TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

South Africa to keep 20,000 soldiers on COVID-19 duty until September

News Desk (Reuters)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Fri, July 3, 2020 Published on Jul. 3, 2020 Published on 2020-07-03T08:45:35+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Soldiers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) escorts a homeless woman to a gathering point in the Johannesburg CBD, on March 27, 2020. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed parliament of his decision to extend the deployment of 20,000 soldiers, a drop from 76,000, until Sept. 30 to help enforce COVID-19 restrictions as the country reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases. Soldiers of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) escorts a homeless woman to a gathering point in the Johannesburg CBD, on March 27, 2020. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed parliament of his decision to extend the deployment of 20,000 soldiers, a drop from 76,000, until Sept. 30 to help enforce COVID-19 restrictions as the country reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases. (AFP/MICHELE SPATARI)

S

outh Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed parliament of his decision to extend the deployment of 20,000 soldiers, a drop from 76,000, until Sept. 30 to help enforce COVID-19 restrictions as the country reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases.

Ramaphosa first deployed 2,820 members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) a few days before enforcing a nationwide lockdown in late March. The number was increased to 76,000 in April as the health threat grew.

The money that will be spent on this extension is 1.5 billion rand ($88.35 million), Ramaphosa told the speaker of parliament.

At the end of March, Ramaphosa announced one of the toughest lockdowns anywhere in the world, banning anyone but essential workers from leaving home except to buy food or medicine, and prohibiting alcohol sales, when South Africa had just 400 cases.

The country started slowly reopening parts of the economy from May and again in June but infection have started to spike again. On Thursday, South Africa reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases, adding 8,728 confirmed infections and taking the total count to 168,061, according to health ministry data. Deaths rose by 95 to 2,844

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.