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South Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases now stand at 16 433 with 475 071 tests having been conducted.

In a statement on Monday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said of the 475 071 tests conducted, 14 198 tests had been conducted in the last 24-hours.

South Africa also reported a further 22 COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 286.

“We wish to express our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the helath care workers who cared for the deceased,” said the Minister.

On case alocations, the Western Cape had 10 035 cases representing 61.1% of the total of cases with the death rate sitting at 166. Gauteng had 2 343 cases and the Eastern Cape 2 052 cases.

KwaZulu-Natal had 1 567 cases, Limpopo 88, Free State 163. Mpumalanga had 76, the North West 72, and the Northern Cape 37.

The total number of recoveries stood at 7 298.

Meanwhile, Mkhize said as government prepares for the easing of lockdown regulations, high-risk age groups and those living with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and HIV must take extra precautions and the necessary steps to avoid possible exposure to COVID-19.

The Free State government has identified 25 quarantine facilities to accommodate people who have had contact with COVID-19 patients.

“We have 10 quarantine facilities that are state-owned whilst 15 are privately-owned. The rest will be announced once ready for occupation,” Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela said.

Addressing a media briefing on Tuesday, on the province’s risk adjusted strategy on COVID-19, she said a vigorous repair and maintenance programme has been undertaken by the provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

The programme has been undertaken to improve conditions of these facilities and bring them up to an acceptable level.

“These facilities are primarily used to isolate our people who have had contact with COVID-19 patients for continuous monitoring by our health workers. In total we have almost 1 700 beds across the province. We have satisfied ourselves that all the sites are habitable and decent to accommodate people,” said the Premier.

Meanwhile, maintenance work has been completed at Phillip Sanders Resort and Transnet Lodge in Bloemfontein. As of Tuesday, 56 people have been quarantined at Phillip Sanders, while a further 129 are under quarantine at Transnet Lodge.

Maintenance work has been completed at the following resorts to be utilized for quarantine:

• Willem Pretorius in Lejweleputswa District;
• Seekoevlei and Sterkfontein Resorts in Thabo Mofutsanyane District.

The resorts will be handed over to the Department of Health on Wednesday.

The Free State has a total 165 COVID-19 confirmed cases, 115 recoveries and six deaths.

“Through the sterling work of the Provincial Department of Health, our government has to date, screened 1 352 787 people. This constitutes over 40 % of the provincial population. I am proud to announce that as of this morning, 3 302 of 3 324 contacts have been traced. The screening and tracing is ongoing as we speak,” Ntombela said.

The province has conducted 19 834 tests by the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS).

Areas where water is a challenge have also be identified. These areas have been provide with tanks and tankers.

To date; 2 622 tanks have been procured; 1 806 tanks have been delivered and 134 trucks have been procured and delivered.

Social services

Ntombela acknowledged work done by the Department of Social Development in ensuring that communities especially the homeless, are provided with shelter and food.

“Since the beginning of the lockdown, the department in partnership with municipalities distributed food parcels to vulnerable communities through the Community Nutrition Development Centres, Non-Profit Organisations, and Faith-Based Organisations.”

“In addition to the distribution of food parcels to the most vulnerable, we have also intervened in various cases related to Gender Based Violence and provided psycho-social support services to affected individuals and families,” she said.

The distribution of food parcels in the province is as follows:

• Community Nutrition Development Centre (CNDC) – 4 311
• Drop-in Centres and Protective Workshops – 6 060
• Departmental Equitable Share – 2 482
• Distribution of Food Parcels by National Lotteries Commission – 938
• Distribution of Food Parcels by South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) – 7487

The total number of homeless persons accommodated at shelters continues to fluctuate, and has since decreased from 317 to 269 due to re-unification with families and other issues.

The province has worked with various stakeholders, including taxi organisations to disinfect all the 65 formal taxi rank structures.

“To protect the drivers and the passengers in the taxi industry, we have provided the Provincial Taxi Council and Taxi Associations with disinfection gel, sanitisers, masks and gloves. We will continue to ensure that public transport modes adhere to the rules of sanitisation and social distancing. We plead with our public transport users to bear with us, and adhere to the rules,” said the Premier.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to participate in today’s virtual meeting of the African Union (AU) Contact Group of the High-Level Committee on Libya.

The meeting is at the invitation of the President of the Republic of the Congo and Chairman of the AU High-Level Committee on Libya, Denis Sassou Nguesso.

“The aim of the meeting is to take stock of progress made in relation to the resolutions of its inaugural meeting held in March 2020, in Oyo, the Republic of Congo. The Oyo resolutions included an appeal to all stakeholders in the Libyan crisis to cease violations of the UNSC Resolution 2510 on an arms embargo, terror and implementation of the conclusions and commitments of the Berlin Conference,” said the Presidency on Tuesday.

The President will partake in the meeting as Chair of the AU.

The meeting will also assess progress in relation to the National Reconciliation Conference scheduled for July 2020 under the auspices of the AU.

Other Heads of State and Government who will participate in the AU Contact Group meeting include President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune; President of Chad Idriss Déby Itno and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The Contact Group was established to promote the coordination of international efforts in pursuit of a lasting solution to the Libyan crisis.

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has declared 136 priority human settlements and housing development areas (PHSHDAs) across the country.

This delaration will enable residents to live closer to areas with economic activities.

Sisulu said the intention is to ensure redress regarding the pre-1994 spatial plan, revitalising towns and cities and strengthening the livelihoods of households.

“At the centre of these PHSHDAs is to enable residents to live closer to areas with economic activities and social amenities such as schools, health facilities and job opportunities, as well as access to adequate accommodation,” Sisulu said on Monday.

The implementation of the PHSHDAs will be in line with the national housing programmes including Enhanced People’s Housing Process (Zenzeleni), informal settlements upgrading, Integrated Residential Development Programme and Social Housing Programme.

The PHSHDAs will cover the entire country as follows:

• Gauteng: 26

• KwaZulu-Natal: 22

• Western Cape: 19

• Mpumalanga: 16

• North West: 14

• Eastern Cape: 12

• Limpopo: 11

• Free State: 10

• Northern Cape: 6

Sisulu has also called on the private sector to partner with the department, as it continues to restore the dignity of people through integrated and inclusive human settlements.

“Over the past few years, we have successfully, as a collective, changed our country’s landscape through the delivery of over 4 million housing and housing opportunities. We have built new towns such as Savanna City, Fleurhof and Cornubia, amongst others,” said the Minister in a statement.

In the next few years, government will direct resources towards the successful roll out of these programmes.

Sisulu is of the belief that thousands of much needed job opportunities will be created as projects are rolled out.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid out over R14 billion in benefits to employees affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

“The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), an entity of the Department of Employment and Labour, today processed and paid COVID-19 TERS [ Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme] relief payments to the tune of  R748 815 094.20 benefitting 149 263 workers, represented by 9 362 employers,” said the UIF on Monday.

“This brings to 2 551 236 the total number of workers who have been given relief during lockdown which may be in lieu of or a top up to their salaries. The total amount disbursed since 16 April 2020 has now topped R14 billion (R14 079 099 409 20). This is over and above the payments that the UIF makes to ordinary benefit payments which now stand at R1 849 992 773 21,” said UIF Commissioner, Teboho Maruping.

Maruping said that with all the necessary information and documents furnished, the Fund is now paying beneficiaries 24-hours after the claim is made at best, or 48-hours at worst.

“We are quite pleased that we are now in a position to say that the systems are in place and I would like to pay tribute to the staff members who have worked right through the clock to make it possible. We are now more confident in saying that we are on track to achieve our vision of a ‘caring, accessible and customer centric UIF that contributes towards poverty alleviation,” Maruping said.

However, Maruping noted that, this does not mean the system does not have challenges.

“When problems arise, we make sure that they do not derail us and we strive to find solutions and continuously learn and improve systems to be able to deliver for our key stakeholders – the contributors. Our commitment is to improve all the time and to pay back the trust that has been placed on us as a public insurance fund,” he said.

For further information on benefits, employers and employees can log on to UIF website www.uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19 or reach the UIF on the toll-free number 0800 030 007.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected to brief media on Tuesday, on preparations for the re-opening of schools amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

“The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, will give an update on the preparations for the re-opening of schools during a media briefing to be held on Tuesday, 19 May 2020,” said the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on Monday.

Tuesday’s briefing is expected to outline proposed dates for the reopening of schools.

The briefing was initially scheduled for Thursday, 14 May 2020.

According to the DBE, the postponement is, to allow for further consultation with stakeholders in the education sector.

The Minister on Monday met with the Council of Education Ministers.

The briefing which is scheduled to get underway at 4pm, will be held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head office in Pretoria.

More than 15 000 small-scale farmers have been approved for the COVID-19 Agricultural Disaster Fund, says Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza.

The Minister briefed the media on the outcome of the Agricultural Disaster Fund application process on Sunday.

Didiza said that 55 155 applications were received from smallholder and communal farmers, with the highest number of applications received from the Eastern Cape Province, followed by the Northern Cape and North West.

The R1.2 billion fund intervention aims to address the effects of Coronavirus and ensure sustainable food production post the pandemic.

“To date, 15 036 applications have been approved, valued at just over R500 million in favour of smallholder and communal farmers. Of the 15 036 approved applications, 5 494 are women, 2 493 youth and 224 people living with disability and males at 9 542,” said the Minister.

Speaking at the virtual briefing, Didiza said livestock has been the most requested commodity by farmers, followed by vegetables, poultry and fruits.

“Each of the approved farmers will receive inputs in line with the size of their farming operations up to a maximum of R50 000,” said the Minister.

The application process opened on 8 April and closed on 22 April 2020, with 33 000 manual application forms distributed through the department’s provincial and district offices, commodity and civil society organisations.

She added that the department will finalise its decision on the remaining applications.

R400 million allocation

The Minister said a further R400 million is being channelled to farmers within the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS), who were already approved for the department’s Stimulus Package.

