Category: COVID-19 Corona Virus

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen by 1 716 cases on Sunday bringing the total number of infections to 32 683.

In addition, 40 people succumbed to COVID-19 related disease, putting the death toll to 683 in the last 24 hours.

The Western Cape remains the hotspot with the highest number of cases at 21 382 in the country, followed by Gauteng with 4 003 cases and then Eastern Cape with 3 927.

KwaZulu-Natal has 2 545 cases, Limpopo 177, North West 175, Mpumalanga 121, Northern Cape 69, and six are unknown.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said they have conducted 725 125 tests and 16 809 recoveries to date.

Schools will reopen on 8 June 2020 for grade 7 and 12 learners to allow for the orientation and training of teachers.

The Council of Education Ministers (CEM) took a decision to continue to reopen schools on 01 June 2020, but with School Management Teams (SMT), teachers and non-teaching staff only arriving to prepare for the arrival of learners.

“Provincial and district officials should ensure that health, safety, and social distancing requirements, are strictly adhered to when teachers arrive. This whole coming week must be used for the proper orientation and training of teachers, the mopping and ramping of all supply chain matters, and final touches to the readiness of each facility for the arrival of learners,” said the Basic Education Department (DBE).

The department had initially planned to kick start its phased reopening from 1 June 2020 provided that health, safety, and social distancing requirements are in place.

Following meetings over the weekend with various stakeholders in the education sector, the department said reports indicated that a substantial number of schools would not be ready to reopen.

In its assessment on the state of readiness for the reopening of schools, the CEM received a report from the consortium of service providers coordinated by the National Education Collaboration Trust on the external evaluation and monitoring of the state of readiness. Rand Water, as an Implementing Agent delivering water to 3 500 schools, also presented its report.

“The Heads of Education Departments Committee (HEDCOM), also presented its technical report. All three reports converged on the fact that a substantial number of schools would not be ready for the reopening tomorrow, albeit tremendous progress had been made by most provinces, which overall reflected 80% state of readiness,” said the DBE in a statement.

According to the department, the CEM was concerned that in some provinces personal protective equipment for learners in particular had not been received and some schools had not been made ready for the arrival of teachers and learners.

CEM then took decisions, which have since been shared with teacher unions, school governing body associations, independent schools’ associations, the SA Human Rights Commission, Principals Association, South African National Association for Specialized Education, and other stakeholders.

With the late change on the postponed reopening, the DBE said it received reports that some learners in boarding schools have already arrived at schools.

“We urge the schools to continue with orientation of the learners in terms of the health and safety procedures that should be in place,” said the DBE.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will hold a media briefing on Monday at 11am at Sunrise View, Rustenburg on the reopening of schools.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured parents that the health and safety of learners and students would be of paramount importance as government prepares to reopen schools and institutes of higher education in lockdown level 3.

The gradual reopening of schools was meant to begin today with Grades 7 and 12 returning to class. However, on Sunday the Department of Basic Education announced this move was being postponed for another week to improve school readiness. Schools in the country closed on 18 March amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and as a measure to curb further spread.

Today also sees the country move to an eased COVID-19 lockdown level 3.

On Monday, in his weekly letter, President Ramaphosa said the government has heard concerns from teachers and parents about the state of readiness in many schools.

“We welcome their contributions and are taking steps to address their concerns as well as proposals,” he said.

Announcing the reopening of schools, government has said it would adopt a gradual approach, guided by the advice of our scientists and led by the realities on the ground and consultations with stakeholders.

“In the last few weeks, as we have prepared to return to school, we have had extensive and detailed discussions with all role-players in the education sphere. These have guided our approach to this complex and challenging task,” said the President.

President Ramaphosa said it was understandable that many parents and caregivers had mixed emotions at the reopening of schools.

“There is relief that children will be able to resume their education after a prolonged absence from classrooms and lecture halls. Young people are eager to be in school again and to see friends and teachers. But there is also apprehension on the part of parents, educators and learners themselves,” he said.

