Western Cape Provincial Government on its COVID-19 response plans; with Minister

This premium content has been made freely available

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

23 June 2020
Chairperson: Ms F Muthambi (ANC)
Share this page:

Meeting Summary

Video: Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 23 JUNE2020

The Western Cape Provincial Government (WCPG) briefed the Committee on its COVID-19 response plans, which included a breakdown of its governance arrangements, health response, hotspots strategy, district-based status reports, quarantine and isolation strategy, education, and the response in terms of human settlements. Key challenges and risks were identified, and included its limited testing strategy and capacity, difficulties in recruiting additional staff members, the budget shortfall and limited financial resources, and a decline in the provision of non-essential services.

The testing backlog of 28 000 outstanding results had been fully addressed, and reduced to zero. Testing policies had been adapted to prioritise patients who were under investigation at hospitals, healthcare workers, and symptomatic vulnerable patients. There were currently 647 patients in quarantine facilities. Regarding the readiness of the healthcare sector, the WCPG reported that there were 2 162 acute care beds available for moderate cases, 2 210 intermediate care beds planned for field hospitals for mild cases, and 135 critical care beds available. The WCPG worked continuously to increase its bed capacity, and was in the process of purchasing additional beds from the private sector and completing field hospitals which would make additional beds available.

It was projected that there would be an R10.52bn budget shortfall in the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the unbanning of the sale of alcohol, the number of trauma cases had increased by 66% at major hospitals. This had placed more pressure on the number of beds available for COVID-19 patients and exacerbated the shortfall of beds predicted for the province’s peak of infections. From the start of the pandemic, 2 560 health care workers had been infected, of whom 729 had recovered, with 22 deaths reported. The WCPG emphasised the shortage of healthcare workers that had been exacerbated by the absenteeism of infected or affected workers, and stated that an additional 3 929 staff members would be required when the province reached its peak of infections. It could currently supply 1 477 staff from existing sources. In the education sector, there were 61 learners and 375 staff members infected up to 19 June. Concern was expressed about the safety of educators, learners and healthcare workers, and the WCPG had noted the elevated levels of stress and severe anxiety amongst staff and their families.

Members’ concerns centred on the number of illegal evictions that had been allowed during the lockdown, contrary to the regulations, the elevated levels of gender-based violence that had been exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, and the high level of infections amongst learners and teachers. The Committee asked what the WCPG’s response would be to address the escalation of alcohol-related incidents in hospitals that were taking up space meant for COVID-19 patients. Members expressed serious concern about the spread of the disease in high-density informal settlements, and the high rates of rejection from quarantine and isolation facilities that rendered vulnerable people who lived in such settlements unable to self-isolate, and caused them to further spread the disease.

The WCPG responded that the provinces needed to continue having no test backlogs, despite other provinces needing the test kits at this stage. Community health workers were being employed to help with community screening and the testing of vulnerable members. Evictions during the lockdown had been illegal, but several uninhabited structures had been removed on the authority of the courts. The provincial budget shortfall of R5bn was noted, and the Western Cape was scheduled to be allocated only R500m of the expected budget.

Meeting report

Chairperson’s introductory remarks

The Chairperson said the purpose of the meeting was for the Committee to receive a briefing from the WCPG on the province’s COVID-19 response plans, which included a breakdown of governance arrangements, its health response, the hotspots strategy, district-based status reports, the quarantine and isolation strategy, education, and the response in terms of human settlements. In addition, the Committee had requested the WCPG to address the key challenges and risks that had been identified during previous engagements regarding testing, the recruitment of additional staff, budget allocations, and the provision of non-essential services.

The Committee had invited the WCPG to account for their responses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and had already consulted with seven other Members of Executive Councils (MECs) across South Africa. The MECs did not have exclusive competency over the areas of concern raised by the Committee, including the COVID-19 emergency developments across healthcare facilities, the identification of quarantine sites, and the removal of the homeless from shelters. These were concurrent competencies across the provinces. The WCPG was the first provincial government interacting with Parliament in this regard.

She said it was fitting that during the engagement with the WCPG, the Committee be updated on the current situation in the Western Cape and how the WCPG had aligned its responses to the COVID-19 pandemic with the national policies. She applauded the WCPG for clearing the backlog of 28 000 COVID-19 tests and its recovery rate of 72% for infected patients.

