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Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the department is seeing the recovery of people who had tested positive for COVID-19.

“We are in the process of conducting further confirmation tests and medical examinations then we [will] formally inform the public on the number of recoveries. At this stage, most of the patients are recovering well,” he said.

The President, as per information he received from the Health Minister, on Thursday announced that South Africa now has 150 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

This means there has been an increase of 34 positive cases.

The breakdown per province is as follows:

Gauteng: 15

• A 41 year-old female who had travelled to DRC.
• A 43 year-old female who had travelled to the UK.
• A 54 year-old female who had travelled to the UK.
• A 58 year-old male who had travelled to the UK.
• A 38 year-old male who had travelled to France.
• A 70 year-old female who had travelled to USA.
• A 30 year-old male who had travelled to Spain.
• A 45 year-old male who had travelled to DRC.
• An 85-year old male who had travelled to Switzerland.
• A 64 year-old male who had travelled to Vietnam and Thailand.
• A 41 year-old male who had travelled to Netherlands.
• A 37 year-old female with no international travel history.
• A 23 year-old male with no contact details on lab form, information being obtained from the private doctor.
• A 5 year-old female with no contact details on lab form, information being obtained from the private doctor.
• A 44 year-old male with no contact details on lab form, information being obtained from the private doctor.

KwaZulu-Natal: 3

• A 71 year-old female who had travelled to the UK.
• A 26 year-old male who had travelled to Mexico and USA.
• A 29 year-old female with no contact details on lab form, information being obtained from private doctor.

Mpumalanga: 1

• A 56 year-old female who had travelled to France.

Western Cape: 15

• A 53 year-old female who had travelled to the UK.
• A 30 year-old male who had travelled to Netherlands and Qatar.
• A 45 year-old male who had travelled to Mexico.
• A 70 year-old female who had travelled to USA.
• A 25 year-old female who travelled to the UK.
• A 37 year-old female who travelled to the UK.
• A 43 year-old female who travelled to USA.
• A 31 year-old male who travelled to the Spain and Netherlands.
• A 53 year-old female who travelled to the Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany.
• A 22 year-old female who travelled to the UK.
• A 63 year-old male who travelled to the Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany.
• A 22 year-old female who travelled to Spain and Netherlands.
• A 32 year-old male who travelled to USA.
• A 37 year-old male with no contact details on lab form.
• A 53 year-old male with no international travel history.

“As it will be noted in the above breakdown, we have stated that the contact details of some of the confirmed cases were not included in the laboratory form. This therefore puts more pressure on the NICD and provinces to track down the private doctor that the patient consulted, in order to obtain the patient’s details,” said the Health Department.

The Minister pleaded with all doctors to complete the forms comprehensively so that all the patient’s information is immediately available.

This, the department said, will assist in ensuring that the confirmed results are also analysed in terms of geomapping, to facilitate urgent tracing of contacts of the patient

Meeting with private laboratories

On Thursday afternoon, the Health Minister held an urgent teleconference with Chief Executive Officers of private laboratories that are performing the COVID-19 tests.

At this meeting, the private laboratories expressed their commitment and willingness to work hand in hand with government to perform the tests for COVID-19.

The meeting acknowledged that in order to allow for consistent reporting of cases, all information will be sent to the NICD in real time. There will be collaboration and proper compilation of the results, thereafter it will be released to the public.

The National Treasury has issued an instruction note to government departments, municipalities and entities to help speed up the procurement of the goods and/or commodities required to reduce and control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The intervention aims to support the declaration of the COVID-19 virus as a national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 15 March 2020.

In a statement, the department said the instruction note and Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular aim to augment and enhance uniformity across organs of state.

This includes decisions by Accounting Officers and Accounting Authorities in their emergency procurement, in support of effective and efficient service delivery and curb the possible abuse of Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems during the period of managing this national disaster.

“The instruction note and the circular also list prices of goods/commodities in efforts to curb opportunistic use of this disaster to drive profit margins. Both the instruction note and the circular provide annexures outlining the list of available goods/commodities and items not catered for on the Transversal Contracts, but can be procured from the enclosed list of compliant service providers,” reads the statement.

This instruction note and MFMA circular are also aligned to Circular 07 of 2020 issued by the Department of Public Service and Administration giving guidelines for the containment and management of the Coronavirus in the public service.

