Watch live: Ramaphosa addresses the nation at 8pm

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 8pm on Sunday evening, 12 July 2020, as the peak in Covid-19 infections nears in several provinces.  

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the Presidency said the address will focus “on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Covid-19.

UPDATE: Alcohol sales banned with immediate effect – Ramaphosa

“The President’s address follows a number of meetings of the Cabinet, the National Coronavirus Command Council and the President’s Coordinating Council.

The address will be broadcast live on television and radio and will be streamed live on a range of online platforms, including The Citizen.

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South Africa has now recorded a cumulative total of 264,184 confirmed cases to date.

There has been calls from different spheres of government, political parties and civil society organisations to move the country and certain hotspots back to higher lockdown levels, and to restrict certain movements and alcohol sales.

The last time the President addressed the country was during his public Imbizo on 1 July and before that during his official address on 17 June to announce “Advanced Level 3”.

On Friday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said that he had noted the immense pressure the lifting of the alcohol ban has had on the healthcare system and that he had reported his concerns to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC).

As of Saturday Covid-19 related deaths stood at 3,971. Among those reported deaths is the case of Ramaphosa’s former high school teacher who went on to become a celebrated struggle stalwart, Thomas Madikwe Manthata, who died this past week aged 81. 

According to the department of health, the number of recoveries is 127,715, which translates to a recovery rate of 48,4%.

Gauteng also overtook the Western Cape in terms of infection numbers this past week as the province now has over 80,000 reported cases of Covid-19. 

The City of Johannesburg has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the province with 46.6% of the total number of 81,546 cases (38,045 cases).

To meet the growing demand caused by the rise in cases, the Solidarity Fund is set to purchase critical medical equipment worth R405 million – including hospital beds, ventilators and high-flow oxygen devices – for Gauteng, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

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