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By BAKANG MOKOTO

In anticipation of the third wave, the North West Provincial Government (NWPG) said it will continue to implement the COVID-19 resurgence prevention plans. North West Provincial Command Council chairperson, Prof Job Mokgoro said people should strengthen the adherence to COVID-19 regulations and ensure that they avoid closed spaces, crowds, and close contact with people.

Mokgoro said this is an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in anticipation of the third wave.

“The North West Provincial Command Council (NWPCC) hosted its monthly briefings to receive progress and interventions on the Integrated COVID-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy made by different institutions in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the province.

“The briefing focused mainly on the intervention strategies on the Integrated Institutional arrangement per district and efforts in flattening the COVID-19 curve, enforcement of the lockdown regulations, managing infections, recoveries and fatalities, effective provisioning of hospital beds, quarantine/isolation facilities, medicine, personnel, and equipment as well as social behaviour in general,” he said.

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As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province is 69167 with 63687 recoveries, which translates into a 92.1% recovery rate and 1725 deaths. The province now has 3755 active cases, of which 181 cases were identified in the last 24 hours.

The number of healthcare workers vaccinated through the Sisonke Protocol is 21 662. Mokgoro further said the vaccination will now be rolled out to a group of elderly people who are 60 years and over.

“Registration has already started. The province has 370 000 elderly people who must be vaccinated. We will deliver relevant messages to communities through different media platforms and outreach programmes.

“The Department of Health will continue with the current strong focus on contact tracing, strengthen implementation of ward-based interventions, ensure continued support from Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism as well as Department of Public Works and Roads with to quarantine facilities,” said Mokgoro.

He added they will also ensure that the staff is well-trained on treatment protocols, provide PPE’s for staff, to ensure bed, equipment, and medicine availability as well as providing health education to patients and family members.

Mokgoro said there are 24 quarantine sites in the province which amongst others includes Potch Dam, Christiana All Season Resort, and Bakgatla Resort.

“All facilities have over 2400 beds. The command council has also heard that the rapid rise of infections in the province is fuelled by the super spreader events including, family and social gatherings, religious activities since Easter weekend as well as music and cultural events.

“There is an increase in daily positive cases observed since last week in the province. Weekly numbers increased between weeks 13 to 15. In the past week, the Dr Ruth Segomotsi (0.8 cases per 100 000 persons, 7.0% increase) and the Dr Kenneth Kaunda (3.6 cases per 100 000 persons, 13.4% increase) districts reported an increase in weekly incidence risk, compared to the previous week,” he said.

Mokgoro also indicated that the fatigue which is visible in the public has the potential to bring devastating consequences. He cautioned the public against getting fatigued, saying the country is still in the middle of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in the North West expressed concern about relaxation on travel bans and protocols of arrivals from international countries.

SANCO provincial chairperson, Paul Sebegoe said: “This puts the country at risk of exposure to fierce COVID-19 variants. Recent incidents such as the detection of the COVID-19 variant first detected in India among four people living in South Africa and the testing of a further 11 positive for the coronavirus strain first detected in the UK require an urgent review before we are swallowed into the eye of an encroaching devastating wave.”

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By OBAKENG MAJE

North West Provincial Government has spent over R100m in all COVID-19 procurement thus far. This was revealed by the North West Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro during the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council media briefing in Mahikeng on Monday.

The allegations of widespread corruption and tender irregularities surrounding COVID-19 were reported in Ngaka Modiri-Molema and JB Marks municipalities respectively.

“This amount is from an expenditure report that was presented by Provincial Treasury to the Provincial Coronavirus Command Council, which in turn provided us with consolidated spending information that had been received from Provincial Government Departments as on 6 August 2020. The expenditure will continuously increase over the period of our intervention as the departments consistently update their records after capturing all payments in the system.

“The North West Provincial Government will fully cooperate with the Cabinet Committee announced by the President to deal with the alleged corruption of in all COVID-19 procurement. It is our belief that theft and corruption should not be given space to thrive anywhere, anytime, and anyhow,” he said.

Mokgoro further said while departments such as Health, Education, and Social Development incurred COVID-19 spending on social responsibility, the majority of departments are mainly spending for internal interventions to curb the spread of the disease. He added that the Department of Health, which is the lead department in the implementation of the Provincial COVID-19 Response Plan, has an expenditure of R65 million to date.

“The majority of money has been directed to healthcare workers and patients in the fight against COVID-19. The Department of Education comes in as being the second highest with R32,669 million spent mostly on temperature scanners and masks for learners, educators and non-educators as well as other COVID-19 related items; in an effort to ensure that teaching and learning would not be compromised in the fight against the spread of the pandemic,” he said.

Mokgoro said the Department of Social Development has to date spent R9.257million on Social Relief of Distress, R8.7million on food parcels, and R490 000 on dignity packs. He said as part of their continued drive to ensure compliance and strict adherence to the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), while also ensuring accountability, the Provincial Internal Audit is currently performing audits on all COVID-19 related procurement by departments, including but not limited to PPE.

“The audits focus amongst others on whether departments assessed and managed the risk with regard to this expenditure and whether the prescribed procurement processes were followed, whether prices paid are market-related and in accordance with price determinations and whether the quality of goods received complied with the prescribed standards.

“The audits are at an advanced stage of execution and the final reports are expected to be issued before 31 August 2020. Where there are transgressions, necessary consequence management action will be taken and cooperation will be provided to appointed law enforcement agencies,” said Mokgoro.

He said the Provincial Command Council (PCC) has agreed to the publication of COVID-19 expenditure before the end of today in support of transparency principles subject to confidentiality provisions attached to the contracting between government departments and service providers.

According to Mokgoro, the Office of the Premier and Provincial Treasury will be responsible for publishing that information.

“The publication will afford the public to hold the province accountable for the public funds it has been entrusted with to further open government to scrutiny to check if equal value has been derived on spent resources.

“Regarding the municipalities, the Provincial Treasury working with Office of the Premier, SALGA and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, will be working with all municipalities to ensure publication of the similar information,” he said.

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