Parents want reassurance that the necessary precautions should be in place to adequately protect learners.

“The safety of our youngest citizens from a health and physical perspective is not negotiable. It is our foremost priority,” he said.

Education authorities, at all education levels, he said, are hard at work putting the necessary health and safety measures in place for the reopening of institutions.

“That documentation regarding standard operating procedures have been provided to all schools. These standard operating procedures cover issues like training and orientation of screeners, timetable realignment and configuring classrooms to meet social distancing requirements,” said President Ramaphosa.

The process of delivering personal protective equipment and ensuring the availability of water and sanitation services is proceeding, he said. Learning, once it commences, is expected to take place under strict conditions with a correctly limited number of learners and students.

“As parents, teachers, governing bodies and government, we are in agreement that no school should re-open until all the necessary precautions are in place. There needs to be transparency about the level of preparedness of each of the schools. Everyone who is a key role player, be they a parent, a school governing body member, a teacher or a government official should be able to have the correct information about the state of preparedness of each school. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the learning environment is safe.”

President Ramaphosa saluted parents and caregivers for ensuring that while schools were closed, they had greater daily responsibility for the education and development of their children.

“Once the lockdown is lifted and more learners return to school, we parents should continue to play a more active role in the education of our children, whether it is through joining school governing bodies, volunteering our services at schools or other forms of assistance.

“Parents can join in volunteering to clean schools, establishing vegetable gardens or being part of neighbourhood school safety committees. This can turn the schools into real, meaningful community schools,” he said.

He reiterated that government was making every effort to protect children.

“As parents, you have entrusted us with the welfare and safety of your children. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly. In the days and weeks to come, we will be closely monitoring the return to school.

“If we follow the protocols and maintain all precautions – as parents, educators, communities and learners – we will effectively minimise the risk posed by the Coronavirus.”

Distressed SMMEs, co-operatives, informal traders and hawkers in the North West province are invited to send applications for the COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The North West COVID-19 Relief Fund was established by the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT) and will be managed by the provincial economic development entity – the North West Development Corporation (NWDC).

MEC for DEDECT, Kenetswe Mosenogi, said the relief measures offered by the fund will assist in sustaining provincial enterprises during this economic crisis, which has seen many shutdown their businesses.

“Small businesses and informal traders play an important role in the growth and development of the provincial economy. As such, we developed these relief measures to enhance the sustainability of small businesses and informal traders to ensure retention of jobs,” Mosenogi said.

Eligible applicants will be able to apply for funding ranging from R1 000 to R100 000.

The applications for the fund will be made available on the NWDC and DEDECT websites from 1 June 2020.

Considering that every business is unique, Mosenogi said each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the availability of funds.

The North West COVID-19 Relief Fund will offer assistance including:

• Formal Business (SMME) COVID-19 Relief Interventions for companies registered on the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC);
• Stock Relief Intervention;
• Rental and Municipal Bills Relief Intervention;
• Income Relief Intervention, and
• Informal Business COVID-19 Relief Interventions for businesses not registered on the CIPC.

Application criteria

To be able to apply for the North West COVID-19 Relief Fund, applicants need to meet a number of basic requirements, where applicable, to their type of business.

These include an Identity Document and Proof of Trading for 12 months in the North West province, including an affidavit/letter from Tribal Authority for informal businesses not registered on the CIPC.

Formal businesses registered on CIPC need to produce:

• Proof that the business is negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (such as four months bank statements (January – April), copies of municipal bills, rental bills, stock purchase receipts etc.;
• Certified copies of Identity Documents of business owners;
• Proof of Trading for 12 months in the North West province (affidavit/letter from Tribal Authority), and
• South African Revenue Services (SARS) compliance documents.

The application forms for the fund will be available on the NWDC website www.nwdc.co.za/small-business/Covid19 – from 01 June 2020.