However, Cape Town remained the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, and the Western Cape was expecting to be hit the peak of the curve within the next three weeks. The Committee hoped that the WCPG would demonstrate its readiness to deal with the peak of the pandemic and that its healthcare system was ready and equipped to deal with a surge in infections and deaths. It was important for the WCPG to deploy additional awareness campaigns on social distancing, and to de-stigmatise COVID-19.

WCPG on COVID-19 response plans:

Mr Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape, said it was important that the provinces of South Africa learnt from each other in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. He thanked the Committee for the arduous work they were doing during these troubling times.

Governance

Dr Harry Malila, Director-General: Western Cape Government, said that the Provincial Coronavirus Coordinating Council (PCCC) and the Coronavirus Coordinating Centre (CCC) had been established. These two entities met daily with the Premier to discuss the strategy related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now also met twice a week with the extended Cabinet, which included MECs, heads of departments (HODs), the South African Police Service (SAPS), and the leaders of the district municipalities. The WCPG sought a highly inclusive data-driven governance approach during the pandemic, with the aim of preventing and mitigating the consequences of the COVID-19 disease. The WCPG reported to the Western Cape Provincial Legislature whenever it was called upon to do so.

Health

Dr Keith Cloete, HOD: Western Cape Department of Health, said that the WCPG used a public dashboard to track the number of reported cases, which was updated daily. It also showed the number of tests done, deaths reported, and the number of recoveries. The dashboard categorised the districts by the amount of infections, and monitored the trends in infections, deaths and recoveries.

He said there was a serious link between the pandemic and co-morbidities. Diabetes and old age showed to correlate most strongly to COVID-19-related deaths. Patients infected with COVID-19 who suffered from co-morbidities were at a higher risk of severe consequences, while those who did not suffer from co-morbidities were most likely to recover fully. 12% of the cases reported in the Western Cape involved patients who did not suffer from co-morbidities, while 88% of patients had one or more co-morbidities.

The following characteristics made a person more likely to die from COVID-19 than their counterparts:

  • being over the age of 60;
  • being male;
  • suffering from diabetes; and
  • being HIV-positive.

The WCPG used the National COVID-19 Epi-Model calibrated to the Western Cape’s data, which indicated that a projected peak bed requirement of 7 800 would be necessary when the province faced the curve of the pandemic. This meant that the Western Cape would be 989 critical care beds and 2 257 general beds short when the peak of the pandemic arrived.

Regarding the readiness of the healthcare system, the Primary Health Care (PHC) capacity was being prepared to manage a larger number of milder cases, which included assessment and triaging for self-management at home. Patients who were at substantial risk and required hospitalisation were fast-tracked to receive clinical assessments. Temporary structures for triage and testing had been designed at prioritised healthcare facilities. There had been 14 of these structures completed, and the remaining 14 would be ready by 1 July. There were 2 162 acute care beds available for moderate cases in the existing public sector, and 2 210 intermediate care beds for mild cases were being planned in the field hospitals. There were 135 critical care beds available, and additional beds would be created or purchased from the private sector.

While the WCPG had identified high flow nasal oxygen as an alternative to ventilators, the need to create the required infrastructure to be able to deliver the oxygen at a higher flow must be considered. Following the release of the outcomes of recovery trials in the UK, the Ministerial Advisory Committee had considered the results and made a recommendation for the use of dexamethasone for patients on ventilators and oxygen. Although the study’s findings had still to be formally published, the WCPG had already taken the decision to develop clinical protocols for the utilisation of this drug to assist those with severe COVID-19 conditions, while taking account of the current availability of the drug and suitable alternatives.

The WCPG had admitted 2 568 people for quarantine and isolation since the start of the pandemic, while currently there were 647 people in isolation and quarantine facilities collectively across the province.

There were currently 1 470 patients admitted to both the public and private sector acute hospitals, of which 248 patients had been admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) or high care. There was no longer a backlog in testing, and as from 18 June all specimens were received and processed within 48 hours. From the start of the pandemic, 2 560 healthcare workers had been infected, of which 729 were currently active cases, with 22 reported deaths.

