Police, SANDF received no training in implementing lockdown regulations

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is not surprised to learn that the SAPS, Metropolitan Police and SANDF received no training in implementing the national lockdown regulations.

This was revealed by the Gauteng Community Safety MEC, Faith Mazibuko in an oral reply to the DA’s questions during a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to MEC Mazibuko, there was no training provided to the law enforcement agencies in terms of implementing the lockdown regulations.

This clearly explains why the police are always flip-flopping in terms of implementing the lockdown regulations which has resulted in the unlawful arrests of innocent law-abiding citizens.

Furthermore, the MEC said 38 698 people have been arrested to date for violating the lock-down regulations in Gauteng and only 25 279 cases have been taken to court. Of these cases, 1387 cases have been postponed due to the lockdown regulations.

The DA is concerned that the law enforcement agencies have not received any training in implementing the lockdown regulations which is why there is confusion and lack of clarity on what people can and can’t be arrested and detained for during the lockdown.

This clearly indicates that law enforcement agencies are interpreting and implementing these regulations incorrectly.

The DA calls on both MEC Mazibuko and Gauteng SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela to ensure that the law enforcement agencies are provided with training on how to implement the lockdown regulations so that they can differentiate between what is an offence and what is not an offence in terms of failing to comply with the lockdown regulations. In so doing, it will protect our people from being unlawfully harassed and arrested by the police.

DA calls for intervention in Gauteng taxi violence

The shooting in which three taxi bosses were killed in Mabopane yesterday could signal a period of increased violence in the taxi industry.

The taxi industry was particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 regulations that saw a significant drop in income due to a drop in passenger numbers and limited operating hours.

As the economy re-opens taxi bosses will seek to reclaim losses suffered during the lockdown. One way to do this is to eliminate the competition to gain larger market share.

It is no secret that the South African taxi industry operates according to its own rules and that government struggles to keep them within the confines of the transport legal framework.

I call on the Gauteng MEC for Transport, Jacob Mamabolo, to urgently interact with the province’s taxi associations to chart a way forward that will prevent further violence.

Gauteng Health MEC confirms that no illnesses or deaths were caused by poor quality water in Hammanskraal

A recent Facebook comment, by an employee of the South African Human Rights Commission, which implied that people in Hammanskraal were dying from the water they consume is ill-informed.

The actual number of diarrhea cases reported in Hammanskraal between 2015 and 2019 debunks the myth that there is widespread illness in Hammanskraal because of water quality.

This was supported by Gauteng Health MEC, Bandile Masuku, in a written response to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) questions.

According to Masuku, no patients were treated for diarrhea or died at clinics or hospitals in Hammanskraal between 2015 and 2019 as a result of the water quality.

Furthermore, the District Environmental Health Team investigated the water used in clinics and found it to be suitable for drinking.

The DA does not deny that Hammanskraal residents have been complaining about the quality of their water, but is perplexed that the African National Congress (ANC) is blaming the DA for this, when in fact the issue dates back to many years before the DA took over leadership of City of Tshwane from the ANC in 2016.

In recent court papers, the Gauteng executive used the Hammanskraal issue as one of its excuses to place the Tshwane Council under administration without giving any consideration to how the DA-led City of Tshwane had already intervened to address the matter.

In doing so, the city established a special mayoral committee to investigate the root cause of the problem and measures to address it had already begun prior to the ANC placing the City under administration.

This clearly confirms that the ANC’s attempt to hijack the City of Tshwane’s coffers was in preparation for the 2021 local government elections.

DA calls government to work with NGOs and not against them to prevent hunger

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is deeply concerned that there is a lack of proper coordination between the Gauteng Department of Social Development (DSD) and the NGOs in terms of feeding the hungry people in the province.

The DA has been reliably informed that NGOs are being blocked from distributing cooked meals and that there are too many procedures to be followed when NGOs wants to distribute food parcels to those in need.

According to regulations being enforced by the department, but which the DA is fighting in court, NGOs who wish to distribute food parcels to the needy must apply for a permit from the department. The permit prohibits the distribution of cooked food and only allows them to distribute non-perishable food parcels. This unnecessary red tape makes it difficult for NGOs who wish to distribute food.

