Archives

The South African Office of the Military Ombud has assured citizens that it remains open to assist those who feel aggrieved by the conduct of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the execution of their duties.

“We noted that the Department of Defence released a statement taking note of various allegations of abuse by deployed members of the SANDF who are supporting government’s efforts to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. In the statement the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans denounces any type or form of abuse committed by deployed soldiers against members of the public during the 21 days lockdown period,” said the office in a statement on Wednesday.

The South African Military Ombud Lieutenant General (Retired) Vusumuzi Masondo, said communities need to be informed of the existence of the office and the assistance they can get from it when a need to lodge a complaint should arise.

“Our job is to make sure that complaints that come through our office are handled professionally and rights of citizens of the country are protected without compromise,” he said.

Masondo’s comments come as Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, this week condemned any form of abuse committed by soldiers during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

The Minister’s remarks followed various allegations of abuse by members of the SANDF deployed in support of government efforts to contain the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Office of the Military Ombud was established through the Military Ombud Act 4 of 2012, as an independent, external mechanism to deal with complaints and grievances brought by current and former members of the SANDF regarding their conditions of service.

Members of the public can lodge complaints regarding the official conduct of members of the SANDF.

Members of the public have 90 days to lodge a complaint with the Office, from the date of the incident, and if they have lodged a complaint with law enforcement agencies and the matter is before Court or the Court has ruled, the Office won’t have jurisdiction.

Process to lodge a complaint

Those who want to lodge a complaint with the Military Ombud office are advised to provide a description of the incident including date, time and place of incident.

Those lodging complaints are also required to provide the name/s of soldier/s involved (visible on their name tags on their uniform), as well as names and contact details of any witnesses among others.

However, the Military Ombud office does not have the mandate to deal with the conduct of South African Police Services (SAPS) members. Complaints relating to SAPS  members should be referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

The complaint form can be downloaded on www.milombud.org. Once completed, complainants can forward it via email intake@milombud.org or fax 086 523 2296

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has rescinded the directions allowing 100% loading capacity for taxis with immediate effect.

The decision follows concerns raised about the 100% loading capacity and the utilisation of masks as a mitigation measure.

“The public was without comfort with these measures and urged that we reconsider. After our announcement of catering for 100% [loading capacity], there was a public outcry about the impact of such an arrangement to the health safety of public transport users.

“We took these issues seriously and engaged with key stakeholders, resulting in a consensus of maximising the loading capacity to 70%,” the Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Thursday.

The regulations for the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown prescribed a 50% loading capacity.

“The unintended consequence of this reduction was an industry operating at a loss as a result of these regulations,” the Ministry of Transport said.

The Ministry has urged members of the public and taxi operators to take preventative measures to mitigate against the spread of the virus.

“Government will undertake a programme to assist with the distribution of masks. We also urge operators to continue to sanitise taxi surfaces and to provide hand sanitisers to the public,” the Ministry of Transport said.

New Ministerial Directions to this effect will be published in due course for immediate implementation.

As South Africa enters day 7 of a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Eskom has announced that it will double maintenance work at its plants.

“With the COVID-19 national lockdown in full effect, Eskom has experienced a significant reduction in demand for electricity. Electricity usage has dropped by between 7 500MW and 9 000MW since the lockdown came into effect last week. This has allowed Eskom to operate without the need to implement load shedding,” said the power utility.

The utility is making use of the low demand to carry out important short-term maintenance of generation infrastructure.

In order to protect the integrity of the system, Eskom has taken some generation units offline.

From midnight on Friday, 3 April 2020, Eskom will add Koeberg Unit 2 to units taken off the grid.

However, these will be able to return to service at short notice, should the need arise.

Koeberg Unit 2 is scheduled to return to service by 30 April 2020, if not called before then.

“As part of protecting the integrity of the power system, Eskom has also issued force majeure notices to the wind independent power producers. These notices serve to alert the wind Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of the possibility that Eskom may, from time to time, curtail their supply to the grid during the national lockdown,” the power utility said.