The WCPG expressed critical concern about the safety of healthcare workers, and noted the elevated levels of anxiety amongst staff and their families. Multiple interventions had been implemented, including training, procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), and engaging with organised labour. Healthcare workers were also prioritised for testing.

Hotspots strategy and district-based status report

Mr Graham Paulse, HOD: Western Cape Department of Local Government, said that the WCPG’s hotspot strategy was aimed at reducing community transmission of COVID-19, and the morbidity and mortality of vulnerable people. It was aimed at getting people to stay at home unless necessary to travel, to maintain physical distance outside the home, to always use a mask, and to maintain hygiene. The WCPG conducted targeted screening and testing of vulnerable people. Its response to COVID-19 included communication, case management, quarantine and isolation, civil compliance, slowing the spread, humanitarian relief and food security, and ensuring economic recovery.

The hotspots in the Western Cape were the Cape Winelands, the West Coast, Overberg, the Garden Route, Tygerberg, Khayelitsha, Klipfontein, Mitchells Plain, and parts of the Cape Flats. Provincial ministers had been deployed to various hotspots in the province where there were water shortages or exceptionally high rates of infections or deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Service delivery to all municipalities continued uninterrupted, and frontline and essential workers were in place and operational. All frontline staff had been issued with PPE, and local stock levels had been replenished. Water supplies had been improved in high density informal settlements. All district municipalities had embarked on programmes to clean public open spaces, and shelters were operational for homeless people, who were also provided with clinical and health support. The SAPS and local law enforcement officials were enforcing adherence to the lockdown regulations.

Containment (quarantine and isolation) strategy

Ms Jacqui Gooch, HOD: Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, said that the primary concern was the effect the pandemic had on the province’s healthcare systems. She outlined the process of the community screening in the Cape metropolitan area to identify any cases or vulnerabilities. Symptomatic patients who were at substantial risk of being infected were referred to primary health care (PHC) facilities for testing, assisted quarantine, or were instructed to self-isolate at home. Patients were continuously informed of their COVID-19 status, and they were supported throughout the process. People with severe symptoms, and those who were at a high-risk for COVID morbidity and mortality, were assessed for the need for hospitalisation. The quarantine and isolation strategy had been in place to proactively identify appropriate facilities. Currently there were 3 185 beds available out of a capacity of 3 882. More quarantine and isolation facilities could be rapidly activated when the need materialised. There had been remarkably high rejection rates for admission to these facilities, which was being worked on by the WCPG.

The established call centres consisted of over 100 call centre agents, and the system was designed to handle high volumes of calls and up to 1 000 cases per day. The call centre kept patients updated on their COVID-19 status, identified patients who needed to be placed in quarantine or isolation, and made the necessary arrangements to facilitate the quarantine or isolation of patients.

The Department had initiated a ‘Red Dot’ service which leveraged off the existing minibus taxi industry to provide a safe and identifiable transport option to patients to and from quarantine and isolation facilities. The same service had also been adjusted and tailored towards the need to safely transport health care workers after the conclusion of their shifts, which during Levels 5 and 4 had fallen outside the public transport regulated hours.

Education sector:

Mr Brian Schreuder, HOD: Western Cape Education Department (WCED), said that the Grade 7 and 12 learners had returned to school on 1 June, while the rest of the learners would return in phases between 6 July and 3 August. Schools had been equipped with safety and hygiene packs consisting of hand sanitisers, liquid soap, face masks, thermometers for screening, and cleaning materials. Learners and staff would undergo orientation for the hygiene and safety protocols that were being implemented.

The WCED would employ substitutes to replace ill or isolated educators, and appoint teaching assistants for educators who had concessions to work from home because of their co-morbidities. From the start of the pandemic, the WCED had spent R 280m on cloth masks and cleaning materials, and supplementary orders for resources and replacement teachers would push the expenditure to R1bn.

Up to 19 June, there had been 61 confirmed COVID-19 cases among learners, and 375 staff cases. Subsequent cases had been reported from schools intermittently, and multiple decontamination processes were required. Additional concerns included parents keeping learners at home and the disruption of schools by school governing bodies, civic organisations and teachers’ unions. There was also a dire need to keep school feeding schemes operational during the lockdown.

If there was a confirmed case of COVID-19, then the school was required to contact the district for assistance in terms of decontamination. The need to close a class, part of a school or the entire school, would be assessed on a case by case basis, in line with the national guidelines. The decision to close a school would be taken by the HOD of the WCED.

Human settlements:

Ms Jacqueline Samson-Swartz, HOD: Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, said that there were 763 informal settlements in the Western Cape that were vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. Regarding basic service delivery in these areas, the WCPG had implemented the following interventions:

  • provision of water tanks and tankers to improve water provisioning;
  • support to municipalities on relocation strategy and other technical matters;
  • acceleration of informal settlement projects;
  • communication and awareness raising;
  • partnership brokering; and
  • monitoring and reporting on services provided.

She said 615 water tanks had been delivered to these informal settlements during the pandemic by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), and 93 water tanks had been delivered by the City of Cape Town.

Key challenges and risks

Dr Malila concluded by outlining the risks and challenges that the WCPG faced in its COVID-19 response, such as its limited testing strategy and capacity, difficulties in recruiting additional staff members, the budget shortfall and limited financial resources, and a decline in the provision of non-essential services.

First, regarding the testing strategy and capacity, the WCPG could supply 1 477 staff members from existing available sources. The testing backlog of 28 000 outstanding results had been fully addressed and reduced to zero, and more GeneXpert kits and reagents had been re-directed to Western Cape. The WCPG was purchasing testing capacity directly from private laboratories, and universities were scaling up their capacity. Testing policies had been adapted to prioritise patients who were under investigation at hospitals, healthcare workers, and symptomatic vulnerable patients.

Secondly, the recruitment and sourcing of additional staff was a critical concern. The current intermediate care facilities required 1 306 staff. The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) No. 2 would require 836 staff. The additional critical care capacity would require 188 staff, and the additional acute care capacity would require 498 staff members. The rate of infection amongst health care staff was increasing across all health facilities. With an expected 20% absenteeism rate at any given time, an additional 3 929 staff members were required. The WCPG could supply 1 477 staff from existing available sources. More than 400 clinical staff had been recruited for the CTICC, and it was in the process of recruiting more. The WCPG had requested special assistance from other provinces and other medical services in this regard.

Thirdly, regarding the budget shortfall and available finances, the WCPG reported that the PDoH had spent R 251m on the COVID-19 pandemic, and additional financial commitments of R 542m had been made. The PDoT had spent R121m and made additional financial commitments of R54m. Expenditures and financial commitments relating to the pandemic were sharply increasing. It was projected that a net R10.52bn was required to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic for the rest of the current fiscal year.

Fourthly, there was a sharp and intentional de-escalation in services in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. The WCPG was undertaking an intensive investigation to understand the challenges and recalibrate the services to address non-COVID-19 needs. Chronic medication was being delivered to homes. Since the unbanning of the sale of alcohol, the number of trauma cases had increased 66% at major hospitals. This had put pressure on the number of beds available for COVID-19 patients, which exacerbated the shortfall of beds predicted for the province’s peak of infections.

The WCPG reaffirmed its commitment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that protected and promoted the safety and well-being of its citizens and healthcare workers.

Discussion

Ms T Marawu (ATM) commended the WCPG on the work they had done so far. The Western Cape was a hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic. What were the alternative measures the WCPG could put in place to avoid the pandemic escalating? Why had the WCPG not waited until the lockdown was over before evicting people from their homes?

Ms H Mkhaliphi (ANC) asked what the WCPG was doing to respond to the elevated levels of gender-based violence in the province that had been exacerbated by the lockdown. The Committee’s dissatisfaction was related to the WCPG’s plan regarding human settlements. It was not enough for the WCPG to report on how many structures there were in the informal settlements when allocating water tanks -- it was crucial that the amount of water tanks being allocated was correlated to the number of people in the informal settlements. She emphasised the point raised by Ms Marawu regarding unlawful evictions during the lockdown period, and asked the WCPG to account for the evictions that had been allowed.

Regarding the education sector, she had expected the presentation to cover the grievances of teachers who were infected. What was the plan of the WCPG to address these concerns? It needed to present a reality-based picture to the Committee regarding the situation on the ground. How many quarantine sites were there in the Western Cape? Why was the Premier preventing the Members of the Committee from visiting these quarantine sites by citing that they were from opposition parties?

Mr C Brink (DA) said it was remarkable that there was no testing backlog and that the current turnaround time for testing was now 48 hours. Could the WCPG give advice or guidelines to the national government as to how this was achieved should they be placed in a comparable situation when the pandemic worsened? There was still a shortage of critical care beds. The WCPG needed to provide more detail regarding the number of beds that would be required from the private sector, and address the concern that there would not be enough critical care beds to accommodate critically ill patients.

Regarding the Disaster Management COVID-19 grant, it had been said that the Western Cape had received only R7.9m, which was only 4.2% of the national allocation. This was shocking when one considered that the Western Cape was the epicentre of the pandemic. Had the WCPG engaged with National Treasury on this issue?

The municipalities would take a heavy knock in revenue collection because of the lockdown. What was the WCPG doing to assist these municipalities, and how had the national government been engaged with on this matter? The WCED had received serious criticism for its emergency feeding scheme introduced during the lockdown. Malnutrition stunted the development of children and could affect them for the rest of their lives. How many children had benefited from this scheme?

Mr G Mpumza (ANC) asked why the involvement of informal settlements had been so inadequate in the implementation of the strategic plans to combat the pandemic in the Western Cape. What was the plan of the WCPG to address the escalation of alcohol-related incidents in hospitals that were taking up space? What interventions were the WCPG putting in place to eradicate the COVID-19 stigmatisation and the high rejection rates at the quarantine facilities? How did the safety and security sector in the Western Cape enforce adherence to social distancing measures, especially in the high-density informal settlements?

Mr I Groenewald (FF+) asked whether there was any proposal for the municipalities to address repatriation aspects of people who tested negative for COVID-19 but were still required to be in quarantine for 14 days. What were the amounts paid by the government for the quarantine of patients? Were there special delivery arrangements in place for people who had to visit clinics to receive their monthly chronic medication?

Mr B Hadebe (ANC) said that the issue of COVID-19 must not be politicised, and assured the Premier that the Committee’s questions were to obtain clarity. He said the Premier had been quoted in the media as asking President Ramaphosa to relax the lockdown restrictions, but had also been cited as complaining about the impact that the relaxation had contributed to the elevated levels of infections. Had the WCPG been able to provide adequate service delivery during the lockdown period? He asked how the social distancing measures were enforced in the province. How many law enforcement officers were employed in the hotspot areas? In many of the high-density areas of the Western Cape it had been ‘business as usual’ from the start of the lockdown. The Committee would need to do oversight regarding this matter.

On the issue of schools, he asked why there were such a high number of COVID-19 infections amongst learners and staff members, despite the ‘stringent measures’ implemented by the WCPG. How did the WCPG define ‘close contact’? Did it include touching and using the same facilities? What about learners who exchanged study materials with teachers and other learners? The reopening of schools had been opposed by various civic organisations. What had caused these disruptions, and what were their grievances? Traders had been unable to operate because it appeared as if informal traders had not been given the permits they had lawfully applied for. The overloading of taxis had been exacerbated because bus and shuttle services were not allowed to operate. The WCPG must intervene in this regard.

He requested a breakdown per district of the COVID-19 infections, deaths and recoveries to allow the Committee to determine where the WCPG should direct its interventions. Why would the additional beds be procured from the private sector? Did the public sector not have the capacity to do this without the private sector, and what were the costs associated with this procurement?

Mr K Ceza (EFF) emphasised the point raised by Mr Hadebe regarding the Committee’s role in providing oversight over the WCPG. There were children who had to walk to school in groups under normal circumstances because of safety concerns, such as gangsterism, in their neighbourhoods. What measures were in place to protect such vulnerable children who had to walk to school while other learners attended school later? How were teachers and learners protected against the escalation of the pandemic? Learners returned to their parents and grandparents at home, increasing the risk that the older family members could become infected. The public sector was quite developed in its capacity. What was the province’s programme to narrow the gap in development between the public and the private sector? There was a gap between councillors and municipalities at the level of governance, and the level of community involvement must be improved. What was the approach of the WCPG to eradicate informal settlements and to upgrade them and provide more opportunities, especially for the youth?

