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2020 in South Africa

Events in the year 2020 in South Africa.

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2020
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Decades:
See also:

Incumbents

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See also: Politics in South Africa, National Council of Provinces, and National Assembly of South Africa

Cabinet

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The Cabinet, together with the President and the Deputy President, forms the Executive.

Main article: Second Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa
Main article: Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (South Africa)

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

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Main article: 27th South African Parliament

Provincial Premiers

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See also: Premier (South Africa)

Events

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January to March

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  • 3 February – A court issues an arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma on corruption charges. Zuma, 77, is presumed to be in Cuba for medical treatment, but it is unclear when or if he will return to South Africa since the two countries have not signed an extradition treaty. The case will resume on 6 May.[1]
  • 5 February – German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in South Africa to discuss trade, investment, and energy issues.[2]
  • 11 February – Former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden says he and then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young were arrested in Soweto when they tried to visit Nelson Mandela on Robben Island in 1977.[3] Young says he was not arrested in South Africa and doubts Biden was.[4]
  • 19 February – Speaking from Addis Ababa, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserts that land distribution without compensation would be disastrous for South Africa and its people.[5]
  • 21 February – Sixteen children in Zola, Soweto, are hospitalized for eating expired sweets. 39 pupils were hospitalized earlier in the week.[6]
  • 5 March - The COVID-19 pandemic spread to South Africa, with the first confirmed case announced on 5 March 2020 by Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize.[7]
  • 15 March – President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation and announced that there shouldn't be any gathering which is more than 100 people until further notice to avoid the spreading of COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 21 March – Human Rights Day in South Africa
  • 23 March – President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation and announced a 21-day national lockdown effective from midnight 26 March through to 16 April,[8] with the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and South African Police Service (SAPS) to support the government.[8]
  • 27 March – The first person was confirmed to die of COVID-19 case, announced on 27 March 2020 by Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize.

April to June

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  • 9 April – the President announced a two-week lockdown extension, until the end of April.[9]
  • 18 April – President Cyril Ramaphosa announces that lockdown restrictions will be gradually eased. Mines can resume work at 50% capacity and the economy is expected to contract by 6.1% this year.[10]
  • 19 April – South African Airways plans to fire all 4,700 employees at the end of April after failing to get any more government subsidies.[11]
  • 23 April – President Ramaphosa's efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic receive praise. South Africa has confirmed 3,953 cases and 75 deaths so far. The government has earmarked 500 billion rand ($26.16 billion), or 10% of national output, to fight the virus, keep businesses afloat and prevent the poor—who make up half the population—from going hungry.[12] South Africa has tested 140,000 people, with nearly 4,000 positive cases and 75 deaths.[13]
  • 26 April
    • Cuba sends 200 doctors to South Africa.[14]
    • Police Minister Bheki Cele apologised for a "blasphemous" remark made to praying Muslims by a policeman enforcing coronavirus rules. Twenty-four people were arrested in the incident.[15]
  • 27 April – Freedom Day
  • 1 May
    • International Workers' Day
    • South Africa now enters Level 4 of the national lockdown to ensure the economy can gradually reopen with some easing of other restrictions.[16]
  • 12 June – Femicide is described as a second pandemic as more than 20 women and children are murdered in a matter of weeks.[17]
  • 25 May – Africa Day
  • 16 June – Youth Day

July to September

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  • 1 July – COVID-19 pandemic: 159,333 confirmed cases and 2,749 deaths. The worst affected area is Western Cape.[18]
  • 6 July – COVID-19 pandemic: Thousands of students from grades 7 to 12 return to classes after schools were closed for four months due to the coronavirus.[19]
  • 11 July – COVID-19 pandemic: Confirmed cases doubled in two weeks to 250,000 with 3,800 deaths. Public hospitals are short on medical oxygen.[20]
  • 12 July – Four people are killed, six injured, and forty arrested in a hostage situation at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church headquarters in Zuurbekom near Johannesburg.[21]
  • 13 July – COVID-19 pandemic: A 9pm to 6pm curfew and a ban on sales of alcohol are reinstituted. Family and social visits remain banned.[22]
  • 22 July - South Africa's oldest pub, The Perseverance Tavern, closes due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
  • 23 July – More than 17,000 excess deaths from 6 May to 14 July were reported, as compared to data from the past two years, while confirmed COVID-19 deaths have surpassed 6,000. The South African Medical Research Council said the excess deaths could be related to COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis, although many doctors suspect coronavirus. South Africa now has the world's fifth largest caseload with 408,052 confirmed cases.[23]
  • 25 August – A fire burns the 139-year-old Grey Street mosque in the Durban, South African.[24]
  • 7 September – Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters force the closing of 60 "Clicks" retail health care stores after the chain displays possible racist ads of hair care products.[25]
  • 8 September – The ANC strongly condemns Donald Trump's negative remarks about Nelson Mandela in Disloyal: A Memoir by Michael Cohen. "The mark of a true leader is not how many enemies you create but how many friendships you cultivate, even where strong differences of opinion exist," said the ANC.[26] The Nelson Mandela Foundation also condemns Trump's remarks.[26]
  • 24 September – Heritage Day (South Africa)

October to December

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  • 6 October - Stun grenades are fired by police to disperse protesting white farmers after they storm the courthouse in Senekal, Free State. The protesters were demanding that two men detained over a young farm manager's murder be handed over to them. Brendin Horner's body was found tied to a pole on the farm he managed, after he was allegedly killed by stock thieves.[27]
  • 15 November – Preacher Shepherd Bushiri and his wife flee to Malawi to avoid a fraud trial started in South Africa.[28]
  • 16 November – Former president Jacob Zuma testifies before a state commission investigating allegations of corruption from 2009 to 2018.[29]
  • 15 December – Ace Magashule is asked to step down from the African National Congress after being charged with 21 counts of corruption.[30]
  • 18 December – COVID-19 pandemic: Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize said scientists had discovered a new variant of virus, called 501.V2 Variant. Nearly 900,000 South Africans had been infected and 20,000 had died.[31]
  • 27 December – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases passes one million.[32]

Scheduled events

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Sports

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See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Television

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Further information: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television

Deaths

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Denis Goldberg
 
Zindzi Mandela
 
George Bizos

January to March

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April to June

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July to September

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October to December

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See also

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Wikinews has related news:

Country overviews

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References

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  1. ^ Anna, Cara; Magome, Mogomotsi (4 February 2020). "South African court issues arrest warrant for ex-leader Zuma". Associated Press.
  2. ^ Magome, Mogomotsi (5 February 2020). "Germany's Merkel arriving in South Africa to talk trade". Associated Press.
  3. ^ Joe Biden Says He Was Arrested In South Africa Decades Ago Archived 22 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, Huff Post Politics, 21 February 2020
  4. ^ US politician Joe Biden recalls being arrested in SA for trying to see Nelson Mandela Archived 22 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine Cheryl Kahla, The South African, 22 February 2020
  5. ^ Meseret, Elias (19 February 2020). "Pompeo says South Africa land seizures would be 'disastrous'". Associated Press.
  6. ^ More Soweto learners hospitalized after eating dodgy sweets Archived 22 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine James Richardson, The South African, 22 February 2020
  7. ^ Coronavirus: Here's how to track the spread of the disease Archived 3 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine Cheryl Kahla, The South African, 5 March 2020
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  106. ^ "Seasoned ANC MP Pumza Dyantyi's death mourned". Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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  109. ^ "ANC MP Loyiso Khanyisa Mpumlwana has died". Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
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