South Africa has recorded a total number of 27 403 confirmed COVID-19 cases, as at 28 May 2020.

The Western Cape, which is among the hotspot areas for COVID-19 is still leading other provinces with 17 754 confirmed cases followed by Gauteng with 3 329, and Eastern Cape with 3 306 people tested positive for the virus.

KwaZulu-Natal has recorded 2 349 confirmed cases, Free State 225, Limpopo 144, North West 134, Mpumalanga 111, and Northern Cape 51.

“Regrettable, we report more COVID-19 related deaths. This brings the total national deaths to 577. The recoveries to date are 14 370 which translates to a recovery rate of 52, 4%,” Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said on Thursday.

Religious leaders can now offer counselling to members of society, who are distressed or need comfort during these trying times.

This comes after the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, engaged with other Cabinet members on the directions on religious gatherings, a statement from her department said.

“After wide consultations with the religious sector, government is now in a position to categorise religious counselling as an essential service,” said COGTA spokesperson Lungi Mtshali.

“This will enable the millions who have been affected by the virus to receive this much-needed service, since the majority cannot afford professional attention of this nature,” said Mtshali.

Government has given religious gatherings, such as churches and mosque, the green light to reopen from 1 June under lockdown level 3, with a maximum of 50 congregants under strict health and safety measures.

“However, religious organisations should, where possible, convene services through virtual platforms,” Mtshali said.

COGTA has called on religious leaders or those in charge to develop plans and protocols on how they will manage the re-opening, and establish COVID-19 committees to establish their state of readiness.

“The religious leaders or persons in charge should ensure health, hygiene and social distancing are observed, and ensure that every person entering a place of worship wears a cloth face mask covering both mouth and nose,” Mtshali said.

Government has barred any physical contact, such as shaking hands and hugging, and has called for 1.5-metre distance between persons.

“Even with the prescribed social distancing, wearing of masks is compulsory for the duration of the church service. All religious leaders or persons in charge should ensure that any religious ritual that requires personal contact may not be performed during religious activity.”

Meanwhile, washing of hands or sanitisation should be undertaken prior to worship and continually in between the service.

“Every place of worship has to ensure that there are sufficient quantities of hand sanitisers available, which all attendees are required to use,” the department said.

Places of worship are also required to keep a register, which must be kept for a period of six months, detailing names, contact details, residential addresses and contact persons.

“Persons entering places of worship should be screened for symptoms associated with COVID-19, namely cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing.

“Anyone who presents these symptoms should not be allowed to enter a place of worship. Any persons over the age of 60 years and those with co-morbidities are encouraged to continue worshipping at home,” the department explained.

In addition, people are encouraged to observe a National Day of Prayer on Sunday, 31 May and join in meditation, fellowship and prayer, as announced by the President.

“This day must be observed in the comfort of your homes or through virtual means,” said COGTA.

Religious leaders can now offer counselling to members of society, who are distressed or need comfort during these trying times.

This comes after the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, engaged with other Cabinet members on the directions on religious gatherings, a statement from her department said.

“After wide consultations with the religious sector, government is now in a position to categorise religious counselling as an essential service,” said COGTA spokesperson Lungi Mtshali.

“This will enable the millions who have been affected by the virus to receive this much-needed service, since the majority cannot afford professional attention of this nature,” said Mtshali.

Government has given religious gatherings, such as churches and mosque, the green light to reopen from 1 June under lockdown level 3, with a maximum of 50 congregants under strict health and safety measures.

“However, religious organisations should, where possible, convene services through virtual platforms,” Mtshali said.

COGTA has called on religious leaders or those in charge to develop plans and protocols on how they will manage the re-opening, and establish COVID-19 committees to establish their state of readiness.

“The religious leaders or persons in charge should ensure health, hygiene and social distancing are observed, and ensure that every person entering a place of worship wears a cloth face mask covering both mouth and nose,” Mtshali said.

Government has barred any physical contact, such as shaking hands and hugging, and has called for 1.5-metre distance between persons.