Should this remote possibility happen, the IPPs will be afforded one day of relief for every day, or part thereof, of lost production. This will ensure that none of the wind IPPs are worse off than before the force majeure.

Last month, Eskom handed over its Academy of Learning (EAL) centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, to government to be used as a quarantine site. This was done as part of efforts to assist in the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The facility, which has 416 beds and other facilities, will be used to accommodate people who have to undergo a period of quarantine and observation for signs of COVID-19.

In light of the increasing incidence of COVID-19 local transmissions, it has become necessary to scale up the country’s capacity to test citizens.

For this reason, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, officially launched 67 mobile sampling and testing units to be deployed nationwide to all districts and metropolitan municipalities.

Mkhize unveiled the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Mobile Laboratory and inspected the inside of the sampling and testing mobile units at the NHLS head office in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening.

The Minister was shown the Portable class lll glove kit – a field deployable unit, where samples can be prepared.

Accompanied by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku and CEO of NHLS Dr Kamy Chetty, Mkhize said the vehicles must go to all the areas that have been identified as hotspots and those who are symptomatic must be tested first.

The department was procuring rapid test kits to allow for faster results.

Mkhize said many people needed to get tested to get a true picture of the spread of the virus in the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the roll out of the large-scale screening, testing, tracing and a medical management programme on Monday.

Around 10 000 field workers will be visiting homes in villages, towns and cities to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms.

People with symptoms will be referred to local clinics or mobile clinics for testing. People who are infected with Coronavirus, but who have no or moderate symptoms will remain in isolation at home or at a facility provided by government and those with severe symptoms will be transferred to hospitals.

Using mobile technology, an extensive tracing system will be rapidly deployed to trace those who have been in contact with confirmed Coronavirus cases and to monitor the geographical location of new cases in real time.

Mkhize said those people who might have mild symptoms in poorer areas may not seek assistance immediately and this posed a risk. Now officials will seek people to test rather than wait for them to present themselves at a clinic for testing.

“Our testing criteria is reactive and restrictive. This means we don’t have a true picture. Although we are talking about 45 000 tests, this is too low, given the size of the population.

“We need to engage all community leaders. Spread the message of stay at home and the importance of hygiene must be made more emphatically,” the Minister said.

He said that next month the flu season will start which meant more people will flood the hospitals and clinics.

Number of COVID-19 cases increase

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 1380, an increase of 27 cases from Tuesday’s announcement.

The Minister said 44 202 people have been tested, largely in private laboratories and just over 6000 have been performed in at public facilities.

He ascribed this reduction in the rate of increase to the closing of borders, enforcing a quarantine on inbound travellers and the lockdown has slowed internal transmission by reducing the spread during large gatherings and overcrowded transport routes, eg trains, buses and taxis.

Stay at home

The Minister said the message by President Cyril Ramaphosa for people to stay at home was still very important, as was the message of washing hands and ensuring good hygiene.

Also, those who are on chronic medication must ensure they take their medicine.

“This disease affects us all, black, white, rich or poor. We need to be united as a nation and focused when addressing this issue. Not that we should panic, but we must not be complacent.

“Look at China and South Korea, and the US. It is the conduct of the community that matters. Take this seriously. Don’t panic. Go out for essentials only.”

Mkhize said the actions of each person counted.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced revised regulations that call on the taxi industry to among others, reduce the number of passengers ferried per ride during the 21-day nationwide lockdown, implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19.

He addressed the media at the Noord Taxi Rank on Wednesday, shortly after addressing traffic officers who have been deployed to ensure compliance with the published regulations during the lockdown.

Under the regulations, passenger numbers are determined according to the licensed capacity of the vehicle.

During the lockdown period, the following public transport vehicles must reduce the number of maximum passengers to 70% of the licensed capacity, with no masks as follows:

• A minibus licensed to carry 10 passengers is limited to carry a maximum of 7 passengers.