The instruction note and MFMA circular are restricted to commodities required to limit the spread of the virus, effective on the signed date and will terminate once a pronouncement is made to declare the end of the disaster or once National Treasury retracts the said instruction note.

National Treasury issued this instruction note in terms of section 76(4)(g) of the PFMA to allow for the relaxation, to a certain extent, of supply chain management requirements during times of emergencies to aid whatever situation the country might be facing.

President Ramaphosa’s declaration of a state of disaster following the rapid spread of the Coronavirus necessitated the increased procurement of health-related gear and collateral.

The Gauteng Health Department has – with immediate effect – imposed restrictions on visiting hours at healthcare facilities across the province.

As of Thursday, visiting hours at these facilities were limited to one hour per day between 12h00-13h00.

The restrictions follow the declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak as a national state of disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday.

During the visiting hour a patient will be allowed a maximum of two visitors per day.

“Only one visitor per patient will be allowed at a time, for no more than 15 minutes. There will be no rotation of visitors. No visitors will be allowed outside of the specified visiting hours,” said the department.

For any visits outside the prescribed time, arrangements must be made and authorised by the attending doctor.

The decision also follows on the announcement of the Gauteng Provincial Government response measures.

The Eskom board has ordered an independent investigation into allegations of corruption against its chief operating officer (COO) Jan Oberholzer.

“In the best interest of Eskom and both the complainant and the COO, the board has engaged the services of an independent senior counsel to investigate the allegations against the COO, and upon conclusion of such an investigation, to provide recommendations to the board,” said the board in a statement on Thursday.

This as the board acknowledged the receipt of correspondences from civil society orgnaisation Corruption Watch, dated 11 March 2020. The board also revived correspondence from South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), dated 12 and 18 March 2020.

In the letters both organisations articulate allegations of corruption and victimization against Oberholzer.

“Both organisations cite the same source, an Eskom employee who has since deposed to an affidavit to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, as having raised the allegations. In the correspondence, the organisations implore the Eskom board to intervene and act to protect the whistle-blower.”

The board added that many of the allegations raised in the letters have not previously been made available to the executive management and the board of Eskom.

The letters also follow the publication of recent media articles that continue to refer to some of the allegations.

“From the onset, it must be stated categorically that Eskom’s executive management and the board stand firmly against corruption, victimization and abuse of power,” said the board, adding that whistle-blowers are a key instrument in the fight against corruption.

Eskom has previously dealt with matters concerning the COO, and after an investigation led by an outside senior counsel, the investigation was closed following a thorough examination of the allegations, to which no substance was found.

“In light of the new allegations as articulated in the Corruption Watch and SAFTU letters, including the alleged abuse of power, the board of Eskom has taken urgent steps to address these allegations in a transparent process following Eskom’s governance principles and disciplinary code,” it said.

Government has imposed regulations that will limit unjustified price hikes and product stockpiling, to protect consumers, as the number of COVID-19 pandemic cases rise to 150.

The regulations, announced by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel during a press briefing on Thursday, deal with pricing matters during the national disaster.

“We are doing this to ensure that we don’t have unjustified price hikes or stockpiling of goods. We are doing this to protect consumers and ensure fairness and social solidarity during this period,” said Patel.

On Thursday, government issued directives under the Disaster Management Act and Regulations under both the Competition Act and Consumer Protection Act.

According to the regulations, prices may not exceed the increase in the cost of the raw material. The profit levels, he added, should not be hiked higher than in the period just before the period of the COVID-19.

“The regulations will cover the full supply chain and will limit price increases of suppliers,” Patel said.

Regarding stockpiling, all retailers will be required to take steps to curb this while ensuring stock availability, including on weekends and month end.

Should companies fail to comply, government may have to set limit prices on certain products.
In the same vein, a breach in the regulations may see the concerned party heavily penalised.

These ranged from R1 million fines, 10 percent of a company’s turnover and jail sentences of a year.

Patel said these interventions come after government became cognisant of the effect the virus may have on the economy and the Gross Domestic Product.

Government is working with retailers and large food producers to ensure that the food chain – from farm, to manufacturers, to the shops – remains strong and basic foods are available to the public.

“Factories have reported that their production is stable and farms have promised a bumper maize crop this year,” he said.

Government had noted a spike in stockpiling over the past weekend but this has tapered off in recent days.

“At the same time, there is anecdotal evidence in price hikes in areas such as facemasks and hand sanitisers. We are appreciative of the fact that the majority of South Africans have not rushed to shops and have remained calm.”

All major retailers, the Minister said, have since put limits on the most basic products, saying this has helped reduce panic buying.

“There’s also been excellent cooperation from the private retailers with government. They have committed to help us ensure that there are no unjustified price increases in this period.”

The retail groups include Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Spar, Game, Dion, Makro, Clicks and Dischem.

In line with market expectation, the Reserve Bank has cut the repo rate by 100 basis points to 5.25% per annum, Governor Lesetja Kganyago announced on Thursday.

“The MPC decided to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points. This takes the repo rate to 5.25% per annum, with effect from 20 March 2020. The decision was unanimous,” said the Governor following the two-day meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

The decision comes as the globe is fighting the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Kganyago delivered the MPC decision via a virtual link as opposed to the tradition media briefing, in line with the measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to limit public engagements in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The Governor said since the January meeting of the committee, the bank’s forecast for inflation has continued to moderate, in line with monthly inflation data and recent lower oil prices.

“Globally, a once-healthy economic growth outlook has been revised down sharply due to the outbreak and spread of COVID-19,” he said adding that the Coronavirus will negatively affect global and domestic economic growth through the first half of 2020 and potentially longer.

This he said would depend on steps taken to limit its spread.  On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the pandemic a national disaster.

The Chinese economy, where the virus originated, is expected to contract by 1% in the first half of 2020.

Impact of Coronavirus

The bank has marked down growth for 2020 to 1.1%, before rising to around 2.8% in 2021.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s domestic economic outlook remains fragile with the Coronavirus likely to result in weaker demand for exports and domestic goods and services.

Its impact on the economy he said, could be partly offset by lower oil prices.

“We also expect disruptions to supply chains and to normal business operations. The bank now expects the economy to contract by 0.2% in 2020. Gross Domestic Product growth is expected to rise to 1.0% in 2021 and to 1.6% in 2022,” he said.

Apart from the virus, electricity supply constraints and other sources of uncertainty are expected to keep economic activity muted.

In addition, the technical recession that the country now finds itself in has contributed to a lower economic growth forecast.

“In addition, COVID-19 and existing constraints such as load shedding, imply significant downside risk to the forecast,” he said.

The Bank’ s headline consumer price inflation forecast averages 3.8% for 2020, 4.6% for 2021, and 4% in 2022. The forecast for core inflation is lower at 3.9% in 2020, 4.3% in 2021, and 4.4% in 2022.

“With the downward revision to the forecast, the overall risks to the inflation outlook at this time appear to be balanced. Electricity pricing remains an immediate concern, and there is likely to be higher volatility in prices of other goods and services as a result of sharp changes in demand and supply.”

Kganyago said global economic and financial conditions are expected to remain highly volatile for the foreseeable future.

“The Committee will continue to assess risks to inflation, including from weaker economic growth and those arising from wage, price pressures and currency depreciation,” he said.

In a research note on Monday, Nedbank economists said should COVID-19 not be contained by the second quarter, further cuts could be in the pipeline.

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure has commended government for identifying government buildings as quarantine sites.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia De Lille’s announced on Thursday that government has identified 37 sites that can be used as quarantine facilities across several provinces as part of government’s response to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister made the announcement during a media briefing, as part of the department’s response to the outbreak of the virus following a declaration of the national state of disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday.

Committee Chairperson Nolitha Ntobongwana commended the move by the department, noting that the sites will cater for all South African citizens, particularly patients who are not able to afford private healthcare.

“The committee sees this move as a demonstration of how serious the government takes this pandemic. This step also shows the government’s commitment in treating and containing this COVID-19 in a manner that protects the well-being of society,” Ntobongwana said.

The committee has also acknowledged the department’s teams that have been travelling across the country identifying the properties that should be used for this purpose.

According to the committee, the government’s seamless and coordinated approach in working on this matter will assist greatly in ensuring that the country wins the battle.

The committee further echoed government’s pleas in asking South Africans to continue practicing social distancing and good hygiene to avoid the spreading of this virus.

The Methodist Church has cancelled Good Friday and Easter Sunday services to combat the spread of the Coronavirus and the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has cancelled Friday prayer.

In addition, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) has cancelled its annual Moria pilgrimage.

Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with leaders of diverse communities of faith to reinforce the national response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the President said the announcements were no doubt reached through great difficulty.