“Even with the prescribed social distancing, wearing of masks is compulsory for the duration of the church service. All religious leaders or persons in charge should ensure that any religious ritual that requires personal contact may not be performed during religious activity.”

Meanwhile, washing of hands or sanitisation should be undertaken prior to worship and continually in between the service.

“Every place of worship has to ensure that there are sufficient quantities of hand sanitisers available, which all attendees are required to use,” the department said.

Places of worship are also required to keep a register, which must be kept for a period of six months, detailing names, contact details, residential addresses and contact persons.

“Persons entering places of worship should be screened for symptoms associated with COVID-19, namely cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, or difficulty in breathing.

“Anyone who presents these symptoms should not be allowed to enter a place of worship. Any persons over the age of 60 years and those with co-morbidities are encouraged to continue worshipping at home,” the department explained.

In addition, people are encouraged to observe a National Day of Prayer on Sunday, 31 May and join in meditation, fellowship and prayer, as announced by the President.

“This day must be observed in the comfort of your homes or through virtual means,” said COGTA.

Progress continues to be made in the payment of the R350 Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant aimed at supporting the unemployed during the lockdown.

According to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), in KwaZulu-Natal, 6 470 beneficiaries have been successfully paid as of 27 May, out of the 1 366 057 applications received in the province.

“Many South Africans are still waiting to hear if their applications have been successful. The easing of the lockdown will help to speed up payments, as government services will be at full capacity from 1 June 2020,” said SASSA’s provincial spokesperson, Sandy Godlwana.

However, Godlwana is optimistic that more people will be paid before month-end.

“Everyone who is over 18 years and does not receive any income or government support qualifies, and there are no limits on the number of people who can apply for this grant per household,” she explained.

Applicants are still encouraged to apply for free for this grant using the four channels:

• Send a WhatsApp to 082 046 8553.

• Dial *134*7737# on your mobile phone.

• Send an email to srd@sassa.gov.za.

• Go to the website https://srd.sassa.gov.za

“Applicants are urged not to send supporting documentation because this slows down the system. Should the application be successful, SASSA will contact the applicant and ask for banking details on the phone number submitted,” said Godlwana.

Beneficiaries are advised not to visit SASSA offices, as this grant can only be applied for electronically using the channels mentioned above.

Payment of social grants for June 2020

To assist with social distancing and avoid influx at pay points, SASSA has staggered its grant payment dates for June 2020 as follows:

•  On 3 and 4 June 2020 only Disability, Old Age and linked grants will be paid.

• Child Support, Foster Care and Care Dependency grants will be paid on 5 June 2020.  Paypoint payments will commence from 8 to 18 June 2020.

“Beneficiaries are advised that the grant money will stay in the account until beneficiaries decide when to use it, so they do not need to withdraw all of it on the day that SASSA makes the payment.”

For more information, beneficiaries can call 033 846 3400 or 0800 60 10 11.

Basic Education Minster Angie Motshekga says while most schools are ready for the reopening of schools to grade 7 and 12 learners – her department will not allow schools to reopen if the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is not available.

The country’s schools were prematurely shut on Wednesday, 26 March 2020, a day before government implemented a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

With the country moving to alert level 3 of the nationwide lockdown, schools were directed to reopen following a decision taken by the National Coronavirus Command Council that the doors to learning reopen in a phased approach and under strict health conditions from the 1 June 2020 starting with grades 7 and 12.

Under the regulations governing the reopening of schools, learners and staff are required to undergo screening every day before entering the school premises and must have PPE’s in the form of face masks. Sanitisers must also be delivered for the use of all on the school grounds.

With just four days to go until 1 June, Education Minister Angie Motshekga visited Ivory Park and Seshego Secondary in Olievenhoutbosch to assess the schools’ readiness.

“We are working towards the 1 June because just re-orientating the space is not easy. We are expecting that on Monday and Tuesday we can use for inductions, reorientation and to make sure that we can thoroughly deal with the health issues.

