Archives

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Cabinet will over the next three months take a pay cut of 33% in their salaries – as government ups the ante on the fight against the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.

The drastic move was announced by President Ramaphosa on Thursday evening, while addressing the nation on the extension of the 21-day lockdown by a further two weeks. This as the number of confirmed cases climbed to 1 934 cases.

The portion of the salaries, he said, will be donated to the Solidarity Fund. The Premiers have also followed suit.

“We’re calling other public office bearers and executives of large companies to make a similar gesture to further increase the reach of this national effort,” he said.

The Solidarity Fund is an independently administered vehicle which aims to “flatten the curve” and lower infection rates and offer relief to those who need it the most.

Measures to ease economic impact on small businesses

President Ramaphosa also announced other measures to ease the economic impact of the COVID-19 on small businesses.

These include various interventions by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Small Enterprise Finance Agency, National Ventilator Project and Social Relief of Distress grants.

To curb job losses, the President said the UIF has set aside R40 billion to help employees who will be unable to work due to the lockdown and has since paid out R356 million.

“I would like to applaud all those employers who have continued to pay their workers during this difficult time, as well as those employers who are working with unions and government to assist their employees to access these benefits,” he said.

The President urged businesses to continue paying suppliers in an effort to ensure that they remained functional.

“In this respect, I would like to appeal to all large businesses not to resort to force majeure and stop paying their suppliers and rental commitments, as such practice has a domino effect on all other businesses dependent on that chain,” he said.

In the address, the President announced that the IDC has set aside R3 billion for the procurement of essential medical supplies. The agency has already approved R130 million in funding and expects to approve a further R400 million in the coming week to companies who applied for funding under this special facility.

The Small Enterprise Finance Agency has approved the postponement of loan repayments for a period of six months.

The small business debt relief and business growth facilities are currently adjudicating applications for assistance.

There is a total of R500 million available in support.

Government has reprioritised R1.2 billion to provide relief to smallholder farmers and to contribute to the security of food supply.

“In addition to these expenditure measures, the Reserve Bank has also lowered interest rates and has taken measures to inject liquidity into the economy,” said President Ramaphosa.

Building the stocks of medical equipment

As world countries face medical supply shortages to tackle the Coronavirus, the South African government has to rely on its own capabilities to supply these. However, the supplies were also being sourced from abroad.

“In recent weeks, we have seen a massive mobilisation of South African business, labour, academics and government agencies to build the stocks of medical and other equipment needed to fight Coronavirus.”

Government has also established the National Ventilator Project which is aimed at rapidly mobilising technical and industrial resources in an effort to manufacture non-invasive ventilators that will support patients afflicted with the disease.

“Other projects are focusing on increasing the local manufacture of protective face masks, hand sanitisers and pharmaceutical products which can be used by health care workers and the public at large,” he said.

Providing basic needs

“As the third part of our Coronavirus response, we have been working to provide basic needs such as water and to maintain the reliability of food supply to the poorest South Africans.”

Other interventions have seen government expand the provision of food parcels and financial support for spaza shops.

Solidarity Fund

The President also announced that the Solidarity Fund – which was established to mobilise resources from companies, organisations and individuals to combat the Coronavirus pandemic – has raised about R2.2 billion since its establishment.

Of this, R1 billion has been set aside for the purchase of sterile gloves, face shields, surgical masks, test kits and ventilators. The Fund is also expected to allocate funds for humanitarian relief to vulnerable households, in addition to the R400 million set aside by government for Social Relief of Distress grants.

“All of these efforts, while necessary and commendable, will not be sufficient on their own to cushion the poor from the impact of this pandemic,” said President Ramaphosa.

He added that additional extraordinary measures will need to be put in place in the coming weeks and months to absorb the sudden loss of income to both businesses and individuals.

In this regard, he said the Cabinet will be developing a comprehensive package of urgent economic measures to respond both to the immediate crisis and to the severe economic challenges that need to be confronted.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed confidence in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) technology and data which will enable the country to fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“As a nation we should be proud that we have an institution like the CSIR which is always trying to be ahead of the curve in terms of bringing solutions for the nation to utilize,” the President said.