Mr H Hoosen (DA) asked why the Western Cape still had the highest number of infections, despite the efforts made by the WCPG. What was the effectiveness of the measures in place in curbing the spread of the pandemic? What was the rise in infections contributed to? Had the WCPG focused on increasing the rate of recovery? It was an opportune moment to shift the province’s focus to saving lives and increasing recoveries, rather than just focusing on the testing aspect of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

To what extent was the WCPG focusing on the hotspot areas and high-density areas which were going to rely heavily on the public healthcare system? Given the existing modelling and projections, the WCPG had been asked to give an estimation of the number of deaths it would experience at the peak of the pandemic, and whether the Western Cape would be able to handle what came its way. How had the unbanning of alcohol and the abuse of alcohol affected the WCPG’s ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic? What measures had been put into place to deal with the surge of trauma cases that were related to alcohol? How could the WCPG be better prepared for the pandemic, such as having more funds?

Ms G Opperman (DA) said that at a stadium in KwaZulu-Natal there were more than 260 homeless people who had been addicted to illegal substances, and after receiving treatment they were addiction-free. What innovative measures had the WCPG implemented to alleviate the plight of the poor and vulnerable people during the lockdown period? How had cross-boundary movement from other provinces impacted and affected the Western Cape during the lockdown?

Mr Mpumza enquired how far the engagement with the private sector to procure the necessary beds had progressed. Were the arrangements between the provinces merely regarding funerals, or had they been extended to other protocols and measures to curb the spread of COVID-19?

The Chairperson raised the issue of the high rejection rates from quarantine and isolation facilities, and asked if it was out of ignorance or because of uncertainty that community members were not admitted to these facilities? Were families kept together or separated when they were all infected and had to be placed in quarantine?

She asked what the grounds were for naming the Provincial Executive a ‘Cabinet,’ and why the MECs were called Ministers. Why was this different in the Western Cape, compared to other provinces?

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), expressed her concern about the testing, tracing, quarantine and isolation of patients that should be at the centre of the WCPG’s response to the pandemic. It was worrisome that there were high rejection rates from quarantine and isolation facilities, particularly the rejection of patients who could not isolate at home. When these patients were left in the community, they spread the disease which resulted in higher numbers of infection. When people were left to their own devices, this had to be considered in the modelling and projection of the epidemiology of the disease. What measures had been taken to persuade people to enter into quarantine and isolation when they had tested positive?

WCPG’s response

Premier Winde said that the testing and tracing was only one component of the WCPG’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The province had had to ration its tests to address the backlog and reduce it to zero. The WCPG needed to maintain the situation of having no backlog, despite other provinces needing the test kits at this stage.

Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape MEC: Health, said that the testing, tracing, quarantine and isolation facilities were part of the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy relating to the pandemic was to fight it case-by-case and determine whether a person could self-isolate or self-quarantine. In the hotspot and high-density areas, the issue of vulnerable communities and informal settlements were paramount. Even when they could self-isolate, the WCPG needed to focus on ensuring that they were able to do so effectively, or admit them to quarantine and isolation facilities. With the high number of infections, the WCPG was unable to follow up individually on every case. Community health workers were employed to help with community screening and testing of vulnerable members. Even when a person was not tested positive for COVID-19, they might fall under the category of vulnerable, and would be routinely screened or tested to track their COVID-19 status. The WCPG was employing various forms of community mobilisation to address the high rates of rejection from quarantine and isolation facilities.

Premier Winde said that the WCPG had a very comprehensive safety plan to address gender-based violence (GBV), and had assigned an MEC to handle all issues relating to GBV as her focus. Every department had a specific budget designed to address GBV, which added up to a combined total of R 74m across the departments. He suggested that the Committee conduct a follow-up meeting where safety and security during the lockdown period was the focus of the engagements. He had noted a drop in the province’s murder rate, and the leadership dealing with the issues of safety would meet soon.

He said that the Western Cape had managed to not double the number of infections every eight days as expected, and the rate of daily infections were not the highest in the country. Other provinces were starting to escalate faster in the number of daily infections.

Evictions during lockdown were illegal, but several uninhabited structures had been removed on the authority of the courts.