“On Monday, I’m expecting them to deal with the orientation and the distribution of PPEs to kids, making sure that every child has their own books,” said the Minister.

Motshekga said she expects learning to effectively resume on Wednesday.

“On the 1st of June whoever is ready must start but if they didn’t get their PPEs in time its fine we won’t force them to start if they don’t have the relevant protective clothing,” said the Minister.

On the phasing in of other grades, Motshekga said her department will look at the capacity of schools on a case by case basis.

“We have an audit team that will visit school by school so that we don’t take chances when the school says it is ready and we open. For now I really want to focus our priority on the grade 7 and 12 and see how the system is able to cope and stabilise because it is a new environment.

“When we feel confident that our feet are firmly on the ground we will then deal with each institution case by case,” she said.

On the reopening of special needs schools, Motshekga said given the low learner numbers at some of these schools, some have already been given the greenlight to reopen.

The Minister emphasised that the determination on the reopening of some special schools will also be made once the sector has monitored the impending reopening.

Cabinet has welcomed the outcome of consultations undertaken by President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure the country’s support and inputs of all social partners, as it progresses from Level 4 to Level 3 of the national lockdown.

Accompanied by various Ministers, President Ramaphosa had met with communities, including labour and business sectors, the South African Council of Churches, leadership of interfaith communities, mayors, Premiers, South African Local Government Association, traditional leadership and political parties represented in Parliament.

“Cabinet welcomed the outcome of these consultations, which were broadly constructive and enriched planning for the gradual easing of restrictions to Level 3, which kicks in on 1 June 2020.

“This level will entail a further broadening of economic activity and the removal of restrictions on the movement of people. It will also enable about eight million South Africans to return to work,” Cabinet said in a statement on Thursday, following its virtual meeting.

During Level 3 of lockdown, Cabinet said that special attention will be given to ‘hotspot’ areas, which have increased rates of Coronavirus infections.

“Provincial Health Departments will roll out dedicated health interventions in those hotspot areas in the form of intensified screening, testing, and quarantine and prevention measures,” Cabinet said.

Cabinet reiterated its support for the inclusive consultations undertaken by President Ramaphosa since the start of the national state of disaster on 15 March 2020.

“These consultations have made it possible for all sectors of society to play a role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saving of lives and protecting livelihoods.”

False suggestions on individual Executive members condemned

Meanwhile, Cabinet has condemned false suggestions that individual members of the Executive are responsible for recommendations that emanate from the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) or decisions taken by Cabinet.

Cabinet said the COVID-19 National Joint Operations and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is built on work streams comprise scientists; health specialists; engineers; representatives of the National Disaster Management centres; legal advisors; leadership of the country’s security and law-enforcement agencies, and teams from departments that make up the economic and social clusters of the Forum of South African Directors-General.

“The NATJOINTS receives reports from different departments and submits proposals to Directors-General (DGs) to develop recommendations that are presented to the NCCC. The NCCC deliberates DGs’ recommendations and also makes its own recommendations to Cabinet where proposals, including regulations, are approved. This process ensures that the Executive takes collective decisions that are consensual and inclusive,” Cabinet explained.

Cabinet appealed for unity in action by all sectors of society against a common and dangerous enemy, the COVID-19 pandemic.

State of disaster contributed to saving lives

Cabinet has expressed its gratitude to all South Africans for their continuing sacrifice and understanding during the purposeful lockdown period, noting that the President’s declaration of the national state of disaster has immensely contributed to saving lives.

“The drastic containment measures resulted in significantly slowing and reduction of the infectious trajectory. The lockdown gave South Africa the time and space to put measures in place in the public and private health sectors to deal with an inevitable increase in infections.

“Cabinet continues to appeal to all South Africans to take greater personal responsibility to protect themselves and others to reduce the spread of the virus,” Cabinet said.

Ministers across a range of portfolios will unpack the details during media briefings scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday.