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In an effort to assist the economy to recover, the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) has called for the imminent Level 3 lockdown to be used as an opportunity to expand local production and greater consumption of South African-made goods.

“As part of supporting the health system, NEDLAC wants to see significant production in South Africa of many of the resources – including personal protection equipment, masks, ventilators and thermometers – required on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19,” it said.

NEDLAC constituencies met on Friday in a virtual meeting, co-chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa to assess preparations for the move from level 4 of the national lockdown.

Friday’s meeting was the first in a series of consultations, led by the President between government and social partners as well as more specific, sectors of civil society on the migration from Level 4 to level 3 of the lockdown.

Social partners expressed their support for the risk-adjusted approach South Africa has taken to the reopening of the economy, as well as for the original restrictions put in place to give the country time to prepare the health system for the management of COVID-19 infections.

At the meeting, constituencies reported on their respective preparations for the step-down to Level 3, which will more than double the current number of people who have returned to work as part of the level 4 easing.

NEDLAC also received calls that social and food support be intensified in vulnerable communities; that all businesses comply with COVID-19 safety measures, and that greater funding and other support be extended to community-based organisations.

More than 1.5 million people are employed by 150 of the community-based organisations that are registered in the country.

Social partners agreed on the need for the strengthening and sustainability of prevention measures at workplaces, on public transport and in public places, as elements of a long-term way of life in the midst of COVID-19.

“President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation to the social partners for their commitment to making the progression to level 3 a reality,” said the Presidency following Friday’s meeting.

The President reiterated that progression to level 3 must be accompanied by the crucial, non-negotiable and practical interventions in the country’s Coronavirus prevention toolbox.

These include lockdown, to achieve social distancing; hand hygiene practices; the wearing of cloth masks in public places, frequent cleaning of the work environment and other public spaces; symptom screening; testing, isolation, quarantine and contact tracing; the etiquette of coughing into one’s elbow or a tissue and the use of personal protection equipment by all health workers.

The President expressed optimism that the work done by NEDLAC and government’s continued consultation with other formations and sectors could deliver an advance to level 3 before the end of May 2020.

As government remains inundated by pending litigation challenging certain provisions of the Disaster Management Act, President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the priority of the lockdown regulations remains that of saving lives.

In his weekly online letter to the nation, the President said the State’s every decision is informed by the need to advance the rights to life and dignity as set out in the Constitution.

Since the start of the crisis, several NGOs, private citizens, business organisations, religious bodies and political parties approached courts across the country challenging aspects of the lockdown.

“Some have succeeded in their legal challenges and some have not. Some had approached the courts on the basis of the urgency of their cases, had their urgent arguments dismissed and others have found other avenues for the relief they sought. Others have subsequently withdrawn their applications following engagement with government,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa said government had checks and balances in place to ensure that every aspect of governance is able to withstand constitutional scrutiny.

“Where we are found wanting, we will be held to account by our courts and, above all, by our citizens. Besides our courts, our Chapter 9 institutions exist to advance the rights of citizens, as do the bodies tasked with oversight over the law enforcement agencies,” he said.

There has been, and will continue to be, robust and strident critique of a number of aspects of government’s national response to Coronavirus, from the data modelling and projections, to the economic effects of the lockdown, to the regulations, he said.

“As government, we have neither called for such critique to be tempered or for it to be silenced.

“To the contrary, criticism, where it is constructive, helps us to adapt and to move with agility in response to changing circumstances and conditions. It enriches public debate and gives us all a broader understanding of the issues at play.

“We have consistently maintained that we rely on scientific, economic and empirical data when it comes to making decisions and formulating regulations around our Coronavirus response. To the greatest extent possible under these challenging circumstances, we aim for consultation and engagement. We want all South Africans to be part of this national effort. The voices of ordinary citizens must continue to be heard at a time as critical as this,” he said.

The President conceded that while progress had been made delaying the transmission of COVID-19, the virus had caused huge disruption and hardship.

“There is still a long way to go. The weeks and months ahead will be difficult and will demand much more from our people.”
The pandemic will therefore continue to place an enormous strain on society and institutions,” he wrote.

He added: “As we navigate these turbulent waters, our Constitution is our most important guide and our most valued protection. Our robust democracy provides the strength and the resilience we need to overcome this deep crisis.”

President Ramaphosa added that while government appreciates that most court applicants are motivated by the common good, the public should recognise that the decisions taken by government are made in good faith and are meant to advance, and not to harm, the interests of South Africans.

Over 400 employees of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have donated part of their salaries to the Solidary Fund as part of efforts to fight COVID-19.

A total 451 SARS employees donated R711 000 towards the Solidarity Fund in April.

“The South African Revenue Service is proud to announce an initiative by its employees to collect money in support of those in need due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In a statement on Thursday, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter thanked employees for stepping up to help ease the plight of millions of citizens.

“I applaud these employees for the inspirational example they have set us all. This heart-warming gesture represents the best in the spirit of all South Africans who in times of great peril and danger, such as the present, refuse to look the other way,” he said.

The revenue service has received R1.8 million in pledges.

“This initiative has raised R 711 000 in the first month which SARS will hand over to the Solidarity Fund on behalf of its employees. To date, we received a total R1.8 million pledges and we will be running this initiative monthly and is encouraging more of its employees to participate,” said SARS.

Announcing the Solidarity Fund in March, President Ramaphosa said every little contribution helps, no matter how small.

The Department of Health has announced the appointment of Dr Sandile Buthelezi as its Director-General.

A seasoned expert in health governance, policy and programme management, Dr Buthelezi is set to steer the ship at the department.

The department announced Dr Buthelezi as its incoming Director-General on Friday.

With more than 15 years in the field, Dr Buthelezi promises to bring a wealth of knowledge to the National Department of Health at a crucial epoch in the trajectory of South Africa’s health system.

Dr Buthelezi currently holds the reins as the chief executive of the South African National Aids Council – a position he has held since September 2017.

While at SANAC, Buthelezi drove the implementation of the National Strategic Plan – a roadmap towards a future where HIV and TB are no longer plagues to the lives of South Africans.

He has also worked to secure billions in grants from the Global Fund to assist South Africa’s fight against HIV.

Trained as a medical doctor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Buthelezi cut his teeth at the Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, before climbing the ranks and being appointed the Director of HIV in the province’s Health Department.

In 2010, Dr Buthelezi began serving as South Africa’s Country Director for the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at Columbia University. He then worked as a Senior Technical Lead for the Department of International Development funded SARRAH (South Africa’s Revitalised Response to HIV) programme.

With the country fighting the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Buthelezi said lessons learnt from dealing with HIV in South Africa, specifically when it comes to community-based testing, screening and testing are coming in handy.

“The experience I’ve gained in and out of the public sector has made me a much more moulded person to work with a team of people to move forward with critically focusing on the National Health Insurance.

“With a visionary Health Minister like Dr Zweli Mkhize, and the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, I believe we are in safe hands. We all want to contribute towards quality healthcare services for all South Africans.We are all together in this, and for all of us, it should be all hands on deck,” Dr Buthelezi said.

The Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture has welcomed the decision to cancel the 2020 edition of the Comrades Marathon, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committee Chairperson, Elleck Nchabeleng, said given the latest figures of positive cases in the country, and that KwaZulu-Natal is among the four provinces recording the highest positive cases, the right decision was taken.

“The committee welcomes the cancellation and believes it is in the interest of participants at heart. Any possible interventions and steps should be taken to ensure that the virus spread is contained. The urge to continue with the season among many sporting codes is understandable, but that should not be at the expense of the athletes,” Nchabeleng said.

The Comrades Marathon is run annually in June in KwaZulu-Natal. The race had initially been postponed to September due to the lockdown. However the race has since been cancelled.

Long, arduous decision to make

Making the announcement on the cancellation of the Comrades Marathon on Thursday, Athletics South Africa (ASA) President, Aleck Skhosana said that cancelling what would have been the 95th edition of the Comrades Marathon was a “long and arduous decision to make.”

“With the race’s rich history, its powerful nation-building attributes and contribution towards social cohesion, as well as its immense economic impact, it would have been premature to rush into an outright cancellation sooner. However, we believe we have jointly arrived at the correct decision to protect the health and safety of all concerned as well as the lives of our fellow South Africans,” Skhosana said.

Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board, Chairperson, Cheryl Winn said they had hoped to postpone the race to a date not later than end of September (owing to climatic conditions), but with the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating and anticipated to peak in the coming months, there is no telling what is yet to come.

“As CMA, it is incumbent upon us to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of our athletes, volunteers and stakeholders and therefore lamentably we will not be staging this year’s edition of the country’s leading road running event.

“It is with profound sadness and regret that the CMA Board, in conjunction with ASA and KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), had to make this decision. We do so with the knowledge that it will come as a great disappointment to thousands of Comrades runners, who together with us at CMA, have been holding out hope that the race would somehow proceed,” Winn said.

