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Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu has suspended and postponed all face-to-face training by the National School of Government (NSG) with immediate effect.

The suspension and postponement is in line with the announcement of a national state of disaster on the 15th of March 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This follows the global declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The suspension and postponement of training is also in line with the implementation of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) guidelines for the containment and management of the Coronavirus impact in the Public Service and in compliance with the regulations gazetted this week in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

“The NSG will undertake increased online learning during the said period. A list of all available online courses will be communicated on the NSG website and Facebook pages.

“In addition, all participants that had received confirmation for booked courses will be contacted,” said the department in a statement on Friday.

The NSG, which falls under the portfolio of Minister Mchunu, trains about 4 000 public servants annually at its premises in Sunnyside, Pretoria and 40 000 in external venues in other cities countrywide.

The school has a course offering suite of 141 courses and programmes, of which 109 are accredited with the relevant quality assuring bodies.

These courses and programmes span the various salary bands of the Public Service – offering training and development through induction, management development programmes, leadership development, as well as good governance and service delivery.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has wished all South Africans a reflective national Human Rights Day and called on all citizens to unite behind the national effort to minimize the rapid spread of the Coronavirus.

“We observe Human Rights Day at an extraordinary time for our country and the world, as we battle to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.

“The threat posed by this formidable adversary has compelled us to take unprecedented steps to protect the most fundamental human right of all, and that is the right to life,” said President Ramaphosa.

South Africa annually observes Human Rights Day in remembrance of the tragic events of 21 March 1960 in Sharpeville and Langa. In Sharpeville, police opened fired on a peaceful crowd protesting the racist pass laws, killing sixty nine and injuring more than 180 people.

Today marks 60 years since the Sharpeville Massacre.

“Regrettably this year we are not observing this day as we usually do by gathering in our numbers as we do with our national days. The prohibition of gatherings over 100 people is for the health and safety of all,” the President said.

The disruption is one of many necessary interventions, taken by government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“The right to life, to health and to economic activity is under threat from a virus that has necessitated that we dramatically alter our behavior as a nation. It further demands us to look at ourselves and the world around us in ways we have not imagined,” said the President.

He said that South Africans can draw great strength from the way in which they have pulled together as a nation working together closely with all sectors of society.

“If this Coronavirus is to leave any positive legacy, let it be that it brought all of us closer together not just for survival in this moment but for our future together as a nation that is destined to overcome this challenge.

“As we work together in the best interests of our country, South Africa, today, the events of Sharpeville and Langa on this day sixty years ago remind us of a time when the majority of citizens enjoyed no protection or recognition by the state and were deprived of their fundamental right to dignity,” said President Ramaphosa.

Human Rights Day 2020 takes place under the theme – “The year of unity, socio-economic renewal and nation-building”.

The President described this year’s theme as a profound call to action to all to play their part in ensuring the recovery of every compatriot by the Coronavirus as well as the recovery of the economy from the deep effects of this global pandemic.

“Let us be inspired today by the certainty that inspired the people of Sharpeville and Langa: that they would overcome. They did overcome. And so will we,” the President said.

Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday warned that anyone who disregards the recently released COVID-19 state of disaster regulations would be arrested and face the full might of the law.

Section 10 of the regulations empowers the Minister of Police to issue directions to address, prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in all police stations and holding cells.

“I have directed the management of the South African Police Service to implement measures that will see all members, particularly those who are in close contact with different communities and who visit our police stations, be provided with maximum protection against possible infection,” said the Minister at a joint press briefing in Pretoria.

Cele said the police have already procured protective gloves and hand sanitisers for police stations and holding cells. In addition, urgent procurement processes are underway to ensure adequate supplies to all community service centres.

“I’ve instructed the SAPS management to see to it that the members on the ground are provided for and at the same time ensure that everyone on duty complies with COVID-19 hygiene protocols as a matter of urgency,” Cele said.

Visits to police stations, enrolment

The Minister urged the public to avoid police station walk-ins and only go when necessary. These include visits for document certification, police clearance certificates, fingerprint taking for firearm renewals.

The public, he said, will be sanitised as they walk into the various stations.

During this period, the police enrolment of 7 000 trainees will be suspended until further notice.

Police presence at establishments

When coming to the enforcement of the regulations, police were in the process of appointing spotters who will be keeping an eye on the 19 971 taverns, 11 000 bottle stores, 9 747 restaurants and 2 518 night clubs across the country.

“As from today, police are appointing spotters, they’ll be in these places, especially the areas that sell food and alcohol. At 6pm, [the] selling and consumption of alcohol shuts down, but in places where there’s the sale of food, [such as] restaurants and food selling taverns, that continues.

