Cyril Ramaphosa live stream address

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

Watch live: Ramaphosa to address the nation on Monday 11 January 2021

President Cyril Ramaphosa will provide an update on government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases continue to surge nationwide.

Cyril Ramaphosa live stream address

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

The Presidency has announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa will convene another “family meeting” on Monday evening when he addresses the nation to provide an update on the country’s response to the rampant surge in COVID-19 infections currently being reported.

The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) met last week to discuss possible measures that may be introduced in the wake of soaring daily case reports and hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 admissions. He also met with religious leaders on Sunday evening, preempting the address on Monday 11 January.

Live Stream: Ramaphosa addresses the nation

The Presidency announced that Ramaphosa will speak at 20:00.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 20h00 today, Monday 11 January 2021, on developments in relation to the country’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic,” they said.

[A live stream will appear here when it becomes available]

Cases continue to surge

Several experts have suggested that Gauteng, where cases continue soar, should return to an even more stringent lockdown to try and curb the rampant spread of the virus. Hospitals in the province – Pretoria’s Steve Biko Academic Hospital in particular – have been shown to be inundated with admissions and appear to be struggling to keep up.

South Africa has only experienced a Level 4 lockdown for a period of one month, throughout May 2020. The regulations would essentially usher in a ‘soft shutdown’ of the economy, with only a select few groups allowed to attend workplaces. Personal movement would also change noticeably, with laws regarding inter-provincial travel coming back into effect.

The country’s State of Disaster is set to end on 15 January 2021, however Ramaphosa is likely to extend it when he addresses the nation on Monday night.

“We value the inputs of religious leaders who lead congregations with appreciation and humility. We all have a huge responsibility to work together in communicating facts on vaccines and encouraging good practices to ensure that we overcome this devastating pandemic,” Ramaphosa said in a tweet confirming that discussions had been held with religious leaders on Sunday evening.