Disappointment

KZN Athletics Administrator Jay Reddy urged athletes to not succumb to despair, disappointment, and acceptance that they are victims of this pandemic.

“Let us rather celebrate that as athletes and other role players, we are sacrificing one of our major races in the knowledge that we are serving the interests of humanity. As KZNA we stand united in our endeavour to overcome the devastating consequences of this disease.”

“We call upon all our members and associates to engage in strategies to address the broader issues of the environment and the pressing needs of our people in the true spirit of the Comrades. We urge our athletes to continue to observe the COVID-19 regulations, engage in activity responsibly, and take every precaution to prevent the spread of the virus,” Reddy said.

The New Development Bank (NDB) has issued a statement warning against scammers who swindle the public out of their hard-earned cash by posing as bank employees.

According to the NDB, formerly known as the BRICS Bank, the fraudsters invite individuals and companies to register for training at the NDB’s Sandton offices before releasing assured funds in foreign currencies.

“The recipient of the e-mail or message is then asked to pay an administration or other upfront fee to a different local personal account in order to qualify,” the NDB said.

“The offer is often for a limited period to try and pressure people into responding,” the NDB added.

In other instances, the scammers send an e-mail or other communication that appears to come from the bank, a ministry in government or any other potentially trustworthy source requesting personal information such as identity documents, driver’s licences, passports, addresses, contact details and registration or activation fees.

The organisation explained the bank, established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), only finances infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries.

NDB is not a commercial bank and does not open accounts for individuals, provide them with loans or any form of financing and will never ask for payments or any other favours from potential recipients of funding.

The organisation has since called on people and companies to be cautious about responding to unsolicited messages and be suspicious of e-mails or messages that contain spelling or grammatical errors or other inconsistencies such as Gmail addresses, rather than a company domain e-mail.

“The New Development Bank does not send unsolicited e-mails or any other communication asking the public to open a personal bank account, transfer money, or provide personal information,” NDB Africa Regional Centre Director General, Monale Ratsoma said.

“Be wary of requests for upfront payments or payment for goods or services you have not or do not remember ordering.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today chair a virtual meeting of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) that will deliberate on the prospect of moving most of the country to level 3 of the COVID-19 lockdown.

“The meeting of NEDLAC’s government, labour, community and business constituencies marks the start of widespread consultation, as promised by President Ramaphosa, between government and various sectors of society and the economy on the possible progression to level 3,” said the Presidency ahead of the start of the meeting.

The Presidency said level 3 of the lockdown will entail a more extensive reopening of the economy and the lifting of restrictions on movement.

This meeting will also focus on mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown on South Africa.”

President Ramaphosa has been in continuous consultation with various sectors of society on management of the national state of disaster since government first acted to limit the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Friday’s meeting follows on the President’s announcement earlier this week that a proposal to move the country to level 3 of the national COVID-19 lockdown by the end of May is being considered.

The President made this announcement in an address to the nation on Wednesday night.

As government prepares for the further easing of the lockdown to level 3, Cabinet Ministers will undertake broad-ranging consultations with government, key sectors of the economy and civil society.

Having appreciated the progress made towards levelling the  COVID-19 pandemic curve and capacitating the public health system to deal with an increase in infections, Cabinet approved the further easing of restrictions.

“This will ease pressure on the economy and facilitate greater movement of people while maintaining vigilance against the disease and enforcing health safety measures. The key imperative that drives Cabinet’s response to COVID-19 is to decrease infections and save lives,” said Cabinet in a statement on Thursday.

Cabinet’s statement follows a virtual special Cabinet meeting held on 12 and 13 May 2020.

At the meeting, Cabinet was briefed through the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on progress achieved and challenges experienced in the implementation of level 4 of the Risk-Adjusted Approach towards reducing the spread of COVID-19.

“Cabinet welcomed the generally positive response from the public and business in adhering to the approved level 4 restrictions and guidelines. This level enabled an estimated 1,5 million South Africans to return to work and to much-needed economic activity,” said Cabinet.

The return to work was accompanied by requirements on employers to implement COVID-19 specific health protocols that are directed at protecting employees, customers and the broader community.

With citizens required to wear facemasks in public places, Cabinet commended the nation on its overwhelming adherence to the requirement.

During the meeting, Cabinet was updated on the substantial progress achieved by the Department of Health in working with provinces to ensure that all parts of the country are able to intensify screening, testing, treatment and contact tracing as the pandemic develops.

Cabinet also welcomed progress reported on the rollout of the multifaceted economic and social support and relief programmes that have assisted enterprises and vulnerable citizens since the start of the national lockdown.

Providing clarity

Noting the challenges and frustrations experienced by the public and businesses due to a lack of clarity in some of the Level 4 regulations, Cabinet committed that regulations would be reviewed to provide the necessary clarity and enable improved compliance.

“Cabinet further noted variations in infection rates between different metropolitan and district municipalities. It is this differentiation that informed Cabinet to embark on a differentiated level approach as a response to COVID-19,” said Cabinet.

Appointments

The meeting also approved the appointments of Mulima Godfrey Mashamba as the Deputy Director-General (DDG): Evaluation, Evidence and Knowledge Systems at the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Dr Cynthia Ntombifuthi Khumalo as the DDG of Arts, Culture Promotion and Development at the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

Extension of employment contract of Nkhumeleni Victor Tharage as the Director-General (DG) at the Department of Tourism and Dr Sabelo Siyabonga Buthelezi as the DG at the Department of Health.

The Department of Employment and Labour has begun efforts to reach domestic workers and farm labourers to enable them to benefit from the COVID-19 relief scheme.

The scheme is part of a basket of government-wide services aimed at ensuring that the worst effects of the Coronavirus pandemic are mitigated. The Department’s relief fund has already paid out billions of rands to workers who may not have received a salary as a result of the lockdown.

In a statement, Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, said: “Society is judged by how it tries to take care of the most vulnerable in its midst. This is why government in general and the Department of Employment and Labour in particular, are doing everything in their power to shield the most vulnerable from the worst of the pandemic.

Since the lockdown was announced, the Department, through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), has handed out almost R11-billion in benefits to workers through employers.

“We have appealed to employers, especially those who employ domestic workers and farm labourers, to apply on their behalf so that they are not left wanting.

“We sincerely hope that employers, especially in these two sectors heed our call. We have also enlisted the help of a private company which is helping us trace these workers through their cell phones so that they are aware of the benefit and either get the employers to claim on their behalf or reach out to the UIF themselves,” said the Minister.

Private company, Interfile, has offered to run the SMS service to these sectors at no cost to UIF. The department is currently working on the database it has, to try and reach these workers.

According to Department records, at least 91 406 domestic workers are on the database – however, only 2 968 (3%) have their cell numbers listed and only 25 518 (28%) have emails.

“We appeal to employers of domestic workers, those who may have difficulties paying them, to ensure that they access these services as soon as possible. The disbursements from UIF could also act as top-up for reduced salaries and these are necessary for our mothers and sisters as they really need the break,” said Minister Nxesi.

So far, the Fund has disbursed just under R12 billion (R 11 915 612 569.90) through 167 524 employers and benefitted 2 092 774 workers. A total of R155 481 810 has been paid to 56 641 workers through bargaining councils representing 909 employers.

The fund continues to pay ordinary benefits amounting to R1 664 959 589.24 for 184 207 recipients since March 26, 2020, broken down as follows:

• R 1 331 967 671.39 for unemployment  benefits for 147 366 individuals
• R 249 743 938.38 maternity benefits for 27 631 recipients
• R 49 948 948 787.67 for 5 526 dependants
• R 33 299 191.78 for 3 684 recipients for illness and adoption

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

Deputy President David Mabuza will today convene and chair a virtual meeting of the Eskom Task Team.

The meeting will  amongst other issues, tackle the proposal on management and recovery of municipal debt to Eskom. Friday’s meeting will also receive an update on the Eskom restructuring plan and procurement of additional capacity over the coming months.

The Eskom Task Team was established to provide political leadership support to ensure that the power utility is able to meet its obligation of providing electricity, overseeing the development and implementation of a long-term financing model to deal with debt and liquidity challenges.

The task team is also tasked with ensuring that Eskom implements a credible national maintenance programme, among others.

“With more sectors of the economy likely to open due to the varied imminent stage three lockdown, as announced by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa, it is essential to ensure that the power supply will be ready and adequate to handle the increased demand placed on the grid by the economic activity,” said the Presidency ahead of the meeting.

As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, many sectors of the economy remained closed and resulted in increased power supply.

“The winter season calls on the task team to plan for the increased power demand for industry as certain sectors open up, and for households as citizens are urged to stay at home to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus,” said the Presidency.