This is not football…
But given the uncertain times we are in because of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, Soccer Laduma has a responsibility to keep the Soccer Laduma family updated on the latest news on the virus, and how it's affecting Mzansi.
Here are the four biggest stories on News24 related to the COVID-19 pandemic as Mzansi nears gets to the midway point of the first week of the nationwide 21-day lockdown:
Five more COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, raising the death toll to 18, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.
Twelve of the 18 people are men. According to the department, Gauteng has the most cases with 782 people, Western Cape 495 (510 according to the province's testing results system), KwaZulu-Natal 354, the Free State 88, the Eastern Cape 45, Limpopo 21, Mpumalanga 21, the North West 15 and Northern Cape 13.
Eleven cases are "unallocated" which means certain details were missing from the testing forms.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 1 845 - an increase of 96.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will make "serious decisions" about the lockdown after considering all options based on scientific modelling and advice as well as the possible economic repercussions of the nationwide shutdown.
Jackson Mthembu, the Minister in the Presidency, told News24, Ramaphosa had not yet taken a decision whether the current lockdown would be extended or whether a second lockdown was being considered.
South Africa now has regulations specific to dealing with the bodies of those who die of COVID-19, to stop the further spread of the virus behind it.
Health minister Zweli Mkhize published the rules on Wednesday as part of a set of directions that also deal with human resource recruitment and allocation during the disaster, and the handling of waste from quarantine facilities.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken a firm stance against Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, following allegations that Ndabeni-Abrahams breached lockdown regulations by visiting a friend.
On Wednesday, Ramaphosa put Ndabeni-Abrahams on special leave and directed her to apologise publicly after a picture of her having a meal at the home of former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana went viral on social media.
