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Essential transport services will continue to operate during the 21-day nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Minibus-taxis will be allowed to transport essential services workers and those allowed to make the necessary permitted movements,” Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said.

Addressing Wednesday’s media briefing by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster in Tshwane, the Minister said transport movements in this regard will be allowed to operate from 5am to 9am and again from 4pm to 8pm.

Operators must put measures in place to adhere to social distancing in order to curb the spread of the virus.

“All minibus-taxis must be sanitised after every trip. All taxi ranks must be sanitised at regular intervals. Where appropriate, government will provide assistance,” the Minister said.

As part of the relief measures for small businesses in distress, as announced by the President, taxis that have been financed by the National Taxi Finance [administered by the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA)] will be granted a three-month repayment holiday.

Commercial banks are also considering similar measures.

Metered taxis and e-hailing services

Metered taxis and e-hailing vehicles will be allowed to transport essential services workers and those allowed to make the necessary permitted movements.

Transport movements in this regard will be allowed to operate from 5am to 9am and again from 4pm to 8pm.

“Metered taxis and e-hailing vehicles must be sanitised after each journey. The industry will take responsibility for this. Where appropriate, government will assist,” Mbalula said.

The number of passengers each vehicle is allowed to carry will be reduced.

“A vehicle licensed to carry up to four people will only be permitted to load one person.  A vehicle licensed to carry up to eight passengers will only be permitted to load a maximum of three passengers,” he said.

Sanitisers used in all taxi vehicles must have a minimum of 60% alcohol content.

Limited bus operations will be allowed to transport essential services workers and those allowed to make the necessary permitted movements.

“All cross-border road passenger movements will be prohibited for the duration of the lockdown. Cross-border freight movement for essential goods will continue to and from our neighbouring countries,” the Minister said.

Rail

All long-distance passenger rail services, both public and private, will stop operations for the duration of the lockdown.

“Services of Shosholoza Meyl, Premier Classe and Blue Train operated by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and Transnet, respectively, have already been suspended.  The new regulations mean that private rail operators such as Rovos Rail will also cease operations,” the Minister said.

All commuter rail services will shut down for the duration of the lockdown.  This includes all Metrorail and Gautrain services.

“All international and domestic flights are prohibited, irrespective of the risk category of the country of origin. Only essential air cargo will be allowed. However, cargo from high risk countries must be sanitised,” the Minister said.

He said the ban on cruise ships calling at any of South Africa’s sea ports will be strictly enforced.

Essential cargo will be allowed at eight sea ports.  However, cargo from high risk countries must be sanitized.

Transport services

During the lockdown period, most services rendered by the Department of Transport entities will be suspended.

Vehicle testing centres and drivers’ licence testing centres (DLTCs) will be closed.

“Should your driver’s licence expire during the duration of the lockdown, it shall be deemed to remain valid until the end of the lockdown, with the grace period of renewal within 14 working days thereafter – unless otherwise determined,” the Minister said.

Skelton staff will be maintained for purposes of safe road operations, clearing of accidents, maintenance of tunnels as well as road traffic enforcement.

The Arts and Culture Department has reprioritised its budget allocation from Quarter One to avail over R150 million to provide much needed relief to practitioners in the sector, as the country prepares for 21 days of a national lockdown.

“The allocated funds will be utilised to render various forms of support to practitioners during this period.

“Priority will be given to artists and practitioners, who were already booked by some of the cancelled and postponed events funded by the department, as well as to the legends of the industry,” said the Minister of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Nathi Mthethwa.

He was one of several Ministers to brief media on Wednesday on measures government is taking to counter the effects of COVID-19 and the resultant lockdown.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown from midnight on Thursday, 26 March 2020, to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

With the rapid spread of the virus through close contact, the arts and culture sector – which relies on big events filled to capacity – is one of the hardest hit.

Since the outbreak, over 25 TV productions have been postponed and about 15 live shows have been cancelled.

In a bid to mitigate the economic impact on the sector, the DSAC, together with the Communication Department, is engaging broadcasters to ensure that producers pay casts and crews, who were due to go into production.

“Among the measures announced by the President was to limit gatherings to less than 100 people.

“This necessary measure was a fatal blow to the sector, since it depends on numbers for it to survive – be it gigs, concerts or sporting matches,” said the Minister.

On the sporting front, the Olympic Games and several football matches were cancelled.

Partnership with the DSAC Playhouses to create live streaming programmes

In support of playhouses, which are entities of the DSAC, the department will avail to artists a platform to perform live streaming activities, which include stand-up comedy, poetry sessions and music.