“During April, millions of our people traditionally make their way to various domestic locations for religious pilgrimages or visit holy sites abroad, as our Muslim brothers and sisters do to Mecca to perform the umrah.

“As government we wholly appreciate the challenges this presents on a number of fronts,” said President Ramaphosa.

At the meeting, which took place at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse, Tshwane, the President expressed his appreciation to religious leaders for their cooperation in fighting the scourge of the outbreak.

“This is something we keenly appreciate. As religious leaders, you have shown your support for the national effort, and we thank you for this,” said the President.

On Sunday, the President declared a national state of disaster in response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

The President limited the size of public gatherings to no more than 100 people to ensure that there is containment of the coronavirus which can be transmitted from one person to another, with even the most limited contact.

On Wednesday, South Africa tipped over the 100 positive cases mark and recorded a 116 confirmed Coronavirus cases.

The President further called on religious leaders to make use of their platforms and reach, to educate and inform communities about the Coronavirus.

“I want to call on you to extend your cooperation with us as government in reducing the impact of the coronavirus across all sectors of society. Millions of South Africans are at risk of contracting coronavirus not just in places of worship, but in buses and taxis, in the workplace, and even in their homes.

“This risk is greater in poor communities, many of which do not have access to safe and clean drinking water, and who are forced by circumstances to live in close proximity to others,” he said.

Funerals

With religious leaders forming part of the cornerstone of society and presiding over funerals, the President urged them to drive home the message that while sensitive and difficult to manage, no event is exempt from the regulations, including funerals.

“It is also necessary to clarify that the regulations around gatherings over 100 people also apply to funerals, over which our religious leaders preside.

“We call upon you to engage with bereaved families in the preparatory stages to impress upon them to confine the burial congregation to only close family wherever possible,” said the President.

The President further highlighted that given the high prevalence of HIV, Aids and Tuberculosis in the country, COVID-19 could have a devastating impact on society.

“The Thuma Mina moment is upon us, perhaps as never before. Let us keep the nation’s spirits up and remind them that we are doing everything within our means to keep them safe.

“We are in this together, and it is by working together that we will prevail. We are, and forever will remain, our brother’s and sister’s keeper,” he said.

With government having declared a national state of disaster amid the COVID-19 virus outbreak, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has gazetted regulations aimed at containing the spread.

This comes after the Minister in recent days consulted her colleagues in Cabinet and the relevant stakeholders, in terms of section 3 of the Disaster Management Act.

The regulations will outline rules that need to be adhered to by the general public.

The regulations pertaining to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) deal, among others, with the release of resources and the prevention and prohibition of gatherings.

They also deal with the release of resources such as human resources, stores, equipment, ships, aircraft platforms, vehicles and facilities when available.

“[This is to ensure] the delivery of essential services, as may be required, to prevent, limit, contain, combat and manage the spread of the virus,” the regulations state.

Gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited and prevented in order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the regulations state.

According to the regulations, people suspected of having contracted the virus, or who has been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID–19, may not refuse consent for a medical examination, prophylaxis, treatment, isolation and quarantine.

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure is expected to identify and make available sites to be used as isolation and quarantine facilities as the need arises.

The regulations reiterate that schools and partial care facilities have to be closed by 18 March 2020 until 15 April 2020, after which, the period may be extended for the duration of the national state of disaster.

The regulations also include the suspensions of all visits by members of the public to Correctional Centres, Remand Detention Facilities, Holding Cells, Military Detention Facilities, and Department of Social Development facilities, including Child and Youth Care Centres, shelters, One Stop Centres, and Treatment Centres.

These visits are suspended for a period of 30 days from the date of publication of this Notice, which period may be extended up to the duration of the national state of disaster.

The regulations also set a limit on the sale, dispensing or transportation of alcoholic beverages.

“All registered or licensed on-consumption liquor premises which can accommodate, including taverns, restaurants and clubs, must be closed with immediate effect, or must be limited to accommodate no more than 50 persons: Provided that adequate space is available and that all directions in respect of hygienic conditions and limitation of exposure of persons with the COVID-19 virus are adhered to,” the regulations state.

Regarding Emergency Procurement Procedures, the Minister in the regulations says these should be subject to the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act, regulations.

According to the regulations, people could be imprisoned six months or fined for spreading fake news about the COVID-19.