By BAKANG MOKOTO
The North West Dingaka Association (NWDA) said they are adamant that the fight against COVID-19 pandemic will be won soon. This comes after they had an interactive session with other stakeholders such as the North West Department of Health (NWDoH), North West Traditional Healers Practitioners (NWTHP), and the North West Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation (ACSR) recently.
The NWDA chairperson, Anna Rabotapi said the interactive session was informative and featured an update on the National Command Council’s work on Covid-19 and guidelines for traditional practitioners in dealing with the virus and the lockdown. She also expressed her gratitude to the two departments for taking the initiative.
“This is the kind of engagement we have been longing for. Today’s session was very informative and useful for us as traditional practitioners. We are so grateful to have had held a joint meeting with MECs’ both portfolios to discuss the role of traditional practitioners in the fight against Covid-19,” Rabotapi said.
The MEC for ACSR, Virginia Tlhapi said: “We work closely and support the work of the Dingaka Association in the province. The traditional healers and members of the Dingaka Association came from across the province and raised their concerns over the lockdown restrictions.
“They explained how the lockdown has impacted on their work. We informed them that we were serious about the engagements with the traditional medicine sector and we will continue meeting and consulting with them on an on-going basis in the fight against Covid-19.
North West MEC for DoH, Madoda Sambatha also shared the same sentiments. Sambatha encouraged the traditional health practitioners to work together with his department in helping the local population to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We call on traditional practitioners and dingaka to observe the regulations as stipulated by the government. Please, you should not chase money but safe lives as you are called to do so,” said Sambatha.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 infections continue to soar. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province is 72, an increase of two from previously reported cases.
“All two new cases in the province are in Ngaka Modiri Molema District. Ratlou Local Municipality has registered its first case, while Mahikeng Local municipality increases its numbers to 5. The Ditsobotla Local Municipality has one registered case and this brings all registered COVID-19 cases to seven in the district, says Sambatha.
He said there is no new case that was recorded in Bojanala Platinum district in the past three days. Sambatha added that the province contributes 0.4% of South Africa’s burden of disease.
“Bojanala contributes 56% to the provincial burden of disease. The total number of screenings in the province is 1 965 869 and 1 945 people screened showed COVID-19 symptoms. They were referred for testing and a total of 984 contacts of the 72 confirmed cases were identified and 94% (925) were successfully traced.
“We thank our tracing teams, nurses, doctors, paramedics, and all healthcare workers who continue to serve with pride during these difficult times,” said Sambatha.
The Guardian 