This had initially been budgeted for in the 2019/2020 financial year.

“It must be noted that an amount of R600 million had to be reprioritised from the Stimulus Package on PLAS farms in the 2019/2020 budget to assist the other smallholder and communal farmers in terms of this COVID-19 intervention.

“The issuance of vouchers to provinces will commence on 18 May 2020. The department engaged the services of different suppliers through an open Supply Chain Management (SCM) process to avoid any delay in the delivery of these inputs,” she said.

Didiza highlighted that there was a number of lessons learnt from the process, which will require government and the sectors, especially commodity groups working with small-scale and subsistence farmers, to build on.

Among others, the department has noted the lack of proper documentation or filing of documents by famers.

“It saddens me that during this process many of them fell by the sideway because they could not provide proof that they are farmers or farming. The registration of farmers on the Producer Farmer Register will enable government to locate farmers so that targeted support can be provided,” the Minister said.

She also urged farmer organisations to assist farmers in formalising their operations, especially insofar as record keeping is concerned.

The Minister emphasised that monitoring and evaluation of this programme is important to ensure value for money and food production.

Therefore, the department will work with various non-government organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this intervention on the ground.

“Through this intervention, we want to ensure that agricultural production continues to ensure food security for the country. Food is being produced at farm level and deliveries are made to wholesalers, retailers, fresh produce markets and other critical distribution points.”

“We urge the food value chain role players to strictly comply and adhere to strict health regulations to contain and arrest the spread of COVID-19 as we strive to supply food to the nation,” Didiza said.

The Department of Employment and Labour has dismissed labour union allegations that its Kimberly office has not been observing occupational health and safety protocols.

In a statement issued on Monday, the department said the Northern Cape office has observed protocols in an effort to combat COVID-19 infections.

“A limited number of officials who have been working since lockdown are still reporting for duty as per schedule and they have been issued with personal protective equipment like masks, latex gloves and sanitizers,” said the department.

Face shields, said the department, will be provided to frontline officials and partitions are being installed to promote social distancing in the workplace.

The department denied that it has re-called additional officials back to work, saying it was finalising the Return to Work Plan for the Northern Cape.

“The service provider has been appointed to perform industrial sanitising in line with the Provincial Risk Assessment Plan from 18 – 22 May 2020,” it said.

The service will be performed at all seven offices in the province (Kimberley, De Aar, Calvinia, Springbok, Upington, Postmasburg and Kuruman).

This will include the deep cleaning of offices, disinfection (fogging with anti-viral chemicals) and cleaning of fabric office furniture including the interior of all vehicles.

The offices are currently not open to the public, therefore no walk-ins are permitted, and drop-off boxes are provided at main entrance for clients to submit new applications for services and to eliminate human contact.

“The access to the office is strictly for limited number of officials who are rendering essential services and have been issued with permits. The body temperature scan, registers and health questionnaire are being utilised to manage and track these official while at the office,” said the department.

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has warned small, medium and macro enterprises (SMMEs) against fraudulent agencies purporting to be entities of the department.

“It has come to the attention of the department that an unknown company is requesting food producers and agro-processors to send through proposal to an e-mail address not known by the department, Small Enterprise Finance Agency SOC Ltd (SEFA) or Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda),” said the department on Monday.

The DSBD said it is aware of suspicious email messages attempting to take advantage of the COVID-19 relief funding for SMMEs by soliciting administration fees to fast-track applications.

“Cyber criminals use emergencies such as the National Disaster to steal money from victims, perform identity theft or pretend to be representatives of the department and its agencies using fake emails to scam unsuspecting recipients,” the department said.

The public should note that the department will not be launching any live market access session on Facebook.

“No employee of the department is paid either through emails, inboxes, direct messages (DM) for services rendered on behalf of the department. The facilitation to access services for SMMEs is done for free,” the department said.

Any SMME who receives such a request must immediately report the incident to the COVID-19 Hotline 086 677 7867 or send an e-mail to info@dsbd.gov.za.

Information related to the department can be found on these official websites: www.dsbd.gov.za; www.sefa.org.za; www.seda.org.za; or www.mybindu.org.za.

SMMEs are encouraged to register their businesses on www.smmesa.gov.za.

South Africa recorded its highest new infections since the Coronavirus outbreak, with 1 160 fresh cases in the last 24-hour cycle.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is now 15 515, while three people succumbed to the COVID-19 related illness bringing the death toll to 264.

Of the 264 deaths, 148 were males while 116 were females.

The Western Cape remains the most severely affected province with 9 294 cases, followed by Gauteng with 2 329 and Eastern Cape with 1 936 cases.

“We remain concerned about the developments in the Western Cape, with the total cumulative cases now comprising almost 60% of the national cumulative cases and the new cases from Western Cape comprising 76% of the new cases from the past 24-hour cycle,” Mkhize said in a statement on Sunday.

The Minister has expressed his condolences to families of those who have lost loved ones while also thanking healthcare workers who cared for the deceased.

Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries to date stands at 7 006.