to.

South Africans rushed to stock up on booze ahead of the 21-day lockdown on March 26 2020.
Image: ALON SKUY
The ban on jogging, walking of dogs and alcohol sales during the nationwide lockdown was almost the tip of the iceberg for some South Africans.

On Wednesday the government made a U-turned on its decision to allow people to walk their dogs and jogging, saying it was banned. They added to the burn by confirming that booze would not be fore sale during the 21-day period.

“There is no need to be on the road, there is no need to move around,” police minister Bheki Cele said.Cele also said the movement of alcohol would be restricted.

“There shall be no movement of liquor from point A to B. If we find liquor in your car’s boot, that is illegal. If you break these laws, you are six months in jail or fined,” he said.

The ban had everyone talking, as many expressed their dismay.

Here is what tweeps said on the three bans.

After the test the group left for KwaZulu-Natal. They were later traced to the province and attended to by health department personnel.

“[National health department] has confirmed that the five members of the group have now placed themselves in self-isolation and the patient admitted to a designated health facility in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Thakhuli.

Mpumalanga health department officials have visited Skukuza to track down staff who may have had contact with the group. All possible contacts were identified.

“According to [health department] protocols, the identified staff will be closely monitored for the mandatory 14 days from the date of exposure, and will immediately be taken for testing if they show any of the symptoms conforming to the Covid-19 case definition,” said Thakhuli.“Staff have very limited contact with visitors and all staff in national parks follow clear sanitising protocols as per SANParks approved standard operating procedures as prescribed by the World Health Organisation and [health department] guidelines.

“We believe that if staff strictly follow these safety protocols, the chances of staff contracting the disease are very low,” Thakhuli said.

All national parks remain closed in adherence to the nationwide lockdown.

Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the police took to the streets of Johannesburg in the early hours of March 27 2020 to enforce the curfew set for the country’s

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced a 21-day national lockdown from midnight, March 26 2020 until April 16 2020.

Police officers and metro cops began patrolling the streets of Joburg in the early hours of Friday and had already made arrests after some people chose to ignore the lockdown rules.

Among the rules were calls for people to be confined in their homes, for pubs to be closed and for no person in public to be found in possession of alcohol.

Members of the SANDF were also out ensuring that law and order was maintained.

South Africa has recorded its first fatalities due to the coronavirus, the health ministry announced on Friday.

In a short statement nine hours into the official 21-day lockdown, health minister Zweli Mkhize said two people had died as a result of Covid-19.

“This morning, we wake South Africans up with sad news that we now have our first deaths resulting from Covid-19.“These two deaths occurred in the Western Cape. One at a private hospital and the other at a public hospital,” Mkhize said in a statement.

“We will give more details later on,” he said.

The health ministry also announced that by Friday morning, the number of positive coronavirus infections around the country had surpassed 1,000.

Ditch the TV and play this.
Image: ISTOCK
It’s only day one of a 21-day lockdown in SA and many are already complaining about being bored.

Before you eat your feeling and watch another Netflix show that really isn’t worth your time, try your hand at #Twitter30Seconds.

For a minute, you might think it’s just another fad, but there are actually some goodies in there. Yes, we spent a while figuring out the answers.

And really, try not to cheat and don’t scroll down on the mentions.