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The Freedom Front Plus has called on the Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, to play open cards with the people of the Eastern Cape as well as the rest of the country about the possibility of a Level Three lockdown for the province.
MP, Phillip van Staden, said he was dismayed to learn via the media this weekend “that the Minister had already discussed the matter with businesspeople, politicians and others in the province.”
“It is disappointing to find out about this in this way, through the media reporting on the statements of a leading figure in the ANC, as the Minister said on Friday after the relevant meeting that had taken place in Port Elizabeth that no decisions on the matter have been reached.”
Mkhize wrapped up a two-day visit to Nelson Mandela Bay on Friday with a veiled warning that if the infection rate in the Eastern Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay, in particular, was not brought under control, tougher measures could follow.
However, despite weekend reports, Mkhize said that recommendations received during his visit still need to be discussed at a national level before any decision is taken.
According to the latest epidemiological report from the Eastern Cape government, as of Sunday, 1 040 cases and 17 deaths were recorded, bringing the cumulative number of cases and deaths to 126 520 and 4 606 respectively.
The number of active cases was 7 106 of which 66% were from Nelson Mandela Metro and Sarah Baartman District while the rest were in Buffalo City Metro, Chris Hani, Amathole and OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District Municipalities.
“Of all the cases detected, 90.7% had recovered,” Bhisho said.
Meanwhile, Van Staden said Minister Mkhize was “playing a dangerous game” and it is because the public healthcare system in the province was still not adequately prepared and ready to handle the pandemic effectively even though it had ample time to do so since the Level Five lockdown.
He said earlier this year the Minister and the province's MEC for Health tabled an intervention plan to the Portfolio Committee on Health in Parliament but,Van Staden said this was never implemented.
“The FF Plus warned the Minister in early October that moving back to a stricter lockdown is no longer an option” and that “South Africans no longer trust the government and that stricter restrictions could spark general disorder and revolt in communities across the country.”
Van Staden said the FF Plus was imploring Minister Mkhize not to follow this route and instead to focus on improving the healthcare system by appointing more doctors and nurses, ensuring that there is enough medicine and equipment available to protect healthcare workers and strengthening the hands of those who are in the frontlines in the fight against the pandemic.
