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Law enforcement agencies are working together to probe the breaches of the COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS).

The benefit scheme was established to provide much needed relief to employees, who have been laid-off work or unable to earn an income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his first special audit report on the scheme, the Auditor General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, identified numerous gaps, risks and inadequate controls and verification processes.

“This has resulted in illegal payments, amongst others, to recipients of other State grants, students receiving National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) payments, public servants, and even inmates, deceased persons and minors.

“There is also evidence of overpayments and underpayments, as well as inflated claims. I take these breaches very seriously,” the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, said on Wednesday.

Nxesi was briefing media on the findings of the AG report in relation to the COVID-19 TERS Relief Fund audit.

“The AG has recommended that in each instance, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the department collaborate with other State organs and law enforcement to investigate every illegal action and risk identified.

“In terms of COVID-19 TERS benefits, R41.6 billion has been disbursed in 9.5 million payments to laid-off workers, representing 822 000 employers.

“These benefits have supported millions of laid-off workers and their families, and injected cash into local economies,” said Nxesi.

The AG’s report noted that R37 billion had been disbursed by the end of June.

During the State of Disaster, normal UIF payments of R5.9 billion went out to over one million claimants.

The Minister said the COVID-19 TERS benefit payments represented a massive increase in the mandate and upscaling of the operations of the UIF.

Fusion Centre

On 24 August 2020, the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) launched a rapid forensic audit into the AG’s findings on the UIF, with a view of recovering monies illegally paid and charging the perpetrators.

“The department and UIF have worked through the Fusion Centre with other government departments, agencies and databases to close gaps and eliminate risks.

“The Fusion Centre is a combination of law enforcement agencies, which is intended to speed up investigations and prosecution of COVID-19 related fraud and corruption cases,” the Minister said.

It consists of the Financial Intelligence Centre, Independent Police Investigation Directorate, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Special Investigative Unit and the State Security Agency.

“This allows all the forces to work together speedily in resolving the cases. The UIF cases are handled in the Fusion Centre and they are dealt with speedily.

“We have requested National Treasury to deploy technical resources to the UIF to urgently implement the recommendations of the AG and to develop system solutions for identified gaps and risks,” the Minister said.

In addition, National Treasury is assisting the Director-General of the Labour Department to identify service providers to conduct a forensic investigation into the overall workings of the UIF.

“We will also be looking into the workings of the Compensation Fund. Some 38 court cases have been opened, and charges laid against perpetrators – drawing on evidence from the AG’s findings, as well as from suspicious transactions picked up by the UIF’s own Risk Management Unit,” the Minister said.

Some of these cases are already before the courts, and the perpetrators are in jail.

Suspension of UIF Commissioner

“I await the outcomes of these various processes, before announcing further action against individuals and entities. The Auditor-General has now released publicly the final first special audit report into COVID-19 government expenditure – including UIF Covid19 TERS transactions – indicating serious risks and violations.

“In light of this, and because this occurred on his watch, this morning, I suspended the UIF Commissioner [Teboho Maruping],” the Minister said.

The Director-General of the Department of Employment and Labour has also suspended UIF senior management: the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Supply Chain.

“These moves allow for the SIU to conclude its forensic investigation, completely unfettered. This is not the end of the matter.

“The complete audit of all COVID-19 TERS benefit payments, as agreed with all social partners at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), commences this month. Beyond that, the AG will have a second bite in terms of the annual statutory audit for 2020/21.

“I assure you that I will not rest until every payment is accounted for, and every wrong-doer made to account,” the Minister said.

The absence of a COVID-19 vaccine elevates prevention measures as a country’s first line of defence against the onslaught of the virus. To create awareness of these measures and effect behaviour change, reliable information needs to be shared with citizens so that they can make informed decisions on protecting themselves and their families.

Communication that provides accurate, useful, and up-to-date information has become an essential tool in a country’s mitigating strategy. The pandemic has however changed the way that many governments engage with their citizens as face-to-face interactions are limited due to the nature of the virus.

At the recent Africa Webinar on Leading through Communications during Epidemics in Africa and the Role of Media, convened by South Africa’s central communication agency the Government Communication and Information Services (GCIS), communicators and media professionals from across the continent exchanged best communication practices.

While it is recognised as a difficult period for many African nations, it was also an important time of learning particularly around public health communication. The new social distancing regulations present an opportunity to explore creative ways to communicate with citizens.

In order for communication to be effective, the panellists highlighted that technical health issues should be conveyed in a way that makes sense and reassures citizens. Communication should also be truthful and credible to overcome any mistrust that typically follows a pandemic.

During the webinar, Ebba Kalondo, the Spokesperson of the Africa Union Commission, shared the importance of collaboration and communication among African nations to limit the spread of the virus.  She noted that the continental response, coordinated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC), has been implemented across the Africa since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded on 14 February 2020 in Egypt.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his opening remarks as the African Union Chairperson at the Conference on Africa’s Leadership role in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access, stated how Africa has been innovative in addressing resource constraints through the establishment of the AU COVID-19 Response Fund, the Africa Medical Suppliers Platform, and the Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing.

Africa is on par with the rest of the world in responding to pandemics, and was a leading player in the development of a vaccine in response to the 2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Furthermore, Africa is a significant vaccine manufacturer and has developed innovative ways to deliver vaccines to areas on the continent that have no cold chains.

While many countries are learning how to deal with a pandemic, Africa has had meaningful lessons from dealing with Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Yellow Fever. Jessica Ilunga, the former Communications Director for the Department of Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ebola outbreak, affirmed that communicating in a timely and a transparent manner had helped to mitigate the impact of the Ebola virus on the economy.

She added that in a pandemic, information gaps usually create the space for misinformation which is often taken at face value and therefore difficult to correct. While a combination of traditional and new media platforms are useful in communicating, technology platforms such as WhatsApp and social media helped disseminate information quickly.

While technology has helped drive communication, its limited availability to access online learning in east and southern Africa has curtailed learning during the pandemic. New research by Unicef shows that more than half of the children in the region do not have the tools when it comes to online learning. There is a however a commitment in South Africa and across the continent to close the technology learning gap.

Media was identified as an integral part of disseminating information, conveying to citizens the risks but also measures of prevention. Dr Oscar Van Heerden, the International Relations Scholar at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), highlighted that communicators should continuously build relationships with media rather than wait for a crisis to foster these relations.

In South Africa our response to the pandemic was through a comprehensive communication campaign to inform the nation about measures to curb the spread of the virus. It focused on media engagement, paid-for advertisement in electronic broadcasting, print, face-to-face engagement and digital media platforms.

Transparency and constant communication became key tools to empower communities in understanding the virus and how to protect themselves against it. We remained focused on the key principles of keeping our messages clear, concise and consistent, with the aim of effecting behavioural change in our communities.

Our research also assisted us to obtain feedback on the impact of our messages which helped to identify gaps requiring intervention. According to the research, over 90 percent of South Africans know and understand the basic health protocols that they need to adhere to.

We also amplified our interventions by building partnerships with the private sector, and various community-based and faith-based organisations. They were provided information packages which were shared with their respective audiences. The GCIS also used community-based media to reach various communities at grass-roots level.

As the continent deals with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming months, communication will play an even more critical role in ensuring that our citizens have access to information and are empowered to make decisions in Africa’s recovery. Through the power of communication we can also convey hope to the people of our continent that we shall emerge stronger and more resilient.

*Phumla Williams is the Director-General of GCIS and Cabinet spokesperson of the Republic of South Africa

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has unveiled a 45-bed quarantine and isolation COVID-19 site for infected members.

Beyond the pandemic, the facility will be converted into a 160-bed South African Police Service (SAPS) hospital.

Located at the SAPS Tshwane Academy, the project is a collaborated effort between the SAPS and POLMED [SAPS Medical Scheme], working closely with the Department of Health in preparing the facility. The police will also have a site at the Bishop Lavis Training Academy in the Western Cape.

Speaking at the launch, National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, said the police hospital is part and parcel of a long-term plan and part of a long-term vision.

“We intended to have a police hospital by 2021. This also coincides with a police university and detective university, which we intend to have soon. Also complementing our human capital investment, the SAPS is [in the process of] establishing police estates to provide more safety to our members, as we move forward,” he said.

The National Commissioner said while the world grapples with Coronavirus, SAPS members are not immune to contracting the virus as they execute their obligation of ensuring that criminals are brought to justice.

“On a daily basis, our members are getting infected. At the present moment, we have an infection rate of 15 707,” said the General.

Although SAPS has recorded over 11 000 recoveries, he said, this facility will assist in increasing the recovery rate. The virus has already claimed the lives 193 SAPS members.

To respond to COVID-19, the SAPS established a committee in an effort to also ensure that the necessary support is availed for officers on the ground.

“We decided that while we are on a long-term plan to have a police hospital, we have to align our response with COVID-19 by turning this hospital into a quarantine site with POLMED.

“From then on, a strategy will be put in place to have facilities across all provinces so that we invest in the health of the organisation, making sure that members are taken care of,” Sitole said.

Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale said while policing was a psychologically stressful occupation characterised by danger, high demand, human misery and exposure to trauma as well as death, these had been compounded by Coronavirus.

“It has exposed us to further health woes. We have lost a lot of dedicated officers, while many others have been infected. We have had to respond innovatively to curb the rapid spread of this pandemic and protect our frontline workers for them to continue delivering a much-needed service to citizens,” he said.

He said the opening of the facility was a step in the right direction.

“This partnership between POLMED and SAPS is commendable. On behalf of government, I want to encourage that this partnership be strengthened to ensure that members have access to quality healthcare when they need it.”

The virus, Mathale said, had presented government with lessons that forced the State to prioritise the health of its people.

“We are all aware of the investment that our government has made during this time to strengthen our healthcare system. It runs into billions and billions of rands and we must do everything to ensure that our people continue to benefit beyond COVID-19,” he said.

He emphasised that SAPS needs to make the facility a success.

“Let’s build an alternative model that may be just the right model for the NHI [National Health Insurance] to borrow from. My wish is to see a strong administration and management of this facility so it becomes a benchmark of excellence in healthcare. My wish is to see what POLMED and SAPS have started being rolled out in all nine provinces. You have our support as the Ministry of Police.”

Mathale said the health and safety of SAPS members is a priority of Police Minister Bheki Cele, who initially made the call for the establishment of such a facility.

“This is the beginning in this regard,” he said.

Vaal Dam levels have continued their steep fall this week, plummeting to levels unseen since the beginning of 2017, when large parts of the country were in the grip of a devastating drought.

“As the Vaal Dam persists to drop week-on-week, it now hovers at distressing levels of 37.6%, down from 38.8% last week. During the comparative period last year, the dam stood at reasonably stable levels of 59.9%,” the Department of Water and Sanitation said on Thursday.

The dam levels at Grooitdraai Dam have dropped from 79.4% last week to 78.9%.

However, the present levels of the dam remain higher when compared to the 61.7% at which it stood during the same week last year.

“A reserve dam located in the Free State, the Sterkfontein Dam, held on to 93.9% for a second successive week and is higher compared with the levels of 92.0% at the same period last year,” the department said.

The Bloemhof Dam recorded an upsurge this week, increasing from last week’s 96.5% to 97.3% presently. Conversely, it stood lower but firm at 96.0% in the same week last year.

However, the same cannot be said about the levels of both the Mohale and Katse Dams, which are both in Lesotho.

“Mohale Dam has deteriorated to an alarming 6.0% this week, dropping from an equally bleak 6.2% last week. At the same time last year, the dam was at 33.1%.

“Meanwhile, the drop in the levels of Katse Dam seem to have become a norm in the past few months as it continues to see a downward slope. It dropped from 27.7% last week to 27.5% this week while at the same time last year it was in the red at an equally low 17.8%,” the department said.

The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), which consists of 14 dams, has recorded a fall again this week.

“Although the levels of the IVRS are impacted negatively by the falling dams, it remains stable. This is even as it has decreased from 60.8% last week to the present levels of 60.4%. The IVRS was much healthier at 66.3 in the same week last year.

“As the levels of the Vaal Dam persist to plummet to lower than expected, the Department of Water and Sanitation warns Gauteng water consumers to heed calls to curtail excessive usage,” the department said.

The department has emphasised that it will take time for dams such as the Vaal Dam to be replenished by the summer rain falls that are expected and given the fact that South Africa experiences one of the most erratic weather conditions.

“Accordingly, water consumers are urged not to let the guard down but to continue working with their local municipalities to ensure that every drop of water is saved,” the department said.

The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) has recorded an increase in COVID-19 recoveries and a decline in the number of infections across old age homes in the province.

The province, which was once the epicentre of the novel Coronavirus, said it would continue to monitor infection rates by monitoring strict health and safety protocols.

The Shadow Minister of the DSD for the Western Cape, Sharna Fernandez, has thanked all the elderly people who are currently residing at the funded and unfunded facilities, and their families for the role that they have played in preventing the further spread of the virus.

“I am cognisant of the challenges this pandemic has posed for all those people who live and work at old age homes. One particular challenge is that many older persons have not been able to visit or have family members visit them for months,” she said.

There are 300 nursing homes, 117 of which are funded by the provincial DSD.

According to the department, 1 430 pensioners recovered from COVID-19, while 100 were reported to still be infected by the virus as of 31 August.

“This shows an increase of 72 recoveries and a decrease of eight infections compared to last week,” the provincial department said.

The province’s oldest resident, who currently lives at the Kensington Old Age Home, Dinah Fourie, 102, also beat COVID-19 and is fully recovered after testing positive.

“This is just one of the many success stories of hope and a story that highlights that when we all join hands to fight towards a common goal, much can be achieved,” Fernandez said.

The provincial department has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the rights and dignity of older citizens across the province are protected.

“If family members or staff working at these facilities believe there are cases of ill-treatment, we urge you to report it to our department so that the matter can be followed up,” said Fernandez.

The department has also developed mechanisms for monitoring of services in residential facilities and community-based centres.

“Additional services being offered by the department include the protection of the rights of older persons to be free from elder abuse, mindful of the various economic circumstances that impact negatively on the quality of life and well-being of older persons,” the department said.

The provincial DSD has budgeted R 250 million towards services for the elderly.

“Over and above this support, the department has also reprioritised funding to ensure that various services and facilities, both funded and unfunded, are equipped with the necessary resources to prevent further spread of the COVID-19.”

An additional R 1.7 million has been made available for old age homes for the management of the pandemic.

The department has also distributed 150 000 masks, 5 000 shield masks, 10 000 bars of soap and 18 000 all-purpose cleaner bottles and 50 litres of sanitisers per home across the province.

They also deployed volunteers to deep clean with a focus on homes in vulnerable communities and hotspot areas.

Fernandez is once again encouraging the public to frequently wash their hands and wear masks when leaving their homes.

“It is also crucial to clean all surfaces around you – whether at home or work. Let’s do everything we can to ensure that we stop the further spread of the virus and protect those who are older and live with high-risk comorbidities,” Fernandez said.

The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has recommended that the Social Development Department should approach the North Gauteng High Court to ask for an extension on a court order to clear the foster care backlog, as the deadline looms.

The North Gauteng High Court gave the Department of Social Development a deadline of 26 November 2020 to submit a comprehensive legal solution to the foster care orders backlog.

Acting chairperson of the portfolio committee, Dikgang Stock, said following the challenges relating to the tabling of the Children’s Amendment Bill in Parliament, which resulted in the bill being referred to the committee in August 2020, the committee has sought legal advice from Parliamentary Legal Services and the department’s legal services on how it should proceed with processing the bill.

Stock said the committee’s main concern is for it and the Select Committee on Health and Social Services to finalise the bill before the court’s deadline.

“The committee agreed with legal advice suggesting that the department should seek an extension of the court deadline. This will give the committee sufficient time to continue processing the bill in its entirety and manage the potential risk of possible further litigation,” Stock said.

Stock said the committee is aware that the benefits of going this route mean that the extension of the court order will provide an interim mechanism for management of foster care orders that are due to lapse.

“It also means that the Social Assistance Amendment Bill, which the committee passed in March 2020, is part of the legal solution the court ordered to be developed,” Stock said.

The Social Development Department has on previous occasions reiterated its commitment to ensure that no child in foster care placement falls through the cracks.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says to ensure that matriculants are not compromised by the late release of the Grade 12 results, Universities South Africa has agreed to extend the academic year to the end of February 2021.

Universities are expected to start their 2021 academic year in March or April next year.

This, Motshekga said, will ensure that students will still be able to get admitted to institutions of higher learning on time.

The Minister said this when Ministers in the Social Services Cluster responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

“On 24 August this year, our Director-General [Mathanzima] Mweli met with Universities South Africa, which is the body that regulates admissions to higher education institutions, and they indicated that universities will be extending the 2020 academic year to the end of February next year.

“So while the opening of universities is not universal, we are certain that when we issue [matric] results on 23 February next year, we will not be disadvantaging learners because most universities will start their 2021 academic year in March or April next year,” she said.

This comes after the department announced last month that the 2020 Grade 12 examinations would be completed by 15 December, with marking being concluded on 22 January and the results released on 23 February 2021.

The new school year will commence on 25 January 2021 for teachers and learners a few days later.

Support for matriculants doing home schooling

Motshekga said, meanwhile, that matriculants who are doing home schooling are receiving the necessary support.

“There is support for self-directed lesson plans, which are accompanied by study guides and revision.

“We also provide them with work sheets that enable them to revise. We give them recorded lessons. We also launched a very good programme last week, which we call Woza Matric, which is recorded lessons that are online and also on different stations.”

The Minister said the department is also using media.

“We help them to form study groups via additional printed material and online support, but we also find that different schools and different provinces go out of their way to assist them.”

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says ahead of personal protective equipment (PPE) being procured by the State, discussions were held with MECs and various departments to curb COVID-19 corruption.

Responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mkhize said this was over and above several instructions being issued by National Treasury, in collaboration with the Department of Health, to determine the maximum pricing of PPE.

COVID-19 procurement has come under scrutiny after government published information of the tenders that were issued since the National State of Disaster was declared in March.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the irregularities and widespread looting of State resources and called for swift action against perpetrators.

“The President had raised the issue of curbing corruption with the Auditor-General and therefore, we have had engagements with the Minister [of Finance], the Director-General and the department to look at ensuring how we do risk analysis and put in place preventative and mitigation measures.

“In addition, this issue has been discussed with the various MECs and various departments and particularly, we had also discussed with the Minister at National Treasury that we need to keep refining mechanisms to ensure that there is control on pricing, as well as ensuring good quality, especially of PPE, where this issue has been arising of late,” Mkhize said.

Briefing Parliament recently, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni revealed that a brazen disregard for Treasury instructions in relation to pricing of PPE and compliance was part of the reason widespread corruption occurred.

This led to National Treasury discontinuing emergency procurement last month.

Addressing the House on Wednesday, Mkhize said the Department of Health – through the office of the Chief Financial Officer, in collaboration with National Treasury – through the office of the Chief Procurement Officer, engaged on the commodities pricing to curb the scourge of price taking and elements of price racketeering.

“Subsequent to that, market prices were reviewed and the maximum pricing of the units for personal protective equipment were kept at the maximum of 15% of the initial price, as per the Central Supplier Database, prior to the announcement of the National State of Disaster.

“Subsequent to that, National Treasury issued instruction note number 08/ 2019/ 20, dated 19 March 2020, to address and provide guidance on the supply chain management process.

“Furthermore, instruction note number 05/ 2020/ 21, dated 28 April 2020, followed to address the emergency procurement commodities to curb the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the prices per unit.

“National Treasury instruction note 07/ 2020 / 21 dated 26 May 2020, was issued to inform the accounting officers and authorities to establish a system of financial management, internal control risk management and internal audit under the direction of the audit committees,” said Mkhize.

Eskom is currently implementing Stage 4 load shedding.

“Due to the continuing severe generation supply constraints caused by multiple unit breakdowns as well as the additional demand caused by the cold weather, Stage 4 will resume from 08:00 until 22:00,” said Eskom.

Stage 4 load shedding got underway at 8am on Thursday and is expected to continue until 10pm tonight.

Load shedding will persist throughout the week as Eskom teams work around the clock to return as many of the generation units to service as possible.

“Eskom will continue to communicate the stage of load shedding should there be any further developments. This load shedding is necessary in order to conserve and replenish emergency reserves while also maintaining the stability of the power system,” it said.

The number of people that have contracted the novel Coronavirus has climbed to 630 595 after 2 336 new cases were recorded on Wednesday.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 211 157 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 113 661, the Western Cape with 106 353 and the Eastern Cape with 86 322.

The provinces with the least number of infections include Free State with 38 473 cases, North West with 25 604, Mpumalanga with 24 605, Limpopo with 13 400 and Northern Cape with 11 020.

Meanwhile, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, reported 126 new COVID-19-related deaths.

Forty-nine are in Gauteng, 29 in the Eastern Cape, 16 in the Western Cape, 15 in the Free State, 12 in KwaZulu-Natal and five in the Northern Cape, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 14 389.

“The total number of tests conducted to date is 3 726 721 with 21 313 new tests conducted since the last report, ” Mkhize said in his statement.

Also, 553 456 patients have been cured which translates to a recovery rate of 87%.

Globally, there have been 25 602 665 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 852 758 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.