“If you buy your bottle at 5:55pm, you can’t finish it where you are having your food. You will have to take it home,” he said.

Should these establishments be found to have over 50 patrons at a time, police will not be shy to disperse the excess patrons.

Cele said should there be over 50 patrons, the owners and event organisers will be arrested.

Even though this was not in the gazetted regulations, Cele said police were calling on establishments to have a register of customers visiting them. This would aid in tracing individuals should the need arise.

Such a mechanism will help authorities should a patron later test positive for the Coronavirus.

He reiterated that police will not be granting special permits for events to have a gathering of more than 100 people at a time.

“So there’s no need for you to go to any police station to ask for permission from police. You will keep to 100, whether it’s weddings, a funeral or any other [gathering]. There shall be no street bashes [nor] public drinking which is nonetheless illegal,” he said.

Minimising risk

Meanwhile, those being taken into detention will be scanned for COVID-19 symptoms and no visits will be allowed at police cells until further notice.

With the number of people at home anticipated to rise, the SAPS will be sharpening its Family Violence and Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units so as to ensure that domestic violence and abuse cases are addressed sufficiently.

The Minister emphasised that the aim of implementing the law and was not to punish the public but a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

He warned that faith-based organisations who have pronounced their intentions to defy the regulations would be closed down and their leaders arrested.

Friday’s briefing was attended by Justice, Correctional Services and Constitutional Development Minister Ronald Lamola and Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale, among others.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced that South Africa now has 202 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus.

The province with the largest number of new cases is Gauteng, at 33. The Western Cape had the second highest number of new infections with 11 confirmed cases. KwaZulu-Natal recorded one new case.

The Free State has recorded its first infections – there are now seven cases of COVID-19 in the province.

Mkhize made the announcement on Friday morning after a meeting with the Free State provincial government following the detection of a number of local transmissions.

Local transmission spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.

“Of the first five people that were reported, two of them are people who came from Texas, USA, another two came from Israel and another one came from France and they came here around the 9th to the 11th of March 2020, they came to a church conference,” explained the Minister.

While at the conference one of them developed symptoms and consulted a doctor.

Upon a positive test confirmation, four others were tested and all five were found to be positive.

At the time of their visit, the group of five resided at a bed and breakfast in the province. The group of five – and the staff at the establishment – were placed in quarantine.

At the conference, the group of five were joined by other churchgoers who displayed no symptoms. They have since left for Madagascar.

Rush to trace contacts

In a bid to beef up the tracing of contacts, the Health Minister announced that the department has called on the SA Red Cross to assist.

The provincial SA Red Cross, with about 285 volunteers, has immediately started the mapping of affected people.

A senior expert from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has also been dispatched to the province and is expected to arrive on Friday.

A mobile testing unit has been sent to help screen 600 people.

“We have set this weekend as a target to rush and get as many of those members of the church so that we are able to start the process of screening them, testing them and quarantining to prevent the further spread,” said Mkhize.

The Minister appealed to other members of the church to identify each other.

“We can’t treat it like what has been happening in their areas, most of the areas its one individual and a set of contacts who are dispersed in different towns. Here we are dealing with a concentrated set of contacts,” he said.

Due to the easy spread of the disease, through droplets of infected persons and surfaces, Mkhize emphasised the importance of social distancing and intensified hygiene.

The Minister explained that while deaths may be low, it was important to limit the spread to protect the health system.

“Numbers must not rise so rapidly that it will overwhelm our health system. They must rise slowly so that we can cope with those that need to be treated.

“In the experience we have seen from other countries, 75% of the spread happens within family settings,” he said.

But in some instances, Mkhize said, large crowded gatherings are the perfect setting for the virus to spread. He used the church in South Korea and the Diamond Princess as examples.

The Competition Commission says it has received several complaints from the public about rising prices for essentials such as some food, healthcare and hygiene products.

According to the commission, there are also concerns of suppliers inflating prices as government, retailers and private healthcare companies embark on emergency procurement of products related to the curbing and managing the spread of COVID-19.

“The Competition Act prohibits various acts of excessive pricing and collusive behaviour by suppliers and retailers which artificially inflates prices and exploits consumers.

“The penalties for such offences are severe, including a 10% of the firm’s annual turnover for a first time offence and 25% of annual turnover for a repeat offence. For collusive behaviour, the directors of companies which engage in such acts face potential imprisonment for a period of up to 10 years,” the commission said in a statement.

Minister of Trade and Industry and Economic Development Ebrahim Patel on Thursday gazetted regulations in terms of the Competition Act and Disaster Management Act which aim to strengthen the ability of the commission and the National Consumer Commission to respond to incidences of exploitative pricing.

These regulations empower the commission to prosecute cases where prices have increased materially without any cost justifications for the increase.

“The commission is working closely and coordinating with the National Consumer Commission to provide consumers the swiftest and most effective protection against price abuse during this period,” the commission said.

The Minister and the Commissioners of the Competition Commission and the National Consumer Commission have been in contact with the major retailers and pharmacy CEOs to address, among other issues, concerns around price increases.

All the retailers are supportive of government and regulators’ efforts to protect consumers at this critical time.

“We have therefore agreed that in the event of any unusual increases of prices by suppliers, the regulators will bring these to the attention of the regulators.

“Consumers should also bring any concerns to the attention of regulators through the details available in their websites, or through this toll-free no. 0800 014 880,” the commission said.

According to the commission, the cases will be screened and referred to the relevant regulator for swift action.

“During this period of the state of national disaster, the commission will specifically prioritise such complaints to ensure that firms exploiting consumers are quickly prosecuted and penalised.

“To this end, the Commission has set up a dedicated team to respond and investigate any such complaints, and to fast track these through referral and prosecution before the Competition Tribunal,” it said.

Minister Patel also gazetted regulations which enable the private healthcare system to cooperate in ensuring that there is adequate capacity and stocks at healthcare facilities throughout the country in order to respond to the COVID-19 national disaster.

This will assist in ensuring that the private and public healthcare system can provide the necessary care to citizens without fear of falling foul of the Competition Act.

However, these regulations are limited to ensuring an adequate supply of healthcare to citizens and do not give the private healthcare industry the right to cooperate on pricing to the public.

There are also controls insofar as any cooperation needs to be at the request of the Department of Health, and in coordination with that department.

Members of the public are urged to contact the Competition Commission for more information on ccsa@compcom.co.za.

South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will immediately suspend all international operations until 31 May 2020, in response to government’s travel ban aimed at stopping the transmission of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and attendant travel restrictions have resulted in a substantial decline in demand for air travel.

“The situation caused many airlines across the world to ground aircraft, release their employees, and to cancel flights. In the case of SAA, this decision means that SAA will only render services on its regional and domestic routes,” said SAA in a statement on Friday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of national disaster on Sunday. Government announced a travel ban and issued regulations which introduced certain measures aimed at combatting the spread or transmission of the Coronavirus.

Among other things, the regulations issued on Thursday state that: “Disembarkation of foreign nationals from the high-risk countries is suspended on airports upon arrival.”

Embarkation and disembarkation is permissible under the following circumstances:

– Disembarkation of returning South African citizens and permanent residents;

– Embarkation of departing foreign nationals, disembarkation of a declared medical emergency;

– Foreign nationals must be approved by port health services;

– Upon landing, crew from high risk countries shall be subject to medical screening and quarantined for 21 days.

SAA operates in three markets that form part of countries listed in the travel ban as high-risk areas. These are the United States (Washington DC and New York, JFK), the United Kingdom (London, Heathrow) and Germany (Frankfurt and Munich). In addition, SAA operates flights to Australia (Perth) and Brazil (São Paulo) which have not been declared high-risk.

“All of which are now cancelled,” said SAA.

SAA Acting CEO, Zuks Ramasia, said: “In support of efforts by government to deal with this pandemic, and in the best interests of our crew, passengers and the public, we have decided to suspend all international flights until 31 May 2020.

“It is all our responsibility, not just government, to curb further transmission of the virus. In addition, the increasing risks to our crew of contracting the virus including the possibility of being trapped in foreign destinations as a consequence of increasing travel bans cannot be ignored.”

“We also recognise the fluidity in the conditions we operate in and the need to respond to these changes with speed, to this end we commit to keep all our stakeholders abreast of any changes on an ongoing basis,” said Ramasia.

SAA said it regrets any inconvenience to customers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It encouraged all customers to visit www.flysaa.com for further updates.

Customers are advised to either contact their travel agents, or for direct bookings, South African Airways Call Centres on +27 (0)11 978-1111 or 0861 606-606 or 0800 214-774 (South Africa only) or +27 (0)11 978-2888.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has noted the German government’s plans to evacuate the 1 243 German nationals on board AIDAmira Cruise ship in Cape Town.

The German government has dispatched four chartered aircraft for the evacuation mission.

“The crew will not be permitted to disembark the plane but will wait for the arrival of the German nationals, who will be escorted from the AIDAmira on to the plane.

“The timelines will be confirmed by the German Embassy, however, the plane’s permit numbers have already been issued,” the Department of Transport said in a statement.

The AIDAmira’s more than 1 700 passengers and crew have not been able to disembark since Monday, 16 March 2020, following the discovery that some of the passengers had come into contact with someone who showed symptoms of the Coronavirus.

All passengers have since tested negative of COVID-19.

Statistician General Risenga Maluleke has suspended all fieldwork activities of the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) with immediate effect until 31 March.

The announcement comes amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

“COVID-19 has hit our shores, and the disease is spreading rapidly,” said Maluleke.

Government has already declared the virus a national disaster, and has put a number of measures in place to try to slow the transmission of the disease.

“Stats SA’s primary concern is the safety of its staff and respondents. In line with the recommendations from the Steering Committee set up to deal with issues concerning COVID-19 in Stats SA, the Statistician General has suspended all fieldwork activities with immediate effect until 31 March 2020,” he said.

The committee will continue to look at the prevailing environment to inform its decisions, he said.

Stats SA thanked its field staff who went out on a daily basis under very challenging circumstances.

He also thanks the organisation’s respondents for continuing to supply Stats SA with their information, which is the lifeblood of this organisation, to provide statistics for South Africa to make informed decisions.

“These are extraordinary times that we are living in, and they demand extraordinary responses. Let this be the year of unity and nation building. Together, we can beat this virus.”

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in the country is likely to increase to just under 200 by Friday.

“We are quite certain by tomorrow [Friday] we would have gone much higher, probably just under 200,” said the Minister.

Mkhize made the projection at a meeting with the South African Medical Association on Thursday evening.

On Thursday, the Health Department reported that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen from 116 to a 150 – an increase of 34 positive cases.

Free State first confirmed cases

The Health Department also announced that the Free State province now has its first confirmed cases.

“The patients are being informed as we speak, some have already been taken into quarantine by the provincial government.”

He said the department would disclose the number of cases in this province on Friday, once all the patients had been made aware of their positive test results.

Western Cape MEC in self-quarantine

Meanwhile, the Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo has gone into self-quarantine as a precaution after she came into contact with the French Consul General, who announced that he had tested positive for the Coronavirus.

“This morning I spoke to the Western Cape Health MEC, Dr Mbombo. She informed me that she, together with her Ministry staff, had gone into self-quarantine as a precaution…

“The MEC is feeling strong and has not exhibited any symptoms. We wish her well as we know that she has been crisscrossing the Western Cape province to ensure the state of preparedness of our health facilities for COVID-19 patients requiring admission,” said the Health Department.

Mbombo is now waiting for her results to determine her way forward.

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, China has reported no domestic cases.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Thursday when he gave a global update on the Coronavirus pandemic.

Ghebreyesus described China’s success as “an amazing achievement”.

According to the WHO, there are now more than 200 000 cases of COVID-19, and more than 8 000 deaths worldwide.

In support of affected countries, WHO has shipped personal protective equipment (PPE) to 68 countries and shipped 1.5 million diagnostic kits to 120 countries.

The focus on diagnostics and PPE, comes amid a flow of requests from many countries as they move to test and tackle the outbreak in their countries.

“We have a list of agreed suppliers in China now, and they have permission to export to WHO. We’re now finalising the arrangements.

“We’ve identified producers with over-capacity, we’re finalising specifications, and coordinating shipments so we can refill our warehouse to ship PPE to whoever needs it most. Our aim is to build a continuous pipeline to ensure continuity of supply,” said Ghebreyesus.

On diagnostics, WHO says while there are many companies that produce diagnostic kits it can only buy kits that have been evaluated independently.

“We have worked with FIND to significantly increase capacity for evaluation by contracting additional labs to do the evaluation. In parallel, we’re working with companies to secure supply,” said Ghebreyesus.

Search for COVID-19 vaccine

On research and development, WHO and its partners are organising a study in several countries in which untested treatments are compared with each other.

“We call this the SOLIDARITY trial. We thank those countries that have already joined and we look forward to other countries joining too.

“The number of countries joining this global trial is increasing, and we hope that it will involve more countries from all regions and will help us to get better results soon,” said Ghebreyesus.

The hunt for a vaccine has kicked off with the first vaccine trial starting just two months after the genetic sequence of the virus was shared.

“…Which is an unprecedented scientific triumph, and the first person was enrolled in the trial in the U.S., thanks to NIH, two days ago, and we hope this will help us as an additional solution in the fight against COVID-19,” said Ghebreyesus.