According to Acting Gauteng Social Development MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, the department is not blocking the NGOs but requesting proper coordination with NGOs to ensure that they adhere to the COVID-19 regulations such as social distancing when distributing food parcels. The department is coordinating all the donations to NGOs to ensure that there is no duplication and that the rightful beneficiaries who qualify for food relief receive food parcels.

MEC Lesufi revealed this information while responding to the DA’s oral questions at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

MEC Lesufi said they are prohibiting the distribution of cooked meals by the NGOs because it is explicitly states in the regulations that cooked food is not allowed to be sold hence, they could not allow NGOs to distribute cooked food.

Furthermore, the MEC indicates that Mahlasedi Foundation, an NGO had distributed 30 000 food parcels to the needy residents of Olivenhout and that the food parcels were three times bigger than those provided by government.

This clearly indicates that the NGOs can do a better job than the government in feeding hungry people. The department should partner with them, and remove red tape, in order to better ensure South Africans have food.

Gauteng covid-19 results lag by up to 8 days

There is a time lag of four to eight days in the reporting of Covid-19 test results in Gauteng because of delays in obtaining test kits and reagents.

This was disclosed today by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in response to my questions at a virtual meeting of the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee. According to Masuku, this time lag is acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a general problem experienced internationally.

According to a presentation given by the Gauteng Health Department, the time taken for Covid-19 test results in Gauteng ranges from 48 hours and in some instances up to 11 days. They say they have “engaged the National Department of Health, NHLS and private laboratories to find ways in which the process can be bettered to ensure we are able to mitigate the risk of transmission.”

The Department concedes that “the delay in getting the results will inevitable have some effect on reducing transmission. To try mitigating against this all People Under Investigation (PUI) are educated to self – isolate or are put in quarantine if required whilst awaiting the results … plans are being put into place to try source more test kits as Gauteng ramps up its effort to test even more people.”

I am concerned about these delays and that the Department says that the “extent of the backlog is not fully quantified due to the various categories of testing.” According to reports, there is a test backlog of 15 000 in Johannesburg.

The latest available figures are 166 394 tests conducted in total in Gauteng as at 20 May, and 6121 tests were conducted on 19 May. The important number, however, is test results rather than tests conducted, and MEC Masuku has undertaken to make this distinction in future reporting.

I hope that testing delays can be resolved as speedy test results are vital in identifying and limiting hotspots through contact tracing and quarantine. Meanwhile, priorities should be set for key sectors to get their tests as soon as possible, particularly staff and patients at hospitals, and areas where there is high person-to-person contact.

Premier Makhura’s Tshepo 1 Million Programme fails Gauteng youth

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is concerned that the Office of the Premier has failed to meet its target of training of 200 000 economically excluded youth as part of the Pathways to Earning through the Tshepo 1 Million programme.  Premier David Makhura’s Office only managed to place 127 426 economically excluded youth through the programme.

This information was revealed in the fourth quarterly report for the Office of the Premier for the 2019/2020 financial year.

According to the report, the Thint’iMillion programme could not commence during the fourth quarter due to a delay in preparation from both Microsoft licensing and alignment with the school’s programme.

The Tshepo 1 Million programme’s main aim is to assist the youth with skills training, job placement and entrepreneurship development. It is concerning that Premier Makhura’s Office failed to meet its set target for this year as our youth are in desperate need of training and skills development. His Office is failing to lead by example yet he is always talking about creating employment opportunities for the youth.

Programmes like Tshepo 1 Million are important as they provide our youth with opportunities to find jobs or to start their own small businesses, especially at time when the country and the rest of the world are dependent on using technology to do business.

It is imperative that government embarks on training programmes that will equip our people with skills, particularly the youth as this will help them seek out sustainable job opportunities.

I will be tabling further questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ascertain what measures will be put in place to ensure that the targets set for the Tshepo 1 Million projects are met.

R40 million relief fund not enough to save small businesses in Gauteng

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng welcomes the assistance that has been given to small businesses in the province since the start of the national lockdown on 26 March 2020.

However, the R40 million that has been set aside to assist small businesses is too little to make a dent in the suffering of businesses, informal traders and spaza shops.

During a question and answer session in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) on Tuesday, the MEC for Economic Development, Morakane Mosupyoe revealed that the department aims to provide support to 4000 informal traders, small businesses and spaza shops.