He made the remarks on Thursday during his visit to the Department of Health (DoH)’s COVID-19 Information Centre, a data centre set up to monitor and track the spread of the COVID-19.

“The CSIR has stepped up to the plate and they are doing this in the most scientific way. They have information of 45 million South Africans, through the Department of Health’s National Health Insurance programme. As we are managing the Coronavirus through technology and science, we already have a very good platform and a base.

“They are already linking provinces, districts and all the hospitals, all the beds that are available and hotels that can be used for isolation or quarantine centres. All that is available here and will enable us to fight COVID-19,” the President said.

Vodacom is also working with government to fight against the virus. The company will provide 20 000 healthcare workers with mobile phones that have an app with data from the CSIR.

“The 20 000 phones will come with 500 minutes and five gigs of data for health workers to get information on COVID-19,” Vodacom Group chief executive officer (CEO) Shameel Joosub said.

Vodacom also has an e-school platform which is available in all the 11 official languages with all the syllabus from Grade R up to Grade 12. This is available for free.

“We have also launched a virtual doctor platform with Discovery, hopefully this can take pressure off the health system,” Joosub said.

African Union (AU) Chair, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has backed the efforts of the World Health Organisation and called for international solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In appreciation of these efforts, the African Union extends its unwavering support to the WHO and its Director-General. The AU calls upon the international community to join hands to support the efforts of the DG and the entire WHO family as they lead global efforts to fight this pandemic. If there was a time for global unity, solidarity and cooperation, this is that time. Working together, we will be able to overcome this challenge,” said President Ramaphosa.

The call comes after WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a press conference on Wednesday, said he has received death threats and racist insults while spearheading the global effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

With countries faced with daunting and frustrating tasks to contain the spread of the pandemic, the AU Chair called on countries to avoid the temptation to apportion blame to any individual, institution or any country.

“We should work together to confront our common enemy in the form of COVID-19; and we should not allow ourselves to be distracted by anything else. Our success against this pandemic will only be realised through collaboration, cooperation and most importantly through global solidarity,” said President Ramaphosa.

The AU reaffirmed its appreciation for the leadership of Ghebreyesus and commended his management in leading the global response to the pandemic.

The African Union has seen Dr Tedros in action before when he and the world class WHO health experts led global efforts to fight against Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Overall the AU recognises and appreciates the good work that has been undertaken by the WHO and notes with a sense of satisfaction the various initiatives and measures that are continuously undertaken by the organisation to mitigate the spread of the pandemic such as mobilising resources, sharing the real-time information and providing the technical and material support,” said the AU Chair.

Punting the importance of international solidarity, President Ramaphosa said the African Union has seen first-hand the groundswell of international cooperation since the onset of this pandemic.

President Ramaphosa commended all who supported and pledged to support Africa’s response to COVID-19 by reinforcing the continent’s health systems and helping to mitigate the social and economic impact. These partners include the G20, China, the United States, the European Union, the Jack Ma Foundation, among others.

On a daily basis, the WHO has been an essential technical and scientific partner to the African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), as countries try to mitigate the pandemic which has now reached nearly every member state.

The African Union thanked all medical personnel who are in the forefront of the battlefield for their selflessness and diligence.

President Ramaphosa further called on all African Union members and international partners to maintain and reinforce this international cooperation and collaboration in the difficult weeks and months ahead.

“May we all continue, as a collective, to play our part to combat this pandemic with vigour and determination in order to return our lives to normalcy,” he said.

The Gauteng province has rolled out its screening and testing campaign to all five districts, screening a total of 26 841 people and testing 440 of those who displayed symptoms of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Addressing a briefing by the Provincial Command Council on Thursday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said healthcare professionals have conducted screenings as of 31 March in Johannesburg, Sedibeng, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and the West Rand.

“Johannesburg is the epicentre of COVID-19 in the province and the country with 440 cases, followed by Ekurhuleni 111 cases, Tshwane with 90 cases, West Rand with 12 cases and Sedibeng with six cases. We have an additional 123 cases that are unallocated as of 8 April 2020,” Makhura said.

Gauteng has improved and enhanced its capacity to trace contacts using technology and so far 90% of all contacts have been traced.

“Being able to trace those who have come into contact with those who have tested positive is one of the key things that the world is battling with… this is very important in order to curb the spread of COVIV-19,” the Premier said.

Plans are in place for the province to improve contact tracing. There is a national process to assist the province with additional technology to do medical surveillance of those people who test positive, and their contacts.

Self-screening available for members of the public

The Gauteng Department of Health has added a COVID-19 feature to its Mpilo-Healthcare mobile app which offers self-screening to its users.

“We urge all those with handsets to use the app to ensure there’s seamless and easy screening by the public. We will be able to get that information and communicate with those that we think need to be tested,” the Premier said.

Makhura has assured healthcare professionals that there is an adequate supply of Personal Protective Clothing (PPE)

“We have been interacting with the trade unions in the public service. We have briefed the trade unions about our work including getting more PPE equipment,” he said.

In addition, the provincial government is working on increasing the number of beds, particularly for COVID-19.

“…In some of our existing healthcare facilities, we are clearing certain sections of the hospitals. We are also working with the private sector. We are identifying additional beds, and our team is at a stage of finalising how many beds we will get from the private sector for different purposes,” the Premier said.

Some of the beds will be for hospitalisation, high-care as well as well as intensive care, while others are for quarantine.

The province is working with municipalities to identify various facilities across Gauteng that will be used for quarantine.

Food Security

The Premier expressed gratitude to businesses and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that have worked with the provincial government to provide food to poverty stricken communities.

“Since the national lockdown, we have reached 15 000 households, this excludes the homeless people. We have been able to feed 60 000 people excluding the homeless people,” he said.

Homeless people have been reached through work that is being done by the NGOs, business and the Department of Social Development.

The Premier said law-enforcement agencies are conducting roadblocks on major roads and secondary roads on a day-to-day basis and are arresting people who are violating the regulations.

“We have improved in providing water to various communities in Gauteng. We have been able to reach areas who have problems with water supply. We will be able to reach every community in Gauteng to provide at least through water tanks where there is no other source of water. This will be provided working with the national government,” he said.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has expressed grave concern at the increasing non-compliance with transport regulations and directions aimed at reinforcing the nation-wide lockdown announced by President Ramaphosa.

At the start of the second week of the lockdown, the number of cars stopped and checked at roadblocks across the country increased from 17 559 on Monday to 29 738 on Wednesday.

The number of e-hailing providers that failed to adhere to passenger limits for a vehicle licensed to carry 4 passengers increased from 32 on Monday and peaked on Wednesday at 509.

On Wednesday, the number of minibus-taxis that failed to adhere to the passenger limit increased from 18 on Monday to 509.

Motorists also attempted to cross provincial boundaries despite a ban on inter-provincial travel.

The number of motorists who tried to travel across provinces increased from 125 on Monday to 196 on Wednesday.

“This conduct demonstrate a worrying trend which must be roundly condemned by both government and civil society.

“Those who undermine efforts to arrest the spread of this pandemic must face the full might of the law and equally face condemnation by society, as their behaviour places the lives of millions at risk,” said the Minister.

Earlier in the week, Gauteng had the highest number of motorists attempting to cross provincial boundaries to other provinces at 108, but has since been overtaken by Mpumalanga at 149 on Wednesday, 8 April.

Despite this, Minister Mbalula encouraged the majority of citizens who continue to respect and comply with the lockdown regulations and directions to continue to do so and encourage others to follow suit.

The Minister further commended the sterling commitment of traffic law enforcement officers across the country in ensuring that South Africans stay home and further provide critical support to other law enforcement authorities.

The department through its entity, provincial departments responsible for road safety and municipalities deployed a total traffic officers across the country, to ensure compliance with the published Regulations and Directions.

Motivated by taxi associations, e-hailing providers and private motorists who continue to comply with the regulations and directives, the Minister urged industry bodies to play their part to reign in those who continue to demonstrate flagrant disregard of the law.

“Law enforcement will be intensified and authorities will not hesitate to ensure that the full might of the law is brought to bear on those who continue to break it,” said the Minister.

Government has clarified that baby clothes and essentials are available for sale during the 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

“Following requests for clarification, we confirm that this provision includes baby clothes, blankets, towels and other essential accessories for new-borns, infants and toddlers up to 36 months old.

“To ensure the effectiveness of the lockdown in containing the spread of COVID-19, all stores that are currently permitted to remain open for the sale of other essential goods, including supermarkets, may therefore sell these products.

“We have been in contact with the CEO’s of the large retailers, who have undertaken to sell these products at prices which simply cover their basic costs of production and distribution for the period of the lockdown,” said the Department of Trade and Industry in a statement on Thursday.

Regulations published by the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister under Government Notice 318 of 18 March 2020 were amended by regulations as published in Government Notice R398 of 25 March 2020 as well as by regulations in Government Notice R 419 of 26 March 2020.

Under these amendments, the sale of baby essentials were included.

“The regulations published on 25 March 2020 included, under paragraph 6(a), the following inclusion as an essential good: (iv) Products for the care of babies and toddlers.

“Hospitals and clinics may directly procure these products as necessary to provide for the infants in their care,” said the Dti.

The department called on the public to direct any further queries on this to its offices.

The 9th of April 2020 marked 100 days since the World Health Organisation (WHO) was notified of the first cases of “pneumonia with unknown cause” in China which would later be termed COVID-19.

Since then the world has changed dramatically, said WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday.

Giving an overview of the global efforts to fight this pandemic, Ghebreyesus mapped out a timeline of the work WHO has done in the past 100 days, and what the organisation will be doing in the near future to alleviate suffering and save lives.

On the 1st of January 2020, just hours after being notified of the first cases, WHO activated its Incident Management Support Team to coordinate its response at headquarters, regional and country level.

On the 5th of January, WHO officially notified all member states of the new outbreak and published a disease outbreak news on its website.

“On the 10th of January, we issued a comprehensive package of guidance to countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases, and protect health workers.

“On the same day, we convened our strategic and technical advisory group on infectious hazards to review the situation,” said Dr Tedros.

On the 22nd of January, WHO convened an emergency committee.

Again a week later, the committee reconvened after the first cases of human-to-human transmission were reported outside China.

It was at this second meeting, on Thursday 20 January 2020, that  WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern on  – its highest level of alarm. At the time there were 98 cases outside China, and no deaths.

In February an international team of experts from Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Singapore and the United States of America visited affected provinces in China to learn more about the virus, the outbreak and the response, and to glean lessons for the rest of the world.

In early February the United Nations Crisis Management Team was activated, to coordinate the entire machinery the UN to support countries as effectively as possible.

“Through WHO’s network of six regional offices and 150 country offices, we’ve worked closely with governments around the world to prepare their health systems for COVID-19, and to respond when cases arrive.

“We issued a Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, which identified the major actions countries need to take, and the resources needed to carry them out.

“Governments and partners rose to the challenge. More than US$800 million has been pledged or received for the response,” said Ghebreyesus.

That includes more than US$140 million from more than 229 000 individuals and organisations raised through the Solidarity Response Fund, exceeding all expectations, and showing true global solidarity.

So far, WHO has shipped more than two million items of personal protective equipment to 133 countries.

“We’re preparing to ship another two million items in the coming weeks. We’ve sent more than one million diagnostic tests to 126 countries, in all regions, and we’re sourcing more. But we know much more is needed. This is not enough,” said the WHO Director General.

To ramp up the production and distribution of essential medical supplies, WHO has roped in the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Economic Forum and others in the private sector to meet the demand.

Health workers are being trained and mobilised to fight the pandemic.

More than 1.2 million people have enrolled in six courses in 43 languages on the OpenWHO.org platform.

The North West Health Department has called on residents to obey the rules of self-quarantine to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus in the province.

“The province now has 15 confirmed cases. We cannot afford to have the numbers increase because of individuals who do not respect the rules of lockdown or regulations around quarantine,” said MEC Madoda Sambatha.

The provincial department said it noted with concern a lack of understanding of the province’s position on self-quarantine at home and mandatory quarantine in a state facility.

Based on the directive of President Cyril Ramaphosa, people who are infected with Coronavirus, but who have no or moderate symptoms will remain in isolation at home or at a place provided by government, and those with severe symptoms will be transferred to a hospital.

“It is equally important to also keep in mind the protection of those not sick from any possibility of being infected or getting transmission from people who knew they have tested positive but through their deliberate misbehaviours they infect or transmit to others, this on its own is a criminal offense.”

Anyone who is placed in self-quarantine and deliberately breaks the rules and procedures of self-quarantine will be tracked down and when found will forfeit the right to self-quarantine.

“By law we should be opening criminal offenses for these individuals who put others at the risk of infection by breaking the rules of self-quarantine,” said the MEC.

Sambatha emphasised the need to balance individual rights of people who deliberately break the law and endanger the lives of many innocent and healthy South Africans and strict rules meant to protect the majority of law abiding citizens.

In the new Standard Operating Procedure on quarantine and hospital isolation, the Health Department added a requirement that any general practitioner, private hospital or government hospital that prescribes self-quarantine at home must request permission from the MEC in writing with motivation on why self-quarantine.

The MEC will then send a team of clinical specialists to assess the place for self-quarantine and make recommendations to the MEC.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is investigating the authenticity of a picture circulating on social media of two female officers in uniform posing with alcohol.

“The SAPS has noted with concern a photograph of two females in SAPS uniform each holding what appears to be a bottle of beer and posing next to packs of liquor,” the SAPS said.

Police are investigating the authenticity and origin of the picture to determine the identity of the persons in the photograph, as well as when and where the picture was taken.

“Such behaviour by any South African Police Service members is unacceptable and it is condemned in the strongest terms by police management. As soon as the investigation is concluded and the picture authenticated, the members will be subjected to internal disciplinary procedures,” the SAPS said.

The SAPS has appealed to members of the public who have information about the picture to contact the SAPS Crime Stop number 086 00 10111.

Tip-offs may also be made via the SAPS MySAPS App. All information received will be treated with confidentiality.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has called on councillors and municipal officials to work with other spheres of government as well as stakeholders to ensure strict adherence to the regulations aimed at containing the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“It is only through these means that we can collectively defeat this pandemic and ensure the safety of our communities,” SALGA said in a statement on Thursday.

The association expressed concern at reports that some councillors were acting in direct contravention of the regulations issued in terms of the Disaster Management Act and the Code of Conduct of Councillors.

In the first of such reports, it is alleged that a councillor from Matatiele Local Municipality has been found to be unlawfully distributing travel permits to residents, enabling them to move around freely under the pretext of providing essential services in term of the regulations issued under the Disaster Management Act.

SALGA condemned the behaviour as unlawful and criminal. The association further called on the municipality to urgently initiate proceedings against the said councillor and any other councillors who are found to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.

“Should a councillor be found to be in breach of the code of conduct, such a councillor may be removed from office by the MEC responsible for local government,” SALGA said.

In the second report, it is alleged that a councillor was arrested in Polokwane as part of a group of people who were playing loud music and consuming alcohol in a public area.

“SALGA is calling upon the law enforcement agencies to continue to enforce the regulations without fear or favour and similarly calling upon the Polokwane Local Municipality to urgently initiate proceedings against the said councillor for breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors,” the association said.

The third report, is of a video circulating on social media about both derogatory remarks and statements contradicting the President, made by the Executive Mayor of Matjhabeng Local Municipality during a welcome address to members of the South African National Defence Force deployed in Welkom, Free State.

SALGA has welcomed the political action taken against the Executive Mayor. The association has further called on the municipality to urgently initiate proceedings for breach of the Code of Conduct of Councillors.

“We also encourage communities to partner with municipalities and report any councillors or municipal officials who are seen to be acting in a manner that violates the COVID-19 enforcement regulations, to the relevant authorities including Mayors and Speakers of our municipalities,” SALGA said.