South Africa responded to COVID-19 with an early lockdown, just three weeks after its first reported case on 5 March 2020. This quick response managed to prevent an exponential initial outbreak, but the virus has continued to spread, greatly impacting the most vulnerable and exacerbating problems in a healthcare system already coping with HIV and TB epidemics. In April 2020, the government announced a USD 26bn stimulus package in response to COVID-19, almost 10% of South Africa’s GDP.