• A minibus licensed to carry 15 passengers is limited to carry a maximum of 10 passengers.

• A midi-bus permitted to carry a maximum of 22 passengers, is limited to carry a maximum of 15 passengers

• A vehicle licensed to carry a maximum of four passengers is limited to carrying 50% of its permissible passenger carrying capacity.

Alternatively, all minibus and midi-bus taxi vehicles are permitted to load their maximum 100% passenger loading capacity as provided for in their operating licenses, provided that all passengers are wearing masks.

The masks must be either surgical masks or N95 respiratory masks.

Mbalula further reiterated the call for public transport operators to sanitise vehicles.

During the lockdown, taxis are only allowed to ferry a limited number of people as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Under the regulations announced by the Minister following the declaration of COVID-19 as a National State of Disaster, public modes of transport were allowed to operate from 5am – 9am and again from 4pm – 8pm. However, these times have now been revised to 5am – 10am and again from 4pm to 8pm.

Following consultations with the taxi industry – in particular South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) and the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) on Wednesday – Mbalula said the revised regulations will contribute to the preservation of life.

“Despite the economic challenges faced in the industry we were able to reach an agreement that guarantees continuous availability of public transport during the lockdown period.

“We must all appreciate that the measures we have introduced to curb the spread of this virus are about preserving human life and not about our individual narrow self-serving interest. Everyone must appreciate this and play their part,” he said.

Post the lockdown period, the Minister said government will prioritise the National Taxi Indaba, which will tackle pressing and strategic issues facing the taxi industry.

The taxi industry operates on the fringes of the formal economy despite having the largest market share of all public transport modes, in excess of 60%.

In light of the payment of social grants, which got underway on Monday, Mbalula amended the public transport directions under the National State of Disaster. Effective only between 30 March 2020 and Friday, 3 April 2020, buses and taxis are permitted to operate from 5am until 8pm.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, Kwazi Mshengu, have conveyed their condolences to the family of the teacher who passed away as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The 45-year-old teacher from Platt Drive Primary in Isipingo passed away on Tuesday after testing positive several days ago.

Another teacher from the same school has also tested positive.

The Department of Basic Education has advised all those who may come into contact with the deceased to present themselves for testing.

Grade 9 learner tested positive

The department also announced that a 14-year-old learner, related to one of the two teachers, in Grade 9 at Ogwini High School in Umlazi Township south of Durban has also tested positive.

According to the department, the family of one of the teachers have also tested positive, and arrangements have been made to trace all those who may have come into contact with the deceased and the immediate family members.

Motshekga said she was devastated at the loss of the teachers and a learner.

The Minister said the department will ensure that the families, colleagues and class mates of the learner receive counselling.

“Losing teachers at a time like this is particularly hard when they are instrumental in ensuring that learning and teaching continues during the time of the lockdown,” Motshekga said.

Mshengu also expressed his sadness on the news of the passing of the teacher, noting that this is another sad reminder that we all need to take the necessary steps and be extra cautious during this time.

“We really need to also take heed of the government’s call for social distancing, hygiene practices and staying safe. It can happen to anybody and for that reason let’s ensure that we do all that we can to stop the spread of the virus.

“Government continues to reinforce the importance of social distancing and maintaining good hygiene by regularly washing your hands. We also need to continue to promote the values of social solidarity, community, as well as care and support for self and others,” Mshengu said.

In an effort to fight the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and ensure that the curve is flattened, the Department of Water and Sanitation has dispatched trucks (tankers) and tanks all over the Free State Province.

Since President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a 21-day national shutdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus, the department said it immediately started working on a plan to dispense water tanks and trucks to informal settlements and rural areas to strengthen the President’s call to the washing of hands.

According to the department, 31 water trucks have been dispersed to Vrede, Fauresburg, Harrismith, Senekal, Clocolan, Petrusteyn, Cornelia, Villiers, Kroonstad, Viljoenskroon, Welkom, Bloemfontein, Thabanchu and Sasolburg.