“This will be done to keep people entertained, to showcase the work of the creatives, and to promote local content across all art genres.

“The department will commission service providers in the digital space to curate new programmes in all disciplines to ensure that artists continue to work. The department will share detailed plans on the process for participation,” said the Minster.

Support from entities of DSAC to practitioners

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) will offer immediate relief to practitioners in the film industry by prioritising and making payments to beneficiaries, who have submitted milestones in the past two weeks on an urgent basis.

Beneficiaries, who are yet to submit milestones over the next three months, will also be paid.

As part of the slates programme, which benefits young emerging producers, the NFVF has identified a savings of R4.5 million from the current fiscal, which will be used as part of the relief programme.

“NFVF will provide a cash injection of R500 000 to the nine companies currently commissioned by the organisation. This relief will only be contained to the slates currently commissioned by the institution, and would be extended to anyone else in the industry,” said Mthethwa.

Support local content

The department also called upon both public and private broadcasters to lend a hand in the relief programme towards the sector by playing more locally produced content to enable artists to earn royalties, and to show patriotism towards their country.

In an effort to educate and create and awareness, the DSAC will partner with artists to share messages about COVID-19, and also to communicate messages that will bring courage and hope to South African citizens.

“Through our campaign, we will be sending out a strong message that carries many voices. This we will attain by commissioning young and upcoming artists, renowned artists, and our legends to curate via their respective social media platforms,” said Mthethwa.

All Directors-General (DGs) and Heads of Departments (HODs) have been directed to identify the minimum critical and essential services that must remain available to the public.

This as South Africa prepares for its first government-ordered lockdown, which will get underway at midnight on 26 March 2020.

Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu on Wednesday outlined his department’s plans to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) at a Governance State Capacity and Institutional Development Cluster media briefing.

Mchunu said the focus of the public service is the continuous provision of critical and essential services for the effective functioning of the public service during the nationwide lockdown, as declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday.

To this effect, Mchunu said the department has issued directives and circulars to ensure that all national departments and provincial administrations deliver critical and essential public services, and for all of them to contribute towards the containment of COVID-19.

He said HODs must put in place plans and measures that will ensure service delivery continuity of critical and essential services. HODs must also consider and approve the institutional capacity of their respective departments for the duration of the state of disaster for COVID-19.

“Critical and essential services must be fully operational and be escalated with redeployed resources from non-critical services to where needed. HODs must consider a rotation system for this group of employees.

“An HOD may consider remote work arrangements with the framework of the department’s service delivery imperatives.

“Employees responsible for the rendering of direct critical and essential services should not be considered for the arrangement of remote work.

“Employees occupying non-critical positions that do not necessitate their presence at the workplace should be considered for a remote work arrangement or alternatively be considered for redeployment to critical services,” Mchunu explained.

Retired and former public servants with the requisite skills, including health professionals and engineers, have also been approached for deployment to critical services, where it is needed.

All HODs must provide staff for critical services including:

• Payment for service providers and salaries;
• Human resource support to employees at work and those working remotely, and
• Budget and planning processes.

The directives determining the provision of critical and essential services required for the effective functioning of the public service during the COVID-19 outbreak and the 21-day lockdown has been approved, and is expected to be published on the DPSA website and social media pages today.

Wake up daily and perform your duties

Meanwhile, Mchunu has urged all public servants, who will be home or working remotely from home during the lockdown, to wake up daily and perform their duties.

“We also call upon public servants to be cautious, as there is an invisible killer lurking amongst us. You can do your bit to slow its passage through the corners of our country by observing all protocols communicated by our government, including the social distancing guidelines and staying at home during this period of 21 days,” Mchunu said.

He further expressed his appreciation to all public servants in the health, education and security sectors, who are on the frontline and all people who have been leading government’s response.

“We thank them most sincerely and urge all of them to march on and serve at all time.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed sorrow at the passing of renowned traditional healer, prophet, author and cultural historian Bab’ Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa.

Bab’ Credo as he is popularly known, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 98.

“On behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and supporters of Bab’ Credo.

“We have lost one of our most ardent champions of African cultural heritage preservation, who dedicated his life to fighting ignorance of our African customs.

“Our country is the poorer at his passing, but he leaves behind a vast body of work and a wealth of knowledge that we will continue to study and learn from in years to come,” said President Ramaphosa.

Regarded by his followers and supporters as a prophet and diviner, Credo Mutwa predicted a number of domestic and international events of significance, such as the Soweto Uprisings of 1976, the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, and conflict between the US and Iran.

Working from his home in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, he and his wife ran a traditional healing practice. The couple also ran a hospice for many years.

He was a cultural activist and prolific author whose works shed light on African legends, customs and religious beliefs. His first book, Indaba, My Children, sold over 250 000 copies.

“As a nation we pay homage to Bab’ Credo who throughout his life affirmed the necessity for us as Africans to take pride in our customs and cultural heritage, even as colonial and apartheid authorities sought to denigrate them,” President Ramaphosa said.

In recognition of his contribution to indigenous knowledge preservation, in 2018 he was a recipient of the Department of Arts and Culture’s Usiba Award.

Last year, the Department of Arts and Culture also presented Bab’ Credo and his wife Virginia with a new home, in response to a plea for the family for assistance as his health was failing.

“In his honour I call upon all South Africans to acquaint themselves with Bab’ Credo’s work, of which the foundation that bears his name is a repository,” President Ramaphosa said.

Courts will operate to a limited extent to deal with urgent matters during the lockdown period.

On Monday, the President announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). The lockdown will be effective from midnight on Thursday.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has issued directives on how the courts will operate in light of COVID-19.

“The Chief Justice has, in terms of section 165 of the Constitution and section 8 of the Superior Courts Act, already delegated the authority to make customised directives to all Heads of Superior and Lower/Magistrate Courts,” the Office of the Chief Justice said in a statement on Wednesday.

This will enable courts to remain open and operational to a limited extent as determined by the Head of each Court after consultation with their colleagues at that court.

“Broadly, the courts will, as an essential service, remain open for the filing of papers and hearing of urgent applications, bail applications and appeals or matters relating to violations of liberty, domestic violence, maintenance and matters involving children,” the Office of the Chief Justice said.

Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says the possibility of load shedding during the 21-day nationwide lockdown is unlikely.

“The supply of fuel to the relevant critical and essential services, as well as the supply of coal to Eskom for electricity supply and liquid fuels production, are critical during this period.

“Supplying Eskom with coal is a requirement and with the lockdown, demand will be very low so it is unlikely that we will have load shedding,” said the Minister.

Mantashe made the remarks, during a joint media briefing with the Ministries of Arts and Culture and Telecommunications, where each department mapped out its interventions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 during the lockdown.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown from  midnight on Thursday 26 March 2020 to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

Working together with the South African Petroleum Industry Association, the Minerals Council SA and in consultation with labour unions, Mantashe says his department has developed a framework through which these industries will implement the envisaged directives.

“This is being done in order to safeguard the lives of people, while ensuring that the limited economic activity which will be undertaken during this period is supported,” said the Minister.

With industries required to prioritise the health and safety of employees, Mantashe announced that mining operations especially those that are labour intensive will be scaled down significantly.

The Minister said government is mindful that in some mining operations and processing plants a complete shutdown will not be feasible or too costly and in this regard is adopting a risk-based approach.

“This would negatively affect security of supply, and therefore the economy as a whole.

“We are adopting a risk-based approach, with worst-case scenario planning, and all companies are required to ensure that their business continuity plans are fit for purpose,” he said.

Mining

In the mining sector, essential services supporting the sector, including security and related infrastructure, maintenance, water pumping, refrigeration and ventilation will continue.

Mines supplying coal to Eskom will remain in operation, albeit at reduced production levels.

For exports, each case will be evaluated on its merits. Services being rendered to communities, such as the supply of water, will also continue.

Production in the gold, chrome, manganese and other sectors will be scaled down; while the processing of surface material in the PGMs sector will continue for the production of – among others medical products.

“This will allow smelters, which cannot be switched on and off abruptly, to remain operational,” said the Minister.

In support of government’s fight against COVID-19, the Minerals Council committed to avail its health infrastructure – facilities and staff – during the lockdown as potential quarantine sites.

Energy

In the energy sector, the following activities are among those which will be considered an essential service:

• The production and distribution of petroleum products, including fuel, paraffin and liquefied petroleum gas. This entails shipping, manufacturing, terminals, distribution and retail.
• In the case of petroleum products, imports will be scaled back for the duration of the lockdown, as there will be excess capacity.
• Regulatory oversight on nuclear facilities, as well as nuclear safeguard inspections.
• Production and supply of nuclear medicines and chemicals used at refineries.
• The Safari-1 research reactor and support technical services.

The Gauteng Provincial Government, led by Premier David Makhura, has announced wide ranging plans and interventions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Briefing the media on Wednesday, Premier Makhura said the province had adopted a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach which will proactively involve significant actors within the province to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

These plans include the establishment of a multi-sectoral coordination at both Provincial and District levels for COVID-19 preparedness and response; and strengthening capacity to undertake surveillance for COVID-19 at Provincial and District levels, including the training of 259 contact tracers.

“Following the declaration of the national disaster, on Monday, 16 March 2020, we convened a special meeting of the Executive Council – with mayors from Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, West Rand and Sedibeng municipalities in attendance – to discuss a comprehensive response by the province including how we will enforce all measures announced by the President,” said Makhura.

The following constitutes elements of the implementation plan for Gauteng in enforcing the measures as outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa:

• Enhancing capacity of emergency medical services to respond to reported cases;
• Establishing and maintaining screening capacity at key points of entry;
• Continuously informing the public on the public health risks of coronavirus;
• Establishing a war room that will do routine monitoring, evaluation and surveillance using multiple approaches, systems and technologies; and
• Refurbishment of Carletonville Hospital.

All hospitals in the province have been directed to create isolation areas for suspected and probable COVID-19 cases, in line with the district management approach.

He said 9000 community healthcare workers will be trained as contact tracers, who are currently doing tracing of patients with TB and HIV/AIDS.

The Department of Health is procuring 10 000 test kits over and above what the NICD is already providing to better prepare, should the pandemic persist.

“We also urge residents to utilise online platforms to transact with government, including for the payment of services.  A task team on Labour led by MEC Mamabolo, Director General, Ms Phindile Baleni and labour representative has met and engaged Labour on the DPSA Circular with regards to public service,” said Makhura.

Gauteng province has three COVID-19 designated hospitals – Charlotte Maxeke Academic, Steve Biko Academic as well as Tembisa Tertiary – for appropriate treatment of confirmed cases.

Twenty-nine areas have been identified for de-densification in an effort to combat the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Outlining her department’s interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19 at a media briefing in Tshwane on Tuesday, Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, warned that if the virus reaches densely populated areas, it will find fertile ground to spread.

“We will need to urgently move some of our people for the de-densification to be realised. Land parcels to relocate and decant dense communities have been secured. This will not be far from the current place of residence.

“We appeal to our people to recognise that the threat posed by Coronavirus in our informal settlements is real. It is, therefore, in their best interest to avoid this risk by cooperating with government as we relocate them to healthier and safer homes.

“Let us help each other to save the nation,” Sisulu said.

The densely populated areas are mainly found in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

Sisulu also announced that the department has received commitments from Business Unity South Africa (BUSA).

BUSA has engaged with the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) to put in place public hand washing facilities at the top 10 taxi ranks.

Water services infrastructure

The department’s interventions will focus on water services infrastructure, with the intention of improving water supply, access to sanitation and sanitising public spaces.

High risk areas which require immediate interventions are:

• Public areas with limited or no access to water and sanitation services.
• Overcrowded settlements (inclusive of hostels and inner-city areas).
• Informal settlements.
• Rural settlements and water scarce towns.

So far, the Minister said the department has identified just over 2 000 communities across the country that will need urgent attention.

Interventions with regards to water and sanitation will cover the following:

• Ensure water supply to communities not yet served by a formal water service. This will include providing communal water storage with water collection points, which will be filled by means of water carting in the interim.
• Providing hand washing facilities in public places such as taxi ranks and community halls, amongst others. However, with the announcement of the lockdown, this will be reviewed.
• Rolling out a health and hygiene campaign, which goes hand-in-hand with the provision of sanitation.
• Interim containerised sanitation systems will be provided in the targeted highly dense areas, as identified by Human Settlements, which will be implemented by the metros with Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) funding.

Over 1 000 water tanks procured

Sisulu said 47 water tankers have already been procured in the Eastern Cape and will service priority communities, which have been identified to experience water shortages.

In addition, over 1 000 water tanks have also been procured and are currently being delivered to affected communities.

“We have put measures in place to implement our interventions. We have set up an Operation Centre at Rand Water, where we monitor the distribution of the services mentioned.

“We also have provincial command centres and have mobilised the regional offices of the Water and Sanitation Department, municipalities and Regional Water Boards to act as distribution centres,” Sisulu said.

South African Airways (SAA) will suspend all its domestic flights with effect from Friday, 27 March 2020.

“The decision came after government announced a nation-wide lockdown for 21 days aimed at combatting the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19),” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The decision follows President Cyril Rampahosa’s announcement on Monday, of a nationwide lockdown that will come into effect from midnight on Thursday.

The national carrier said it supports the national efforts announced by government to contain, manage and disrupt the rate of transmission of COVID-19.

The suspension of all domestic flights follows on the earlier announcement by the airline to suspend both international and regional flights in light of the Coronavirus.

“All these flights remain suspended until 31 May 2020,” it said.

Arrangements prior to the lockdown

In the period leading up to the lockdown (24-26 March 2020), the airline will provide support to passengers who intend to change their travel plans and commence their journeys before the implementation of the national lockdown.

“SAA is committed to looking after the interests of its customers and will assist customers whose itinerary must change as a result of the lockdown. There will be one free travel change for travel between Tuesday, 24 March and Thursday, 26 March 2020,” it said adding that re-accommodation of the customers for this purpose will happen on a first-come-first-served basis.

Arrangements during the lockdown

The airline’s call centres will not be in operation for the duration of the lockdown, which is scheduled to come to end at midnight on Thursday 16 April 2020.

However, customers will be able to direct enquires through any of the following channels:

Customer Solutions: customersolutions@flysaa.com

• COVID-19 enquiries on SAA policy
• COVID-19 enquiries on Travel Bans
• General enquiries relating to SAA business continuity

Reservations JNB: ReservationsJNB@flysaa.com

• Revenue Tickets
• Changes to existing bookings, for future travel
• New bookings

Voyager Service Recovery: VoyagerServiceRecovery@flysaa.com

• Voyager Blue, Silver and Gold members
• Changes to existing bookings, for future travel
• New bookings
• PIN Reset
• Voyager Platinum members would continue to be supported via the dedicated email channel

Resumption of flights

Meanwhile, SAA has put in place measures to assist customers in the days after the lockdown.

“SAA will resume its domestic flights on 17 April 2020,” it said.

It further added that all passengers who are willing to defer their travel will be expected to comply with conditions set out in the updated customer reservation policy.

“Customers are advised that the updated policy applies across SAA’s route network, including domestic, regional and international flights.”

The policy provides for changes for a period that extends beyond the industry norm (where ordinarily tickets are valid for 6 months only for domestic travel and 12 months for international travel) which is up until 2022.

Below is a summary of the policy:

• The policy applies to tickets issued on/before 24 March 2020 and new tickets issued up to 31 Aug 2020.
• Customers holding an 083 ticket for flights operated by SAA will be offered a refund in the form of a credit that can be used for future travel.
• Customers holding an 083 ticket for flights marketed by South African Airways in the flight range 7000-7999 and Mango codeshare flights will also qualify for the credit.
• The value of the credit will equal the value of the unused sectors (coupons).
• The original ticket rules will be waived.
• The credit must be used between the period 24 March 2020 to 24 March 2022.
• The credit can be used to purchase another ticket of the same/lower value or used as part payment for a ticket with a higher value.
• Any additional amount to be collected (i.e. fares, taxes and surcharges) will be for the passenger’s account.
• Change of routing will be permitted.
• This travel advisory waives the 72-hour rule

The full policy is available at www.flysaa.com

Customers can call the airline’s call centre on +27 (0)11 978-1111 or 0861 606 606 or 0800 214 774 (South Africa only) or +27 (0)11 978-2888.

The national carrier apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the suspension of its flights.

“We trust that our customers and stakeholders will appreciate that these decisions are meant for the national benefit,” it said.

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases have increased to 709 confirmed positive cases as of Wednesday.

Speaking to the public broadcaster, the SABC on Wednesday morning, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced the latest figures which increased by 155 cases overnight.

With 64 new cases, Gauteng led the pack of the provinces with the highest increase.

The Western Cape came in second with 61 cases. KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State had 11 and 15 new cases, respectively.

The Health Minister says government is expecting an increasing in numbers as tests trickle in.

According to the Minister, the COVID-19 test only takes three hours, but it is the moving of specimens between testing centres and labs which maybe causing the delay.

With concerns over the high cost of the COVID-19 test, Mkhize says discussions with the private sector are underway to lower costs.

“Nobody should be making a profit off a crisis,” he said.

With the imminent nationwide lockdown as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Minister called on the public to adhere to the 21 days of lockdown.

He warned against social gatherings and activities within the home setting, emphasising that in China, 75% of the spread was in the family setting.

“This virus will not be defeated by doctors and nurses, it will be defeated by our people,” said the Minister.

Dr Mkhize urged the public to abide by the rules, practice social distancing and hygienic measures.