President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday evening announced the lifting of South Africa's much anticipated prohibition on alcohol and tobacco sales and inter-provincial travel as he confirmed that the country's almost five-month-old coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown would be eased to alert level two from Monday. Addressing the nation on live television, radio, and online streaming, Ramaphosa said that though the pandemic continued to take a heavy toll on the country, the infection rate was tapering off and pressure on the health services had eased.