Six hundred and twelve water tanks have also been dispersed within the same areas.

“The department has established an operations centre where daily meetings take place with municipalities and water boards utilizing internet-based conferencing facilities. Progress reports on water services are then reported on a national platform that includes Ministers and MEC’s,” the department said.

However, the department said that even as this effort rolls out, it has sadly learned of the assault of water tank drivers in Welkom as they were dispensing water to communities.

“The department condemns these actions in the strongest sense. These are acts of criminality and are not helpful to needy communities. Prohibiting the supply of water to communities that are in desperate need of this resource constitutes a crime,” the department warned.

During this time where the country has been gripped by this terrible virus, the department implores all citizens to:

• Constantly wash hands with soap and water.
• Use sanitizer where water and soap are not available.
• Avoid touching surfaces that are commonly used such as elevator buttons and hand rails.
• Continue to use water sparingly as this is still a scarce resource.

South Africa has recorded five deaths resulting from Coronavirus, with 1 353 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.

The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, made the announcement at a media briefing in eThekweni on Tuesday.

To date, the country has conducted 39 500 tests.

The first recorded death was that of a 48-year-old woman in the Western Cape, with the second being an 85-year-old from the Free State, who had attended the Divine Restoration Church Ministries conference, where a number of infections were detected.

The third death was that of a Gauteng man, who succumbed to respiratory distress two days ago. Two deaths have also been recorded in KwaZulu-Natal — a 74-year-old man in Ladysmith and a 46-year-old woman with chronic asthma and hypertension.

Mkhize said government planned on escalating the testing and screening of patients. Over 10 000 field workers will be brought on board.

“We are converting teams from NGOs to assist with testing. We have decided to be targeted. We will go for hot spots. We had a defensive approach but now we will go into areas where the virus is spreading,” Mkhize said.

Mobile vans will be utilised to assist with screening and testing.

“We want to be ahead of the curve. Patients are recovering well. Most patients are stable,” the Minister said.

Gauteng still has the highest number of infections, with 633; Western Cape 325, KZN 179; Free State 74; North West 8; Mpumalanga 12; Limpopo 14; Eastern Cape 12; Northern Cape 6. There are 90 positive cases, which are not yet allocated to any province.

Mkhize said the numbers are still under expert predictions, while 55 patients have been admitted to hospital.

However, existing buildings are being utilised for extra beds in order to get the country ready to deal with higher patient numbers.

Discussion have also been held with medical device manufacturers in order for them to start building additional stock of ventilators.

To alleviate pressure on testing labs, capacity has been increased and now up to 3 000 tests can be conducted in a day.

People with symptoms will be referred to local clinics or mobile clinics for testing. People who are infected with Coronavirus, but who have no or moderate symptoms will remain in isolation at home or at a facility provided by government and those with severe symptoms will be transferred to hospitals.

Using mobile technology, an extensive tracing system will be rapidly deployed to trace those who have been in contact with confirmed Coronavirus cases and to monitor the geographical location of new cases in real time.

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is pursuing various sources of supplies to obtain polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test kits and has a commitment from suppliers that South Africa will be a priority, according to Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kamy Chetty.

Currently, the NHLS has six laboratories performing COVID-19 related tests. This number will increase to nine by April 2020.

In addition, the NHLS has 18 state-of-the-art Cobas 6 800 and 8 800 machines that will dramatically improve the volumes of tests that can be conducted.

Chetty said the NHLS also has over 180 GeneXpert analysers, which will be available in all provinces for testing COVID-19, by April 2020.

The Coronavirus test kit for the GeneXpert analyser has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test kit can deliver a COVID-19 diagnosis in 45 minutes.

Condolences

Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier David Makhura has expressed his condolences following the passing of a 79-year-old, who tested positive for COVID-19.