Regarding Strandfontein and the homeless, the facility at Strandfontein had been closed, and people had been moved back to other spaces. There were 27 shelters being funded by the WCPG at a cost of R19.8m. People in the shelters were given three meals a day, and 23 social workers had been appointed in these facilities, together with four supporting auxiliary workers. In Somerset West, a further 120 family member units had been set up to accommodate people during the lockdown period. There were two additional temporary facilities, with 1 807 and 2 569 people housed in them respectively. There was a large focus on reducing the backlog, and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) had put in a lot of work with the WCPG in changing its testing regime to ration testing kits. The WCPG had also focused on elderly, people with co-morbidities, and vulnerable people who were most at risk.

He referred to the budget shortfall of R5bn, and said that the Western Cape was scheduled to be allocated only R500m of the expected budget.

The WCPG could provide the Committee with a detailed daily report on the hospital cases relating to alcohol use. It used civil society and law enforcement to enforce the adherence to social distancing. The Western Cape had become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic because of its levels of tourism and the influx of many asymptomatic people visiting the province.

Regarded the quarantine and isolation time periods, he said that 14 days was the national standard. People were not allowed to leave the facilities until the 14 days had passed. When the WCPG enabled people to go home, it had to be shown that they adhered to the rules of self-isolation and social distancing.

The WCPG had to wait for the negotiations between the private sector and the National Department of Health to procure additional beds for when the province reached its peak.

Patients who were on chronic medication got it delivered to their homes for people who were at risk, to eliminate the need for them to visit clinics and hospitals to obtain their medication.

The breakdown per district and for the hotspots was available for perusal by the Committee.

Regarding the statements attributed to the Premier, he quoted from a news article that stated that ‘the Western Cape Premier was misquoted’ in his call for relaxation of the lockdown regulations. He had advocated for the need to take a balanced approach between the COVID-19 crisis, other health crises, and the socio-economic crises of the province.

Most of the WCPG’s R 5bn response had been used to support the vulnerable communities and poorest citizens. The Committee would be provided with the WCPG’s COVID-19 policy on handling funerals across provincial borders.

He stated that the provincial Constitution did allow for the MECs to be referred to as provincial ministers, and for the Executive Council to be referred to as the province’s Cabinet.

Dr Mbombo warned that while there was currently no testing backlog, the WCPG had to be careful because people who were already admitted could not be kept waiting for their test results and occupy beds unnecessarily. The healthcare workers needed to be prioritised for testing and could not be admitted into quarantine without knowing their COVID-19 status, as they were frontline workers that were heavily in demand. Vulnerable people from hotspots were also prioritised for testing. When alcohol was unbanned, it had placed greater stress on the hospitals, and related trauma cases had increased by 66%. Trauma cases were prioritised and the increase in alcohol-related cases decreased the capacity of hospitals to deal with COVID-19.

Ms Debbie Schäfer, MEC: WCED, said that the concerns relating to the readiness of schools to reopen should be directed to the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, who had made the decision to open schools in consultation with the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC). People in communities were getting infections, and this included teachers. There were numerous schools that had been vandalised and damaged, and there were many incidents that happened at schools every day that were dealt with by the WCPG.

Regarding the feeding scheme, the WCED could not ignore the serious need of children to receive food, especially because the length of the lockdown period was very uncertain. Between 50 000 and 100 000 learners were fed every week. The feeding scheme had been available only for learners who were returning to school, as it was not possible to feed every single child during the lockdown period or the holidays because of transport-related problems.

Despite the stringent measures at schools, there were still learners and staff who were infected, and with the adherence to strict testing and tracing protocols, the infections could be identified that originated in the communities. The WCED had not reported on the deaths of teachers, despite being aware of teachers succumbing to the disease. The WCED did not know which teachers had passed away from COVID-19, as their personal medical records were not shared with the WCED. The civic organisations that opposed the opening of schools had made no effort to meet with the WCED. There had been no reports from schools that learners were at increased danger because of gangsterism.

Mr Anton Bredall, Western Cape MEC: Local Government, said that the WCPG was worried about the revenue generation at its municipalities. It would engage regarding the financial sustainability of the municipalities and the measures that could be explored and implemented to improve upon it.