MEC Mosupyoe said to date the department has received 144 applications for financial support.

Furthermore, the businesses which will receive assistance from the department should be operating in Gauteng for at least 12 months.

While providing financial support is a step in the right direction, the 4000 small businesses including informal traders and spaza shops that will receive assistance is small, considering that the province is likely to lose over 1 million jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller to process funding relief for small businesses will not be effective as it is incapacitated and incompetent, and it will not be able to reach all businesses that need assistance.

The DA is calling on the MEC and Premier David Makhura to provide targeted assistance to small businesses that employ many people.

In so doing, government will be able to assist small businesses to save as many jobs as possible. In addition, we are also calling on government to include as criteria the number of people employed by the small businesses that apply for financial assistance.

DA calls on MEC Lesufi to ensure that all schools are prepared before schools reopen

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on the Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi to ensure that all schools are fixed and ready before the schools re-open during this national lockdown period.

While Gauteng schools are gearing up to reopen, MEC Lesufi indicated some of the things that his department has done in preparation such as allocating a cleaning budget to all schools to hire cleaners to clean their schools.

He also indicated some of the measures that will be put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus in schools such as all learners and educators receiving masks, face clothes, soap and sanitizers weekly. The district offices will be used as war rooms; scholar transport will be sanitized; the department will employ substitute teachers to help reduce number of learners to at least 20 per class; 67 schools will be fenced and schools with low water pressure will be provided with water tanks.

MEC Lesufi was responding to the DA’s oral questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

The DA is worried that some of these measures will not be implemented when the schools reopen hence we are urging MEC Lesufi to implement them as soon as possible to ensure that teaching and learning continues uninterrupted when the schools reopen.

We call on the MEC to ensure that all district offices are functioning and have all the necessary resources needed to provide to schools when they reopen. The department should engage with private scholar transport to ensure that all learners have PPEs all the time.

The safety of both our learners and teachers must be a priority for the department when the schools reopen. The department should also monitor the schools‘ spending of the allocated cleaning budget to ensure that it is spent accordingly.

We will continue to monitor the department’s progress in implementing health and safety measures in all our schools to ensure that the department fixes all outstanding matters before schools reopen.

1413 ops deferred at Joburg Hospital because of Covid-19 restrictions

A total of 1413 non-urgent operations have been cancelled or deferred at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital since the lockdown restrictions were instituted on 27 March.

This was revealed yesterday by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in an oral reply to my questions at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

The number of cancelled or deferred operations in the various departments are as follows:

Opthalmology (mostly cataract surgery) – 499

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy – 420

Orthopaedics – 180

Paediatric – 47

Urology – 32

Breast – 30

Neurosurgery – 22

Surgical gastroenterology – 22

Thyroid – 9 (5 cancers)

Other – 18

According to Masuku: “CMJAH remains one of the busiest COVlD-19 treating facilities in the province … Alternative arrangements have been made for less complex cases to be performed at Helen Joseph Hospital and other regional hospitals … There is, unfortunately, limited capacity for patients who would require post-operative ICU and High Care.”

It is of great concern that so many operations have been cancelled, as this causes anxiety and suffering to patients, many of whom have been waiting a long time for surgery. It will add to the existing surgery waiting list of 1850 patients at this hospital.

I am relieved that cancer surgery is largely continuing at the hospital, except for a small number of cases due to reduced theatre lists.

It is important that every effort is made to alleviate other pressing health needs even as we fight the COVID-19 scourge.

Thousands of TB and HIV/AIDS patients fail to collect medicines during lockdown

Following the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on 27 March, 1090 Tuberculosis patients and 10 950 HIV/Aids patients have failed to collect their medicines.

This information was revealed today by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in an oral reply to my questions today at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

According to Masuku, the percentage reduction in medicine collection amounts to 1.4% for TB patients and 19.6% for HIV/Aids patients.

These reductions are of concern because interruptions in medicine will lead to health deterioration and drug-resistance for TB and HIV-Aids patients. Both these diseases claim a large number of lives – there are about 60 000 TB and 70 000 Aids-related deaths in South Africa every year.

Extra efforts should be made to trace those who have defaulted on their medicine as well as distribute medicines through additional venues so that it is easier for them to be collected at this time.

We need to ensure that other life-threatening health problems do not increase during the Covid-19 crisis.