“I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences and express our collective grief to the family and friends of the deceased,” said the Premier in a statement after the province recorded its first death due to the virus.

The 79-year-old man was admitted to a private hospital in Mogale City, West Rand, on Saturday, 28 March 2020.

He subsequently passed away on Monday, 30 March.

Currently, the province has recorded 633 COVID-19 positive people out of 1 353 nationally.

The province on Tuesday began the process to screen residents for the Coronavirus.

Screening began in the township of Alexandra.

“Screening and testing of residents will be done in a systematic manner, initially focusing on areas with the largest number of contacts and high density areas that have the greatest level of vulnerability,” said the provincial government.

South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) Chairperson, Deputy President David Mabuza, has conveyed condolences on the passing of Professor Gita Ramjee.

Professor Ramjee was the former Chief Specialist Scientist and Director of the South African Medical Research Council’s (SAMRC) HIV Prevention Research Unit.

She succumbed to complications emanating from the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.

“The passing of Professor Ramjee comes as a huge blow to the entirety of the healthcare sector and the global fight against HIV/AIDS. In her, we have indeed lost a champion in the fight against the HIV epidemic, ironically at the hands of this global pandemic.

“We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Professor Ramjee as well as to the medical research community. May her soul rest in peace,” said the Deputy President.

Professor Ramjee was renowned for her work on finding HIV prevention methods that were conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women face as well as in the attempts to find an effective HIV vaccine.

Internationally recognised for her expertise in the field of microbicide research, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for HIV Prevention.

Ramjee was also honoured with the Outstanding Female Scientist Award by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships for her life’s work that has focused on finding new HIV prevention methods.

Additionally, Professor Ramjee was a reviewer and editor of several scientific journals and a member of a number local and international committees and advisory groups, including the Academy of Science of South Africa and SANAC.

In honour of Professor Ramjee, the Deputy President appealed to all South Africans to adhere to the regulations of the 21-day lockdown to ensure the spread of COVID-19 is halted and the battle against the virus is won.

“In her honour, we should heed the call to flatten the curve by strengthening our responses to this global pandemic as well as continue the fight to achieve zero new HIV infections,” he said.

The Portfolio Committee on Women has called on households to stand together and help each other, especially women, children and disabled people who remain vulnerable to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) during the 21-day lockdown period.

“The potential of increase in incidents of gender-based violence and femicide is a reality we cannot ignore during these times with people confined to their homes, anxiety and stress levels increased and boredom,” said Committee Chairperson on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Nonhlanhla Ncube-Ndaba.

The Committee commended government for its swift action implemented across various sectors in a bid to deal with COVID-19, noting that the Coronavirus is a human crisis.

Understanding the economic impact of this pandemic on South Africa and globally, Ncube-Ndaba said government’s intervention stimulus package for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME’s) will contribute to maintaining businesses.

She said the committee has encouraged young entrepreneurs, female-owned businesses and persons with disabilities with SMMEs to investigate how to access assistance from the government.

“The committee is acutely aware that the low-end paid workforce is dominated by women and youth, be it in domestic work, in the construction industry, retail and sales, to name a few.

“Furthermore, the committee is aware of the implications of the lockdown for millions of households across the country. The burden of care to attend to children, the elderly and persons with disabilities within a household cannot be placed only on women and girls, as we are all affected,” Ncube-Ndaba said.

The Committee applauded non-governmental organisations that continue to render services to victims of GBVF, be it remotely.

The Committee also urged employees to abide by the provisions outlined in the country’s labour laws, in terms of their conditions of employment, in order to benefit from governments intervention for their families who depend on them to survive.

It further commended all workers in essential services, who will continue working through the lockdown, and encouraged others to do their bit by staying at home.

The Gender-Based Violence Command Centre will remain operational and can be accessed by calling 0800 428 428 and has a Skype Line (add “Helpme GBV” to your Skype contacts) and “Please Call Me” facility on *120*7867#.

An SMS based line is also available on 31531.