Ms Samson-Swartz referred to the provision of water tanks, and said the standards were 50 litres of water per household per day, and the allocation adhered to those standards. The full upgrade of informal settlements referred to when ownership was granted, and service delivery was available in full and was uninterrupted.

Further discussion

The Chairperson asked the Premier for a breakdown of cases in informal settlements, and the identified hotspot areas. She also asked about the screening rates that remained low compared to the national rates.

Ms Mkhaliphi asked for a written and reasoned response relating to the questions about the water tanks, because she was not satisfied with the response from the WCPG. In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the MEC of the WCED had to focus on saving lives, and it was unreasonable to put the entire responsibility for the readiness and safety of schools on the Minister of Education. The WCPG must focus on paving the way forward to save lives and fight the pandemic in a way that did not take away from peoples’ livelihood and dignity.

Mr Hadebe restated his concern that the overloading of taxis had been exacerbated because bus and shuttle services were not allowed to operate. The WCPG had to intervene in this regard. What was the WCPG doing to afford commuters their choice of public transport? Were the schools that struggled to adhere to social distancing rules open or closed? How long would it take to remedy the situations at these schools?

Mr Ceza raised the concern that children who walked to school in groups ordinarily were now at a greater risk. The WCPG could not reject the concern simply because it had not received any formal complaints from parents or from schools, as it remained a profoundly serious risk that threatened the safety of the learners. How would the WCPG deal with the increased mortality when the province reached its peak of the pandemic

He requested a racial breakdown of the COVID-19 infections in the province. What measures were in place for unemployed people to receive essential information during the lockdown period? On the issue of the secret tape recording implicating the MEC of Local Government, the Committee was not satisfied that it was a political agreement with the then national minister to have an administration of the municipality put in place. This issue would need to be probed further, as similar events were currently happening in the Knysna municipality. It remained an issue of political interference in the Committee’s oversight work.

WCPG’s response

Premier Winde said the Committee would receive a copy of the WCPG’s COVID-19 funeral policies, especially as it pertained to cross-border travelling. The WCPG would also provide the Committee with a detailed breakdown on the co-morbidities and risks that made people more vulnerable to be infected with COVID-19 and to suffering serious medical complications. Diabetes and old age showed to correlate most strongly to COVID-19-related deaths. Patients infected with COVID-19 who suffered from co-morbidities were at a higher risk of severe consequences, while those who did not suffer from co-morbidities were most likely to fully recover. 12% of the cases reported in the Western Cape involved patients who did not suffer from co-morbidities, while 88% of patients had one or more co-morbidities. The following characteristics made a person more likely to die from COVID-19 than their counterparts -- being over the age of 60, being male, suffering from diabetes, and being HIV-positive.

He said the WCPG conducted various awareness campaigns in multiple languages to inform the community to keep themselves and other people safe. There were also teams that conducted door-to-door visits to raise awareness, especially in high-density areas.

Regarding the report on the water tanks, the Committee would receive a detailed and written report on the matter.

Members would be deployed to hotspot areas, as detailed by President Ramaphosa.

Ms said the issues of social distancing at schools were problematic because of the number of learners and the sizes of classrooms when more learners went back to school. Schools had been engaged to present their plans on how they would facilitate social distancing. Schools had not been closed because they could not adhere to social distancing measures, but to facilitate environmental cleaning and disinfecting of schools.

The WCPG did work with the local law enforcement agencies to ensure that children were able to get to and from school safely.

Mr Tertius Simmers, Western Cape MEC: Human Settlements, said that the DWS had a detailed list of the informal settlements around the province, and then allocated the water tanks to the City of Cape Town. The City of Cape Town had purchased additional water tanks, as the amount allocated by the DWS had been insufficient.

Dr Mbombo said that the provincial Department of Transport had acted as a facilitator for establishing a functioning public transport system for the working class, and engagements were under way regarding the N2 express bus service and the rehabilitation of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA’s) central railway. The rail service would resume operations on 1 July 2020.

The meeting was adjourned.

Audio

No related

Download as PDF

You can download this page as a PDF using your browser's print functionality. Click on the "Print" button below and select the "PDF" option under destinations/printers.

See detailed instructions for your browser here.

Share this page: